AC Trip Report - Oct 2016
October 16th, 2016 at 6:23:10 AM
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Our objective was really to tour some of the historic sites in Philly. After checking room (and parking) prices in Philly we changed plans slightly and headed to AC for some comped rooms and a couple of train rides into Philly. The Jitney shuttles will take you too and from the train station (convention center) and any of the casinos for free. You can get right into historic Philly (8th street) for $8.25 each way. Worked out great for us.
Day 1 - Tropicana
This was a "Holiday" (Columbus day), but our corner room was ready when we arrived just after noon. What a pleasant surprise. The room was a recently renovated Havana tower room. It was nice with a beautiful bay side view, though you could see the ocean as well.
A nice lunch at Chickie & Pete's overlooking the boardwalk and ocean thought the crab fries came out significantly after the entrees. While they warn you they bring the food when it is ready you would think they could get the crab fries out with the meal.
The casino was very busy with the lowest limits on Craps at $10 and on BJ at $10 and $15. After playing for a while we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and take a walk up to Caesar's. They were also very busy and I couldn't find a BJ table for under $25 (so I didn't play).
We were a little surprised the Columbus Day was generating so much activity, but apparently it was. We were planning on eating in the cafe at the Trop, however, both the cafe and Fin (a more upscale restaurant) were closed due to remodeling in that section of the Trop. Yes, the Trop is still investing and remodeling sections of the casino and hotel (very nice to see). We decided to eat at Hooters and had an ok meal there.
After dinner, all BJ was at least $25 (with one notable exception) so I did not play. I didn't play some Craps at $10, which was fun and lasted quite a while but I ended up a loser there. The notable BJ exception is Shaq attack "arena" BJ at $5 with a live dealer. You sit at a terminal (there are about 6 in the poker room) and play electronically, but there is a live dealer there and you see just the cards dealt to you. First you pick 1-3 hands to play and place your bets. All others do the same on the same 3 starting hands. However, each terminal gets to decide what to do themselves. So if you choose to hit, you get a card, while another terminal may choose to stand, and then they don't. Every terminal the chooses to hit (or double or split) gets the same next card. In our time at the Trop I never saw more than one person playing... yikes! Lots of expensive equipment for that. I have heard, though saw no evidence, that the terminals could go anywhere in the casino with the same live dealer. That might be nice to sit in a lounge and play BJ rather than VP. But you lose all the social aspects of the game so I'm not a fan. We'll see.
On my previous trip I reported on Three Card 21-and-Done game. I wasn't impressed then and it appears others weren't as well. The game is no where to be found now.
Day 2 - Philly and the Trop
Our trip to Philly went smoothly, getting to see the Liberty Bell and tours of the US Mint and Independence hall. It was a beautiful day to be walking around and we very much enjoyed ourselves.
Once back at the Trop, it was still busy. Craps still $10, but BJ was back to $10 and $15. I sat and played quite a while winning back the money I lost the previous night at the Craps table. Of note, even though the casino was busier than I expected they did not open additional tables so every table was packed full.
The Trop was definitely busy for mid week in October. Whether this is Taj customers or just marketing I don't know but it was nice to see.
Day 3 - Borgata
We only had 2 comp nights at the Trop so we used 2 more at the Borgata. While we have played at Borgata (obviously to get the comps) we have never stayed there. Check-in went smoothly though our room was not ready. They offered to text me when it was ready and within 1/2 hour we got the text.
The room was very nice with a really nice view out towards Harrah's and the estuary. The casino was also very busy with Craps at $10, $15 and $25 on the main floor. BJ was similarly $10, $15 and $25 with one table of $5 packed full. All tables have automatic shufflers but are dealt from a shoe.
The dealers and pit crew are very nice and professional and even though I lost after having one of my bigger bets out, split and one double, when the dealer drew to 21!
