My Vegas trip observations

My Vegas trip observations

This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all. Its
starting to become a family tradition.
On Sunday, June 29, my wife, me, and mother in law drove from Anaheim
to Las Vegas, the first long trip in our new (to us, anyway) Cadillac
CTS. That made the drive more than tolerable, and we actually made it
on a hair over half a tank of gas. We got to Fitzgeralds (the only
place my wife and I stay in Las Vegas) at about 12:30 pm.
I used an American Casino Guide for the first time. I found it a good
value, but soon found out that many of the good coupons for Las Vegas
are actually in casinos in North Las Vegas that you really don't want
to step foot in. But, its well worth the money, and Matt will be
happy to know that I ordered it off Cheapovegas, and with thier
discount, it came to $15.50 with shipping. There are several coupons
that will more than cover the cost of the book by themselves.
So anyway, here are some things I observed:
1. Binions has several tables of full pay single deck blackjack at
$5. As I recall, they had 3-4-5x odds on craps last year, but its up
to 10x now, also at the $5 level. They also have $3 craps sometimes.
Looks like the new owner is doing some good things there. I did talk
to one of the pit bosses, and told him that Binions is now the only
place I'll play blackjack. He seemed perturbed about abandoning 6:5
at single deck, thinking that all the low lifes and card counters
(obviously, in his mind, they are one and the same) would flock there.
2. There was some discussion on here about Binions Ranch Steakhouse.
My wife and I ate there last night, and neither of us has gotten sick
yet, so that's an improvement over last time we ate there. Its
actually very good now, my wife got the petite filet mignon and a
shrimp cocktail, I got the petite filet and lobster tail. I've never
seen a bigger lobster tail in my life, and all the food was very good,
almost as good as in its heyday. Maybe its selective memory, but it
seems that the steaks were better when there actually was a male named
Binion who owned the place. Its very close now, though. American
Casino Guide has a twofer coupon there, which more than paid for the
book. I did make a mistake, I know when you have a comp or discount,
you're supposed to tip on the total price of the meal before the
discount, which I did, but then added the tip to the total (before the
coupon) price, so the waiter got a $40 tip which almost cancelled out
the discount from the coupon. To sum it up, its very good food and
service, and reasonably priced for what you get. The steakhouse is on
the top of the hotel, with floor to ceiling windows. Try to get a
reservation half an hour before sunset, so you can watch the lights
come on.
3. One last observation on Binions, there is no more $12.99 steak and
lobster off the menu special in the coffee shop. Which was kinda
embarassing, since I'd told everyone about it (this was the only time
all of our group ate together) and told another group about it.
4. I spent most of my time downtown, but did spend a limited amount
of time on the strip, and didn't see any porn slappers or time share
whores. Maybe I just missed them in my limited time, but I hope my
observation was right.
5. Fitzgeralds has redone their coffee shop, and its much improved.
I don't know what's going on with their buffet, but its part of the
coffee shop, and wasn't open the whole time we were there. They did
have a soup and salad bar that you could have by itself, or for a
lower price, add to a meal.
6. Its true that Golden Gate has upped the price of the shrimp
cocktail to $1.99, but with a player's card, it's still 99 cents, and
in my observation, its hit or miss if the cashier will actually check
if you have one. On the plus side, you now get larger and tastier
shrimp, in the same size glass.
7. I went into Circus Circus for the first time, and, just as
everyone has always observed, the first thing I saw was a minivan
unloading a mess of kids at the front entrance.
8. I was down a bit in my gambling, but had a hot day on Thursday.
Started off with a hot roll on craps at Main Street Station, and kept
going from there. Then after dinner, I couldn't win a thing to save
my life, and gave much of it back. This has happened so many times,
I'm starting to wonder if I should make my reservations, then leave a
day early before I start losing.
9. There are white lines on the strip seperating the lanes of
traffic. (If you don't understand why I said that, go back a few days
on this board.)
Well, I think that's about it, now two days to rest up from vacation
before I have to go to work on Monday.

