Pechanga Casino - Paradise for 9/6 Jacks Or Better

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Vman96
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Re: Pechanga Casino - Paradise for 9/6 Jacks Or Better

Post by Vman96 »

Nice run! And I'm a bit surprised that the STP progressive got hit. That's probably quite disappointing to the casino brass for the future as much as the present.

Seeing the AAAA2 is a little rough, but at least it was Bonus Deuces! I played some Double STP deuces today and also got 5 Aces. At first I was worried I hit AAAA2...but only Aces full of deuces. Even though it should be random, etc., etc. I still feel better with the Aces full.

alpax
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Post by alpax »

Nice run! And I'm a bit surprised that the STP progressive got hit. That's probably quite disappointing to the casino brass for the future as much as the present.

Seeing the AAAA2 is a little rough, but at least it was Bonus Deuces! I played some Double STP deuces today and also got 5 Aces. At first I was worried I hit AAAA2...but only Aces full of deuces. Even though it should be random, etc., etc. I still feel better with the Aces full.

Thanks!

I would believe the triple hands makes it slightly more possible of hitting the jackpot than if it was just single hand. Not that I will be playing anytime soon but if I get a 10x trigger, I am going to hold suited high cards over anything, including suited King 10 over an Ace. I will keep on eye on how this does on each visit. The casino that triggered the jackpot can promote even more to show it is possible to win.

Good for hear that you were also able to get 5 Aces as well. I had a good share of DDB moments thus far, just that the people that play around the bank love the sound of the credit meter going up for more than 3 seconds (a quad being hit) and will take notice right away.

I think I would not have gotten flack if two deuces or a deuce/ace came out instead. Out of all the Game King machines, Keno is clearly the most played over DDB/TDB which then has a big gap over Bonus Poker/Double Bonus. Few people play Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better. To play DDB, it requires higher coin in per club tier point like Deuces Wild, I try to avoid it for that reason.

alpax
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Post by alpax »

Second October Trip Report

Only been a week since the last visit but I took another trip back to the casino. There was another rare promotional offer for Gold and above tier members happening
on a weekend which is convenient for most players. The players were notified/invited in private. Since it has become harder to reach Gold tier since the new
machines require $5 coin in per tier point (50,000 points are needed), I felt I had to take advantage of the time left (rest of this year).



An raffle happening later on in the night for a pool of $25,000 EasyPlay (a.k.a. Pechanga Casino's terminology for Free Slot Play credits) plus above
random guaranteed amount is given to the player for swiping the kiosk. Best part of the raffle is, winner does not need to be present, winners have more EasyPlay loaded onto their player club account on top of the randomly assigned amount (expires in 30 days). I ended up swiping the kiosk, and the mystery prize was
$40 in EasyPlay. I will find out on the next visit if I won one of the prizes on the raffle.

Another big thing happening was the re-grand opening of the casino pub Kelsey's, which has completed its remodelling a few days ago. It was originally the casino's
sports bar, but now they have transitioned it into a pub. It was under construction for the past 6 months but it looks nice, I wish I took more and better pictures.
Perhaps the next time as well. I will be posting up food pictures for the first time. Wish I took better pictures.



The casino offers on its monthly mailers, two food vouchers, one that is for the first 15 days and the other for the rest of the month. Since the day (the 17th) fell on a new
period, it was another good reason to make a visit so soon.

I saw something peculiar that day as these guys did not make the MLB postseason.



Super Times Pay Mega Progressive Update

I noticed one of the two banks has gone missing. I am not sure if it has moved to another location on the large gaming space or if it has been removed due to lack of play. I will probably scour the floor for the next visit. As for the jackpot, and it has reached to $56,000. The jackpot has grown $3500 in a week, so the
interest is picking up on the game between in the interstate link. I saw 3 seats taken up out of 6 on the bank remaining.

Food - Pechanga Cafe (from the first October visit)

Pechanga Casino operates 11 restaurants of different varieties, and there is no national chain present (e.g. no Starbucks or Subway like there is on Vegas casinos).

