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Las Vegas go hard or go home thread


bigup2dahorns

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9 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I forget that many people are not aware of the benefits you get by just spending money.  But you have to "ask" for it.

If you spend $1500 at the hotel (restaurants, bars, stores, pool, etc.) you can earn casino points that ultimately improve your comps/offers.  You either need to drop your players card along with your credit card or have it charged to your room if your players card is linked. This also works for the hotel room itself, if it's not already comped.  I don't think you earn points for the amount you tip the staff.

I'm currently only familiar with the MLife loyalty program (MGM, Aria, Mandalay, etc.)  For every $1 you spend (non-casino) you get 25 tier credit points.   The guy spending $1500 should earn 37,500 points right there which is halfway to their Gold level.    Gold status equals better offers. (There are 2 higher levels)

A downside is that you can't double up the points and comps.   Say the casino host comps you that $500 meal charged to your room.  You won't earn the 12,500 points ($500 * 25) on your loyalty points account (tier credits at Mlife.)

One trick to maximize points is at dinner with a bunch of people that do not care about the point status.  Everyone can throw down their credit card, but you can be the only person that throws down the players card.  Easy to scoop up >10K points at a time.   Go for a convention, pick up a few business meals and you might get a comped room on your next vacation.

Sounds nice, but I don't think Wynn/Encore has such a thing.  Or if they do, I've never heard of it or been offered it.  I'm an "Insider" which gets some room discounts, but I think that's it from what I know.  If I'm wrong, I'd sure love to know.

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I've always wondered how the whole check-signing at the table for a mark thing works, so pos-rep. It also answers the thought frequently in my head when I travel there about how people are dealing with the money-handling hassle.


Credit is one way and another is just wiring the money (your money) directly to the casino. In that instance, you aren’t taking out any loan from the casino, and it’s strictly your money that you will be using. That does eliminate the whole carrying a boat load of cash in a backpack on the plane and in/out of the casino. Then all you need to do it hit up the main cage at Aria and sign a few times and show ID and take out chips when you need them and keep them inside the casino for better security. I’ve done this a few times and it works pretty well. And after a successful trip you can instruct them to wire the money back to your bank or wherever.
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10 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Sounds nice, but I don't think Wynn/Encore has such a thing.  Or if they do, I've never heard of it or been offered it.  I'm an "Insider" which gets some room discounts, but I think that's it from what I know.  If I'm wrong, I'd sure love to know.

From some quick research you look to be right about Wynn and not earning points with spending.   I understand liking a property but if I could stay for free at Bellagio or aria vs paying at the Wynn, I don’t see this as a hard decision.  But if someone feels the Wynn is worth the extra cost, then nothing wrong with that. 

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16 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Sounds nice, but I don't think Wynn/Encore has such a thing.  Or if they do, I've never heard of it or been offered it.  I'm an "Insider" which gets some room discounts, but I think that's it from what I know.  If I'm wrong, I'd sure love to know.

I tend to wander the strip and even go downtown for gambling. As a result, I have a card for damn near everywhere, including the Wynn/Encore. We had a bad run there one night during CES a few years back and I lit enough money on fire at the craps table to feel it the rest of the trip. The upside to that is that they've sent me comp'ed multi-night stay offers every month, ever since. Not sure if it is worth it, but that's a way to get the free rooms there. It was brutal.

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4 hours ago, Landomatic said:

Kind of a whole different discussion, but that's what never really calculates to me about Vegas.  I can spend a shitload on everything except gambling and get nothing in return for it.  But, someone like penny slot guy can spend dick on other stuff and get all kinds of ass kissing as long as he's gambling.

Slot players are incredibly profitable. High theoretical loss and the casino is basically paying floor space, wait staff and the machines. For that level of service, your buddy might be maxing betting penny slots. The casinos also have the risk of ruin going for them. The 10% theoretical return is long run and heavily weighted by max payouts (think lottery). So unless your buddy is very lucky, he’s definitely paying for it.

That said, I think Cosmo does a decent job on spend. 5% rebate on all Cosmo spend through points. If you spend $4k in a year without gambling you’re gold tier which comes with 2 nights + 2 companion nights. If I’m going with friends, I’ll get them casino rates on rooms (steep discount), but get the points from the room spend.  You can convert the points to Marriott points too.

I haven’t really compared to other programs. They are not table game player friendly with comps, but I mostly stick to video poker. They beat other upper end casinos there.

