2023 Gambling Trips
January 16th, 2023 at 8:19:09 PM
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I decided to make one thread for all of my 2023 gambling trips.
BASICS
I'll kick off this thread with my first gambling trip of the year: one night in Atlantic City, NJ. For the first time, my girlfriend (GF) came on this trip. She has been to a casino before years ago (she said she went to Revel),but has never really gambled on anything and was about as green as they come.
TRANSPORTATION
Bus ride from NYC to AC was totally fine. Arrived at Tropicana at 1pm. 30 mins earlier than scheduled. Bus back was delayed by an hour. No real explanation. Thankfully no additional traffic so we got in only an hour late.
ROOM
Checked into hotel early (no early check in fee). 1 night comped. I should have researched which tower was best because I think we got the oldest tower possible--Chelsea Tower. It was a hike from the casino floor. The GF really liked the room. She liked the 70s aesthetic (it is similar to how she likes to decorate her place). Lots of quirky items, like parrot base lamps. I just thought it was old, but it was non-smoking and large and free. Shower had good pressure. Coffee maker and safe in the room. Quiet room with a view of the ocean (from the side).
LAUREL LOUNGE
After we put our things down, we walked down. I got an email that the Laurel Longue had just opened 2 days before. Sure enough, it was open for lunch. We sat down. Unlike Harrah's AC, the entree isn't served to you. Rather, there were 3 entrees on a buffet, plus salad and a few other small things. One quirky issue--they give you 2 plates and say that's all you're getting. You can only go up twice for anything that would go on those plates. So you load up the two plates and then there were some things that you could get as much as you wanted (soup, desserts). The soup was broccoli cheddar. GF loved it. I'm not a fan of heavy soups. Entrees were roast chicken, meatballs and a shrimp pasta. Meatballs were blah but the rest was good.
We ended up getting brunch at Laurel Longue the next day before checking out. They said normally it's closed on Mondays, but was open today for the holiday. Food was pretty standard--eggs, bacon, French toast, muffins, etc--but tasty. One odd thing--I asked for apple juice and they didn't have it. Got orange juice instead.
GF PLAYS VP AND LOVES IT
After Laurel Longue the first say, I signed her up for a Caesar's card. They gave her $5 freeplay for signing up. I suggested we play it through some VP since I saw some machines nearby. They had 8/5 JOB. Not a great game, but for 4 spins it was acceptable. I thought that was going to be it. We play the 4 spins at $1.25 hand she loved it ($3.75 left). She asked if we can sit down and play more. She plays through the $3.75 at $1.25/spin and loses it. She puts in $10. I knew she didn't want to gamble much, so I suggest she play 1 coin in to learn what she's doing and not burn through all $10. I've never seen anyone so happy to bet 25 cents, make a pair of Jacks and get 25 cents back. She was full on high fiving for 2 pair (50 cents). Hand clapping and cheering for a full house. It was really sweet. At first I would ask her to guess what she thinks the right hold is, and then confirm or tell her the right hold and why. She picked it up pretty quickly, but she kept having a hard time seeing small pairs. Like maybe 15% of the time she had a hand like 4QK742 she would ask if holding QK was best and then I'd tell her to look again and she'd see the 44. Over the course of 24 hours there, she probably played 25 cent 8/5 JOB for like 2-3 hours with me sitting next to her. She learned how to order drinks from the machine and loved it. At one point I showed her deuces wild. She thought it was a fun novelty, but liked JOB better. Toward the end I showed her a 10-play machine and she was amazed. I couldn't find a 100 play or else I'd have shown her that. She really got into it. In total she put $20 into VP and after all that cashed out for $20. She kept saying how fun it was and how she'd like to play it more in the future.
