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Two Night Love Affair: Reno Adventures, 4/21-23

 
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Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 33

PostPosted: Apr Sun 25, 2010 3:01 am    Post subject: Two Night Love Affair: Reno Adventures, 4/21-23 Reply with quote

BACKSTORY: I had stayed at the Peppermill in July and August of last year (trip reports: http://visitreno.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1028 and http://visitreno.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1036) and enjoyed myself. Since then, every couple of months, they have sent me offers with varying amounts of comped nights, comped food, and "appearance fees". The latest offer they sent me in March was for up to 4 nights in the Peppermill Tower, $30 in free food, and $100 in freeplay. I still think this is quite a lavish offer for someone who plays like I do, so I decided to take advantage of their generosity before they came to their senses. Or would I be the one who would be taken advantage of?

I vacilated between taking a vacation in Las Vegas or one in Reno. I finally said to myself, "Life is short. Why not do both?" So I did - four nights in vegas, two in Reno. This one covers only the Reno portion. I had a little extra luggage from my LV winnings.

WEDNESDAY, 4/21

The flight from Las Vegas to Reno was on Southwest, my first time flying with them. I had heard about the importance of getting in the "A" group by either pre-paying that $10 fee or checking in as quickly as possible during the 24-hour window. I decided to pass on both and took my chances. The flight was $70 and only a bit over an hour, so I figured I could suffer through some indignity. I checked in at the airport and got the "C" group. That probably meant a middle seat, but we would see. I got to use the TSA's new, improved body scanner. It was a little slow going through that routine, but since I was no threat to anyone besides casino bean counters, they let me through.

Southwest seemed to operate exceptionally efficiently, I noticed as I checked the weather in Reno. 36 and snow. Son of a gun... I was used to 60+ degree weather back in Lansing, and baked by 80s in Las Vegas (though this day was cooler - only in the 50s as I got to the airport). I may have to plan my next trip to Reno a little later in the year. Anyway, it was time to board, and shocker, the first seat available to me was a middle. The Boeing 737s SWA uses is decently comfortable from the middle. We left and arrived a little late. It had stopped snowing by this time, but it was still cold - maybe 40 degrees and windy. The Peppermill shuttle was a couple of minutes late, as usual for them, and we got to the hotel about 4.

There was a short line at check-in. I was again offered a Tuscany Tower room upgrade for $30/night (included with the offer postcard). I declined. I had been in Tuscany on the last trip (that was a free upgrade Smile), and Montego Bay on the trip before that. I wanted to see the Peppermill Tower room. Slow computers were the only hitch. Eventually I got to my room on the 6th floor - another hike. The Pep Tower is shaped like a "Y", or actually more like a divining rod, with two short branches and a much longer one. My room on the 6th floor was near the end of the long branch. It was very nicely furnished with the usual HDTV and fancy furnishings (I never could figure out how to use the 6 pillows they provided for me - any suggestions?). It was more spacious than I expected. The bathroom in my Tuscany room was much bigger than this one, which was a little snug by modern hotel standards. But it did its job. Overall I really liked the room and thought it was only a small downgrade from Tuscany.

I unpacked and headed for the casino. I had already missed the games starting at 4:05, but there were several games starting at 5:05 and beyond that I wanted to lose my money on. So my first stop was the sports book to bet on 5 baseball games. I would only win one, for a $19 loss, but that would be known sometime later. I swiped my card at their kiosk and received a free gelato coupon, which I thought might come in handy (I never used it) and got my Adventures in Tuscany coupon book. They had the same coupons as last time, which was great. Also at the club booth I got a new card - just a modified design, no change in status (Bronze, one level above the plebian purple). They informed me that I had $75 in freeplay waiting for me. Wait a minute, my offer card said I had $100 coming to me. I didn't inform her of this, though I probably should have. It was printed in black & white, but it was back in the room. I could have argued and probably won, but it might have been a fight, and I don't like those. Next time I'll be sure to get what's coming. The freeplay turned into $41.50 at STP - not bad considering I didn't get a hand higher than 2 pair or a multiplier higher than 2.

Then I stopped by Saucy's for some rib-tickling goodness. I used the coupon and charged the remainder to the room. It remained high-quality stuff and I munched on it well into the next day. I went back to the room to rest and watch my teams (mostly) lose.

