Lowbrow trip report 6/27-30

After two weeks of attending gaming conventions (one on Columbus, and one in Chicago), I finished off my vacation with four days in Vegas. The plane landing was smooth by Vegas standards. I had a reservation at The D, and had planned to take a bus from the airport, but after about 30 minutes of searching in vain (I think the buses don't serve Terminal 3, which is where United lands), I ended up taking a shuttle. One thing surprised me at The D; the elevators don't have floor buttons inside of them - instead, you enter a floor number, and the elevator driver assigns one of the six elevators to the pickup.

I had a few long nights up to that point (I was in a dorm room in Chicago that had no TV, had a bad cold for about a week, and the bedsheets they gave me were, to put it mildly, short), and didn't get to the hotel until about noon, so I just grabbed a couple of slices at Pizza Rock, bought a new T-shirt at the Mob Museum (the sales lady was impressed by my three-year-old shirt, which they don't sell any more), then changed to something less casual and hopped a bus down to Texas de Brazil for dinner. Any fears I had about a dress code went away when I saw somebody in a T-shirt and board shorts enter. The meal was good, but I wouldn't say $75 good; given the choice, I rank Fogo de Chao on top. When I got back to the hotel, I considered playing some craps or blackjack, but somebody thought it would be a good idea to put dancers and loud music next to (and, in one case on top of) the tables, and I thought it was a good idea to go back to my room.

Tuesday, I had a meatball sub at Naked City Pizza near UNLV, then went to he Pinball Hall of Fame; I notice that the newer machines are asking $1 for a 3-ball game, although "popular row" (games like Family Guy, Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean, and so on) is still 75 cents for a 5-ball game. I also noticed that there didn't seem to be as many 1980s-era machines as before; it was either newer games or older ones. I then went back to the hotel, rested for a while, and headed back downtown for some lowbrow dinner at the NYNY food court (a chili cheese dog, chili cheeseburger, and chili cheese fries). Just a couple of small problems; one, the bus doesn't stop in front of NYNY, but rather in front of Monte Carlo, and two,

it was right in the middle of a torrential thundershower.

Wednesday, I went on a search for local brewery pint glasses; the two places I find them at home are BevMo and Cost Plus. There do not appear to be any BevMo stores in Vegas, but there are a couple of Cost Plus, one of which is at the shopping center near Silverton, whose bus route just changed from every hour to every 30 minutes, so I went there. However, the glasses they had were all of brands that I can get at home. After a quick lunch at the Del Taco there, I decided to go to Green Valley Ranch to see if Double Blackjack was running. However, it took 90 minutes, in part because the bus that goes to GVR splits into two routes, and only stops at each route once an hour, so it was guesswork as to which stop to go to. Finally, I get to GVR, find the table games...and Double Blackjack is nowhere to be found. Lots of something called "Lucky Lucky Blackjack" (I think it's just single-deck normal BJ of some sort), and a Poker With A Joker table, but no Double. It's not a good sign for a game if it's impossible to find it. Anyway, back downtown, where I dropped $20 on VP at the Fremont before having dinner at the steak buffet.

Thursday was mainly a search of the strip casinos for any dice I don't have yet. I managed to find some "real" Bally's casino dice at the gift stop at the Stratosphere, and a few sets of Reno/Tahoe dice (Harvey's, Peppermill, Cal-Neva) at the Bonanza store. I also discovered that, while there are various colors and styles of "casino-like" dice (complete with sharp corners) available for $14 a pair at the Wynn, none of them are actual casino-used dice. Quick lunch at Smashburger at the Caesar's food court; pretty good burger, but, like pretty much everything else on the Strip, overpriced - and this is coming from someone who pays San Francisco prices for things.
I also came across a couple of strange bets at the sports books.
First, books are now allowed to take bets on "postseason awards" like the Cy Young and the Heisman Trophy. I guess it has something to do with the recent decision to allow accepting bets on the Oscars. (Stanford's Christian McCaffrey is the 7-2 Heisman favorite; note that betting closes on Sunday 11/20, although I think the Heisman voting ends a week later.)
Second, one book was accepting bets on whether or not the Vegas NHL team (which I for one am calling the Black Knights until told otherwise) will win its first game. One small problem: NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is not a fan of betting, and the gaming commission regulations still give him the right to ban Nevada casinos from accepting bets on games involving a Vegas NHL team (or any NHL game, including the All-Star Game, that takes place in Vegas).
I finished things off with dinner at the Claim Jumper at Green Valley; a fairly decent tri-tip and chicken breast with "three cheese potato cakes" for about $40 with drink and tip.