TILES
I sit down at a tiles table. She takes the empty seat next to me. She has no idea what's going on. But she's totally amused at watching me play. I try to explain some basic things, but she's not getting it at all. She really likes Dragon Head Phoenix Tail delivery, so I default to asking for that every time I bank. Before we sat down, I predicted that at some point an Asian man will sit down and bet huge. I have the table to myself (with her there) for about an hour and then an Asian man sits down, bets $400 and quickly ramps up to $1500 or so. He lost a few hands to start and then won a few. Maybe played 10 hands total. I think he came out even or one bet up. In total, I think I played maybe 2 hours of tiles with her and another 1.5 hours after she went to bed. She had no idea what was going on, but she said she found it funny to watch. In total, I won about $100 on tiles.
CRAPS
They had an individual bubble craps machine with a big two person seat, so we sat down. Min only $1, so I put $1 on the PL and explained the game. She pushed the button. We played together there for maybe 20 mins and I won $20. Then we walked to the real craps table and there were 2 open spots. I bought us both in and told her to put $15 on the PL. She liked throwing the dice and actually had a really good roll. She missed hitting the back wall once and the dealer told her to hit it so she rocketed the dice after that. A hard throw every time. Never went off the table. One dealer was a bit curt. At one point I wanted to show her a place bet so I told her to put down $20 and ask for an $18 8. She put it half in the Come and half touching the place bet area. Dealer was very stern in telling her where she can and can't put chips. It was literally the first time she put a bet down and it was still 50% on the Come so I thought that was a bit overkill. We played about an hour and the combined bankroll was $15 loss.
HIGH CARD FLUSH
They had $10 table. We sat down. I bought us both in and the dealer was again surly. I think he thought I was playing 2 hands so he was trying to tell me I had to bet $20 (standard if you're one person playing 2 hands). I told him she was playing her own hand and he eventually let it go but he pressed twice. I don't get why he thought I was trying to pull something--when we put the money down I put my card with money under it and her card with money under it--we were 2 people each playing a separate hand under 2 separate cards. Anyway, GF loved high card flush. She thought craps was fun but had too much going on. She liked only having to look for 1 thing, as compared to VP where she'd have to scan for pairs and straight draws and the like. Unfortunately, the table was cold. I lost a 5 card flush. Guy next to me says he's never seen anyone lose a 5 card flush. I think it was Ace high too. (dealer had a better 5 card flush). Oh well. Combined bankroll lost $190.
One other odd thing was the dealer refused to color up a few people. There were at least 2 instances where someone asked for a color up as they were leaving and the dealer looked at their chips and said they should just carry it to the cage. One guy had about $200 in green. Another person looked to have about $75 in red. Both times the dealer wouldn't color them up.
DINNER
We ate at Chicky's and Pete. Both got the Tuscan sandwich. It was excellent. Crab fries were solid too. Heavy meal but tasty. Came out to about $43 before tip.
TRIP TOTAL
I think I lost about $100 overall. She came out even. Beyond the gambling, it was a really fun trip. I regret that we didn't make it to another other casinos or walk the boardwalk but maybe another time.
BASICS
I'll kick off this thread with my first gambling trip of the year: one night in Atlantic City, NJ. For the first time, my girlfriend (GF) came on this trip. She has been to a casino before years ago (she said she went to Revel),but has never really gambled on anything and was about as green as they come.
TRANSPORTATION
Bus ride from NYC to AC was totally fine. Arrived at Tropicana at 1pm. 30 mins earlier than scheduled. Bus back was delayed by an hour. No real explanation. Thankfully no additional traffic so we got in only an hour late.
ROOM
Checked into hotel early (no early check in fee). 1 night comped. I should have researched which tower was best because I think we got the oldest tower possible--Chelsea Tower. It was a hike from the casino floor. The GF really liked the room. She liked the 70s aesthetic (it is similar to how she likes to decorate her place). Lots of quirky items, like parrot base lamps. I just thought it was old, but it was non-smoking and large and free. Shower had good pressure. Coffee maker and safe in the room. Quiet room with a view of the ocean (from the side).