I returned to the casino for a closer look. I saw a few familiar faces among the dealing staff and would see more throughout my trip. None of them recognized me, but that's all right. I settled in at a blackjack table and was informed that the matchplay was only good off the top of the deck (I was at a single deck game). I didn't notice it in the T&C, but whatever. I eventually got to play the $25 match and lost it (typical of my results in matchplays above $10). Later on I was dealt a spade blackjack. That was one of the bonus coupons in the book, paying 2-to-1 up to $100. I had a $15 bet out. The rub was the dealer had a BJ too. What to do? The floorman was called over and seemed somewhat unsure, but a second read of the back of the coupon revealed that it was covered under the T&C - they had to pay. So instead of an extra $7.50, I got an extra $30. Nice. I left the table ahead $5.

I won $6 at STP and sat down at another blackjack table, this one double deck. I caught a mega-run, tipping along the way. When the dust settled, I was up $110. My host, if I had one, would not have been amused - I didn't stay very long. I returned to the room and went to bed around 11.

THURSDAY, 4/22

Up and at 'em around 5. I checked the kiosk and got some extra drawing tickets to a big drawing THAT I EXPECT TO BE AT, FOR ONCE! All the tables were completely dead, so I played STP. This was my one and only big hand of the trip. I was dealt 4s and one hand exploded into quads. No multiplier, alas. Kenny threw off a buck, but I blew $5 or so at some other pretty slots. One of them was Cleopatra Wild Tiles. You can learn more about the game here: http://www.ledgaming.com/Cleopatra_WildTiles/html/index.shtml. As I put money into a video slot called Southern Belle (1024 ways to win! Many thousands of ways to lose!!!), I expected little. But I actually got a 1450 coin (penny) payout, which isn't bad, but certainly not life-changing. I left ahead $12.45.

I went back to the room to clean up and prepare for the rest of the day, then I went back to the casino. I placed my sports bets for the day - 4 baseball games. Most of them paid significantly better than even money, and three of them came in. This netted me about $25. But that was much later.

In the meantime I used my keno coupon the same way I did last time - 4 games at $1.25 each on each of the "red" and "blue" board, with the special payout of $4 per number. This is the coward's way to play it, I know, but I'm not smart enough to figure out the edge on the other tickets in my head - though I did copy down some that were of interest for future reference and study. I won once on each board, for a payout of $8 - exactly in line with expectations. While I was waiting for the keno games to play out, I played blackjack. I got an unusual number of blackjacks - maybe one per 10 hands. But it only allowed me to tread water until my big run. I left up $80. Then I went to my favorite NSUD machine in the high limit room (they moved it). I was dealt 3 aces and an deuce but couldn't improve it. But the 4-of-a-kind meant a nice payout. I left there up $5. I went to the race book to watch the ponies for a couple of hours. I wasn't motivated to place any bets.

After a quick rest in my room, I came back to play some blackjack. I did well to win $47. Unfortunately I dumped it all - and then some - at the craps table. One thing I noticed was the Peppermill dealers are more skilled on average than the ones on Fremont Street. The shooters also shoot faster. I wanted to play more craps, but there was often few or no players there.

I wanted to head out to Atlantis to try their excellent VP and Deal or No Deal - What's Your Deal game, but the rain deterred me. Did I mention that it barely hit 50 this day? It also rained on and off all day. So I retreated to the STP machine, where I dumped $28. I noticed all the STP machines were less busy than I had seen them. I played at Deanna's double deck blackjack table with indifferent results, then did a little better against her sub. I really had to go, so I left ahead $17.50.

I went back to the room to watch the first round of the NFL draft. My Lions took Suh, who I think will be really good, but we need a lot more to be a winning team. Denver bought into the Tebow story and took him near the end of the 1st round. I think he can play a little, but wouldn't have taken him here.

After the show was over, I heard the casino calling and was powerless to resist. But first, dinner at the coffee shop. I had the steak and eggs - which also featured hash browns and toast. It was all good. Here I was rebuffed from using a coupon and charging to the room. Grrrrr. So I had to pay real cash for the remainder - about $15, including drink and tip. Fair value, I suppose.

On to the craps table. There were two going, and I went to table #1. I couldn't believe how fast I was losing my money, so I took out more cash (the only time I did that on this trip) to see if things would turn. Nope. I surrendered down $168. I wandered around for a bit, then went to table #2. I eventually got a nice shooter who kept hitting my numbers. When the smoke cleared I was up $168. Imagine that.

By now it was 10:30 and time to shut it down for the trip. I finished ahead about $240 for the Reno portion of my trip and $920 overall.

