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Trip Report 11-17 to 11-23

 
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TeddysDad



Joined: 24 Oct 2010
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Nov Wed 24, 2010 6:29 pm    Post subject: Trip Report 11-17 to 11-23 Reply with quote

We were in Reno for HAN this year, first time we’ve been in Reno since Jan ’08, and first time we’d been to HAN since ‘04. Then, we were with friends “J”and”R”. Also, Js daughter and her finance. It was daughters’ birthday during that week, and this was her present. The six of us had her birthday dinner at the Steak House in Harrahs, R liked it so much she wanted to have her own birthday dinner there on 11-21, so plans were made….
J (the male) and R (the female) have been married 21 years, T-sMom and I have been married 18 years, we’ve known each other for years, J and I work for the same company, we all play poker with the same group monthly, and run around a bit. Also, this birthday means that R gets to join our group of being over 50, so no more ‘child’ jokes (well, not as many).

Departed Sea-Tac 11-17 around 7:00pm arrived Reno in time to get the 9:30 shuttle to Harrahs, checked into west tower room 1818. King, smoking. It had a small fridge, bonus, did not expect it. NO bed bugs Wink Only two small problems for entire stay: On arrival, found the hanging light by the window was burned out, bulb was replace next day. Sunday, toilet quit flushing due to chain detaching from lever. Maintenance had it fixed within the hour. Nice view, clean windows. Room comes with two over size pillows besides the four bed pillows, one of the big ones fits perfectly at the bottom of the door to block the light at night. Interior curtains also cut out the lights from outside, makes a very nice dark room for sleeping.
J and R arrive 11-18 around 2:30pm, they get checked into west tower #1808. Makes it very easy to get together. They also have no problems with room.

The reason we stayed at Harrahs both times: J played in the WSOP main event in ’09. We (and another couple) went with them, and got enough in comps with all the Vegas Harrahs properties to make both these Reno trips very, very cheap. He went out early on his second day, but WE got on the ESPN broadcast (watch reruns of the 2009 main event, episode three, about 22 minutes into it, we are on the rail in our TEAM SWAIN 2009 T-shirts. We got on TV, he didn’t, heh-heh). Side note: Ten days in Vegas, in July, is too fluffing long.

O.K., here we go: Days were spent gambling, drinking, eating, telling bums “No, sorry”, and complaining about the ‘old days’ when down town Reno had all the other properties. We cabbed out to the other big places, and walked to everything but the Sands (Q: Why does anyone go to the Sands? A: I have no idea)

The only place we ate which was not in a casino was Reno Pizza (on the street between Cal Neva and Harrahs, about a block west). Great pizza, neat little place, employees there excellent, not a bad thing to say about it except the “No, sorry”s on the walk there and back. We did not get to the Nugget for the Awful Awful, which I regret (been there before), but see the El Dorado info….

HARRAHS: Our home base. Gambling wise, I like it, but the group didn’t win much over all (they play slots much more than I do, I’m more of a Pai Gow and Craps guy). For you Three Card Poker players, they have another bonus bet here: Six Card bonus. Your three cards, combined with the dealers three cards, make a five card poker hand of trips or better, win. The Crack Cocaine Of Three Card Poker. Out of four sessions, three times I walked out couple hundred winner because of those bets. Hit them, great. Miss them, tap out fast. Pai Gow here does not have the progressive bonus, but I like their pit. All Harrahs dealers friendly enough, drink service good at tables, spotty at slots. Poker room does not get enough action, but when it does play, it can be fun, although it leans either towards old rocks or young wanna-bees. Adjust to either, it can be profitable. The Steak House here is wonderful (try the duck). The Noodle Bar is also outstanding.

CAL NEVA: Don’t really care for the casino, feels run down. I did not play any table games here, drink service at slots O.K. Best thing going here is the Top Deck coffee shop. We prefer it to the one at Harrahs. We eat breakfast here when we eat breakfast.

