Las Vegas Trip Report - October 2013

[Dicenator]

LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 2013

The start of this trip was a flight to Phoenix on Friday October 11th where we were visiting our son who lives in Tempe. We stayed at an Embassy Suites for 3 nights. This was a great hotel and they had a free full breakfast every morning and a happy hour in the evening from 5:30 until 7:30 where you could get free drinks and snacks such as salsa and chips. The weather was absolutely beautiful for the 3 days with a low of around 68 degrees in the morning going up to 87 degrees in the afternoon.

On Saturday we went to Scottsdale. This is a great upscale community just to the east of Phoenix. The Arizona canal runs right through the middle of the town. There are great shops, an art gallery district and outside seating restaurants all over the downtown area. You know you are in an upscale community when you see Maserati and Ferrari car dealerships in the town.

We visited downtown Tempe on Sunday morning and it was also very nice although there is a big difference compared to Scottsdale. Tempe is a college town where the University of Arizona has their main campus so the downtown area was full of bars as you would expect. We visited the park there which borders a big lake because they were having an Octoberfest festival for the weekend. Our son had something else to do after this so we went to the Phoenix zoo which was only a few miles up the road from Tempe. This was something that I wanted to do because I haven't been to a zoo in probably 20 years. The zoo was very impressive yet disappointing because a lot of the animals were sleeping in the heat of the day.

For those of you who don't know, Arizona does have casinos, quite a few, although they don't have craps. I couldn't get an answer as to why from a few of the dealers that I asked. Well on Saturday we visited Casino Arizona which was right on the Tempe Scottsdale border and right off the main highway route 101. We weren't too impressed with this casino. It was medium sized and a little dingy in our opinion. Another negative was the clientele which seemed to be a little seedy. We were only here for about an hour and I remember playing some blackjack and holding my own. My wife won back the $100 she had lost at some new poker table game which she played for the first time.

The next day, Sunday, after our zoo trip we went to another casino named Two Sticks which is an Indian casino located in Scottsdale. This casino was bigger nicer and had a lot more class than Casino Arizona. My wife was happy because they had Pai Gow poker which she played for a few hours. I saw the electronic craps game for the first time and had to give it a try. I bought in with $30, got up to a high of $55 and cashed in $20. The average hand length over the last 100 hands was 6 throws. They did display the statistics for all the numbers. What I mean is that they displayed in bar graph format with the total throws for the last 100 throws for every number from 2 through 12.

On Monday, October 14th all 3 of us flew from Phoenix to Las Vegas where we had 2 rooms at the Rio. Our room was comped for the 5 nights we were there and our sons room cost us $19 per night for the 4 nights he was there. He flew home on Friday and we stayed until Saturday. The Rio has a $20 per night resort fee per room. The Rio is all suites and our suite was in the new tower on the 13th floor. I guess it was just a standard suite but is was very large being 600 square feet. From our window we had a view of the strip from the Cosmo on down though Mandalay Bay.

The casino at the Rio was very nice. The slot machines were not piled on top of one another. Compared to some casinos I've been in the Rio could have fit in 25% more slot machines than they had. The table limits at the Rio were higher than I thought they would be for a casino which isn't on the strip. Pai Gow never went below $15, blackjack never below $10 and craps was only at $5 early in the morning. The Rio had the best cocktail waitresses that I saw in all of Vegas. They were all young, beautiful and had the best costumes. These costumes were purple in color, see though with black thongs. I think their official title was beveragtainers. At times they would go up on a platform in the casino and either dance or sing for a minute or two. Every single one of them was good.

Rio had 4 swimming pools that I saw although the topless pool is no more. I spent an hour on two days at the pools which were heated. The temperatures in Vegas where cooler than average only going up to the low 70's in the afternoon. This was about 5 or 6 degrees cooler than average. Since I only brought Summer clothes I had to buy a sweat shirt for the mornings when the temperature was only around 60 degrees.

What I'm going to do now is list the casinos that I visited in order and make some comments on the craps tables and or playing conditions.