FRIDAY, 4/23

I slept, then loafed around the room until about 6:30. The day started out foggy. The kiosk gave me more drawing tickets. I dined at the coffee shop again. This time I had some huge pancakes and bacon. At $20 it wasn't really worth it, but I had enough comps to pay for everything but the tip ($3), which it was definitely worth. I returned to the room, packed up, and headed out. A check of my room charges revealed nothing - perfect. I checked out on the TV and headed to the shuttle. This shuttle was packed full. I checked in at Horizon, which is a subsidiary of Alaska Air. No problems there. I noticed that in addition to various TPIR machines, Reno's airport has Sex and the City. I guess they're suitably tight. McCarran, by comparison, doesn't seem to have any machines that are less than 5 years old. Tempted as I was to play TPIR, I resisted.

The Horizon flight to Los Angeles was on a Bombardier Q400 turbo prop. I don't think I had ever flown on one of these before. It was quieter than you'd expect from a turbo prop. Smooth flight, left on time, arrived early. Then came the bad news... we landed in Terminal 3. My connecting flight to Detroit (on Delta) was in Terminal 5. There was a short bus ride to the proper terminal, which wasn't a big deal. The irritating portion is that I had to go through screening again. Phooey. There was a line, but it moved fast. I got through it. LAX seemed to be a little behind the times as an airport. The plane to Detroit left and arrived on time. I shuttled back to the lot, got in my car and drove home. And that ended my little vacation.

Thoughts:

* I said that the recession was over in Las Vegas. The Peppermill seems to be suffering a bit still, but maybe it was just the mid-week blues.
* I could've used another day or two.
* I noticed several little annoying things about the Peppermill and its staff this time around. I've mentioned some of them above. I guess it's like discovering your One True Love has a minor flaw or two. I guess I can live with it if they continue to treat me well otherwise.
* I never did get to use my other 2x coupon, for a blackjack in diamonds.
* I earned 91 points from this trip, bringing my total for the past 12 months to 576. I'm going to have to hustle to retain my Bronze status for another year.
* I still heart the Peppermill, but I'm not sure if they still heart me or not. The next offer figures to tell the story.
* My next trip to Reno will be coming up quickly, June 4-7. It's the same offer as this one. I'll have to make sure I get my full Benjamin of freeplay.
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remano



Joined: 20 Dec 2005
Posts: 717

PostPosted: Apr Sun 25, 2010 9:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great TR! Enjoyable reading, thanks for the input. My comments:

SW "A" boarding pass. Yeah, I've noticed people seem to go bonkers over getting the coveted "A" pass. My thinking is that the whole plane takes off and lands at the same time, no matter what seat you're in. In fact, the "A" pass only means you get to take your seat first, then sit and wait longer before finally taking off. The only real differences are (1) first class, which you have to pay for and I don't think SW offers, do they? (2) emergency exit rows that give you a little more leg room, and (3) back aisle seats that don't recline (ugh). The only meaningful difference in my personal opinion is the non-reclining seats. The rest is all just part of the airline experience.

Since you visited both Vegas and Reno, I would be interested in your thoughts comparing the two. In my opinion, you can't beat Vegas for the "WOW" factor. But everything is so big, and so presumptuous, and so spread out that it becomes real work to visit there. Reno is much more convenient and manageable, and the gambling odds are much better in Reno (lower minimums, better rules, etc.)

Peppermill coffee shop rules during weekdays lunch time, they have a "comfort food" menu for like $5.95 that can keep you going all day, and the quality is first rate.
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Dave



Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 212

PostPosted: Apr Mon 26, 2010 8:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow! What a great trip report. I love how you gamble! I like to mix it up as well with different games. What a fun read. Thank you for taking the time to share it with us.
Have you ever been to Reno for March Madness? If you haven't you definitely need to get over there for that. What a great time. Games always going on! Really is a fun atmosphere.
I agree with your Lions pick and after the Matt Millen era it definitely on the upswing. If the OL can improve I think that Offense is going to be a good one. You guys seem to have a lot of our ex Seahawks.
Thanks again for the report it took you a lot of time and it was sure worth it.

Smile
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stan_allen



Joined: 19 Dec 2005
Posts: 1129

PostPosted: Apr Mon 26, 2010 10:41 am    Post subject: Details, details... (You know, where the Devil resides) Reply with quote

As I was reading this, I couldn't help thinking that the tone sounded familiar, and I believe that it's because this is someone who pays careful attention to gaming, and doesn't get distracted by drink!

Ah, were I to possess comparable qualities of quality control! Alas, I can't resist the sweet siren song of the casinos' endless supply of booze, and thus cannot command such detail as we have seen in this report.