EL DORADO: Love this place. Like the feel of it, like the slot selection, like the dealers. Hit a royal here on Pai Gow last full night. Good drink service at table games, spotty on slots. Upstairs at the Brews Brothers, again had probably the best cheeseburger served anyplace (I just plain love the Brews Brothers). Large burger with bacon and onions, NOT served on a bun, but served between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Comes with fries, T-sMom and I split one when we get it, and both of us eat plenty. Excellent. Try it if you haven’t. Thank me later. Best bet for poker downtown. 1-2 NL can get some very good players, but mostly it’s beatable.

SILVER LEGACY: Probably my favorite place. Nice, very comfortable. My favorite Pai Gow pit. In ’08, I taught everyone in our then group how to play at the Seinna (I miss the Seinna), and when we can all fit at a table together, this is the favorite place to place. Low table, best chairs, excellent drink service. Slot drinks service can be spotty. R and I played some craps after a PG session (she has just learned the game, has not yet fell in love or been bored by it), I went on a fifteen minute mini monster, we both made a little over 200. T-sMom believes they have the best Bloody Marys served at table games.

CIRCUS CIRUS: Why? We walked through just because we were out for a walk. O.K., maybe that’s a bit harsh. Lets just say I don’t care for it.

PEPPERMILL: I love this place. If I went to Reno with the idea of staying at one place, without a car or getting into a cab, I could do it here. I love the design, the lights, the decor, all of it. Had a great meal at the coffee shop. Very good drink service at tables, fairly good at slots. J and I had an incredibly fun Pai Gow session (thanks in large part to Taryn dealing, us drinking, and the guy from Kentucky at the other end of the table). Lost, not a huge amount, but well worth it for the entertainment value. Had a good time at the Friday night poker tourny. J cashed, I crashed. Good looking room. This was the first place R played craps with me. She really enjoyed the dealers helping/taking time with her (good crew). The lights and mirrors here always remind me of Vegas World. Am I the only one?

ATLANTIS: Another very nice place. Once you make a few loops, it is not as big as it seems. Rather surly drink service at tables, rather hard to get at slots. I like to visit, but not for long amount of time.

GRAND SIERRA: Hadn’t here since ’04. Looks and feels nicer than I remembered. Don’t really care for the ‘long, narrow’ feel to it, but it’s not that bad. Good table drink service, but there wasn’t a great deal of players there when we were there.

NUGGET (Sparks): I don’t really care for the ‘feel’ of this casino, and I don’t know why. Had a good time at the Pai Gow table, others had fun at the slots, and we had a Really Good Dinner at Trader Dicks. I recommend Trader Dicks to anyone.

And that was that. We came home 11-23, J and R 11-24. Left nasty weather at Reno to get home the day after the nasty weather left its print here.

Thanks for reading. Hope there is another to post in the future….
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mjames1229



Joined: 23 Dec 2009
Posts: 406

PostPosted: Nov Wed 24, 2010 11:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice post. Thank you.

You and I appear to have a lot in common... about the only casino games I play are poker, Pai-Gow Poker and craps. I also like to casino hop, as opposed to spending three days behind the same walls.

A friend asked me on my last trip to Vegas why I like those three games specifically - or how I decide which to play - and though I had to think about it for a moment, it really was an easy answer.

POKER: Pro - other than the rake for live games, there is no house advantage and you are playing against others. You can also make your money last as long as you'd like. If I am going to budget $100, I will get in a 3/6 limit game with a kill. If I have $200 or more, I will sit in 1/2 NL. But I can play tight or aggressive, and am playing the cards and the other players, not the house. Con - if your friends aren't skilled or don't like the game, this becomes hours of solitary. You can enjoy others at the table, but if you are visiting a casino with a group, they will not appreciate you playing too much poker if they are not players.

CRAPS: Pro - the ultimate game of constant action. But the real reason I am attracted to it is the miniscule house edge. 1.4% on the pass line or come, 0% odds bet, and about 2% on a 6/8 place bet is about as low as you will find on any casino game. Con - A cold streak early can wipe out a bankroll (even with perfect play) before your first ginger ale comes. But, if you have the bankroll to withstand some point/outs, or if the hot streak comes right away, you can walk away a big winner in very little time. Sometimes I don't, which is why....