LAUREL LOUNGE
After we put our things down, we walked down. I got an email that the Laurel Longue had just opened 2 days before. Sure enough, it was open for lunch. We sat down. Unlike Harrah's AC, the entree isn't served to you. Rather, there were 3 entrees on a buffet, plus salad and a few other small things. One quirky issue--they give you 2 plates and say that's all you're getting. You can only go up twice for anything that would go on those plates. So you load up the two plates and then there were some things that you could get as much as you wanted (soup, desserts). The soup was broccoli cheddar. GF loved it. I'm not a fan of heavy soups. Entrees were roast chicken, meatballs and a shrimp pasta. Meatballs were blah but the rest was good.
We ended up getting brunch at Laurel Longue the next day before checking out. They said normally it's closed on Mondays, but was open today for the holiday. Food was pretty standard--eggs, bacon, French toast, muffins, etc--but tasty. One odd thing--I asked for apple juice and they didn't have it. Got orange juice instead.
GF PLAYS VP AND LOVES IT
After Laurel Longue the first say, I signed her up for a Caesar's card. They gave her $5 freeplay for signing up. I suggested we play it through some VP since I saw some machines nearby. They had 8/5 JOB. Not a great game, but for 4 spins it was acceptable. I thought that was going to be it. We play the 4 spins at $1.25 hand she loved it ($3.75 left). She asked if we can sit down and play more. She plays through the $3.75 at $1.25/spin and loses it. She puts in $10. I knew she didn't want to gamble much, so I suggest she play 1 coin in to learn what she's doing and not burn through all $10. I've never seen anyone so happy to bet 25 cents, make a pair of Jacks and get 25 cents back. She was full on high fiving for 2 pair (50 cents). Hand clapping and cheering for a full house. It was really sweet. At first I would ask her to guess what she thinks the right hold is, and then confirm or tell her the right hold and why. She picked it up pretty quickly, but she kept having a hard time seeing small pairs. Like maybe 15% of the time she had a hand like 4QK742 she would ask if holding QK was best and then I'd tell her to look again and she'd see the 44. Over the course of 24 hours there, she probably played 25 cent 8/5 JOB for like 2-3 hours with me sitting next to her. She learned how to order drinks from the machine and loved it. At one point I showed her deuces wild. She thought it was a fun novelty, but liked JOB better. Toward the end I showed her a 10-play machine and she was amazed. I couldn't find a 100 play or else I'd have shown her that. She really got into it. In total she put $20 into VP and after all that cashed out for $20. She kept saying how fun it was and how she'd like to play it more in the future.
TILES
I sit down at a tiles table. She takes the empty seat next to me. She has no idea what's going on. But she's totally amused at watching me play. I try to explain some basic things, but she's not getting it at all. She really likes Dragon Head Phoenix Tail delivery, so I default to asking for that every time I bank. Before we sat down, I predicted that at some point an Asian man will sit down and bet huge. I have the table to myself (with her there) for about an hour and then an Asian man sits down, bets $400 and quickly ramps up to $1500 or so. He lost a few hands to start and then won a few. Maybe played 10 hands total. I think he came out even or one bet up. In total, I think I played maybe 2 hours of tiles with her and another 1.5 hours after she went to bed. She had no idea what was going on, but she said she found it funny to watch. In total, I won about $100 on tiles.
CRAPS
They had an individual bubble craps machine with a big two person seat, so we sat down. Min only $1, so I put $1 on the PL and explained the game. She pushed the button. We played together there for maybe 20 mins and I won $20. Then we walked to the real craps table and there were 2 open spots. I bought us both in and told her to put $15 on the PL. She liked throwing the dice and actually had a really good roll. She missed hitting the back wall once and the dealer told her to hit it so she rocketed the dice after that. A hard throw every time. Never went off the table. One dealer was a bit curt. At one point I wanted to show her a place bet so I told her to put down $20 and ask for an $18 8. She put it half in the Come and half touching the place bet area. Dealer was very stern in telling her where she can and can't put chips. It was literally the first time she put a bet down and it was still 50% on the Come so I thought that was a bit overkill. We played about an hour and the combined bankroll was $15 loss.