We ate lunch at The Metropolitan. Food was good (though a little slow) and the atmosphere was quite nice. The Borgota is running an October special of a 2 for 1 buffet with a players card from any other NY, CT, PA or NJ casino. We have plenty of those, so we headed to the buffet for dinner. The line was long and we asked the women how long the wait. She said about 1/2 hour.... Well 1 and 1/2 hours later we were in! Ughh. The buffet is nice with some good options. I had shrimp, sirloin steak, lobster ravioli to just name a few things. We certainly wouldn't wait that long if we had known up front.
More tables were open in the evening and eventually the limits were raised to $15 on the BJ tables. While the Trop had about 10 BJ tables open, the Borgota easily had 25 open not counting the high limit area.
Day 4 - Philly and Borgota
We again headed to Philly, this time for the zoo. It was a little harder to get from downtown to the zoo but we managed a few train rides later to get there and enjoyed the zoo very much. Unfortunately the day ended up being cloudy and even a rain shower.
Once back at Borgota I played more BJ and did fairly well. Eventually the limit was raised on my table from $10 to $15 but were were allowed to play $10 for over an hour after that (and probably longer but I was done). I also played some $10 craps at a table with a bachelor party. It was pretty fun but I lost a bit.
All in all it was a good week. We enjoyed both the Trop and the Borgota, though my wife seems to be leaning at staying at Borgota more often.
Day 1 - Tropicana
This was a "Holiday" (Columbus day), but our corner room was ready when we arrived just after noon. What a pleasant surprise. The room was a recently renovated Havana tower room. It was nice with a beautiful bay side view, though you could see the ocean as well.
A nice lunch at Chickie & Pete's overlooking the boardwalk and ocean thought the crab fries came out significantly after the entrees. While they warn you they bring the food when it is ready you would think they could get the crab fries out with the meal.
The casino was very busy with the lowest limits on Craps at $10 and on BJ at $10 and $15. After playing for a while we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and take a walk up to Caesar's. They were also very busy and I couldn't find a BJ table for under $25 (so I didn't play).
We were a little surprised the Columbus Day was generating so much activity, but apparently it was. We were planning on eating in the cafe at the Trop, however, both the cafe and Fin (a more upscale restaurant) were closed due to remodeling in that section of the Trop. Yes, the Trop is still investing and remodeling sections of the casino and hotel (very nice to see). We decided to eat at Hooters and had an ok meal there.
After dinner, all BJ was at least $25 (with one notable exception) so I did not play. I didn't play some Craps at $10, which was fun and lasted quite a while but I ended up a loser there. The notable BJ exception is Shaq attack "arena" BJ at $5 with a live dealer. You sit at a terminal (there are about 6 in the poker room) and play electronically, but there is a live dealer there and you see just the cards dealt to you. First you pick 1-3 hands to play and place your bets. All others do the same on the same 3 starting hands. However, each terminal gets to decide what to do themselves. So if you choose to hit, you get a card, while another terminal may choose to stand, and then they don't. Every terminal the chooses to hit (or double or split) gets the same next card. In our time at the Trop I never saw more than one person playing... yikes! Lots of expensive equipment for that. I have heard, though saw no evidence, that the terminals could go anywhere in the casino with the same live dealer. That might be nice to sit in a lounge and play BJ rather than VP. But you lose all the social aspects of the game so I'm not a fan. We'll see.
On my previous trip I reported on Three Card 21-and-Done game. I wasn't impressed then and it appears others weren't as well. The game is no where to be found now.
Day 2 - Philly and the Trop
Our trip to Philly went smoothly, getting to see the Liberty Bell and tours of the US Mint and Independence hall. It was a beautiful day to be walking around and we very much enjoyed ourselves.
Once back at the Trop, it was still busy. Craps still $10, but BJ was back to $10 and $15. I sat and played quite a while winning back the money I lost the previous night at the Craps table. Of note, even though the casino was busier than I expected they did not open additional tables so every table was packed full.
The Trop was definitely busy for mid week in October. Whether this is Taj customers or just marketing I don't know but it was nice to see.
