Las Vegas go hard or go home thread

[Parliament 14229]

I stayed at Harrah's last week. I liked it.

[RPM 26315]

On 11/2/2018 at 9:34 AM, MissingInAction said:

Wish I could remember the name of the cafe in the Golden Nugget. Had pork chops and eggs there at 3 am, and it saved my fucking life.

Isn't that the same place that still has the cheap shrimp cocktail? I've blasted through several of those in the middle of the night.

[RPM 26315]

.

Edited December 26, 2018 by RPM
shit's borked

[Butch Had Not 2969]

Nothing ever came of my Vegas trips but I did see Garfield passed out on a bench outside of the Venitian.

[SimonBolivar 10957]

The Mrs. and I will be making our first trip in April. I'm mainly going for Zion, but we want to set up base in LV. We don't gamble much and we aren't big partiers. I'm guessing that we should set up shop off the Strip? How is the Waldorf Astoria? Not having a casino on site seems refreshing.

[bigup2dahorns 3343]

The Mrs. and I will be making our first trip in April. I'm mainly going for Zion, but we want to set up base in LV. We don't gamble much and we aren't big partiers. I'm guessing that we should set up shop off the Strip? How is the Waldorf Astoria? Not having a casino on site seems refreshing.

If you are looking for places to stay without a casino, also check out Vdara, central strip location so easy walk to good restaurants in Aria/Bellagio/Cosmo.

If you want totally away from the strip, there’s a JW Marriott resort in Summerlin.

I haven’t been to the Waldorf yet.

[Chewbacca 7766]

If you are looking for places to stay without a casino, also check out Vdara, central strip location so easy walk to good restaurants in Aria/Bellagio/Cosmo.

If you want totally away from the strip, there’s a JW Marriott resort in Summerlin.

I haven’t been to the Waldorf yet.

Or Mandarin, whatever it is called now.

[bigup2dahorns 3343]

Or Mandarin, whatever it is called now.

It’s called the Waldorf

[Chewbacca 7766]

4 minutes ago, bigup2dahorns said:

 

It’s called the Waldorf

 

Well OK, then.  It was a great hotel as the Mandarin.  Can't imagine much will change there.

[Landomatic 3813]

3 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

The Mrs. and I will be making our first trip in April. I'm mainly going for Zion, but we want to set up base in LV. We don't gamble much and we aren't big partiers. I'm guessing that we should set up shop off the Strip? How is the Waldorf Astoria? Not having a casino on site seems refreshing.

I’m here now at Aria.  My understanding is the Waldorf just put up a new sign sand rebranded everything from the Mandarin.  But I’ll try to cruise through there tomorrow and report back.

[Buzzrock 14901]

+1 on Vdara. Great location and no casino to navigate, but there are a couple close by when you want one. Used to be you could get great deal on Priceline et al.

[Chewbacca 7766]

14 hours ago, Landomatic said:

I’m here now at Aria.  My understanding is the Waldorf just put up a new sign sand rebranded everything from the Mandarin.  But I’ll try to cruise through there tomorrow and report back.

The view from their lounge/check in area is spectacular.  Go at night.

[Landomatic 3813]

Just did a walk through at Waldorf.  Definitly just a rebrand from the Mandarin Oriental.  Nothing updated at all from what I could see.  Nice enough place but glad I’m not staying there.  Not a lot going on.  Pretty much just has the one restaurant and one bar, which do have amazing views.  But there’s really nothing else to the place.  Finish out is just like every Mandarin Oriental I’ve ever seen.  We’re not big gamblers either, but I like more dining and drinking options and more going on in general.

So far, all of City Center has been really walkable which is great.  Staying at Aria and can easily walk to Vdara, Cosmo, Waldorf, Chrystal Shops and Park MGM.

[Chewbacca 7766]

1 minute ago, Landomatic said:

Just did a walk through at Waldorf.  Definitly just a rebrand from the Mandarin Oriental.  Nothing updated at all from what I could see.  Nice enough place but glad I’m not staying there.  Not a lot going on.  Pretty much just has the one restaurant and one bar, which do have amazing views.  But there’s really nothing else to the place.  Finish out is just like every Mandarin Oriental I’ve ever seen.  We’re not big gamblers either, but I like more dining and drinking options and more going on in general.

So far, all of City Center has been really walkable which is great.  Staying at Aria and can easily walk to Vdara, Cosmo, Waldorf, Chrystal Shops and Park MGM.