Re: My Vegas trip observations

In article
<c404a4f3-1149-4f6c-be2f-cf629d0c09e8@59g2000hsb.googlegroups,com >,
<AlanRRT@aol,com > wrote:

> This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
> Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all. Its
> starting to become a family tradition.

Thanks for your trip notes.

There are ACG coupons for all over Vegas, North Las Vegas and
Henderson. It definitely helps to have a car.

In June the pornslappers were thick between Imperial Palace and Bill's.
Mainly in front of the Flamingo.

--- Walt

Re: My Vegas trip observations

The only reason they are there is due to the public interest
sufficient to make it worth their employers while.

Good to see you Walt. :)

Don
> In June the pornslappers were thick between Imperial Palace and Bill's.
> Mainly in front of the Flamingo.
>
>    --- Walt

Re: My Vegas trip observations


"Walt" <none@none.void> wrote in message >
> In June the pornslappers were thick between Imperial Palace and Bill's.
> Mainly in front of the Flamingo.
>
> --- Walt

They were still there over the 4th of July - I guess that is one of the
public spaces they are allowed to stand. They were all behind the yellow
line painted on the sidewalk.

If you are looking for the porn cards they were also outside Casino Royale
and O'Shea's.

Re: My Vegas trip observations


<AlanRRT@aol,com > wrote in message
news:c404a4f3-1149-4f6c-be2f-cf629d0c09e8@59g2000hsb.googlegroups,com ...
> This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
> Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all. Its
> starting to become a family tradition.
> On Sunday, June 29, my wife, me, and mother in law drove from Anaheim
> to Las Vegas, the first long trip in our new (to us, anyway) Cadillac
> CTS. That made the drive more than tolerable, and we actually made it
> on a hair over half a tank of gas. We got to Fitzgeralds (the only
> place my wife and I stay in Las Vegas) at about 12:30 pm.
> I used an American Casino Guide for the first time. I found it a good
> value, but soon found out that many of the good coupons for Las Vegas
> are actually in casinos in North Las Vegas that you really don't want
> to step foot in.

There are exceptions. There are some coupons for Jerry's Nugget that are
good, and that place always delivers a good value for the $$. The coffee
shop has some very good food at good prices and the casino has always been
clean and "breathe-able". I don't know why Jerry's doesn't get more
attention but if you have a car, it is worth checking out.

Thanks for sharing your report. I enjoyed it... especially your take on
Binions. When I walked through there last month, it looks like they are in
the middle of redoing the layout of the casino and I am looking forward to
seeing what they finally come up with.

George L

George L

Re: My Vegas trip observations

In article <c404a4f3-1149-4f6c-be2f-cf629d0c09e8@
59g2000hsb.googlegroups,com >, AlanRRT@aol,com says...
> This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
> Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all. Its
> starting to become a family tradition.
> On Sunday, June 29, my wife, me, and mother in law drove from Anaheim
> to Las Vegas, the first long trip in our new (to us, anyway) Cadillac
> CTS. That made the drive more than tolerable, and we actually made it
> on a hair over half a tank of gas. We got to Fitzgeralds (the only
> place my wife and I stay in Las Vegas) at about 12:30 pm.
> I used an American Casino Guide for the first time. I found it a good
> value, but soon found out that many of the good coupons for Las Vegas
> are actually in casinos in North Las Vegas that you really don't want
> to step foot in. But, its well worth the money, and Matt will be
> happy to know that I ordered it off Cheapovegas, and with thier
> discount, it came to $15.50 with shipping. There are several coupons
> that will more than cover the cost of the book by themselves.
> So anyway, here are some things I observed:
> 1. Binions has several tables of full pay single deck blackjack at
> $5. As I recall, they had 3-4-5x odds on craps last year, but its up
> to 10x now, also at the $5 level. They also have $3 craps sometimes.
> Looks like the new owner is doing some good things there. I did talk
> to one of the pit bosses, and told him that Binions is now the only
> place I'll play blackjack. He seemed perturbed about abandoning 6:5
> at single deck, thinking that all the low lifes and card counters
> (obviously, in his mind, they are one and the same) would flock there.
> 2. There was some discussion on here about Binions Ranch Steakhouse.
> My wife and I ate there last night, and neither of us has gotten sick
> yet, so that's an improvement over last time we ate there. Its
> actually very good now, my wife got the petite filet mignon and a
> shrimp cocktail, I got the petite filet and lobster tail. I've never
> seen a bigger lobster tail in my life, and all the food was very good,
> almost as good as in its heyday. Maybe its selective memory, but it
> seems that the steaks were better when there actually was a male named
> Binion who owned the place. Its very close now, though. American
> Casino Guide has a twofer coupon there, which more than paid for the
> book. I did make a mistake, I know when you have a comp or discount,
> you're supposed to tip on the total price of the meal before the
> discount, which I did, but then added the tip to the total (before the
> coupon) price, so the waiter got a $40 tip which almost cancelled out
> the discount from the coupon. To sum it up, its very good food and
> service, and reasonably priced for what you get. The steakhouse is on
> the top of the hotel, with floor to ceiling windows. Try to get a
> reservation half an hour before sunset, so you can watch the lights
> come on.
> 3. One last observation on Binions, there is no more $12.99 steak and
> lobster off the menu special in the coffee shop. Which was kinda
> embarassing, since I'd told everyone about it (this was the only time
> all of our group ate together) and told another group about it.
> 4. I spent most of my time downtown, but did spend a limited amount
> of time on the strip, and didn't see any porn slappers or time share
> whores. Maybe I just missed them in my limited time, but I hope my