Yes, there was more gambling involved; I dropped about $90 on a $5 craps table after briefly being about $30 ahead, then I put $20 into a $1 two-credit WoF slot, and, after getting down to my last $2 without a win, I won $2, and followed it up with a $30 spin on the wheel. I ended with a $10 gain on 25c 8/5 JoB VP, which is pretty good considering that I never got better than a full house. I ended up down about $100.

Thanks for the trip report TDG! I enjoyed it.

Were there any signs regarding what happens to wagers if the Black Knights don't materialize, or if the Commish kills all action?

It sounds like a lot of time and stress was wasted on the bus. Considering the difference in time and money spent taking the bus vs. taking a cab or renting a car, How much time did it cost, and how much money did it save?

Quote: Ayecarumba

Thanks for the trip report TDG! I enjoyed it.

Were there any signs regarding what happens to wagers if the Black Knights don't materialize, or if the Commish kills all action?

It sounds like a lot of time and stress was wasted on the bus. Considering the difference in time and money spent taking the bus vs. taking a cab or renting a car, How much time did it cost, and how much money did it save?

Enjoyed the report, TDG. Thanks!

I also wondered if an econo car would not have served you better, reading your report. Between the airport shuttle, buses, your time, trips to GVR twice from dt, and the beverage place (not to mention the thunderstorm), seems like it would be at least a wash cost-wise. Maybe not, as I haven't rented in Vegas in over a year.

Quote: beachbumbabs

I also wondered if an econo car would not have served you better, reading your report. Between the airport shuttle, buses, your time, trips to GVR twice from dt, and the beverage place (not to mention the thunderstorm), seems like it would be at least a wash cost-wise. Maybe not, as I haven't rented in Vegas in over a year.

I tried a car once - about three years ago, I think - but anything smaller than a Ford Fusion / Toyota Camry was just too cramped. Besides, it's not that cost effective if there's only one person involved.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Were there any signs regarding what happens to wagers if the Black Knights don't materialize, or if the Commish kills all action?

It sounds like a lot of time and stress was wasted on the bus. Considering the difference in time and money spent taking the bus vs. taking a cab or renting a car, How much time did it cost, and how much money did it save?

I'm pretty sure that the bet is no action unless the team actually plays a game (and note that it is for the team's first home game). The team has already been approved by the league to start in the 2017-18 season, as far as I know, so I have a feeling the only thing that really stands in its way is a stadium. IIRC, the San Jose Sharks had to play its first two years of home games in the Cow Palace in San Francisco because San Jose Arena (the "Shark Tank") was delayed in construction.

As for cost savings, four days of bus passes cost $28, and I didn't have to worry about finding places to park on the Strip. The Silverton / Green Valley bit was a spur of the moment, "go big or go home" sort of thing.

I enjoyed the trip report. Try Via Brasil Steakhouse next time you are there it is 10 times better than Fogo De Chao.

Quote: PokerGrinder

I enjoyed the trip report. Try Via Brasil Steakhouse next time you are there it is 10 times better than Fogo De Chao.

Went there a couple of years ago (right after watching the USA-Ghana 2014 World Cup soccer match at Red Rock). Also good, but I don't remember it being worth the bother of going out there when FDC is closer to the Strip.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

Went there a couple of years ago (right after watching the USA-Ghana 2014 World Cup soccer match at Red Rock). Also good, but I don't remember it being worth the bother of going out there when FDC is closer to the Strip.

I was severely disappointed by FDC, the trek is worth it to me for Via Brasil. I don't understand the hype for FDC. Maybe I'm nuts.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

I'm pretty sure that the bet is no action unless the team actually plays a game (and note that it is for the team's first home game). The team has already been approved by the league to start in the 2017-18 season, as far as I know, so I have a feeling the only thing that really stands in its way is a stadium.

The team will be playing their home games at the T-Mobile Arena. No concerns for a location.

Quote: Brewfangrb

The team will be playing their home games at the T-Mobile Arena. No concerns for a location.

I didn't realize it was already open. Two years from breaking ground to hosting events seems fast to me.