Please ADD your own Las Vegas Trip Report. Date of Trip: February 25, 2008 to February 28, 2008 Hotel Stayed At: Paris Report by: Mark <marmirdc@yahoo.com> From: Nebraska

Sunday, Feb. 24: Started out my trip by heading to Council Bluffs, Iowa to stay at Harrah's. Arrived around 5pm and met my parents at Horseshoe for 30 minutes of play, which earned us all a free buffet( its their March promotion). We enjoyed a nice dinner and then they headed home while I stopped at Ameristar ( no winnings) and then back to Harrah's for the night. I played alot of VP but no big winnings, so I retired early(10pm) and set the wake up call for 8m to catch the 8:30am shuttle to the airport.

Monday, Feb. 25: Woke up at 7:00am..(figured I would be up early, but had the wake up call just in case!), walked down to the casino and tried my luck one last time..nothing!...so I hoped it was all going to happen in Vegas. Back up to the room , showered and headed out the door for the shuttle. He was prompt and off to the airport we go. This is very handy, as I get to leave my car in the Diamond parking area inside the garage, so I feel it is fairly safe and secure). Arrive at the airport by 8:45am and since I am not checking luggage, I head directly to the gate. My cousin Rick is there and waiting for our 9:50am flight. All goes well with the flight and we even enjoy a couple of drinks on the way out. We arrive in Vegas at approx 11am and head for the shuttle area. This trip we are staying at the Paris and they have graciously sent a limo for us. The ride to the hotel was uneventful and our driver was very gracious and very informative. Checked in at the Diamond area and headed up to our room ,3029, with a view of the new City Center and Cosmopolitan construction.( I have a brother-in-law working as an electrician on the Cosmopolitan). Room was nothing fancy, but very nice and clean and the view wasn't too bad.
We then proceded to head over to PH for something to eat...We were looking for a specific resturant but couldn't exactly remember the name, which means we couldn't find it, so we ended up having a nosh at Sabarros.
We then headed over to Caeasars to do something I have wanted to do for a long time. I was going to play a $1 poker machine 10 play..so $50 a hand...I had saved up some of my winnings for the past year to do this, so I was determined to have some fun...I found the machine I wanted to play and promptly inserted my $500 to begin. This was a big deal for me, as I don't usually bet this kind of money...so I was glad Rick was there as my support group( he just sat and watched and probably figured what an idiot!!!!!)..anyhow...I had two goals..one..I hoped to be able to play at least three times on my first $100 dollars( that didn't happen!)..and second..if I won, I wouldn't cash out unless I was up over $1000.....so as I played, I see the credits going lower and lower..and figured the end was in sight..when I was dealt three aces...now thats exciting!!!..so I held my breath and hoped that at least one of those 10 hands would produce a 4OK....and lo and behold...there it was....4 aces...(thank you!!!!)....for a win of $965...not enough to cash out if I was keeping true to my word..so I kept playing..(dumb, uh???) anyhow....not too many hands after that...I was dealt 3 jacks..and yep...this time I got three 4OK's. for a total win of $845....YIPEEEEEEE....I could cash out!!!.. I was over the $1000 win...but like a good gambler, I kept playing..until I reached that even $1000 ( no big wins after that!)...and then cashed out...
So my morning and early afternoon were off to a great start. Rick played some triple play next to me and had some luck with several 4ok's and so he was doing well also.
We then had to leave and head over to Sam's Town to check in rooms for my Aunt and Uncle who were joining us on Tuesday. We arrived there via shuttle from Harrah's and checked in and then went to play my favorite video Keno machines on the second level. There are three machines there that usually treat me very well, so I sat down at my "usual' machine and played my five numbes with max bet...and Rick sat down at the poker machines and played DDB...when he called out that he had hit 4 jacks and was doing well and I looked at my machine and realized that I hit 5 of 5 for $810....the attendant was right there and payed me promptly and then asked if was aware of the promotion of any jackpot over $800 was eligible for a free Sam's Town jacket...I was not, so I received a certificate for a jacket of my choice at the players club( plus I had to go and update my card, as they have changed their cards to Club Coast)..so after my win, I did that and got my nice jacket and off we went on the shuttle back to Harrah's and then back to the Paris to get ready for our show that evening. We took the monorail down to the MGM and then walked(ran,as we were running late) to the Excalibur to catch the tram over to Mandalay Bay for the 7:30 show of Mamma Mia. What a great show....third time I have seen it and still love it!!!!..we had great seats, front row..right in front of the orchestra and it was a treat to watch those guys perform as well as the cast on stage.
After the show, we played for a bit at Mandalay Bay..I had some luck on quarter DDB..(4 aces again!) and Rick played some slot machines and VP but no great success. We then headed back to the Paris, as we were getting tired and decided to play there until we went up to the room. I found some video Keno machines(terrible payouts!)..and played those for a while, when Rick said he was headed up to the room...ok..I figured I would be up shortly also...but kept playing...I was winning just enough to keep me going...and the cocktail waitress was being very very good to me ...I finally decided I should head up and when I went to stand up...whoa!!!!...I didnt' realized how good she had been....so after I gained my balance..I headed upstairs(glad I remember my room number!)...and looked at the clock and it said 3:15am...yikes!...where did the time go???that was 5:15 my time...sigh..guess that what Vegas is all about!..