Good report! I, too, ordered an ACG off of Matt's site, and intend on
using the Binion's Ranch coupon when we visit in August.

Ray

Re: My Vegas trip observations

On Jul 5, 6:27 am, Ray in Tennessee <ray...@comcast,net > wrote:
> In article <c404a4f3-1149-4f6c-be2f-cf629d0c09e8@
> 59g2000hsb.googlegroups,com >, Alan...@aol,com says...
>
>
>
>
>
> > This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
> > Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all.  Its
> > starting to become a family tradition.
> > On Sunday, June 29, my wife, me, and mother in law drove from Anaheim
> > to Las Vegas, the first long trip in our new (to us, anyway) Cadillac
> > CTS.  That made the drive more than tolerable, and we actually made it
> > on a hair over half a tank of gas.  We got to Fitzgeralds (the only
> > place my wife and I stay in Las Vegas) at about 12:30 pm.
> > I used an American Casino Guide for the first time.  I found it a good
> > value, but soon found out that many of the good coupons for Las Vegas
> > are actually in casinos in North Las Vegas that you really don't want
> > to step foot in.  But, its well worth the money, and Matt will be
> > happy to know that I ordered it off Cheapovegas, and with thier
> > discount, it came to $15.50 with shipping.  There are several coupons
> > that will more than cover the cost of the book by themselves.
> > So anyway, here are some things I observed:
> > 1.  Binions has several tables of full pay single deck blackjack at
> > $5.  As I recall, they had 3-4-5x odds on craps last year, but its up
> > to 10x now, also at the $5 level.  They also have $3 craps sometimes.
> > Looks like the new owner is doing some good things there.  I did talk
> > to one of the pit bosses, and told him that Binions is now the only
> > place I'll play blackjack.  He seemed perturbed about abandoning 6:5
> > at single deck, thinking that all the low lifes and card counters
> > (obviously, in his mind, they are one and the same) would flock there.
> > 2.  There was some discussion on here about Binions Ranch Steakhouse.
> > My wife and I ate there last night, and neither of us has gotten sick
> > yet, so that's an improvement over last time we ate there.  Its
> > actually very good now, my wife got the petite filet mignon and a
> > shrimp cocktail, I got the petite filet and lobster tail.  I've never
> > seen a bigger lobster tail in my life, and all the food was very good,
> > almost as good as in its heyday.  Maybe its selective memory, but it
> > seems that the steaks were better when there actually was a male named
> > Binion who owned the place.  Its very close now, though.  American
> > Casino Guide has a twofer coupon there, which more than paid for the
> > book.  I did make a mistake, I know when you have a comp or discount,
> > you're supposed to tip on the total price of the meal before the
> > discount, which I did, but then added the tip to the total (before the
> > coupon) price, so the waiter got a $40 tip which almost cancelled out
> > the discount from the coupon.  To sum it up, its very good food and
> > service, and reasonably priced for what you get.  The steakhouse is on
> > the top of the hotel, with floor to ceiling windows.  Try to get a
> > reservation half an hour before sunset, so you can watch the lights
> > come on.
> > 3.  One last observation on Binions, there is no more $12.99 steak and
> > lobster off the menu special in the coffee shop.  Which was kinda
> > embarassing, since I'd told everyone about it (this was the only time
> > all of our group ate together) and told another group about it.
> > 4.  I spent most of my time downtown, but did spend a limited amount
> > of time on the strip, and didn't see any porn slappers or time share
> > whores.  Maybe I just missed them in my limited time, but I hope my
>
> Good report! I, too, ordered an ACG off of Matt's site, and intend on
> using the Binion's Ranch coupon when we visit in August.
>
> Ray- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Ray,
You won't be disappointed. Its well worth the price, and with the
coupon, even better. They won't let you combine the ACG coupon and
comp points, though. As I wrote, be sure to get reservations about
half an hour before sunset, the view alone will be worth the price.
Alan