There will be 2 more restaurants when the expansion project completes in late 2016, there were surveys on the type of restaurant the players wanted.

Only the cafe operates 24 hours a day. They have pretty good all day breakfast specials which I normally enjoy, but I felt like having the New York Steak for the day.

The damage:
12 oz New York Steak with veggies and choice of potato (baked potato was not available until after 4pm) - $27.95 <most expensive item>
Side Salad - $2.95 add on with entree.
Iced Tea - $2.50





The meal voucher was not good enough to cover the expense, I had to use the resort comp balance to pay off the rest. Only the 20% gratuity came out of my pocket.

Food - Kelsey's

The ambiance and the setting of the new restaurant look fantastic, the lighting is unique. In the middle of it all is the fancy looking bar (seats 16) as it is now more of a pub. There are 48 beer selections on tap (probably not enough for Vman), compared to the dozen before.





Thought about trying a beer, and the bartender mentioned a special of trying samples of four 6.5 ounce pours for $9. I opted for the specialty drink and eventually regretted it. I will have to try the beer next time.





The damage:
14 oz Ribeye Steak with Mushroom demi glaze with a choice of side (garden salad) - $34
Blue Velet - $9 - delicious combination of fresh mint, blueberries, and lemon juice combined with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, St. Germaine and Blue Curacao makes this a refreshing cocktail

Unfortunately the cocktail had to be paid seperately since it is against state law to comp it.

Again more comp balance spent, but the meal was good. The new restaurant menu introduced more BBQ items, I will eventually try them on subsequent visits. The manager spotted me taking the picture, and she told me to make sure to send that picture to everyone I know...

The last time around turned out good for Deuces Wild so I wanted to see if the luck can continue.

Bonus Deuces Wild Action

It was not a good start, the first set of $200 I put in ruined in a few minutes. The game eats through the bankroll quickly since the straight pays even money. I did not get a Wild Royal,
but getting some straight flushes at double down bets kept me in the game until the boosted 5 of a kinds started to come out to save the day. I got to play much longer as these hits
recovered the bankroll.









I took two of my $5 potshots (if 12 consecutive hands do not have a deuce dealt). The first one still did not deal a deuce and I whiffed on that. The second one
was a natural 3 of a kind, and I took one more right after instead of settling and got somewhat fortunate. I played a little more before cashing out.





A shot "Not So Cheap Strategy" 20x Multiplier Edition

After getting more than 5 of a kinds (1 in about over 300 hands on average), I diverted the play to regular Deuces Wild since I felt I would not need the boosted 5 of a kind payouts.
With all the butting heads between FP and Mr. Dancer happening recently in my mind, I felt some urge to play the Cheap System. I modified the stakes so that I do not give up an additional the Royal Flush bonus payout.
In the end it is not so cheap, but I need higher wagers to earn more tier points in hopes to retain membership.

Single Coin Quarter (25 cents) -> Max Coin Dollar (500 cents)
Max Coin Quarter (125 cents) -> Max Coin Five Dollar (2000 cents)
Single Coin Dollar (100 cents) -> Max Coin Five Dollar (2000 cents)
*** Max Coin Dollar (500 cents) -> Max Coin Twenty Five Dollar (12500 cents) - Did not end up attempting during the process.

Start ($20) -> Start ($400)
Upper Denomination ($25) -> ($500)
End ($50) -> End ($1000)

I've tried this 4 times in the past, first time was successful (earlier in this thread) while the other 3 was ruined.

I was finally getting some Wild Royals to keep me in the game. Getting 4 of a kinds and flushes on max bets helped as well while playing this system.





I played about more than 300-400 before it just came to a sudden end. I recall getting deal 2 3's and a deuce, threw away the two cards to get
another 3 to get a 4 credit win for a max bet.

On the max bet, I did not expect the 5 of a kind that will boost up to the upper denomination.



The system calls you to keep betting max coins until you lose, but on the very next hand, another one appeared.



It reached the cashout point so I stopped.