RIO

There were (4) 12 foot long tables with a layout material that I couldn't identify. It didn't look or feel like felt or micro fiber. To me the texture was like a smooth denim. I asked one of the dealers and he didn't know. Most of the time I saw frosted dice but also clear dice. The frosted dice felt slippery to me. The table bounce was good and I didn't see any heat being given to anybody. Most of the time the table limit was $10 but occasionally it was $5. 90% of the time the table or tables were full and I couldn't get a good shooting position so I didn't play. Near the end of the week I was going to the casino at 4 in the morning and there were still times when I couldn't play. At some time between 4 am and 6 am I could get on a table and get in a few hands but the table population would grow to 7 or 8 so I never got to play enough to really get warmed up on the table I was playing at.

GOLD COAST

The Gold Coast was across the street from the Rio so we walked over there on our first night, Monday. This casino I referred to as Chinatown. 90% of the table game players were Asians. This casino had low $5 table limits for most of the games including craps. Pai Gow was $10. This first visit there were 2 out of 3 tables open but they were both full of players. The tables were all 12 footers with a felt layout and the bounce appeared to be OK. When I finally got to play a few nights later I found the table to be bouncy but if you were to play enough you would probably do OK. I didn't see anybody getting any heat.

MONTE CARLO

On Tuesday morning this was our first stop probably around 9 in the morning. One table was open but it was filled with about 10 players. The tables here are all 12 feet long with micro fiber and the bounce appeared to be good. I didn't get to play here on this day but later in the week I played a few hands and the bounce was good.

ARIA

When we left the Monte Carlo we walked north on the strip and stopped in at the Aria. This complex is huge and impressive looking but I thought the casino was too dark. My wife played some Pai Gow poker here with no luck. They had 2 craps tables open, one at $10 which was full and the other at $15 with only one player. The tables were 12 feet long with micro fiber and my impression after only watching a few throws was that they were bouncy so I never played here.

PLANET HOLLYWOOD

My impression of this casino was kind of neutral. I did note that the cocktail waitresses had sexy costumes and that some of the dealers were also dressed in sexy outfits. My wife played some blackjack here at a $10 table with no luck. The craps tables here were all 12 footers with micro fiber and were extremely bouncy. I had no inclination to even try one throw here.

PARIS

I think Paris had 6 craps tables all being 12 feet long with a felt layout. I got SL1 at one of the two tables that were open and had a very good Parr hand of 29 throws with 4 points made. The table bounce here was good although I was the only player who had a good hand while I was there. The table had 10 players on it so I only played two hands. Paris in my opinion was worth another visit.

GOLDEN NUGGET

In the evening we took the bus (Las Vegas Blvd) to Freemont Street. We were going here for the first time. The bus stopped and we got off right at the Nugget. My wife and son both played roulette and they both won with my wife being up somewhere around $300. If I remember correctly they had 5 craps tables all being 12 feet long with micro fiber and a bounce that appeared to be good. I bought in at one table and had one hand with 1 point made but the table filled up with players so I moved to the adjoining table where there was only 1 other player. At this table they gave me crap about encroaching on the stickman's space because my hand was coming in front of him. I threw my hands up in the air and said I'm not 7 feet tall with 5 foot long arms. I ended up moving to SR2 and had hands of 8 throws followed by 17 throws. The players were coming out of the wood work since it was around 9 PM so I colored in and left.

When we walked out onto Freemont street we were amazed. All the lights and people were amazing. There were some small street shows going on and the usual people in costumes. My son posed for some pictures with 2 girls who were dressed in showgirl costumes. There were so many casinos there one right after the other that I can't even remember their names other than Binions. We walked into 2 of them but we didn't play.

BALLYS

The next morning, Wednesday, we went to Ballys at 8 in the morning. They had one $5 table open and it was totally filled with players so I never got to play. The tables were 12 feet long with felt and the bounce looked good unfortunately I never got to confirm this. We then walked next door to Paris and there one table that was open was filled also.