Re: My Vegas trip observations

In article <9a2bd253-69b5-4c7a-ad8e-ed90c4fa37f0
@z66g2000hsc.googlegroups,com >, AlanRRT@aol,com says...
> On Jul 5, 6:27 am, Ray in Tennessee <ray...@comcast,net > wrote:
> > In article <c404a4f3-1149-4f6c-be2f-cf629d0c09e8@
> > 59g2000hsb.googlegroups,com >, Alan...@aol,com says...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
> > > Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all.  Its
> > > starting to become a family tradition.
> > > On Sunday, June 29, my wife, me, and mother in law drove from Anaheim
> > > to Las Vegas, the first long trip in our new (to us, anyway) Cadillac
> > > CTS.  That made the drive more than tolerable, and we actually made=
it
> > > on a hair over half a tank of gas.  We got to Fitzgeralds (the only
> > > place my wife and I stay in Las Vegas) at about 12:30 pm.
> > > I used an American Casino Guide for the first time.  I found it a g=
ood
> > > value, but soon found out that many of the good coupons for Las Vegas
> > > are actually in casinos in North Las Vegas that you really don't want
> > > to step foot in.  But, its well worth the money, and Matt will be
> > > happy to know that I ordered it off Cheapovegas, and with thier
> > > discount, it came to $15.50 with shipping.  There are several coupo=
ns
> > > that will more than cover the cost of the book by themselves.
> > > So anyway, here are some things I observed:
> > > 1.  Binions has several tables of full pay single deck blackjack at
> > > $5.  As I recall, they had 3-4-5x odds on craps last year, but its =
up
> > > to 10x now, also at the $5 level.  They also have $3 craps sometime=
s.
> > > Looks like the new owner is doing some good things there.  I did ta=
lk
> > > to one of the pit bosses, and told him that Binions is now the only
> > > place I'll play blackjack.  He seemed perturbed about abandoning 6:=
5
> > > at single deck, thinking that all the low lifes and card counters
> > > (obviously, in his mind, they are one and the same) would flock there=
.
> > > 2.  There was some discussion on here about Binions Ranch Steakhous=
e.
> > > My wife and I ate there last night, and neither of us has gotten sick
> > > yet, so that's an improvement over last time we ate there.  Its
> > > actually very good now, my wife got the petite filet mignon and a
> > > shrimp cocktail, I got the petite filet and lobster tail.  I've nev=
er
> > > seen a bigger lobster tail in my life, and all the food was very good=
,
> > > almost as good as in its heyday.  Maybe its selective memory, but i=
t
> > > seems that the steaks were better when there actually was a male name=
d
> > > Binion who owned the place.  Its very close now, though.  America=
n
> > > Casino Guide has a twofer coupon there, which more than paid for the
> > > book.  I did make a mistake, I know when you have a comp or discoun=
t,
> > > you're supposed to tip on the total price of the meal before the
> > > discount, which I did, but then added the tip to the total (before th=
e
> > > coupon) price, so the waiter got a $40 tip which almost cancelled out
> > > the discount from the coupon.  To sum it up, its very good food and
> > > service, and reasonably priced for what you get.  The steakhouse is=
on
> > > the top of the hotel, with floor to ceiling windows.  Try to get a
> > > reservation half an hour before sunset, so you can watch the lights

