Visitreno

[CaSwede]

Hi everyone. Sorry I have been away from the board, but I did have a chance to take a trip to Reno last week. I decided after dinner to take in Reno. My first night was at Boomtown where I checked in about 10PM. I didn't make a reservation, but they had a room for me. I played in the casino for about 3 hours and did just terrible. My first day cash stash was gone.

Strike one.

The next morning I got up and wandered around downtown Reno. It was miserable out with winds up to 50 mph, but I did get to check out some places that I wanted to see. It was then on to Atlantis for one night. They had a free room for me, but the casino was not too kind either. I did hit one dime royal flush, but it was not enough to make up the hole I had dug the previous night.

Strike two.

It was then on to the Peppermill for one night. I love to spend time at the bar out in the Tuscany area with all these wonderful beers. I became friendly with the bartender (it was not busy) and he kept all the wonderful expensive beers coming. He even brought out the $16 Chimay that was wonderful. Big tips help. The only trouble was that when I got up I knew all was not well. So, I thought I would take a break up in the room. The next thing I knew was it was 11PM.... it seems I fell asleep for about 3 hours!! I was back to normal and spent time in the casino untl almost 3 AM. When I got back to the room I looked out the window and it was snowing, and my wallet was depleted.

Strike Three. Your out!

So- the next morning it was time for home. As I was leaving Reno it was snowing lightly and cold. Of course I ran into chain controls over I-80, but I was waved through as I have 4WD. It was 19 degrees with snow at Donner Summit.

That is it. It was not a profitable trip at all, but I had a great time.

[BC Dave]

Not having to put the chains on - That's kind of a win. Glad you had fun. I too like the Tuscan bar at the Pep.

[stan_allen]

The important thing is that you had a "GREAT" time - though that 3-strikes feeling is a little sad - but what fun, being blinded by the lights of the pep, and being fed increasingly exotic beer...

Good job!

[CaSwede]

Thanks for the feedback. Actually the bar I am talking about is the bar at Biscotti's, near the Tuscan lounge. It is kind of hard to find, as you got to walk around the corner near the entrance to the restaurant. It is a great quiet place to play.

I see that the cabaret lounge is finished with live bands. They now have the largest video screen I have ever seen covering the stage. I used to love to play there and listen to live music.....that deal is over I guess. In fact they have very little entertainment anymore. There are no more concerts scheduled and they only have a one or two person "band" playing at the Tuscan bar area.....that is it. It seems to be a cut back.

I have not played as much at the Peppermill as I used to play, as they do not offer me anymore free play. My offer came with $50 in resort credits. I spent $3.95 on the chicken noodle soup...that was it. I am not into fancy meals, spas or getting my toe nails painted with the SF Giants logo. I come to play the machines, so the "resort credits" do not fit my style.

I guess I am getting old and grumpy.

[Mammothgambler]

Great TR CaSwede, and sorry wasn't a winning one, but I agree with BC Dave - not having to deal with chains is a win in itself!

Yes, I too noticed that especially from this summer up until now, the Pep has greatly reduced their free play offers and has been instead trading it with resort credit. In addition, unlike some of the other casinos in town, you must be checked into the hotel to use it. That was never the case with the free play. I had a blast on Halloween - at about 7 am that morning, I found out that I had $50 in resort credit for that month and got a friendly heads up from the Silver Legacy Club that no, you didn't need to be staying on the property to use it. It would've been a bit more convenient to find that out at the beginning vs. the end of the month, but 2 buffets and a whole bakery cheesecake later, I was quite satisfied by being able to use it all up by midnight!

Hopefully your next trip will be a winner.

Mammothgambler

[spdmrcht]

They are getting tight, the last time I stopped by there they
were boosting, change your points in to free play, so I stood
in line with the other suckers and when I gave them my card
they said I only had 49$ and I needed 50$ or more to use
the offer. Not a happy camper. went back down town.
Yep 4x4s were made for gamblers, Year round transpo.

[Mammothgambler]

Oh yes spdmrcht, and I wouldn't be surprised if they cut it in half like the other properties do. That's the one thing that burns me up - to me, comp dollars should be consistent and used however you want, but everybody's got their rules.

I actually called them last night to enter into the Double Header Slot Tournament. I came in 305th place in the Veterans Day tournament last weekend and got $30 in free play, which was a comped entry, but for some reason, the Double Header can't be entered by a local without paying the entry fee - apparently the comp for this particular tournament is only for out of towners. Rats!

Mammothgambler

[LilyJDragonfly]

Dang, Swede, that sounds like my trips to Reno... but I can feel the Mammoth Vibe coming this way and when The Dog returns for a brief respite from the North Dakota situation, we will score Ultra Black Status from the Cal-Neva and walk out with fistfuls of cash money...

[dfens]

I consider the no chains the last win heading out of Reno! Except you can't celebrate it running around in circles because it's so damn cold on the pass!