Tuesday, Feb. 26: anyhow..got a good nights rest(up at 7:15) and raring to go again!..Rick went out for his daily run, while I showered, and got ready for the day and then headed down to the casino to get my morning coffee and play some keno and poker. Once Rick had showered and dressed, we headed off down the strip to Slots- of -Fun...Rick collects coins and this place is one of the few places that still pays in coins, so we played some 50 cent machines and I was lucky enough to hit $100 on a double diamond, so I cashed out and let him look through my half-dollars while I went back and played some video keno..no big luck there. While we were there, my aunt and uncle called and said they were at the Paris...my cousin Kelly, their daughter, was with them. They had just spent two nights in Laughlin and now were meeting us in Vegas. So we headed back to the Paris(what a walk!) and met them by the lobby, waited for Kelly to check in at Bally's and then all headed downtown to check out Freemont street. We stopped at the Fremont, where I decided to play some video Keno by the Keno lounge, and thanks to the wonderful machine, I hit another 5 of 5 for $810. This machine actually payed out the first 1000 coins(yuk) and then they hand paid me the rest. It was a nice win and really made my day. I headed over to the Fitz after that to play those VP machines by the lobby and had good luck ..hitting several 4oks and putting me up for the day. It was time to leave downtown and head out to Sam's Town( they had a car, which was nice!). I gave them the grand tour and then we played for a bit , no big wins, and then headed to Billy Bob's for a 6pm dinner. I also invited my brother-in-law to join us so it was a nice table of 6 for dinner. As usual, I had a great prime rib and I think most of the others enjoyed their dinners also. Since I had some luck, I treated the group to dinner and drinks and we all had a nice time. We then went back and gambled a bit with no big luck. My brother-in-law had to leave early as he has to be at work by 6am, so we said good night and Rick, Kelly and I decided to play some tables. We started out at the 3-card poker..no luck for Kelly and I, but Rick was doing well, so we watched him play for a bit..and then we decided to do a community $5 each play on Let it Ride...and guess what..we won!...so we played again..and Kelly said..come on''' three of a kind or flush"..well. since Rick was the lucky one, he was at the table, and was dealt three 6's...for a nice win of 30-1 odds( we didn't have the bonus bet..duh!)..oh well...so we left the table and headed to the roulette table where we placed $3 each on our birthdates and Kelly's number came in(3)...so that was another $105 dollars for the group...then we headed over to the craps table and put $( I can't remember how much) on hard way 6....and guess what!!!..it came in!!!!..we won again~!!!...We won on every table game we played with our starting bet of $5 each..and ended up with $100 each for all those wins( I got my money back from my orginal bet at 3-card poker!)..so that was an amazing stroke of luck and fun!...
We then headed back to the Paris, courtsey of my aunt and uncles car, and I promptly headed off to bed, as I was tired and wanted to be rested up for my last full day in Vegas.