What time is sunset in late August?
Ray

Re: My Vegas trip observations

In article <MPG.22d9a7821180f36e989690@newsgroups,com cast,net >, Ray in
Tennessee <rayrat@comcast,net > wrote:

> What time is sunset in late August?
> Ray

Officially around 7:15-7:20 PM, but with the mountains to the west I'd
figure more like 7 PM.

http :// www .sunrisesunset,com /custom srss calendar.asp

--- Walt

Re: My Vegas trip observations

In article <050720081949175738%none@none.void>, none@none.void says...
> In article <MPG.22d9a7821180f36e989690@newsgroups,com cast,net >, Ray in
> Tennessee <rayrat@comcast,net > wrote:
>
> > What time is sunset in late August?
> > Ray
>
> Officially around 7:15-7:20 PM, but with the mountains to the west I'd
> figure more like 7 PM.
>
> http :// www .sunrisesunset,com /custom srss calendar.asp
>
> --- Walt
>
Thanks, that will help when scheduling reservations.
Ray

Re: My Vegas trip observations

On Jul 4, 11:04 pm, Alan...@aol,com wrote:
> This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
> Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all.  Its
> starting to become a family tradition.
> On Sunday, June 29, my wife, me, and mother in law drove from Anaheim
> to Las Vegas, the first long trip in our new (to us, anyway) Cadillac
> CTS.  That made the drive more than tolerable, and we actually made it
> on a hair over half a tank of gas.  We got to Fitzgeralds (the only
> place my wife and I stay in Las Vegas) at about 12:30 pm.
> I used an American Casino Guide for the first time.  I found it a good
> value, but soon found out that many of the good coupons for Las Vegas
> are actually in casinos in North Las Vegas that you really don't want
> to step foot in.  But, its well worth the money, and Matt will be
> happy to know that I ordered it off Cheapovegas, and with thier
> discount, it came to $15.50 with shipping.  There are several coupons
> that will more than cover the cost of the book by themselves.
> So anyway, here are some things I observed:
> 1.  Binions has several tables of full pay single deck blackjack at
> $5.  As I recall, they had 3-4-5x odds on craps last year, but its up
> to 10x now, also at the $5 level.  They also have $3 craps sometimes.
> Looks like the new owner is doing some good things there.  I did talk
> to one of the pit bosses, and told him that Binions is now the only
> place I'll play blackjack.  He seemed perturbed about abandoning 6:5
> at single deck, thinking that all the low lifes and card counters
> (obviously, in his mind, they are one and the same) would flock there.
> 2.  There was some discussion on here about Binions Ranch Steakhouse.
> My wife and I ate there last night, and neither of us has gotten sick
> yet, so that's an improvement over last time we ate there.  Its
> actually very good now, my wife got the petite filet mignon and a
> shrimp cocktail, I got the petite filet and lobster tail.  I've never
> seen a bigger lobster tail in my life, and all the food was very good,
> almost as good as in its heyday.  Maybe its selective memory, but it
> seems that the steaks were better when there actually was a male named
> Binion who owned the place.  Its very close now, though.  American
> Casino Guide has a twofer coupon there, which more than paid for the
> book.  I did make a mistake, I know when you have a comp or discount,
> you're supposed to tip on the total price of the meal before the
> discount, which I did, but then added the tip to the total (before the
> coupon) price, so the waiter got a $40 tip which almost cancelled out
> the discount from the coupon.  To sum it up, its very good food and
> service, and reasonably priced for what you get.  The steakhouse is on
> the top of the hotel, with floor to ceiling windows.  Try to get a
> reservation half an hour before sunset, so you can watch the lights
> come on.
> 3.  One last observation on Binions, there is no more $12.99 steak and
> lobster off the menu special in the coffee shop.  Which was kinda
> embarassing, since I'd told everyone about it (this was the only time
> all of our group ate together) and told another group about it.
> 4.  I spent most of my time downtown, but did spend a limited amount
> of time on the strip, and didn't see any porn slappers or time share
> whores.  Maybe I just missed them in my limited time, but I hope my
> observation was right.
> 5.  Fitzgeralds has redone their coffee shop, and its much improved.
> I don't know what's going on with their buffet, but its part of the
> coffee shop, and wasn't open the whole time we were there.  They did
> have a soup and salad bar that you could have by itself, or for a
> lower price, add to a meal.
> 6.  Its true that Golden Gate has upped the price of the shrimp
> cocktail to $1.99, but with a player's card, it's still 99 cents, and
> in my observation, its hit or miss if the cashier will actually check
> if you have one.  On the plus side, you now get larger and tastier
> shrimp, in the same size glass.
> 7.  I went into Circus Circus for the first time, and, just as
> everyone has always observed, the first thing I saw was a minivan
> unloading a mess of kids at the front entrance.
> 8.  I was down a bit in my gambling, but had a hot day on Thursday.
> Started off with a hot roll on craps at Main Street Station, and kept
> going from there.  Then after dinner, I couldn't win a thing to save
> my life, and gave much of it back.  This has happened so many times,
> I'm starting to wonder if I should make my reservations, then leave a
> day early before I start losing.
> 9.  There are white lines on the strip seperating the lanes of
> traffic.  (If you don't understand why I said that, go back a few days
> on this board.)
> Well, I think that's about it, now two days to rest up from vacation
> before I have to go to work on Monday.