CAESARS

After leaving Paris we crossed the street to Caesars. This place is huge but I really didn't like it because they had the gaming tables in different pits all over the place. I think there were 7 craps tables arranged in 2 columns of 3 tables with the first table running at 90 degrees to the other 6 tables. Only tables in the front were open when we were there. I did notice the strange table shape which tapered down as you went to the ends of the table. What I mean is that the table was for talking sake maybe 48" wide at the stickman but at both ends it was maybe only 36" wide. I didn't find this to be disturbing to me at all. I didn't make a note about the layout material but I think it was felt. I played at the second table on the right side and found it to be very bouncy. A few days later I tried the last table on the right because someone had posted that the last 2 tables were OK. Well in my opinion this table was too bouncy also. On Friday we were back there in the afternoon after lunch at Carmines with my cousin and they were playing Crazy 4 poker. My wife was up $800 at this game so she recovered most of her losses for the week.

PALMS

That evening we walked to the Palms which was right across the street from Gold Coast. We all liked this casino. It was well laid out without being too crowded and the table games were right there when you came in the front door. All of their games were $5 minimums. My wife played Blackjack, Pai Gow Poker, Ultimate Texas hold em. I think there were 4 craps tables all being 12 feet long with a gray micro fiber. The table was extremely bouncy and I tried one hand here with no success. We went here a few more times but I wasn't tempted to play.

BELLAGIO

We went here at 5 in the morning on Thursday hoping to find empty or low population tables. Much to my surprise the 2 open tables were almost totally filled. The one table was filled with a bunch of loud drunk people in their 20's. So we bought in at the other table where there were maybe 7 players. There was a shooter at SR1 who was making a shot that I had never seen before which I can't even begin to describe but he had good results. He went to the other table because I guess the drunks all left. I took his shooting position at SR1 and had a few good hands but the suit was a pain in the ass. In 25 throws I had 2 throws where one die was 1" short of the wall and he had to tell me to "hit the wall with both dice". A new player then bought in on the left side and placed his chips in my landing area so I colored in and went to watch the shooter who had gone to the other table. He played a few more hands doing well and then he colored in to leave. I started talking to him and found out he was Super Rick. We talked for about 10 minutes and then went our separate ways. He seems to be a nice guy. He said that Bellagio has really good tables and after throwing on them I agree with that. He also told me that Howard "Rock and Roller" was staying at the Rio where I was and was playing craps there. My feeling is that this particular table I played on was the best I saw in Las Vegas. My long hand was only 14 throws but if I stayed longer and really got dialed in I could have had some really good throwing results.

NEW YORK-NEW YORK

On Friday morning we started out around 7 in the morning at Monte Carlo where I now got in some playing. The dice here were frosted and again I found the frosted dice to be a little slippery. I only played 2 hands but they were good with 8 throws followed by 19 throws. I made 4 points in these 2 hands. The table bounce was good and I would have stayed longer except for the slippery frosted dice.

We then walked next door to NY/NY. My wife found a $10 Pai Gow table and played for a while. They had 1 craps table open with no players. It was 12 feet long micro fiber with some soft cushioning below the layout. So my feeling was that it was bouncy as hell. Well after hanging around for 30 minutes watching my wife play her Pai Gow I decided to go give craps a try. I only wanted to find out how bouncy the table was so I bought in with $20 intending to just throw one hand. This hand started with 3 come out winning 11's in a row with one point made. The total throws were 11 and I was up $40 so that was enough. This table was bouncy as hell and I didn't want to play anymore after this one hand.

So in 4.5 days I was able to evaluate 12 different casinos as far as craps goes. Here is a list of my ratings as far as where I would play craps in the future.

