Day 1
Monday December 11, 2023

Transportation

• Rental Car from Home to Newark
• Booked with Avis
• Used a discount code through my job
• Booked a full sized for $45 base, $60 all in
• They gave me a Ford Edge with 22,000 miles on it
• Trip to Newark kind of sucked
• It was pouring rain and it was rush hour
• Traffic sucked
• The rental cars all moved to a consolidated area in the new terminal A parking garage
• Convenient if you're flying in/out of terminal A
• Not so much if you need to take the air train to the other terminals
• LONG walk from Garage A to the air train
• Flight from Newark to Las Vegas
• Booked with United
• Origianally had a 6am flight in first class for $1000
• Too high but it's part of my 7* trip with Caesars
• Rebooked to a flight 4 hours later a few days ago
• Saved almost $300
• Security sucked
• Even with CLEAR and pre check lines were slow and long
• You'd think frequent travelers would “get it”
• They don't
• Flight 1525 non stop from Newark to Las Vegas
• Flight was a little bumpy at times
• Scheduled to depart at 10:55am and arrive at 1:45pm
• Left 40 minutes late so crew could clean (poorly)
• Pre ordered the chicken thigh and gravy for my meal
• First class has lie flats on this plane so went to bed
• Woke up as we started our initial approach
• Arrived at 1:25pm, 20 minutes early even with the delay

Luggage

• Took my time getting to the baggage claim area
• Suitcase was on the belt when I arrived

Rental Car

• Originally had Avis booked
• Rebooked a few days ago and pre paid with Hertz
• Got a great rate with the AMEX discount and prepay
• Reserved a small SUV for $298 base, $510 all in
• I'm President's Circle with Hertz so got to pick any car
• Just missed out on getting a Cadillac SUV
• Opted for a Hyundai Santa Fe
• Has 25,000 miles on it but seemed to be in good shape

Hotel

• Main hotel today is Palazzo
• Booked with an offer of 4 nights and $175 free play
• Check in went quickly, no lines
• Was assigned room 45-806
• King room but oddly doesn't have the sunken living room
• Double Booked with Harrah's
• Was originally supposed to be Caesars next week
• Had to change it due to the shortened trip
• This is my 7* Trip so I will get $1200 airfare + $500 folio
• Checked in at the diamond 7* area
• No issues and was given room 29013 in the Valley Tower
• Wouldn't have had an issue staying in this room
• Palazzo is just way nicer and it's not that far of a walk

Dining

• Had breakfast in the United Club at Newark Airport
• Used a one time pass to enter
• Small buffet with standard breakfast items
• Lunch was on the flight
• Chicken thigh with country gravy
• Green Beans
• Potato Pancakes
• Small Side Salad
• Dinner Roll
• Coffee Cake Dessert
• Dinner was over at The Linq at Guy Fieri's Vegas
• Got the Motely Que Sandwich
• BBQ pork, slaw, onion straws and cheese, with fries
• Draft Peroni
• Food is good but pricey
• Sandwich is $26, beer $15
• Used $10 7* food voucher and 1 free drink voucher
• Room charged balance to start using the folio
• Grabbed some water and a juice at Harrah's Starbucks
• Used my other 3 free drink vouchers to cover the $19 tab

Gaming

• Didn't do much play today
• Hit some slots along the way while I was walking around
• Cashed out a few wins and took one loss
• Profited $139

Other

• Wrapped up early tonight at 9pm
• Has been a very long day even with the nap on the flight
• Watched TV in the room until I fell asleep
• Maybe 10 minutes!

Total Win/Loss For The Day = +$139
Total Comps For The Day = $221

Day 2
Tuesday December 12, 2023

Gaming

• Was up at 3am wide awake so hit the casino at 4am
• Started at Palazzo with some slots
• Did well and got quite a bit of play but lost a little
• CET is doing 5x tier this week so a good opportunity to get 7* again (wasn't planning on it this year)
• Went to Horseshoe and played short pay video poker
• Got a lot of play but then it turned bad
• Played some slots with some decent results
• Before dinner went to Caesars and played a bit
• Had a few slot hits but nothing major
• Wrapped up with a little play at Harrah's to hit the 5000 point level to maximize the bonus and max the tier promo

Dining

• Had a quick lunch at Bobby's Burgers over at Paris
• Got the bacon crunch burger (bacon, cheese, chips)
• Dinner was at Caesars Palace at Gordon Ramsay Pub
• Also joining me were Anne, Steve, Jason and Evelyn
• This was originally Evelyn's birthday dinner on the 28th
• I got the Maple Bacon appetizer
• For my Entree I got the Braised short ribs
• The waiter threw in a couple of Sticky Toffee Puddings for our birthdays
• Food here is good but like everything else WAY overpriced
• We're talking $20 salads, $25 cocktails & $6 sodas
• I used my 2 remaining celebration dinners, daily 7* benefits and charged the balance to the room to use some of the $500 folio

Other

• Went to bed fairly early since I was up at 3am

Total Win/Loss For The Day = - $831
Total Comps For The Day = $534

Day 3
Wednesday December 13, 2023

Gaming

• Went to Sam's Town to top off my tier so I can keep Sapphire for next year
• Played 10 play
• Up and down session and booked a loss of a few hundred
• Played a few slots and won a few bucks but nothing big
• Collected my $1200 airfare reimbursement at Flamingo
• Ran it through short pay $1 video poker
• Turned it into $1000
• Played my free play at Palazzo
• Turned the $175 into almost nothing
• Could have (and should have) quit but I was having fun
• Got a lot of play but not a single bonus round