One last observation that I forgot to include: the ladies that hand
out beads in front of Mermaids are (to put it charitably) not as
pretty as they used to be. One lady must have been 60, and there were
a lot of mushroom tops hanging out over the bottoms of the outfits. I
think the only requirements to get that job now are to have a vagina,
and be willing to put that silly outfit on, and they may be flexible
on the first requirement. It was not that way at La Bayou, though.

Re: My Vegas trip observations


<AlanRRT@aol,com > wrote in message
news:c404a4f3-1149-4f6c-be2f-cf629d0c09e8@59g2000hsb.googlegroups,com ...
> This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
> Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all. Its
> starting to become a family tradition.
> On Sunday, June 29, my wife, me, and mother in law drove from Anaheim
> to Las Vegas, the first long trip in our new (to us, anyway) Cadillac
> CTS. That made the drive more than tolerable, and we actually made it
> on a hair over half a tank of gas. We got to Fitzgeralds (the only
> place my wife and I stay in Las Vegas) at about 12:30 pm.
> I used an American Casino Guide for the first time. I found it a good
> value, but soon found out that many of the good coupons for Las Vegas
> are actually in casinos in North Las Vegas that you really don't want
> to step foot in. But, its well worth the money, and Matt will be
> happy to know that I ordered it off Cheapovegas, and with thier
> discount, it came to $15.50 with shipping. There are several coupons
> that will more than cover the cost of the book by themselves.
> So anyway, here are some things I observed:
> 1. Binions has several tables of full pay single deck blackjack at
> $5. As I recall, they had 3-4-5x odds on craps last year, but its up
> to 10x now, also at the $5 level. They also have $3 craps sometimes.
> Looks like the new owner is doing some good things there. I did talk
> to one of the pit bosses, and told him that Binions is now the only
> place I'll play blackjack. He seemed perturbed about abandoning 6:5
> at single deck, thinking that all the low lifes and card counters
> (obviously, in his mind, they are one and the same) would flock there.
So what if they do, it's not like it was killing business before, plus they
only penetrate the deck about half way so big deal. Not to mention most
counters couldn't give you the count after 2 hands playing heads up