VERY GOOD - Bellagio

GOOD - Rio, Paris, Golden Nugget, Monte Carlo, Ballys

FAIR - Gold Coast

POOR - Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars, Palms, New York New York

Here are my throwing results:

10/14/13

METHOD HAND # THROWS POINTS CO WINS

RIO

UH RIGHT 5

10/15/13

METHOD HAND # THROWS POINTS CO WINS

PARIS

UH LEFT 7 1 1

PARR RIGHT 29 4 3

GOLDEN NUGGET

UH RIGHT 8 1 2

UH RIGHT 17 1

RIO

UH RIGHT 18 3 2

PARR LEFT 9

10/16/13

CAESARS

PARR LEFT 7 1

PALMS

UH RIGHT 5

10/17/13

RIO

UH RIGHT 19 1

UH RIGHT 5 1

UH RIGHT 9 1

BELLAGIO

UH RIGHT 11 1

UH RIGHT 14 3

MONTE CARLO

UH RIGHT 8 1

UH RIGHT 19 3 3

NY/NY

UH RIGHT 11 1 3

GOLD COAST

UH RIGHT 12 2

UH RIGHT 11 1 1

10/18/13

RIO

UH RIGHT 11

UH RIGHT 10 1 3

CAESARS

UH RIGHT 8 3

10/19/13

RIO

UH RIGHT 7 1 1

UH RIGHT 12 1

I met Howard at the craps table at Rio on Friday morning unfortunately I was only there for one of his hands and he only saw one of my hands. Scribe was with him and I met him also.

He was there again on Saturday morning and I saw him as we were leaving to go to the airport. He seems to be a very nice welcoming guy and I hope to run across him on a table some time again in the future.

They had the electronic craps at the Rio and I tried it almost everyday. Being an engineer I was curious to see if there was any way I could figure out a way to have an advantage. What I would do is buy in with $20 and most of the time I would leave with somewhere around $30.

The only thing that I was doing was hitting the throw the dice button when I saw high numbers face up as the dice were in their bouncing mode. Most of my hand lengths were in the 10 to 18 throw range.

In the 4.5 days I only played 24 hands and made 24 points with 27 come out winners.

I made money at craps being up $260 for the 4.5 days so this was fine. However, it seems that to get to play you have to be at the casino at a God awful early hour to find a table with a low population. Mind you this was during the week not on a weekend that I was having this issue. I was never at a table for more than 3 hands and this only happened once. I never got to warm up in my room because my wife was still sleeping when I would be up and getting ready to go to the casino. Obviously I never got to play enough hands in one place to really get in the groove.

To summarize, I enjoyed the trip but was very disappointed in the craps playing conditions I encountered on this trip. If anyone has any advice on how to improve this situation I would really appreciate it.

Dicenator

[Dryheave]

F.Y.I. ASU is the school in tempe ,UA is in tucson ,talking stick is also a casino arizona property, much nicer

[Artemus]

Who is Howard? :confused:

[Dicenator]

Howard "Rock and Roller" Newman is a person who knows how to throw the dice so well that he gives instruction on how to do it. His personal record is an 86 throw hand somewhere in Tunica I think.

 

He used to be an instructor for Frank Scoblete's GTC Dice Throwing School.

 

 

Dicenator

[Grandpaul]

I only play craps at Harrahs. Have for over 30 years. Best dealers in Vegas. That light show downtown is impressive. I was supposed to go out there next month and take a family on tours including of course, Hoover Dam. But had to cancel for health reasons. The husband of the family I was going with is my Doctor. So it's his fault. LOL. Might be heading out in Feb. Used to love the craps tournaments thay had at Harrahs. I made the finals 6 straight times. They don't have them anymore though. They were fun.

[LSTEFFA]

I only play craps at Harrahs. Have for over 30 years. Best dealers in Vegas. That light show downtown is impressive. I was supposed to go out there next month and take a family on tours including of course, Hoover Dam. But had to cancel for health reasons. The husband of the family I was going with is my Doctor. So it's his fault. LOL. Might be heading out in Feb. Used to love the craps tournaments thay had at Harrahs. I made the finals 6 straight times. They don't have them anymore though. They were fun.

Best bet craps in Las Vegas is right next to Harrah's @ Casino Royale. Although the 100X odds were discontinued this summer, their 20x odds for a $5 game is the best in town.

[LSTEFFA]

Howard "Rock and Roller" Newman is a person who knows how to throw the dice so well that he gives instruction on how to do it. His personal record is an 86 throw hand somewhere in Tunica I think.