PAI-GOW POKER: Pro - a great game to sit around with the buddies and drink Captain and Cokes. Most casinos in Nevada have this as a $5 min game, and you can play for hours and hours on $50. Don't know the rules? So what. Play the "house way" (the dealer will set the cards) and soon you will pick it up. If you crave the action, you can be the Banker, and play your hand against the rest of the table. Great if you have QQ A2345 (which I did once in Des Moines as a Banker), not as much with a J-high Pai-Gow (which famously cost me over $100 at Binions in September). Also, if you are trying to make a short stack last, you have the fun of the casino atmosphere for relatively few wagers. Con - if you prefer fast action, this is not the game for you.

I spent five days in Reno and Tahoe last May (while not bowling) playing just these three games (and some impulse video poker) and made a gambling profit.

Just 159 days until I get back to Reno...
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john
Site Admin


Joined: 17 Dec 2005
Posts: 1181

PostPosted: Nov Thu 25, 2010 8:16 am    Post subject: Makes me want to go to Reno...oh, wait... Reply with quote

Great report, Dad, love the detail. Good to hear you did well. Sorry to hear about the light bulb. Could have ruined your trip.
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JD



Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 956

PostPosted: Nov Thu 25, 2010 8:19 am    Post subject: Craps...skip the Pai Gow Reply with quote

I go to the Sands 'cause now that Siena is no more, they are the only 10x odds in town. (I think, but I'm open to suggestions). I really dislike the joints that discourage banter at the craps tables, it's how I learned the game and really miss the Comstock dealers.

"HEY IF I LAY DOWN A BET FOR THE BOYS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHARE IT WITH THAT STIFF OF A PIT BOSS DO YA?" "Hey BOSS, HERE'S A FIVE, GO GET YOURSELF A BUFFETT ON ME" "HEY BOSS, YOU GOTTA PLACE TO SLEEP TONIGHT? I WON A FEW BUCKS HERE, LET ME BUY YOU A ROOM"

I agree it's seedy and a rough walk, but I'm a big guy and with a few JD's in me, this JD thiks he can whip a couple of those "got any spare change" punks that make a bad decision.
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remano



Joined: 20 Dec 2005
Posts: 717

PostPosted: Nov Fri 26, 2010 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the TR, very entertaining reading.

As for "telling bums “No, sorry”, I will say what I have said here before, Reno does have more than its share of downtown bums and panhandlers, but anyone offended by Reno's street people has never been to San Francisco or New York. They make Reno look tame by comparison.
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TeddysDad



Joined: 24 Oct 2010
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Nov Fri 26, 2010 6:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="mjames1229"]Nice post. Thank you.
<<Snip>>
Great if you have QQ A2345 (which I did once in Des Moines as a Banker), not as much with a J-high Pai-Gow (which famously cost me over $100 at Binions in September). Also, if you are trying to make a short stack last, you have the fun of the casino atmosphere for relatively few wagers. Con - if you prefer fast action, this is not the game for you.
<<Snip>>

Forgot to add one 'odd' thing here: Was told at the Silver Legacy that the wheel (A-5) is NOT the second highest straight. They consider it the lowest. Was also told this at either El Dorado or Harrahs, can't remember. Didn't ask at other places, thought I'd wait for it (never happened when it would matter) and began the argument then...
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stan_allen



Joined: 19 Dec 2005
Posts: 1129

PostPosted: Dec Thu 02, 2010 6:06 pm    Post subject: food for naught Reply with quote

I'm chiming in awfully late here, but thanks for the report - these things are the lifeblood of our board, so we thank you for your generous donation. Be sure not to stand up suddenly for the next hour or so.

Sorry you don't share my inexplicable love of the Cal-Neva, but I can assure you that if it strikes you as cheesy, you should definitely pop in at "Gold Dust West" next time you're in town - it's worth a look, to see how the variables of seediness play out in inverse proportion to the proximity of the downtown - or is that "Perverse proportion"? Hmm, food for thought.

Anyway, thanks again!
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jerry



Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 759

PostPosted: Jan Tue 04, 2011 1:21 pm    Post subject: Naught-for Lackeys are Trying Reply with quote

Before they closed, the Siena smelled worse than either of those places mentioned, Stan. No need to open a nice casino if the air is that bad. It is a turn-off when opening the outside door.
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