One attempt at $25 Video Poker

While playing through the cheap strategy, I never got the chance to do the higher denomination max bet before reaching the cash out circumstance. I thought it be worth a single shot at it, was going to play just one hand regardless of outcome. One of these plays cost an astounding $125, I never have bet that much at a table game (not even blackjack). I was up again so it was worth a try.

On the deal I get 2 deuces dealt to me with a straight on the board. The best play is to throw away the straight and hold onto the Deuces.



On the draw came out junk and my prize was downgraded to a 1 for 1 payout 3 of a kind, ugh. High hopes going to disappointment . I did not try another hand and cashed out. Best part, no damage done I guess.



Continuing Deuces Wild

For the rest of the play session, I just went on to play standard Deuces Wild. I saw more 5 of a kind than expected, thankfully have rescued me in near ruin situations. When I played my standard session, I double downed for six hands if I do not see a deuce dealt in 6 hands in hopes to balance out the expected amount.

More Wild Royals started to appear.



I did take 3 potshots when the deuceless streak reached a dozen. The third one was another success!





With all that I felt content to call it a day. It will be the 4th trip to come away a winner for the 4th trip (5 counting the Quad Deuces pot shot hit on the
Recreational Forum). A good reversal of fortune from the Spring where I lost 5 or 6 trip in a row, and two of them where I ruined my bankroll. I am not posting
this to sell the idea of doing potshots, though it has changed the course of the outcome of these trips, I whiffed on a bunch more than I have on the successful
ones recently. It is for fun, and the math does not consider it to be a benefit.

Though these trips are not much of a win since I am aware that the folks here that play DDB for $1 denomination can win more than I did with just one
4 Aces With Any 2,3,4 hit (they hit way more than one). I suppose I will be content with double down 4 of a kinds in Jacks or Better and some potshot attempts
being able to hit.

Galeygoo
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Post by Galeygoo »

Thank you for the enjoyable trip to Pechanga, Al, what a beautiful place.  Your pics are lovely and now I know I'll be having steak tomorrow, oops, later today. lol   Again, thanks for the report; much fun and congrats on your wins.


Tedlark
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Post by Tedlark »

Congrats on your luck alpax and great report too. I had to check back to see if it was written by you and not vman. Good luck to you in the raffle.

Vman96
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Post by Vman96 »


The ambiance and the setting of the new restaurant look fantastic, the lighting is unique. In the middle of it all is the fancy looking bar (seats 16) as it is now more of a pub. There are 48 beer selections on tap (probably not enough for Vman), compared to the dozen before.



I do like a lot of options, but quality over quantity, imo. And a vast majority of those choices are quality. Looks like a nice place!

And great hits!

But curious, did you not cash out your vouchers yet? Why did you mask the codes? And remember only 30 days to redeem if you haven't!

alpax
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Posts: 1913
Joined: Sat Jun 14, 2014 4:42 pm

Post by alpax »

Thank you for the enjoyable trip to Pechanga, Al, what a beautiful place.  Your pics are lovely and now I know I'll be having steak tomorrow, oops, later today. lol   Again, thanks for the report; much fun and congrats on your wins.



Thank you for reading the trip report as well Galeygoo and I am glad you enjoyed it. It is a big resort with not only a big gaming floor, but there is some more to it. There are theaters (Improv Comedy, MMA/Boxing arena, a general one for shows), a 18 hole golf course, hot air balloon excursions, wine/beer tasting trips through the brewery/winery, and field trips to an old fashioned downtown. I will probably try to get to these eventually (already tried them, would not mind doing it again). The bi-monthly food vouchers make it a good deal, and earning comps from play get you good meals. There is a higher end steak restaurant that only opens for dinner, it costs more than double for what I got. Hope you enjoy your meal later tonight.

   Congrats on your luck alpax and great report too. I had to check back to see if it was written by you and not vman. Good luck to you in the raffle.

Glad you enjoyed it. I need all the luck I can get after an awful losing Spring. Seeing how it takes somewhat of an effort to put up a report lasting a short trip, it just makes you appreciate those 7 day reports Vman puts up. I hope I at least get the smallest prize of $25 more free play, the casino gets super crowded on Saturday nights so I avoided the crowd in the morning. Probably lots of people will enter since its on the Saturday.