I've only stayed at Mandarin once (for a conference at Aria but Aria was sold out).  It is really convenient to everything in City Center, but I also like more going on in the hotel.  We did not eat or drink at Mandarin.  Just slept.  They do have nice beds, though.

[Nice Guy Eddie 13507]

On 9/23/2018 at 1:43 PM, 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.

Late response, I know.

ive found the following to help with points at the craps table

- be cool with the dealers, box man and pit bosses.  When it’s slower, they’re happy to bs with you.  

- tip them well especially during your play.  Don’t wait until the end of your session.

- when done at the table, don’t walk away quietly.  Always leave some chips to color up.  Especially up to 100, 500 or 1000.  Forces the box man/pit boss to note you’re walking away and he should close out your rating.

- ask him what he’s rating you.  Gives you a chance to disagree.  But don’t argue if he says 120/roll when you think it’s 125.  But he may also not tell you  anything.   Pushing for an answer won’t help you.

 

ive known a pit boss at MB for years. See him a few times per year,  and I believe he bumps up my rating somewhat.   Nothing outrageous but he’s not stingy.    He also hasn’t been shy to tell me to walk away when he can see it’s really bad.

[bigcigar 1164]

I went to Vegas just before NYE. We spent most of our time at Cosmo and ate at the new food hall a few times. Lardo was very good...definitely recommend for a quick bite. We also enjoyed eating at the bar at china poblano mostly for the Oaxacan old fashioned and the marg with salt foam.

[MidTexHorn 822]

Heading out for first weekend of March Madness, first time doing that. Staying at Harrah's.  I'm a member of the March Madness in Las Vegas Facebook group which has a ton of info about watch parties, sports books, etc. but I'm looking for any first hand experience y'all have from that weekend. We have one afternoon booked at Top Golf in the top floor cabanas and are thinking we'll probably wander the Linq area one afternoon and probably hit downtown one night. Any specific experiences/watch parties that y'all recommend?

[Alvin89 108]

Me and the wife are planning on going over Cinco De Mayo weekend for the Canelo fight. We've stayed at MGM, Vdara, Wynn,Caesars, and Monte Carlo on our previous trips. Hotels.com has Mandalay Bay at $203, Paris at $270, Mirage at $224,  Aria at $299, and Caesars at $242.  We have never been during pool weather, any suggestions on which one of those would be best pool wise?

[Wally Pryor 5261]

On 12/25/2018 at 4:24 PM, Parliament said:

I stayed at Harrah's last week. I liked it.

It's certainly more tolerable post-renovation. 

[Parliament 14229]

It’s a dump.

[MidTexHorn 822]

1 hour ago, Alvin89 said:

Me and the wife are planning on going over Cinco De Mayo weekend for the Canelo fight. We've stayed at MGM, Vdara, Wynn,Caesars, and Monte Carlo on our previous trips. Hotels.com has Mandalay Bay at $203, Paris at $270, Mirage at $224,  Aria at $299, and Caesars at $242.  We have never been during pool weather, any suggestions on which one of those would be best pool wise?

Probably Caesars or Mandalay, but I'm not really a pool guy. I'd vote Caesars for location.

[Moby Ric 2058]

The Mandalay pool is really nice.  Giant wave pool, large regular pool, lazy river, etc.  Wife and I stay there in the summer when we go just for the pool.

[Dbeasy 15040]

Headed to Vegas in April. Staying in either Venetian or Treasure island (company related).

I gamble only slightly now and am not a huge partier. The wife will meet me there. We will definitely do a few shows, but not sure what else to do that would be cool. We’ve been many times but don’t party hard like we used to do.

[Chewbacca 7766]

1 hour ago, Moby Ric said:

The Mandalay pool is really nice.  Giant wave pool, large regular pool, lazy river, etc.  Wife and I stay there in the summer when we go just for the pool.

Love the property there, hate the location.  I like walking to other casinos on the Strip.  It's a long haul if you're staying at Mandalay.

[Francisco 2.0 32386]

1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

Headed to Vegas in April. Staying in either Venetian or Treasure island (company related).

I gamble only slightly now and am not a huge partier. The wife will meet me there. We will definitely do a few shows, but not sure what else to do that would be cool. We’ve been many times but don’t party hard like we used to do.

Absinthe

Beatles Love

 

 

 

[Buzzrock 14901]

Absinthe is awesome.

Any recommendations on cannabis dispensaries?