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1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

From some quick research you look to be right about Wynn and not earning points with spending.   I understand liking a property but if I could stay for free at Bellagio or aria vs paying at the Wynn, I don’t see this as a hard decision.  But if someone feels the Wynn is worth the extra cost, then nothing wrong with that. 

Yeah, these other loyalty things sound awfully tempting and I'm thinking I'll check into them.

From a true loyalty standpoint, we've stayed at the Wynn/Encore every trip at least 2-3 times per year for the last 5 years, minimum 3 nights per trip.  Once there, we rarely leave property (at most one dinner) so damn near everything we consume is there.  If it's pool weather, we get a lillypad every day plus we always stay in one of the Tower sections.  I've done the math every time we check out and our average spend per day has been over $1K per day every trip.  On top of that, we celebrated a big birthday there once and brought a group of about 20 people in and spent a lot more.

At one time, we could justify that as their amenities and service were off the charts.  They may not have had a formal loyalty program, but they used to kiss our ass like they knew us and it always felt like one would expect after spending that much money and staying there that often.  In fact, I always just assumed they had all of that info in our file and we were flagged as some kind of loyal guests or something as every single person treated us amazingly well.

However, our last couple trips, especially the last one (June '17) was pretty much the opposite from a service standpoint from beginning to end.  I think I posted about it on here, but it was enough where we said we don't need to go back again for a really long time...if ever.  Took our most recent trip to Turks & Caicos for about the same average cost per day and I can guaran-damn-tee that property made us feel the love and would appreciate our loyalty.

We had kind of sworn off Vegas in general as we really didn't think we wanted to start over at a different property.  With the Wynn/Encore starting to suck, we just decided we didn't need it anymore.  However, if I can find a good loyalty program in Vegas where that wouldn't go unnoticed, that might change things.  Wish I had a do-over on all those nights spent without being part of a program.

Thanks, all for the pointers.

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34 minutes ago, bigcigar said:

It sounds like you’d be platinum in spending alone at the Cosmo. You should go and get a wraparound terrace suite next trip.

Yeah thanks, man.  Been researching other Vegas properties and reward programs pretty much all day since your first post.  Our competition thanks you for my shitty office productivity today.

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So, after a long history of being a very loyal Wynn/Encore patron, and following multiple disappointments with them recently, I think we may give Aria a shot.  Done a little research and that just seems to be the right move.
All that said...tell me everything I need to know about Aria.
Great rooms, best poker room in Vegas.
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I think I’m done with Vegas. I used to go balls out and spent incredible amounts for suites, gambling, shows, etc. As long as you’re on the upper side of the divide you can have an unbelievable time. My wife and I have met a ton of famous people and hung out for a short time with people you wouldn’t believe.  It used to be fun and cool. 

Now unless you pay to separate yourself it’s more of an ocean of pretenders, scuzzy chicks with ghetto tattoos on their upper tit, slimy looking guys in ill fitting Italian style suites,  ragged hookers and $30k/yr “millionaires”

if you do pay to separate yourself it’s an ocean of kept Chinese women, Arab drug users, tiny Chinese men with multiple cheap ethnic hookers and awkward elevator rides with escorts who have frizzed our hair and messed up makeup.

 

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15 hours ago, Doc Reeves said:

I think I’m done with Vegas. I used to go balls out and spent incredible amounts for suites, gambling, shows, etc. As long as you’re on the upper side of the divide you can have an unbelievable time. My wife and I have met a ton of famous people and hung out for a short time with people you wouldn’t believe.  It used to be fun and cool. 

Now unless you pay to separate yourself it’s more of an ocean of pretenders, scuzzy chicks with ghetto tattoos on their upper tit, slimy looking guys in ill fitting Italian style suites,  ragged hookers and $30k/yr “millionaires”

if you do pay to separate yourself it’s an ocean of kept Chinese women, Arab drug users, tiny Chinese men with multiple cheap ethnic hookers and awkward elevator rides with escorts who have frizzed our hair and messed up makeup.

 

Perfect thread to share some of those stories from the good days.

I've always felt just like gambling requires luck, falling into those superfun situations at a table, bar, etc. is also pretty much blind luck. You can't plan when/where the celebrity or bachelorettes are gonna stroll up to your table.

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How do they determine the rewards points for the table games (mainly in the poker room)?  Is it hourly?  I can’t see how they can keep track of what you are betting/winning. 