 

He used to be an instructor for Frank Scoblete's GTC Dice Throwing School.

 

 

Dicenator

Dice throwing school ???? Do people actually pay money for this?

[Dicenator]

Quite a few people have attended the GTC school run by Frank Scoblete (big name gambling book author) and another guy known as the Dominator. They were featured in a History channel show called "Breaking Vegas" from maybe 5 or 6 years ago.

 

They charge and I'm only guessing here $2000 to take their course. It includes more than just throwing the dice. Also included is betting strategies.

 

I would never spend that kind of money on something with no guarantee.

 

I'm self taught in dice throwing and do as well or significantly better than the vast majority of people who take these courses.

 

Dicenator

[Casino Player]

Quite a few people have attended the GTC school run by Frank Scoblete (big name gambling book author) and another guy known as the Dominator. They were featured in a History channel show called "Breaking Vegas" from maybe 5 or 6 years ago.

 

They charge and I'm only guessing here $2000 to take their course. It includes more than just throwing the dice. Also included is betting strategies.

 

I would never spend that kind of money on something with no guarantee.

 

I'm self taught in dice throwing and do as well or significantly better than the vast majority of people who take these courses.

 

Dicenator

 

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO Dicenator:Glad that you had a good time in Las Vegas. Some of the hotels I did well at are no longer there. Next time you are in Las Vegas go to The California Hotel,I enjoyed playing there. You should be able to get on the tables without any problem. They have a nice resturant there called The Redwood Grille.

 

The best places for gaming are the off strip hotels. Gold Coast, Rio were nice. I also used to like to go to The Barbary Coast which is no longer there. Main Street Station is also a very nice hotel. If you can go to Boulder Highway and Flamingo Road. If you go to Bally's a bus runs right past there across from where The Barbary Coast used to be I think it is now Wild Bill's Gambling Hall. It is not what it used to be. That bus will make it's last stop right across the street from Sam's Town. That is a nice place. There are other casino's in the area too.

[Grandpaul]

Best bet craps in Las Vegas is right next to Harrah's @ Casino Royale. Although the 100X odds were discontinued this summer, their 20x odds for a $5 game is the best in town.

 

There are some casinos that have 100x times odds still. Used to be at the Horseshoe downtown. I was shooting one night and a local legend, Old Ernie came in and won 1.8 million dollars and walked out. I was shooting and he gave me a very nice tip. Takes a lot of nerve to take 100x odds. Good bet though.

[Casino Player]

There are some casinos that have 100x times odds still. Used to be at the Horseshoe downtown. I was shooting one night and a local legend, Old Ernie came in and won 1.8 million dollars and walked out. I was shooting and he gave me a very nice tip. Takes a lot of nerve to take 100x odds. Good bet though.

 

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO Grandpaul: I do remember that at the Horseshoe they had the 100X odds bets. Also, the Horseshoe was famous for taking bets that other casinos wouldn't. They also had a full steak dinner for $2 at their coffee shop. It was a very nice place when the Binion family owned it.

[Grandpaul]

Yes it was. I now think there is a Horseshoe casino in Louisville that has 100x odds. Right on the Ohio River. Yeah the Horseshoe in Vegas was fun. They would take just about any bet but you had to call ahead for some of them. Old Ernie was playing 10 grand on the pass line with $100,000 odds behind it.

[LSTEFFA]

Yes it was. I now think there is a Horseshoe casino in Louisville that has 100x odds. Right on the Ohio River. Yeah the Horseshoe in Vegas was fun. They would take just about any bet but you had to call ahead for some of them. Old Ernie was playing 10 grand on the pass line with $100,000 odds behind it.

Bennie Binions max limit rule was your FIRST bet determined your max. A gent walked in years ago with two suitcases...one empty & one with a million dollars. He was allowed to bet the Mill on don't pass & he won..walked out with two suitcases full.

[Grandpaul]

Imagine checking them in at the airport today. Binions was a great place. Stopped there every visit to Vegas.