First time to Vegas with actual bankroll!

[Ice9Tre]

 
Hello All,
 
First of all -- I would like to make a reintroduction. My name is Trey ... Ice9Tre on here. There's no real reason you should remember me ... but I made a couple of posts to these forums in 2008. I let my gold membership lapse for a while and laid low with video poker.
 
My life changed a bit in 2009 -- I had some good fortune in a very public way ... I won money on a game show. So ... I've started playing more VP because I've had the money to do so.
 
After having been a small potatoes gambler for ... well ... *forever* ... I finally started playing more ... quarter triple play, quarter five play, quarter super times, dollar single line, you know ... basically I joined the land of the living.
 
Last September -- I *at last* broke through and hit my first AWAK for $500 on DDB quarters. You cannot believe how freaking excited I was ... because I sure had played my share of (low-roller) poker over the years and had *never* hit anything over $312.50 on anything. So ... it was like OMG ... finally. That same night, I got four 9's on DDB Super Times Pay with an 8x multiplier for another $500. So ... I waited my whole life for a $500 hit and I get two of them within 2 hours of each other. What a cathartic night!!
 
But ... I'd still never had a hand pay, never had a 'call attendant', never had the light flashing on my machine for other people to stare at ... until 2 weeks ago when I had one of those shocking moments by holding two Aces and drawing two more on quarter DDB Super Times Pay ... with a 5x multiplier ... for $1,000. Hallelujah!!! At the same moment -- a guy hit a quarter progressive royal at a bank of machines behind me ... so our little area of the casino was a bit of mayhem as we were both getting paid at the same time with multiple attendants and one woman in a cow get-up as the resident "Cash Cow" ... ringing her cow bell and so forth (This was at Harrah's Ak-Chin outside of Phoenix, btw). I won $1,400 for the day to boot!
 
And just yesterday ... back to the casino ... hit AWAK on DDB quarters again for $500 plus I also got dealt four 4's on DDB and picked up two kickers for another net hit of $500. I left a near $700 winner ... which is good because ...
 
two days before that I lost my job!
 
And a brief note about the job -- no biggie. The company was shutting its doors anyway and I was going to have to start looking for work sooner or later. So ... it's just sooner but I'm fine for a while.
 
So ... I had been itching to go to Las Vegas ... to kind of get into a mode I call 'Calculated Crazy' ... to take a bigger bankroll than I ever have before (maybe $5,000?) and play some *real* video poker. Not that the local casinos haven't been good to me as of late ... but I want to get into the thick of Vegas VP and maybe even take some nice clothes and have a more swank, luxurious time than I ever have before (or rather -- like I've *never done* before) ... just have a more "Vegas-y" Vegas experience.
 
So ... this is where you awesome people come in ... since many of you play with bigger bankrolls and hit big things all the time and rack up real comps and have been doing so for years and years ... would love to get your specific take on things. Such as:
 
* How much of a bankroll do you usually have for Vegas and how much do you allocate a day? Is $5,000 enough to 'do it right' or should I bring more?
 
* Where do you like to focus your comp time? Where else do you play for variety?
 
* What do you play? What denominations?
 
* When you decide to play some games that aren't Full Pay -- what do you like to play (i.e. what are your non-FP guilty pleasures? )
 
* What sort of interesting comps have you reaped from extensive play and where did you earn them?
 
* Since my schedule is wide open right now ... should I go midweek ... not only for the cheaper hotel rates but ... are machines juicier mid-week? (or is that just another one for the myth pile)?
 
* What other general notes of strategy, advice and/or warning would you have for me doing this for the very first time?
 
So ... just to add a little preliminary info. on me ... I really like Red Rock Casino for the games, paytables and aesthetic. I always thought it would be cool to stay there and play enough to get my room and food comped (and hopefully win too!) but I also like Strip Vegas for convenience, buzz and excitement. As for quirky VP -- I love Main Street Station for their quad scratchers. So ... I like a variety of things but I *definitely* look forward to your input, feedback and stories to help me have a Calculated game plan to go Crazy.
 
Thanks a bunch -- and glad to be back in the forums!
 
Cheers!
 
-Trey
 

[Eduardo]

Welcome back IceTray!
 
Lots of questions there so I will just take a couple. I love red rock and gvr, playing at either should get you comps at the other. To top it off, they have great game selections and pay tables. Can't go wrong there if you want to play some serous bankroll I think, and earn comps while you are at it. Of course, their optimum pay games don't earn comps as quickly, but they have decent pays on many other machines too, compared to the stip.
 
If I had to choose one place to play, whether to earn comps or simply enjoy myself, it would be one of those two places.
 
My "guilty pleasure" game would have to be Super Times Pay. It is never full pay but it gives you occasional chances at some big winners. Or, just normal triple play five or ten play can be great as well if the pay table is decent. It's a good way to get more play in in a short time.
 
Sounds like a very exciting trip coming up no matter what you decide! Good luck!
 
I will let other people handle some of the other questions.

[farmer1]

IF YOU DECIDE TO STAY ON THE STRIP IT IS ABOUT A $50.00 CAB RIDE TO RR. I BELIEVE THEY HAVE A SHUTTLE BUT DO NOT HAVE ANY INFO ON IT. BALLYS AND FLAMINGO HAVE 9/6 TRIPLE DBL AND 9/6 DDBLE. THE PALMS I BELIEVE HAS THE BEST VARIETY OF VP ANYWHERE IT IS ABOUT A 15 MINUTE WALK FROM CAESERS OR 10.00 CAB RIDE. ALTHOUGH $5,000. SOUNDS LIKE ALOT TO SOME, IF YOU ARE PLAYING 5 OR 10 Hand .25 FOR ANY AMOUNT OF TIME AND DO NOT HIT IT CAN GO QUICKLY.HAVE A GREAT TIME AND SOAK IT ALL IN.GOOD LUCK. FARMER

[ginxxxx]

Trey, Welcome back - good luck in LV.Have you given any thought to working for the cencus? - You have a lot of good questions.Please don't take cab rides between casinos.  They all have shuttles, or, better yet, rent a car while you are there.  If you use one like Enterprise, they can deliver the car to your hotel, so you don't have to be bothered with it at the airport.P.S. - Eduardo, good read on the name "icetray".  Does anyone know how to spell cencus?

[EDC1977]

                           Virginia; census

[frogface]

Congrats Trey, hope your good luck continues.  Over the years, we have been impressed with the comps at Sams Town, and have had decent luck there.  Last trip we even tried $5 video poker (gulp) and each walked away up $300-$500.  I think the trick is to walk away while you're still up!  Since our last trip we've had monthly offers to return to Sams with free rooms, "gold card" for free food at any of their restaurants, and $140 in free play each offer.  That's with a gambling budget much less than $5000/day.  Seems to us the best luck and best comps are at the off strip casinos (like Red Rock and Sams).   Let us know how you do.  GOOD LUCK!!

[coldwater]

          
        My Mom and brother live in vegas and they both say never gamble on the strip, you do alot better off the strip.  They say that the machines are alot tighter on the strip because they figure if you are staying on the strip they have you!  I've had luck at the Rio and Sams Town and Gold Coast.  The M is ok too.
 

[Lucky Larry]

Ice9Trey,
I concur with Eduardo go to Red Rock, Green Valley or one of the Station Casinos for the best games. If you are on the Strip take the Red Rock shuttle from the Fashion Mall-save the taxi fee.

Good Luck,

LL