First off, they don’t keep track of your bets and/or winning/losing in poker. Second, poker room comps are totally separate system from table game (craps, BJ, baccarat etc) comps.

To earn player comps for poker, you need to get a players card. Any casino will give you one for free, just need to provide an ID like a drivers license. Then, each time you go play a cash game at the poker room, when you first sit down have your card out and place it on the table in front if you. The dealer will ask for it and swipe you into the system. That will keep track of your time.

For the most part, poker comps are simple. You earn credit per hour that can be used for food. It can range from 75c/hr to $2/hr. For example, Aria is $2/hr. At any point if you want to know much much money you have accumulated towards food comps, take your card to the poker check in desk and ask them to check. They will either let you know or direct you where to go to ask.

Poker room comps are easy to use. You can usually order and eat right at the table if you don’t want to get up. At Aria, they give you a big menu from which you can order from about 4 different restaurants. At other casinos, you can only order at one place while sitting at the poker table OR you find out how to obtain the food comp and take it with you to the restaurant. Keep in mind that once they give you the comp (they either print it out and hand it to you or electronically put it on your card) that it will expire in a certain time period like 24 hours.

Last thing to keep in mind, most casinos require active play to keep your comps alive. So if you have $20 in food comps and then you don’t come play poker for 6 months or a year they may get reset to zero. Bellagio used to never roll off your food comps but I think that finally changed. Bottom line, find out the policy at each casino.
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One thing to keep in mind re comps at table games is that even today, it's still recorded manually.  The boss can pretty much write down anything he wants.  I dropped a grand once in like an hour but was friendly with the boss (got his attention when I hit my marker) and the dealer and it was kind of a slow time.  After I lost my last bet and got up to leave, I had $7 leftover and gave it to the dealer.  Boss says something like "wow drop a grand and still give my guy $7" to which I replied "wasn't his fault."  Fast forward to check out time and the boss had recorded me for 8 hours of play average bet of $150 which got me a chunk of comps.  I suppose this could go the other way as well, act like an ass and get a lousy rating.

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On ‎9‎/‎14‎/‎2018 at 7:35 PM, Underdog said:

With a ziploc bag for take home. 

Years ago at the Bellagio Sunday Brunch the two couples at the table next to us pigged out on a couple of heavily loaded plates (each person). When all the belching & farting subsided, both women went back to the serving line and loaded up on piles of smoked salmon & bagels. Then they used it to make two thick sandwiches each, put them in ziplock bags & into their purses. Greedy bitches.

All I took was 15 white chocolate chip Macadamia nut cookies in one ziplock bag for room snacks.

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On ‎9‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 9:03 PM, Landomatic said:

So, after a long history of being a very loyal Wynn/Encore patron, and following multiple disappointments with them recently, I think we may give Aria a shot.  Done a little research and that just seems to be the right move.

All that said...tell me everything I need to know about Aria.

My son & DIL moved over from the Cosmo to Aria and say they enjoy better comps there. They ought to, what with the shitty Blackjack odds.... which are pretty standard all up & down the center Strip.

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4 hours ago, shakahorn said:

One thing to keep in mind re comps at table games is that even today, it's still recorded manually.  The boss can pretty much write down anything he wants.  I dropped a grand once in like an hour but was friendly with the boss (got his attention when I hit my marker) and the dealer and it was kind of a slow time.  After I lost my last bet and got up to leave, I had $7 leftover and gave it to the dealer.  Boss says something like "wow drop a grand and still give my guy $7" to which I replied "wasn't his fault."  Fast forward to check out time and the boss had recorded me for 8 hours of play average bet of $150 which got me a chunk of comps.  I suppose this could go the other way as well, act like an ass and get a lousy rating.

This is a perfect detailed example of the fact you have to work the pit boss to get rated.  

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  • 3 weeks later...
57 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

Staying at the Venetian in two weeks, but getting outta town before Halloween.

We'll be at Aria the weekend after Halloween. Last year, SydneyCarton decided to stay out all night on Friday night and was a belligerent wildebeest in the Aria sportsbook the following Saturday as we watched football all day. The last thing I saw of the guy, after the Texas/KSU game ended, was him heaving over a trash can by the horserace betting area, waving off security and staff as he did so, like a bear being attacked by bees. I'm sure he'll pull a similar stunt this year, so if you're in Aria that Saturday and want to stop by the sportsbook and say hello, just look for someone in burnt orange making a mockery of social decorum and being generally loud and offensive. SydneyCarton will be there with me. 