HIGH CARD FLUSH
They had $10 table. We sat down. I bought us both in and the dealer was again surly. I think he thought I was playing 2 hands so he was trying to tell me I had to bet $20 (standard if you're one person playing 2 hands). I told him she was playing her own hand and he eventually let it go but he pressed twice. I don't get why he thought I was trying to pull something--when we put the money down I put my card with money under it and her card with money under it--we were 2 people each playing a separate hand under 2 separate cards. Anyway, GF loved high card flush. She thought craps was fun but had too much going on. She liked only having to look for 1 thing, as compared to VP where she'd have to scan for pairs and straight draws and the like. Unfortunately, the table was cold. I lost a 5 card flush. Guy next to me says he's never seen anyone lose a 5 card flush. I think it was Ace high too. (dealer had a better 5 card flush). Oh well. Combined bankroll lost $190.
One other odd thing was the dealer refused to color up a few people. There were at least 2 instances where someone asked for a color up as they were leaving and the dealer looked at their chips and said they should just carry it to the cage. One guy had about $200 in green. Another person looked to have about $75 in red. Both times the dealer wouldn't color them up.
DINNER
We ate at Chicky's and Pete. Both got the Tuscan sandwich. It was excellent. Crab fries were solid too. Heavy meal but tasty. Came out to about $43 before tip.
TRIP TOTAL
I think I lost about $100 overall. She came out even. Beyond the gambling, it was a really fun trip. I regret that we didn't make it to another other casinos or walk the boardwalk but maybe another time.
If anyone gives you 10,000 to 1 on anything, you take it. If John Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I am going to be a very rich dude.
January 17th, 2023 at 7:16:08 AM
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Cool report!
Can you PM me the location of the VP machine that gives you six starting cards? JK
Partial Quote:
(Bold Added)
Sounds like the crew hates tokes. I've never played Tables there, so I don't know if this is typical. Actually, I don't think I've ever played tables anywhere in AC, but I may have at Golden Nugget once...don't quite remember.
Down $100 for a day and a half isn't bad at all.
Oh, wait, I did make one bet at Harrah's that lost just because I'd never played the game before, so wanted to cross it off the list. Face up Pai-Gow Poker, I think it was.
Can you PM me the location of the VP machine that gives you six starting cards? JK
Partial Quote:
Quote:Like maybe 15% of the time she had a hand like 4QK742 she would ask if holding QK was best and then I'd tell her to look again and she'd see the 44.
(Bold Added)
Sounds like the crew hates tokes. I've never played Tables there, so I don't know if this is typical. Actually, I don't think I've ever played tables anywhere in AC, but I may have at Golden Nugget once...don't quite remember.
Down $100 for a day and a half isn't bad at all.
Oh, wait, I did make one bet at Harrah's that lost just because I'd never played the game before, so wanted to cross it off the list. Face up Pai-Gow Poker, I think it was.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
January 17th, 2023 at 7:41:41 AM
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Quote: Mission146Cool report!
Can you PM me the location of the VP machine that gives you six starting cards? JK
Partial Quote:Quote:Like maybe 15% of the time she had a hand like 4QK742 she would ask if holding QK was best and then I'd tell her to look again and she'd see the 44.
(Bold Added)
Sounds like the crew hates tokes. I've never played Tables there, so I don't know if this is typical. Actually, I don't think I've ever played tables anywhere in AC, but I may have at Golden Nugget once...don't quite remember.
Down $100 for a day and a half isn't bad at all.
Oh, wait, I did make one bet at Harrah's that lost just because I'd never played the game before, so wanted to cross it off the list. Face up Pai-Gow Poker, I think it was.
link to original post
Thank you!