> 2. There was some discussion on here about Binions Ranch Steakhouse.
> My wife and I ate there last night, and neither of us has gotten sick
> yet, so that's an improvement over last time we ate there. Its
> actually very good now, my wife got the petite filet mignon and a
> shrimp cocktail, I got the petite filet and lobster tail. I've never
> seen a bigger lobster tail in my life, and all the food was very good,
> almost as good as in its heyday. Maybe its selective memory, but it
> seems that the steaks were better when there actually was a male named
> Binion who owned the place. Its very close now, though. American
> Casino Guide has a twofer coupon there, which more than paid for the
> book. I did make a mistake, I know when you have a comp or discount,
> you're supposed to tip on the total price of the meal before the
> discount, which I did, but then added the tip to the total (before the
> coupon) price, so the waiter got a $40 tip which almost cancelled out
> the discount from the coupon. To sum it up, its very good food and
> service, and reasonably priced for what you get. The steakhouse is on
> the top of the hotel, with floor to ceiling windows. Try to get a
> reservation half an hour before sunset, so you can watch the lights
> come on.
Great to hear this place doesn't suck anymore. Looking forward to giving it
another try.

> 3. One last observation on Binions, there is no more $12.99 steak and
> lobster off the menu special in the coffee shop. Which was kinda
> embarassing, since I'd told everyone about it (this was the only time
> all of our group ate together) and told another group about it.
I thought I just saw during Soiree week it was there still

> 4. I spent most of my time downtown, but did spend a limited amount
> of time on the strip, and didn't see any porn slappers or time share
> whores. Maybe I just missed them in my limited time, but I hope my
> observation was right.
Please write a map of your route to avoid them!

> 6. Its true that Golden Gate has upped the price of the shrimp
> cocktail to $1.99, but with a player's card, it's still 99 cents, and
> in my observation, its hit or miss if the cashier will actually check
> if you have one. On the plus side, you now get larger and tastier
> shrimp, in the same size glass.
Did you see the go go dancers in the gaming pit? Pretty interesting addition

> 7. I went into Circus Circus for the first time, and, just as
> everyone has always observed, the first thing I saw was a minivan
> unloading a mess of kids at the front entrance.
Did you go to the Horse A Round bar?

Re: My Vegas trip observations

On Jul 5, 3:22 pm, "Donkeydode" <noem...@bye,com > wrote:
> <Alan...@aol,com > wrote in message
>
> news:c404a4f3-1149-4f6c-be2f-cf629d0c09e8@59g2000hsb.googlegroups,com ...
>
>
>
> > This is the third year in a row that my family has gotten together in
> > Las Vegas, and this was the biggest, with 14 people in all.  Its
> > starting to become a family tradition.
> > On Sunday, June 29, my wife, me, and mother in law drove from Anaheim
> > to Las Vegas, the first long trip in our new (to us, anyway) Cadillac
> > CTS.  That made the drive more than tolerable, and we actually made it
> > on a hair over half a tank of gas.  We got to Fitzgeralds (the only
> > place my wife and I stay in Las Vegas) at about 12:30 pm.
> > I used an American Casino Guide for the first time.  I found it a good
> > value, but soon found out that many of the good coupons for Las Vegas
> > are actually in casinos in North Las Vegas that you really don't want
> > to step foot in.  But, its well worth the money, and Matt will be
> > happy to know that I ordered it off Cheapovegas, and with thier
> > discount, it came to $15.50 with shipping.  There are several coupons
> > that will more than cover the cost of the book by themselves.
> > So anyway, here are some things I observed:
> > 1.  Binions has several tables of full pay single deck blackjack at
> > $5.  As I recall, they had 3-4-5x odds on craps last year, but its up
> > to 10x now, also at the $5 level.  They also have $3 craps sometimes.
> > Looks like the new owner is doing some good things there.  I did talk
> > to one of the pit bosses, and told him that Binions is now the only
> > place I'll play blackjack.  He seemed perturbed about abandoning 6:5
> > at single deck, thinking that all the low lifes and card counters
> > (obviously, in his mind, they are one and the same) would flock there.
>
> So what if they do, it's not like it was killing business before, plus they
> only penetrate the deck about half way so big deal. Not to mention most
> counters couldn't give you the count after 2 hands playing heads up
>
>
Yup. When it was BENNY Binion's Horseshoe, he never sweated the
details like that, knowing that what he lost to counters, he more than
made up with casual gamblers who thought they were counters.
>
>
>
> > 2.  There was some discussion on here about Binions Ranch Steakhouse.
> > My wife and I ate there last night, and neither of us has gotten sick
> > yet, so that's an improvement over last time we ate there.  Its
> > actually very good now, my wife got the petite filet mignon and a
> > shrimp cocktail, I got the petite filet and lobster tail.  I've never
> > seen a bigger lobster tail in my life, and all the food was very good,
> > almost as good as in its heyday.  Maybe its selective memory, but it
> > seems that the steaks were better when there actually was a male named
> > Binion who owned the place.  Its very close now, though.  American
> > Casino Guide has a twofer coupon there, which more than paid for the
> > book.  I did make a mistake, I know when you have a comp or discount,
> > you're supposed to tip on the total price of the meal before the
> > discount, which I did, but then added the tip to the total (before the
> > coupon) price, so the waiter got a $40 tip which almost cancelled out
> > the discount from the coupon.  To sum it up, its very good food and
> > service, and reasonably priced for what you get.  The steakhouse is on
> > the top of the hotel, with floor to ceiling windows.  Try to get a
> > reservation half an hour before sunset, so you can watch the lights
> > come on.
>
> Great to hear this place doesn't suck anymore. Looking forward to giving it
> another try.

