Las Vegas musings 2014-2015

[Dead Money]

Great to be back....

I vow to gain less than 5 lbs this year....probably going to have to join a health club.....


PIZZA ROCK....opened 2013...just North of Fremont casino.

Menu here http://pizzarocklasvegas.com/_pages/pr-menu.html

Simply put, pizza for the pizza lover.

You can walk up to their window and buy one fresh slice genuine NY style, that takes three hands to hold for $4.00 to $6.00 depending on toppings...OMG are these HUGE.

I don't know how they do it, but they have both electric and gas ovens that have dedicated temperatures 500, 550, 650, 700, 900 degrees.

This enables perfect cooking for the different styles and textures of crusts for thin, standard, deep dish, even gluten free.
These people are very SERIOUS about pizza.

We opted for the 16" New Yorker made with Trumps + Caputo Flour.
Cheese, pepperoni, sausage, rich tomato sauce, dollops of ricotta cheese. It was $23 and fed 3 happy people, comfortably.

The table next to us had the limited edition "Sausage + Stout".
They only make 23 a day....Made with Beer sausage, and Guinness beer reduction among other things...it looked awesome, maybe next time.

If you are wandering the area, grab a slice and beer and sit on a bench out front or gawk at the "freak show" err Fremont Experience....the zip line is up and running for those that care.

 

[kickserv]

Dead Money should be a food critic and/or work for the Nevada Tourist Board, the dude nails it every time.

:142hail:

 

[Dr Feelgood]

He is like my tour guide AND I LIVE HERE!!!

 

[kickserv]

He is like my tour guide AND I LIVE HERE!!!

Dead Money is so good he could give you a tour of your backyard and he'd find things you never knew about:scared

 

[MadJack]

Great to be back....

I vow to gain less than 5 lbs this year....probably going to have to join a health club.....


PIZZA ROCK....opened 2013...just North of Fremont casino.

Menu here http://pizzarocklasvegas.com/_pages/pr-menu.html

Simply put, pizza for the pizza lover.

You can walk up to their window and buy one fresh slice genuine NY style, that takes three hands to hold for $4.00 to $6.00 depending on toppings...OMG are these HUGE.

I don't know how they do it, but they have both electric and gas ovens that have dedicated temperatures 500, 550, 650, 700, 900 degrees.

This enables perfect cooking for the different styles and textures of crusts for thin, standard, deep dish, even gluten free.
These people are very SERIOUS about pizza.

We opted for the 16" New Yorker made with Trumps + Caputo Flour.
Cheese, pepperoni, sausage, rich tomato sauce, dollops of ricotta cheese. It was $23 and fed 3 happy people, comfortably.

The table next to us had the limited edition "Sausage + Stout".
They only make 23 a day....Made with Beer sausage, and Guinness beer reduction among other things...it looked awesome, maybe next time.

If you are wandering the area, grab a slice and beer and sit on a bench out front or gawk at the "freak show" err Fremont Experience....the zip line is up and running for those that care.

Will definitely be eating here Monday or Tuesday. :0074

If you wanna hookup for a brew or two, DM, let me know. Staying at Planet Hollywood Saturday through Saturday with 2 nights at MSS Monday and Tuesday. I'll be at Boar's Head Bar at MSS for Monday Night Football and VP, meeting Smurph there.

jack@madjacksports.com

 

[Dead Money]

Enjoyed

Enjoyed

the evening.....good pizza, good beer, good Vidpoker, GREAT GUYS to hang with...Meeting Jack was awesome, meeting Smurphy was awe inspiring....:toast:

Can't wait for superbowl get together....:00hour

 

[Dead Money]

SLS casino and Bonita Michoacan restaurant

SLS casino and Bonita Michoacan restaurant

Out of curiosity, I went to the Sahara fixtures sale a few years back...the old flea infested mattresses were $10 pick-em, one thing I would have bought the Poker room sign went for $150 they sold everything (except gaming equip) down to the wallpaper.

SLS, a California group purchased the building and re-branded the casino.

The once proud home of the Sinatra rat pack and much proud Vegas history now has the personality of a Costco warehouse. No money was spent on the exterior facade. The ill-designed congested valet area is in the back, as is the parking.

The immediate area has zero ambiance.

Across the street is the empty lot of dirt that was Stardust and Frontier I believe. Adjacent is the "Iconic" Las Vegas souvenir shop with millions of Vegas tee shirts and mostly throwaway stuff.
Just south is the Circus Circus, voted last year as the casino that should be imploded next.

Approaching it from the south, a block away we saw what appeared to be a black working girl much less than 5 foot tall, wearing a long flowing blond wig and thigh high white boots.
On the opposite side of the street was a lady in her 30's clad totally in brown leather from her neck down to her matching stiletto heels.

Moneyed tourists are not going to seek this place out, it is an area at night that is probably not 100% safe to walk around in.

The inside was fresh smelling but lacking in appeal, almost "soul-less".
Very small gaming area and few gaming tables, mostly slots.