[Francisco 2.0 32386]

33 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

Absinthe is awesome.

Any recommendations on cannabis dispensaries?

It's the tits.  We had second row seats a few years back, and are going to Vegas this July. Wife wants front row seats this time.

 

 

[Dbeasy 15040]

Absinthe sounds great. Actually saw the Beatles Love several years ago but, ahem, fell asleep due to excess inebriation.

[Moby Ric 2058]

2 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

Love the property there, hate the location.  I like walking to other casinos on the Strip.  It's a long haul if you're staying at Mandalay.

Agreed that the location is far.  But Uber cures that, and it fits my ideal place in Vegas which is less crowded.  Once I get too far north on the strip I feel overcrowded.  And once the NFL moves in the south side of the strip will explode.

[MidTexHorn 822]

12 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Absinthe sounds great. Actually saw the Beatles Love several years ago but, ahem, fell asleep due to excess inebriation.

That's funny. I did that during Love too a few years back. I don't do the late shows any more for that reason. I'll third the Absinthe recommendation.

[Landomatic 3813]

17 hours ago, MidTexHorn said:

Heading out for first weekend of March Madness, first time doing that. Staying at Harrah's.  I'm a member of the March Madness in Las Vegas Facebook group which has a ton of info about watch parties, sports books, etc. but I'm looking for any first hand experience y'all have from that weekend. We have one afternoon booked at Top Golf in the top floor cabanas and are thinking we'll probably wander the Linq area one afternoon and probably hit downtown one night. Any specific experiences/watch parties that y'all recommend?

I was there once during March Madness and it was a shit show.  It was like all the worst parts of Vegas on steroids.  TONS of douchey groups of dudes everywhere and really hard to go anywhere or do anything.  Sorry to rain on your parade, but you couldn't pay me to go to Vegas during March Madness again.

[royiv 9244]

25 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

I was there once during March Madness and it was a shit show.  It was like all the worst parts of Vegas on steroids.  TONS of douchey groups of dudes everywhere and really hard to go anywhere or do anything.  Sorry to rain on your parade, but you couldn't pay me to go to Vegas during March Madness again.

This. You summed it up perfectly. 15+ years ago, I went every year during March Madness. Somewhere over a decade ago it became a complete shit show. Nothing but roving packs of dudes and impossible to go to any sportsbook unless you stay up from the night before and stake a claim. As you said, you couldn’t pay me to do it again.

[pepper brooks 580]

On ‎10‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 11:44 AM, PorscheGuy said:

Heard good things about yard bird but have no first hand knowledge. Just did not make it there last time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I went to yardbird twice on my last trip there.  It was excellent both times.  

[pepper brooks 580]

On ‎12‎/‎20‎/‎2018 at 10:36 AM, Teebox said:

Heading to Vegas for New Years for 3 nights.  Any recommendations / things to beware on New Years?   Staying at Palazzo for the first time.  Last few trips have been at the Wynn or Encore but those were crazy expensive for NYE whereas the Palazzo was much cheaper. 

Palazzo is actually my favorite place to stay.  Rooms are huge and inexpensive.  Greta restaurants on site, and reasonably priced blackjack and craps can be found on weekends during the day there.  

[MidTexHorn 822]

1 hour ago, Landomatic said:

I was there once during March Madness and it was a shit show.  It was like all the worst parts of Vegas on steroids.  TONS of douchey groups of dudes everywhere and really hard to go anywhere or do anything.  Sorry to rain on your parade, but you couldn't pay me to go to Vegas during March Madness again.

Fully expecting a shit show, that's why we've booked Top Golf one day and are looking to book something else for Saturday. I'm not waking up at 5:00 a.m. to grab a table.

[Litig8r 414]

Well right now is the Shot Show (hunting/guns) and AVN(pron).  I wonder if the Shot folks said, "Hey the pron convention is this week, let's schedule our show around that" or vice versa?

[GreenspointTexas 9598]

If yall like Absinthe (wife and I have been 3 times), check out Opium

 

same producers/style and just as good. Went 2 nights ago and it was a blast. The bubble guy is fucking awesome

[pops 6980]

2 hours ago, MidTexHorn said:

Fully expecting a shit show, that's why we've booked Top Golf one day and are looking to book something else for Saturday. I'm not waking up at 5:00 a.m. to grab a table.

Yeah, it will be a shit show. The week before is actually one of my favorite weeks in Vegas with all of the conference tournaments going on.  That's when I'll be there. 