Last time I ate at the steakhouse, we all got sick. Not just a little
tummy ache, but you-don't-want-to-know-the-details sick. And they'd
gone ala carte, so the price was effectively doubled, and the food was
only slightly better than Sizzler.
>
> > 3.  One last observation on Binions, there is no more $12.99 steak and
> > lobster off the menu special in the coffee shop.  Which was kinda
> > embarassing, since I'd told everyone about it (this was the only time
> > all of our group ate together) and told another group about it.
>
> I thought I just saw during Soiree week it was there still
>
The waiter said they'd not had it for a few months. Maybe he didn't
want to honor my twofer coupon.

> > 4.  I spent most of my time downtown, but did spend a limited amount
> > of time on the strip, and didn't see any porn slappers or time share
> > whores.  Maybe I just missed them in my limited time, but I hope my
> > observation was right.
>
> Please write a map of your route to avoid them!
>
> > 6.  Its true that Golden Gate has upped the price of the shrimp
> > cocktail to $1.99, but with a player's card, it's still 99 cents, and
> > in my observation, its hit or miss if the cashier will actually check
> > if you have one.  On the plus side, you now get larger and tastier
> > shrimp, in the same size glass.
>
> Did you see the go go dancers in the gaming pit? Pretty interesting addition

Yes, and they were cuties. Also in the evening, they had one outside
the front door greeting people entering the casino. Not only men, but
women and children were posing for pictures with her.
>
> > 7.  I went into Circus Circus for the first time, and, just as
> > everyone has always observed, the first thing I saw was a minivan
> > unloading a mess of kids at the front entrance.
>
> Did you go to the Horse A Round bar?

This reminds me of when I was a teenager. My dad owned a gas station
and knew everyone in town. He gave my brother some money and told him
to take him and me to Frenchy's to get our hair cut. My brother drove
to a barber, but he told me "I ain't goin' to no barber named
Frenchy." Well, even if I were a drinker, I wouldn't go to no bar
named "Horse A Round."
- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Re: My Vegas trip observations

Donkeydode wrote:

> Did you see the go go dancers in the gaming pit? Pretty interesting addition
>

you know now that you mention, I do remember dancers at Golden Gate from
my trip in May to celebrate my son's 21st birthday. I was amused by
how many casinos had pits with girls in shorts and halter tops (or
less), including Golden Gate, Flamingo, Harrahs, Hooters (of course) and
Planet Hollywood (the Passion Pit - or "slut pit at P-HO" as we named it).

Re: My Vegas trip observations

On Jul 5, 2:04 am, Alan...@aol,com wrote:
>.

> 1. Binions has several tables of full pay single deck blackjack at
> $5.

Wow, That is exciting and welcome news, although the pit bosses
comments are not a good sign for the future.
What about Four Queens?