Great stuff! Thanks for the meticulous notes.
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alphabeta



Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 33

PostPosted: Apr Mon 26, 2010 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks everyone!

remano: My plane didn't have a first class section. I don't think Southwest has them.

On comparing Las Vegas vs. Reno, I wanted to avoid that, since this is a board celebrating Reno. But since you asked... I mostly agree with you. There are many more things to see, do, and gawk at in Las Vegas. And the Casinos on the Strip are a long way apart.

Let's do a quick comparison between the Peppermill and one of my favorite Vegas joints, the Gold Coast (not on the Strip):

Rooms - the non-renovated rooms at the GC are just OK. The renovated rooms are nice. At the Peppermill, the Montego Bay rooms are nicer than they look from outside, the Pep Tower rooms are very nice, and the Tuscany Tower rooms are very, very, very nice.
EDGE: Peppermill.

Video poker - Lots of good games both places.
EDGE: Even

Sports/Race book - Both more than adequate.
EDGE: Even

Blackjack: The GC features double deck w/DAS, while the Peppermill does not. The minimum on that game is usually $10 - higher than I want to go. The Pep, however, has real single deck and abundant $5 minimums.
EDGE: Peppermill

Craps: Both mostly $5 minimum, with $3 during very slow times. Both feature 3-4-5x odds.
EDGE: Even

Slots: The GC has a bigger variety and a newer inventory. I don't know enough about how loose each place is to judge that.
EDGE: Gold Coast

Dining: The GC has a good buffet, a TGI Friday's, a couple of Asian restaurants, some snack shops, and a steakhouse. The Peppermill has got this beat, even though my tastes are very basic.
EDGE: Peppermill

Personal treatment: The GC treats me like a player. The Peppermill treats me like A PLAYA!!!!!
EDGE: Peppermill

Sorry. Got carried away. Where was I?

Oh yes, I saw the comfort food menu. There's some interesting stuff on it. Maybe I'll get to it when I actually have to pay. Twisted Evil

Dave: Considering how cold it was in Reno last week, I don't think March Madness, Reno, and me would be a good match.

stan_allen: I don't drink, especially not while gambling. I don't care if others do, but it's just not me.
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CaSwede



Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Posts: 866

PostPosted: Apr Tue 27, 2010 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What a nice report. I know it is not easy to get to Reno from Detroit, so most people that want a Nevada expierence just do the Las Vegas thing. Your trip coming up in June is also a Las Vegas/Reno combo deal? You mentioned the Atlantis--- do you get offers from them also?

On my last trip, a gal I was talking to at the Peppermill also got short changed on her freeplay. The machine said one thing, the offer said a higher amount. My freeplay was just fine.
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john
Site Admin


Joined: 17 Dec 2005
Posts: 1181

PostPosted: Apr Wed 28, 2010 7:55 am    Post subject: Oooooo...free play Reply with quote

Great report, Alpha (or is it Mr. Beta?). Live the detail - it makes me feel like I live in Reno. The Peppermill shorted me on free play twice and heard about it quite loudly. Both times they adjusted it to the higher amount.

Here's hoping your next trip is as good as this one. Or better.
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alphabeta



Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 33

PostPosted: Apr Thu 29, 2010 8:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks again!

CaSwede: It's not THAT hard to get to Reno from Detroit - it's just one stop, as opposed to LV's nonstops. My next trip will be exclusively Reno - too hot in that other town for my liking. I've tried, but I don't get anything from the Atlantis.

john: I thought you were a local. I'd better do more research. I'm hoping for good things from my next trip, though whether I win or lose is mostly in the hands of fate.
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jerry



Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 759

PostPosted: Apr Thu 29, 2010 11:00 am    Post subject: Wherever you go, there you are Reply with quote

Subject line was a favorite quote from my favorite uncle "back in the day". that kinda says it all about John being a "local".

Hey, I feel like a local when I am in Reno. I dispensed with the local road map years ago.

Nice report, AB, thanks for contributing.
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john
Site Admin


Joined: 17 Dec 2005
Posts: 1181

PostPosted: Apr Fri 30, 2010 6:44 am    Post subject: Loco locals Reply with quote

Hi Alpha, I really am a local resident with a twisted sense of humor.

Thanks again for the report.
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hawk



Joined: 17 Dec 2005
Posts: 508

PostPosted: May Sun 02, 2010 9:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Loco locals Reply with quote

[quote="john"]Hi Alpha, I really am a local resident with a twisted sense of humor.quote]

Errr, John, excuse me for butting in but as co-moderator I need to correct typos when blatantly obvious.

"Hi Alpha, I really am a twisted resident with a local sense of humor."
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