Wednesday, Feb. 27: Slept in some this morning..up at 7, but got to bed early, so was ready to hit the pavement. I had a mini-meet scheduled for 11am in the lounge near the Paris Lobby...so we gambled a bit at Paris and then headed over to the lounge for the meet. about 11:05 Kandi and her husband from Florida showed up and then Dave(rider1) from Kentucky showed up...so we had a nice conversation and it was great to put faces with names. We talked until about 12:30 when I had to go and meet my aunt and uncle for lunch and a trip to the Hilton. I hated to leave, as I had set up this meet and was having a good time, sorry all!. so, then we headed out to the Hilton, as Kelly and Rick wanted to bet some golf....so I played the VP machines by the sports book..had some decent luck and it kept me playing until we headed back to the strip. One minor incident, as I played at the Hilton, some guy sat down next to me( mind you..there are many open machines..but he chose the one right next to me!!) and lit up his cigarette and of course the smoke just waifed directly into my face. Now I don't care if people smoke, I just hope they can be courteous about it( I was when I used to smoke)..but he didn't care..and I was not very tactful about it..I blew it back at him..waved my hand to make it go away and he just sat there and let it drift, completely ignoring me. He finally left after about 30 minutes of this!! but it left a bad taste in my mouth, literally!.
Anyhow..we headed back to the strip..and went to NYNY..things are sure chaniging in there..they took out my favorite Game maker machines and so I was forced to play some other things..with no luck..it just sucked my money away...so we left and headed over to the MGM. where I like to play at the bar by the tables area. I was having some good luck when all of sudden I didn't feel so good, so I headed to the bathroom and figured things didn't look too well, so I called Rick and said I need to head back to the Paris and hit the bed...they were gracious enough to take me back and make sure I was ok( I figured out that I had not eaten but a slice of pizza that day and my stomach was calling for more!)..I was ok but tired and feeling a bit queasy, so I hit the bed and called it a night..I felt bad as I never got to tip the bartender before I left..

Thursday, Feb. 28: Our last day here..I woke up at 6am and was starved!..Rick was already up. so I said why don't we head down to the buffet and have a grand breakfast before we leave. So we did just that and had a wonderful breakfast. We then packed up and sadly had to check out and head for the airport, as our plane left at 12:50pm, so we played a bit over at Bally's and then Kelly took us to the airport. Thanks to the Diamond area, they printed our boarding passes, so we just proceded directly upstairs to security. I could not beleive the lines. I have not seen it like this for a long time, but things went fairly quickly and then we were shown to lane 1 where we got the air puff treatment. Has anyone else had that done??? that was interesting but we still had to go thru the metal detector and take our shoes off.
The flight home was uneventful and we landed in Omaha about 6pm...where the Harrah's shuttle picked us up and delivered us back to Harrah's. They have a Thursday swipe your card promotion where you can win up to $1,000,000. So we went and swiped our cards. Rick won $10 cash and I received 500 RC points..so that was ok..and then headed to the car and I took Rick home where his gracious wife had a nice dinner waiting for us(thanks, Ruth!) and then I had my hour and half drive back home.

Overall it was a great trip..I came home with much of my bankroll and put it away for our next trip(maybe July, when the kids are at camp). I didn't hit my first royal flush...and believe me, I tried...but figured there would be other times. The weather was great, very little wind(Rick is a meteorologist for the National Weather Service) and it was exactly as he said it was going to be!!(Good job, Rick!)
We had good service, great luck and with the exception of the smoker at the Hilton, all in all was a great trip. It was great to meet some of the other members of the newsletter and I hope maybe another mini-meet in late July can be arranged.

I know I said short, but once I got going, all the details came back to me, so it turned out longer that I had anticpated. Hope you enjoyed !!!

marmirdc

PS. Side note: The Saturday after I got back, the wife and I headed to Omaha to pick out a b-day presnt for our daughter. We ended up at Harrah's and ordered an I-pod from their gift catalog( thank goodness for RC points!) and then played some video poker..I did quite well on the quarter machines..I was dealt four 3's with an ace and then later hit four 2's...for a nice win..I then moved to another machine(10/6 payout) and was dealt the ace, queen and 10 of clubs and then it finally happened!!!..the king and jack filled in!!!...my first ever Royal Flush!!!!!!! YIPEEEEEEEE!!!!!..so I have broken the streak...I even took a pic on my cell phone for posterity's sake. so it was a good day all in all..and another $1000 towards Vegas in July!!!!
Mark <marmirdc@yahoo.com> - Nebraska    4207

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