Lots of restaurant choices,nothing I desired, the buffet was recently closed for a "change of direction" (translation, must have been really bad) they are offering locals 50% off at some of their restaurants.
The newspaper says they are trying to appeal to the locals for action, good luck with that.

The sports book is a William Hill operation combined with a beer bar and hamburger place.





I played Vidpoker for 30 minutes, was getting near zero return, left.

I wish them well, but I know there are many better options in Vegas.




Lunch was a Mexican restaurant on Decatur and Twain (about 3 miles northwest of Palms, worth the trip)

Bonita Michoacan a local family owned restaurant menu here http://www.bonitomichoacanlasvegas.com/menu.htm

This is the real deal for home style recipes...I had the Carnitas "Coca Cola"....enough for 2. Pork was marinated in Coca Cola and seasoned with Garlic, Cloves and Pajilla Chiles. The cola marinate broke the meat down to the point that a big mouthful literally melted in your mouth.
It was very,very good. We had been looking for a good authentic Mexican Restaurant and have had mixed results, until now.

 

[Dead Money]

Solid info on Players Cards and Slots

Solid info on Players Cards and Slots

Yesterday, I was playing poker at our weekly clubhouse game open to all, when a new player appeared, I will call him "George".

In conversation, it turns out he has 25+ years managerial experience in the casino slot gaming industry.
Everything from vice- president of operations of a major game development concern,( I don't want to name here) to an upper management executive with a big strip casino who's primary job was answering to, and implementing, and responding to the mandates of the Nevada Gaming Commission.


This really got my attention, a real upper echelon source of SOLID info. In all my years, like everyone else, I had perceptions about slots, video poker, that I could not get reliable info on.


I sat down with him for about 10 minutes and was able to ask a few questions that had been on my mind for years. Some answers verified what I had thought, and some changed my thinking all together.


I, along with many other people,are leery of casino "player cards".

My pattern seemed to be, if I use the players card, I lose, if I don't use the players card, I win. I just quit using the card altogether a few years back.
I have had people tell me that after a big win with a players card, they would lose badly, as if their further play was being tracked and the machines were "getting the money back"

"George" laughed and told me USE the players card. Casinos are not going to risk a multi-million dollar fine from the Gaming Commission.
The players card is for marketing, pure and simple.

George went on to explain the "pay cycle" of a video poker slot machine...from what I gather, slots, video poker, are programmed with literally hundreds of thousands of paying combinations that they
must perform in their "cycle" the cycle life depends on FREQUENCY of play. The casino "holdback" is built into the program.

That means the machines sooner or later HAVE to pay a big one. You just have to be lucky to hit a machine in a major, favorable, MUST PAY portion of their built in "pay cycle"

I did not think to ask George, he was on his way to dinner, but when I see him next time, I will find out EXACTLY what 98% 99% payback means.

George added this regarding Vid Poker and Slots, and I have found it also to be true.
If you see someone hit a decent size pay-out at a machine who collects their ticket and leaves (most players figure the machine is done and won't pay another) TRY THAT MACHINE, it very well could be getting ready to plop out another good sized payout.


After the poker game, feeling lucky, I headed downtown to play a particular Vid Poker machine that had been treating me right.

This particular quarter machine, in a heavily played casino, on my last 3 visits, after about 2 hours play lots of full houses, an average of 5 quads per visit, but not the royal (Jack would have cashed it in 15 minutes).

I would go home +$100 to +$150 each visit, and enjoyed the free casino beer and fun play time. I stick to quarter machines and sometime if I am up a dab, will move up to the dollar machines.
Being here all winter, you HAVE to budget.

ANYHOW....my favorite machine was occupied by a young Hawaiian cutie, so I sat besides her, hoping she would leave.
After an hour of up and down play, the cutie on MY machine draws 4 to a jack of diamonds....guess what? YEP a Royal flush for $1200.

With the pep talk from "George" I figure I will try it when she leaves, maybe lightning will strike twice......sadly she and her now interested family stay and keep playing.

You may find this story unbelievable, I cried, 45 minutes later, she drew 3 cards to a Ten-Jack of clubs, YEP another ROYAL flush...another $1200.

She played about another 15 minutes and left, I threw $40.00 in it just because.....hit one 3 of a kind, got up and left.

I did use my players card and generated 1200 points, probably good for a hot dog and a free beer at the snack shop.

 

[kickserv]

Yesterday, I was playing poker at our weekly clubhouse game open to all, when a new player appeared, I will call him "George".

In conversation, it turns out he has 25+ years managerial experience in the casino slot gaming industry.
Everything from vice- president of operations of a major game development concern,( I don't want to name here) to an upper management executive with a big strip casino who's primary job was answering to, and implementing, and responding to the mandates of the Nevada Gaming Commission.


This really got my attention, a real upper echelon source of SOLID info. In all my years, like everyone else, I had perceptions about slots, video poker, that I could not get reliable info on.


I sat down with him for about 10 minutes and was able to ask a few questions that had been on my mind for years. Some answers verified what I had thought, and some changed my thinking all together.