Yeah it was odd. Some of the dealers were a bit better. At tiles, two of the dealers got into the flow of what I was doing (banking every other hand with the same delivery) and I didn’t have to request it. I was also tipping fairly regularly at tiles, as I usually do. One time at craps my GF quickly sevened out and said “I’m not good at this.” I said “there’s no skill. Just luck and math.” The base dealer looked over and nodded and said something quietly like “that’s right.” I placed $1 bets on the 6 or 8 a few times while she was there (+EV in AC for the dealers) and she said thank you each time. But yeah overall the dealers seemed a bit standoffish. A few dealers were really pushing side bets, which I ignored. One of pit bosses at tiles was really friendly and chatting us up a lot. That was nice.
$100 down is totally acceptable. I’ve had those disaster days where I lose at everything and find myself down $1000. We probably got more than $100 in value just from the Laurel lounge So glad we could take advantage of that perk.
If anyone gives you 10,000 to 1 on anything, you take it. If John Mellencamp ever wins an Oscar, I am going to be a very rich dude.
January 17th, 2023 at 8:43:53 AM
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Enjoy the reports.
Regarding a refused color up. It’s possible, and happens, that the table had a semi recent fill of red/green and then gamblers proceeded to lose a bunch more of them, leaving the rack over filled with red/green. In this specific circumstance it’s common for dealers to refuse color ups, but being AC probably just as likely a grumpy bitter dealer who wishes AC is still what it was 30 years ago.
Regarding a refused color up. It’s possible, and happens, that the table had a semi recent fill of red/green and then gamblers proceeded to lose a bunch more of them, leaving the rack over filled with red/green. In this specific circumstance it’s common for dealers to refuse color ups, but being AC probably just as likely a grumpy bitter dealer who wishes AC is still what it was 30 years ago.
January 17th, 2023 at 8:46:13 AM
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Tinman, I love the fact that your GF enjoyed playing and gambling at low stakes. Having lived in Vegas for 30 years I still always enjoyed watching people enjoy gambling. Most Las Vegans are cynical about gamblers because they are so jaded by losing for years. I enjoy when somebody is clapping and screaming when they hit a flush or full house. I don't care how much they are playing, they are enjoying themselves. Most Las Vegans would be "Tell her to shut up she only hit a flush and is playing one coin. What a loser."
Order from chaos
January 17th, 2023 at 2:39:01 PM
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Quote: DRichTinman, I love the fact that your GF enjoyed playing and gambling at low stakes. Having lived in Vegas for 30 years I still always enjoyed watching people enjoy gambling. Most Las Vegans are cynical about gamblers because they are so jaded by losing for years. I enjoy when somebody is clapping and screaming when they hit a flush or full house. I don't care how much they are playing, they are enjoying themselves. Most Las Vegans would be "Tell her to shut up she only hit a flush and is playing one coin. What a loser."
link to original post
I concur! I wish people would enjoy an evening of gambling entertainment like they do in the commercials for casinos — excited about having fun! And it's also great that she enjoys a little video poker fun so you two can spend time together playing. I'm so happy that I showed my wife how to play video poker and get comped drinks. She has mostly switched over from playing high-stress table games to relaxing with me over drinks. It makes the time spent in the casino a lot more enjoyable.
Thanks for the detailed report!
January 17th, 2023 at 6:46:03 PM
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Quote: smoothgrh
*Clipped Quote in quote*
I concur! I wish people would enjoy an evening of gambling entertainment like they do in the commercials for casinos — excited about having fun! And it's also great that she enjoys a little video poker fun so you two can spend time together playing. I'm so happy that I showed my wife how to play video poker and get comped drinks. She has mostly switched over from playing high-stress table games to relaxing with me over drinks. It makes the time spent in the casino a lot more enjoyable.
Thanks for the detailed report!
link to original post
You can tell which people go to the casino for "money" vs. the ones that know they are there for entertainment by the look on their faces as they get breakeven/small win hands/payouts.
Gambling is always fun with other people to enjoy it with though!