Day 3 - Borgata
We only had 2 comp nights at the Trop so we used 2 more at the Borgata. While we have played at Borgata (obviously to get the comps) we have never stayed there. Check-in went smoothly though our room was not ready. They offered to text me when it was ready and within 1/2 hour we got the text.
The room was very nice with a really nice view out towards Harrah's and the estuary. The casino was also very busy with Craps at $10, $15 and $25 on the main floor. BJ was similarly $10, $15 and $25 with one table of $5 packed full. All tables have automatic shufflers but are dealt from a shoe.
The dealers and pit crew are very nice and professional and even though I lost after having one of my bigger bets out, split and one double, when the dealer drew to 21!
We ate lunch at The Metropolitan. Food was good (though a little slow) and the atmosphere was quite nice. The Borgota is running an October special of a 2 for 1 buffet with a players card from any other NY, CT, PA or NJ casino. We have plenty of those, so we headed to the buffet for dinner. The line was long and we asked the women how long the wait. She said about 1/2 hour.... Well 1 and 1/2 hours later we were in! Ughh. The buffet is nice with some good options. I had shrimp, sirloin steak, lobster ravioli to just name a few things. We certainly wouldn't wait that long if we had known up front.
More tables were open in the evening and eventually the limits were raised to $15 on the BJ tables. While the Trop had about 10 BJ tables open, the Borgota easily had 25 open not counting the high limit area.
Day 4 - Philly and Borgota
We again headed to Philly, this time for the zoo. It was a little harder to get from downtown to the zoo but we managed a few train rides later to get there and enjoyed the zoo very much. Unfortunately the day ended up being cloudy and even a rain shower.
Once back at Borgota I played more BJ and did fairly well. Eventually the limit was raised on my table from $10 to $15 but were were allowed to play $10 for over an hour after that (and probably longer but I was done). I also played some $10 craps at a table with a bachelor party. It was pretty fun but I lost a bit.
All in all it was a good week. We enjoyed both the Trop and the Borgota, though my wife seems to be leaning at staying at Borgota more often.
October 16th, 2016 at 10:43:34 AM
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Quote: bj4funOur objective was really to tour some of the historic sites in Philly. ...
Day 3 - Borgata
We only had 2 comp nights at the Trop so we used 2 more at the Borgata. ... BJ was similarly $10, $15 and $25 with one table of $5 packed full. All tables have automatic shufflers but are dealt from a shoe.
The dealers and pit crew are very nice and professional and even though I lost after having one of my bigger bets out, split and one double, when the dealer drew to 21!
Here is a warning. Borg is very nice to consistent losers, but it has ill-treated consistent winners aka "skilled players". Here are examples what Borg will do to the consistent winners:
1) Freezing the winner's comp dollars
Borg will not allow the winner to use his comp dollars. It freezes his account. Eventually his comp dollars will expire.
2) Cancelling room comps without warning
Borg will just shut down the winner's perks, stop & cancel his free rooms. The winner finds out the hard way when he arrives Borg for some actions.
3) Imposing a $50 bet restriction
Borg allows losers to bet up to $3,000 in pit #4 but restricts the consistent winner under $50.
4) Evicting the consistent winners permanently
At least 3 winners (R, F & J) were evicted forever by Borg. Borg is so powerful; it has even beaten the AC City Hall. It can surely take on & stop any consistent winners. You guys just read the dark side of Borg. Caveat emptor.
I'm OK with Corps which pick and choose clienteles. Both insurance companies and casinos have the right to pick and choose customers. They may keep profitable ones and kicked out the rest. But, I'm not OK with a casino supervisor who says counting cards... is like stealing food from a buffet (a foodlifting offense), or video-taping a movie in a cinema (a piracy offense).
October 16th, 2016 at 12:07:21 PM
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Thanks Artemis, but as you can see with my unwillingness to play at the $25 BJ tables at the Trop, I'm mostly a red chip player that isn't likely to draw much heat. Its good to know though that the Borgota will start sweating the money at some point should my bankroll grow enough to get noticed.