I, along with many other people,are leery of casino "player cards".

My pattern seemed to be, if I use the players card, I lose, if I don't use the players card, I win. I just quit using the card altogether a few years back.
I have had people tell me that after a big win with a players card, they would lose badly, as if their further play was being tracked and the machines were "getting the money back"

"George" laughed and told me USE the players card. Casinos are not going to risk a multi-million dollar fine from the Gaming Commission.
The players card is for marketing, pure and simple.

George went on to explain the "pay cycle" of a video poker slot machine...from what I gather, slots, video poker, are programmed with literally hundreds of thousands of paying combinations that they
must perform in their "cycle" the cycle life depends on FREQUENCY of play. The casino "holdback" is built into the program.

That means the machines sooner or later HAVE to pay a big one. You just have to be lucky to hit a machine in a major, favorable, MUST PAY portion of their built in "pay cycle"

I did not think to ask George, he was on his way to dinner, but when I see him next time, I will find out EXACTLY what 98% 99% payback means.

George added this regarding Vid Poker and Slots, and I have found it also to be true.
If you see someone hit a decent size pay-out at a machine who collects their ticket and leaves (most players figure the machine is done and won't pay another) TRY THAT MACHINE, it very well could be getting ready to plop out another good sized payout.


After the poker game, feeling lucky, I headed downtown to play a particular Vid Poker machine that had been treating me right.

This particular quarter machine, in a heavily played casino, on my last 3 visits, after about 2 hours play lots of full houses, an average of 5 quads per visit, but not the royal (Jack would have cashed it in 15 minutes).

I would go home +$100 to +$150 each visit, and enjoyed the free casino beer and fun play time. I stick to quarter machines and sometime if I am up a dab, will move up to the dollar machines.
Being here all winter, you HAVE to budget.

ANYHOW....my favorite machine was occupied by a young Hawaiian cutie, so I sat besides her, hoping she would leave.
After an hour of up and down play, the cutie on MY machine draws 4 to a jack of diamonds....guess what? YEP a Royal flush for $1200.

With the pep talk from "George" I figure I will try it when she leaves, maybe lightning will strike twice......sadly she and her now interested family stay and keep playing.

You may find this story unbelievable, I cried, 45 minutes later, she drew 3 cards to a Ten-Jack of clubs, YEP another ROYAL flush...another $1200.

She played about another 15 minutes and left, I threw $40.00 in it just because.....hit one 3 of a kind, got up and left.

I did use my players card and generated 1200 points, probably good for a hot dog and a free beer at the snack shop.

 

[Old School]

:00hour:00hour:00hour:00hour:00hour:00hour

 

[Dr Feelgood]

and now I'm crying too.....that bitch!!

Over the past week I got to play once, and I too have a favorite machine that usually pays me (It's a 100% payout one at Santa Fe). I played 40 bucks on it and got up to get a margarita at the Mexican joint I go to for 6.50 tall boy.....

I got back to said machine and there was a guy sitting at it....so I checked his credits....400+, so I assumed he put in 100 bucks....I walked to the sportsbook to check on a game and came back....1400+ credits....now pissed I went and lost another 100 at various machines....came back to him and he had 2700+....walked out

I'm going to use your wisdom and play machines I see people hit on....let's put this to the test....

We will catch up in the New Year Deadly.....

 

[Dr Feelgood]

Lobster ME

Lobster ME

Being a transplanted New Englander, I have been on a quest to find decent Maine lobster here in Vegas at a decent price. The other night the wife and I went to see Rock of Ages at the Venetian and decided on a pre meal of lobster and chowder. Lobster ME (Venetian Canal Shoppes and Planet Hollywood) is a Maine lobster lover's paradise as long as you are not looking for an enormous lobster bake type scenario. It is basically a food court stand that serves up Maine lobster in a variety of small ways (rolls, fried on a stick, tacos, bloody mary's etc) at very reasonable prices IMO.

We decided on a lobster bloody mary for her. It was good. Tasty bloody mary with a lobster garnish. The crushed ice was a nice added touch. The flavor was good, not spicy and not too boozy. I'm not a big bloody mary fan, but this was good. 8 bucks

I had fried lobster on a stick with fries. It was a good sized lobster tail on a stick, battered and deep fried. The fries were crispy and hot and the added bonus on malt vinegar on the tables put them over the top for me. The lobster tail was buttery and delicious. No extra dipping butter needed. 15 bucks

The Ol lady got a clam chowder as well and it was served in a bread bowl. It was thick and rich but not much clam in it and very potatoey (yes that's a fucking word if you live in New England). It was decent but there are better choices out here for clam chowder. 8 bucks

Finally we got an order of lobster tacos. They were incredible. They both had a good amount of lobster in them and they were covered in a nicely balanced slaw to compliment the lobster. They also tasted buttery. I would have eaten 4-6 of them if I had known how good they were. THey come with a side of nacho chips and some salsa for 12 bucks.

Overall a good experience and one I will revisit when I get that hunkering for some good ol fashioned Maine lobster that someone else cooks...