You won't get a table at one of the books on the strip unless you are there at 5AM like you said, but you might have better luck at something on Fremont (the D or the Nugget) or head South to the Southgate or way South to the M if you really want to chill and watch games. Usually crowds will dissipate farther from the epicenter. 

Or you could really say fuck it and head an hour north to the casa Blanca in mesquite. 

That being said... The energy at a place like Caesars when a game is close on the spread or a dog is about to cover/win outright that weekend is one of the coolest things ever. 

 

Edited January 22, 2019 by pops

[MidTexHorn 822]

5 minutes ago, pops said:

Yeah, it will be a shit show. The week before is actually one of my favorite weeks in Vegas with all of the conference tournaments going on.  That's when I'll be there. 

You won't get a table at one of the books on the strip unless you are there at 5AM like you said, but you might have better luck at something on Fremont (the D or the Nugget) or head South to the Southgate or way South to the M if you really want to chill and watch games. Usually crowds will dissipate farther from the epicenter. 

Or you could really say fuck it and head an hour north to the casa Blanca in mesquite. 

That being said... The energy at a place like Caesars when a game is close on the spread or a dog is about to cover/win outright that weekend is one of the coolest things ever. 

 

Yeah, I have to experience it once. There are lots of places where you can reserve a table if you pay enough. That's probably what we'll do.

[MissingInAction 25003]

Hitting up the Beatles show saturday night. How stoned should I get first?

[Incredulity 11645]

4 hours ago, MidTexHorn said:

Yeah, I have to experience it once. There are lots of places where you can reserve a table if you pay enough. That's probably what we'll do.

The energy of the major sportsbooks during a tight game is awesome.   The unbelieveable emotional swings over a 12 point game is a lot of fun when several hundred others are split 50/50.

In my experience there will plenty of viewing opportunities(lounges set up with big screens for games) at places like Bally's, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, Harrah's...... that will have alot of the same energy as above with a lot less hassle.  

 

 

[Francisco 2.0 32386]

12 hours ago, Landomatic said:

I was there once during March Madness and it was a shit show.  It was like all the worst parts of Vegas on steroids.  TONS of douchey groups of dudes everywhere and really hard to go anywhere or do anything.  Sorry to rain on your parade, but you couldn't pay me to go to Vegas during March Madness again.

On the other hand, Super Bowl Sunday in Vegas is kinda nifty.

I also suspect once the Raiders come to town, every home game weekend is going to be similar, even for visiting team fans who don't have game tickets.  

[Francisco 2.0 32386]

5 hours ago, MissingInAction said:

Hitting up the Beatles show saturday night. How stoned should I get first?

It's pretty trippy, even if you are sober.  I can only imagine what it would be like if you were on a controlled substance.

[T-shirt Sip 2097]

We’re bribing my son and his wife with an all paid trip every year she isn’t pregnant. They’re too young to have kids. This year for her 21st we’re going to Vegas and plan to take them to Andiamo Steakhouse. Anyone been? Recs?

[TornACL 7698]

You know this ends with her getting inseminated in Vegas, right? Just checking. 

[Landomatic 3813]

2 hours ago, TornACL said:

You know this ends with her getting inseminated in Vegas, right? Just checking. 

And maybe or maybe not by his son.

[Francisco 2.0 32386]

14 hours ago, T-shirt Sip said:

We’re bribing my son and his wife with an all paid trip every year she isn’t pregnant. They’re too young to have kids. This year for her 21st we’re going to Vegas and plan to take them to Andiamo Steakhouse. Anyone been? Recs?

This will end in tears.

[Moby Ric 2058]

She's coming home preggers.  

[Underdog 28544]

On 1/22/2019 at 9:57 AM, royiv said:

This. You summed it up perfectly. 15+ years ago, I went every year during March Madness. Somewhere over a decade ago it became a complete shit show. Nothing but roving packs of dudes and impossible to go to any sportsbook unless you stay up from the night before and stake a claim. As you said, you couldn’t pay me to do it again.

Hate to hear that, have been there a few times during MM and loved it. Summer and baseball season I find boring. 

[Angry Gorilla 1766]

I agree that March Madness blows in Vegas unless you can pony up enough to get a reserved table.  Same for Super Bowl weekend.

If money isn't a problem, check out Lagasse's Stadium for game watching, though you probably want to book now.  Also, lots of the casino lounges will have game watching parties that are easier to get into.  I know Clique in Cosmo does that.