[QUOTE=alpax]
The ambiance and the setting of the new restaurant look fantastic, the lighting is unique. In the middle of it all is the fancy looking bar (seats 16) as it is now more of a pub. There are 48 beer selections on tap (probably not enough for Vman), compared to the dozen before.



I do like a lot of options, but quality over quantity, imo. And a vast majority of those choices are quality. Looks like a nice place!

And great hits!

But curious, did you not cash out your vouchers yet? Why did you mask the codes? And remember only 30 days to redeem if you haven't! [/QUOTE]

I regret I did not get to take good snapshots, but I will get better views of the place on the next trip. I will try one of the four pour sampler, even though it will not be comped. The prices are $6.25 for 16oz pour, $7.75 for 20oz pour, and $9 for the four 6.5oz sampler. I recall some of the beers you posted on the listing on tap.

I went by instincts that day, if I thought I was behind pace for 5 of a kind (1 in 300+), I played the bonus deuces wild. If I ahead of pace for 5 of a kind, I played the regular deuces wild. I will probably go back to Jacks or Better the next trip.

I already did redeem the cash out vouchers while at the casino. I took a snapshot of the vouchers, and went home. I used Paint.NET on Windows to edit each image to cover up the serial numbers. In the event someone sees it and reports it to security as stolen, I did this as something to prevent something like that.

OTABILL
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Post by OTABILL »

Congrats on another successful trip. Regardless of what strategy, the results are what counts. Keep it up.

heikkie
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Post by heikkie »

IMO
In Pechanga it is impossible to have higher than 100% return even you counting cashback.
Their point multiplier does not apply to VP so does not for many other promotion

It seems you have a expected return over 100%?
Mind explain it again? (Maybe I missed it but I dont see a clear profitable path)

Personally, I play poker there regularly but I never sit down because of not having edge.

Thank you

alpax
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Posts: 1913
Joined: Sat Jun 14, 2014 4:42 pm

Post by alpax »

Congrats on another successful trip. Regardless of what strategy, the results are what counts. Keep it up.


Thanks Bill (my bad for the late response). I went back earlier this month and the win streak has ended.

IMO
In Pechanga it is impossible to have higher than 100% return even you counting cashback.
Their point multiplier does not apply to VP so does not for many other promotion

It seems you have a expected return over 100%?
Mind explain it again? (Maybe I missed it but I dont see a clear profitable path)

Personally, I play poker there regularly but I never sit down because of not having edge.

Thank you

There is no cashback, you get resort comps as well as club dollars in which you would have to replay them on the machine or use them for more resort comps. Yes the point accrual rate for club dollars are VP is minuscule in general and is also much lower than the slots are. It is not eligible for point multipliers. Pechanga has plenty of high limit slot players who fund the casino like no other.

$5 coin in per tier credit. 1000 tier credits is $1. So it will be a 0.02% cashback for the Club Dollars in which has to be played on a machine.

Winning the occasional car/cash drawings and the slot tournaments might put you ahead, but there are a ton of people playing and it is hard to win.

I play for fun and I just get value from the food vouchers. They have vastly revamped their food offering since 2012, but not many people will get value from that either. If losing becomes too much, I can simply play at a lower denomination to keep the losing to a lower level.

If you are looking for good cashback on VP, then it will be worth the 4 hour drive for you to go to Vegas (though Pechanga advertises aggressively for people to not to make that time investment).

SouthPoint
M Resort
Boyd (at Emerald Tier)
Stations
Palms is not shabby at 0.25%

They all offer 0.30% cashback on VP, far more than Pechanga.

I am not sure if poker is referring to the live holdem poker, if so, people rave how nice of a place Pechanga is to play live poker. I do not think it is part of the WPT circuit. They have a few satellite tournaments to help send people to the WSOP Main Event which has a $10,000 entry fee. That is where 2007 WSOP Main Event winner Jerry Yang got his shot (after he failed to win the Lake Elsinore Casino satellite).

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