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So, after a long history of being a very loyal Wynn/Encore patron, and following multiple disappointments with them recently, I think we may give Aria a shot.  Done a little research and that just seems to be the right move.
All that said...tell me everything I need to know about Aria.

Aria has been our goto for a while. To me it hits the mark for what you pay for. You don’t have to be a whale from China or a tatted up 30k-aire to belong. Plus it has a great location on the strip. Good to Great restaurants. Lively poker room and casino. talked to Daniel negreanu one night there. Down to earth Cool guy. I don’t gamble a shit ton but I seam to only win at the Aria and Bellagio for what it’s worth. Love that the sports book is non smoking. Pizza place next to it is really good.

I think it helps it’s not too big and flies under the radar. Want a be’s who just cashed their paycheck and bought a shirt they can’t afford are filling up Wynn/Encore etc, they can’t afford it or take care of staff so the staff in turns treats everyone like their assholes. Still think the Bellagio gets more big money players anyways.

Or you can use your Marriott points and stay at the old mandarin which is right next door. Which still has the best bar with a view in Vegas. It’s probably where I’ll stay the next time. Completely non smoking. No casino. Quiet pool. Killer bar. 684bcd26238609f5348da138708c0c9b.jpg


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8 hours ago, PorscheGuy said:


Aria has been our goto for a while. To me it hits the mark for what you pay for. You don’t have to be a whale from China or a tatted up 30k-aire to belong. Plus it has a great location on the strip. Good to Great restaurants. Lively poker room and casino. talked to Daniel negreanu one night there. Down to earth Cool guy. I don’t gamble a shit ton but I seam to only win at the Aria and Bellagio for what it’s worth. Love that the sports book is non smoking. Pizza place next to it is really good.

I think it helps it’s not too big and flies under the radar. Want a be’s who just cashed their paycheck and bought a shirt they can’t afford are filling up Wynn/Encore etc, they can’t afford it or take care of staff so the staff in turns treats everyone like their assholes. Still think the Bellagio gets more big money players anyways.

Or you can use your Marriott points and stay at the old mandarin which is right next door. Which still has the best bar with a view in Vegas. It’s probably where I’ll stay the next time. Completely non smoking. No casino. Quiet pool. Killer bar. 684bcd26238609f5348da138708c0c9b.jpg


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Thanks.  You and I seem to have similar tastes and I generally agree with most of your assessments so that all sounds pretty good.  I’m booked in the Sky Suites for January.  Was supposed to go last weekend but the kid got sick.

Is the Waldorf (old Mandarin) walkable from the Aria?  What about Cosmo?  Only thing I’ve been able to confirm is Chrystal shops are walkable.

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Thanks.  You and I seem to have similar tastes and I generally agree with most of your assessments so that all sounds pretty good.  I’m booked in the Sky Suites for January.  Was supposed to go last weekend but the kid got sick.
Is the Waldorf (old Mandarin) walkable from the Aria?  What about Cosmo?  Only thing I’ve been able to confirm is Chrystal shops are walkable.


Both the Waldorf and cosmo are easily walkable.


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9 hours ago, PorscheGuy said:


Aria has been our goto for a while. To me it hits the mark for what you pay for. You don’t have to be a whale from China or a tatted up 30k-aire to belong. Plus it has a great location on the strip. Good to Great restaurants. Lively poker room and casino. talked to Daniel negreanu one night there. Down to earth Cool guy. I don’t gamble a shit ton but I seam to only win at the Aria and Bellagio for what it’s worth. Love that the sports book is non smoking. Pizza place next to it is really good.

I think it helps it’s not too big and flies under the radar. Want a be’s who just cashed their paycheck and bought a shirt they can’t afford are filling up Wynn/Encore etc, they can’t afford it or take care of staff so the staff in turns treats everyone like their assholes. Still think the Bellagio gets more big money players anyways.

Or you can use your Marriott points and stay at the old mandarin which is right next door. Which still has the best bar with a view in Vegas. It’s probably where I’ll stay the next time. Completely non smoking. No casino. Quiet pool. Killer bar. 684bcd26238609f5348da138708c0c9b.jpg


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Regarding this bar, is it still open? One of our guys researching stuff came back to our Vegas email chain and said it was closed now, having something to do with the sale. Sucks if true. I didn’t bother to look into it and accepted the update as fact. 

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19 minutes ago, Parliament said:

I'm going the 2nd week of December with 12 customers.  They know Vegas pretty well, and have us at Harrah's.  Bad idea jeans?

I seen Ron White and Rodney Carrington will be in town.  Probably wanna catch one of those.

Harrah’s seems to fit the rest of your post perfectly.

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37 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

Regarding this bar, is it still open? One of our guys researching stuff came back to our Vegas email chain and said it was closed now, having something to do with the sale. Sucks if true. I didn’t bother to look into it and accepted the update as fact. 

Skybar?

https://waldorfastoria3.hilton.com/en/hotels/nevada/waldorf-astoria-las-vegas-LASWDWA/amenities/restaurants.html

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What about Cosmo?  Only thing I’ve been able to confirm is Chrystal shops are walkable.


Cosmo is an easy short walk from Aria but you have to know one trick. Exit Aria by the Jean Phillipe restaurant, turn right and head on the sidewalk towards Vdara. Just before you reach Vdara on the right there is a somewhat hidden staircase (also an elevator if needed). You take that down and hit another short sidewalk which enters into Cosmo parking and follow along into Cosmo entrance right by check-in.

There is a free tram/monorail that goes between Bellagio/Crystals/Park MGM & Aria. To catch it at Aria, it’s at the far end of the casino nearest the exit by poker and then up some escalators. The next stop is at Crystals. The last stop is at Bellagio.
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9 minutes ago, bigup2dahorns said:

 


Cosmo is an easy short walk from Aria but you have to know one trick. Exit Aria by the Jean Phillipe restaurant, turn right and head on the sidewalk towards Vdara. Just before you reach Vdara on the right there is a somewhat hidden staircase (also an elevator if needed). You take that down and hit another short sidewalk which enters into Cosmo parking and follow along into Cosmo entrance right by check-in.

There is a free tram/monorail that goes between Bellagio/Crystals/Park MGM & Aria. To catch it at Aria, it’s at the far end of the casino nearest the exit by poker and then up some escalators. The next stop is at Crystals. The last stop is at Bellagio.

 

This is correct info.

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1 hour ago, Parliament said:

I'm going the 2nd week of December with 12 customers.  They know Vegas pretty well, and have us at Harrah's.  Bad idea jeans?

I seen Ron White and Rodney Carrington will be in town.  Probably wanna catch one of those.

Not gonna lie, I have spent a drunken night in Harrahs piano bar watching the blondes play....pretty decent time actually.

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Regarding this bar, is it still open? One of our guys researching stuff came back to our Vegas email chain and said it was closed now, having something to do with the sale. Sucks if true. I didn’t bother to look into it and accepted the update as fact. 

My sources tell me it’s 100% open for business.


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7 hours ago, bigup2dahorns said:

Cosmo is an easy short walk from Aria but you have to know one trick. Exit Aria by the Jean Phillipe restaurant, turn right and head on the sidewalk towards Vdara. Just before you reach Vdara on the right there is a somewhat hidden staircase (also an elevator if needed). You take that down and hit another short sidewalk which enters into Cosmo parking and follow along into Cosmo entrance right by check-in.

Okay, which one's the Jean Phillipe restaurant?  I don't see it on their list...

https://www.aria.com/en/restaurants.html

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Okay, which one's the Jean Phillipe restaurant?  I don't see it on their list...
https://www.aria.com/en/restaurants.html


Crap, that’s what I get for not visiting Vegas recently. The damn place closed at Aria and Bellagio this year. New name:

After 20 years, world-renowned pasty chef Jean-Philippe Maury no longer has a presence on the Strip. The nine-year old Jean Philippe Patisserie at Aria has already re-branded itself as Aria Patisserie and his original outpost at the Bellagio will soon turn into the Bellagio Patisserie.
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Any new recs for a good Brunch?

Always liked sitting on the patio under the Eiffel Tower at Mon Ami Gabi. Good food / Bloody Mary hits just right. Great people watching

hash-house ago-go is over the top. Insane portion sizes. Actually above expectations across the board

I usually don’t do many brunches or breakfast in Vegas so that’s all I got



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Always liked sitting on the patio under the Eiffel Tower at Mon Ami Gabi. Good food / Bloody Mary hits just right. Great people watching

hash-house ago-go is over the top. Insane portion sizes. Actually above expectations across the board

I usually don’t do many brunches or breakfast in Vegas so that’s all I got



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Mon ami Gabi was great for brunch.
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