Dining

• Grabbed a quick lunch at Jack in the Box
• Got 2 Tacos and a Sourdough Grilled Cheese
• Paid with the gift card Yahtzee Mike gave me
• Thanks for lunch Mike
• Had dinner reservations at Bugsy & Meyers at the Flamingo
• Had the 19th Century Onion Soup, a Rib Cap & Potatoes Gratin
• Food was good but crazy expensive ($140)
• Charged back to the room to use some of the $500 folio
• Stopped by the Fulton Street Food Court to use my daily drink tickets
• Grabbed 3 bottles of water and an iced tea
• Shameful that these retailed for $27

Other

• Wrapped up the night early again in the room with some TV

Total Win/Loss For The Day = - $318
Total Comps For The Day = $1786

Day 4
Thursday December 14, 2023

Gaming

• Went downtown to the Four Queens
• Had an offer with $80 Free Play
• They're also running a promo that gives another $30 free play and $30 in comps for 500 points
• Played $1 deuces with little luck
• Down a few hundred and still not through the 500 points
• Switched to 9/6 jacks for halves
• Hit a straight flush and got dealt a quad
• Ran the $110 Free Play through 9/6 jacks for halves
• Turned the free play into $200 cash
• Casino hopped downtown and played some slots
• A few minor wins but nothing noteworthy
• Back at the Venetian in the evening and played some craps
• Choppy session that started turning bad
• I was getting ready to quit when we finally got a shooter
• He hit the All-Tall-Small and rolled for about 30 minutes
• Got everything back I was down and some profit
• Cashed out with a small win

Dining

• Had lunch at Magnolia's Veranda at the Four Queens
• Bowl of Gumbo and a raspberry salad
• Had dinner at Giada over at the Cromwell
• Had the petite filet and a side of Macaroni & Cheese
• The steak was cooked perfectly
• I had to send back the mac & cheese
• It was still ice cold in the center
• A new one came out and was so hot I couldn't eat it
• I got 2 scoops of sorbet for dessert
• Blackberry Peach and Strawberry Lemon
• When the bill came the waiter took off the mac & cheese

Other

• Got back to the room early and got packed up for the move

Total Win/Loss For The Day = + $216
Total Comps For The Day = $923

Day 5
Friday December 15, 2023

Hotels

• Had to check out of Harrah's and Venetian
• Found out I somehow still had almost $70 in folio left at Harrah's
• Went Shopping at the gift shop
• Got two t-shirts (yes, 2)
• Checked out with a $4 balance and used reward credits
• Got back to Venetian and checked out of there with no issues
• Checked in at Green Valley Ranch
• No one in line and I was in 8236 in minutes
• King room with all of the usual furnishings

Dining

• Grabbed a breakfast sandwich at Bobby's Burgers at Harrah's
• Stopped at Starbucks to use today's drink vouchers $10 credit
• 2 waters, 2 juices and 3 kind bars for $34
• For dinner I went to the Lucky Penny at Green Valley Ranch
• Got the turkey dinner
• Great meal but the mashed potatoes were really salty

Gaming

• Played 5 play video poker
• No luck, few quads, dropped $500 on 10k
• Hit a few slots and won a few dollars but no bonuses
• Hit the craps table
• Choppy game until one shooter rolled for 20 minutes
• Got out with a decent win but not as good as I'd hoped

Total Win/Loss For The Day = + $141
Total Comps For The Day = $380

Day 6
Saturday December 16, 2023

• Today will be slow
• Went out with Anne and Evelyn
• Anne delivers Uber Eat so we hung out and drove around

Dining

• Had lunch at Juan's Flaming Fajitas in Henderson
• Never came to this location before
• Had Queso Fundido and a 2 taco combination
• Shredded beef tacos, refried beans and rice
• Dinner was at Jollibee, a Filipino fast food burgers and chicken place
• Got yum burgers, chicken sandwiches, adobo rice & pie

Day 7
Sunday December 17, 2023
Dining

• Went to Peg's Diner with Evelyn and Anne
• Ordered the Country Fried Steak
• Two large Steaks, 2 eggs, hash browns and toast
• Food was excellent
• Service was not good
• For dinner went to Pizza Rock here at GVR with Jimbo & Katy
• Split a meatball appetizer with Jimbo
• Got a Pepperoni Pizza
• Pizza is excellent here

Gaming

• Played everything from single line, triple play & 5 play
• Could not hit a thing
• Few dealt winners
• Few quads
• Little play for the money I was losing
• Hit aces and the money was gone in minutes
• Just one of those days
• Ran my $100 free play through triple play quarters
• Turned the $100 into $80
• Played a few slots with no major wins or losses

Other

• Came back to the room early to start packing
• Went to bed early because I was exhausted from getting killed

Total Win/Loss For The Day = - $1270
Total Comps For The Day = $259

Day 8
Monday December 18, 2023
Hotel

• Checked out of Green Valley Ranch
• Moved to Encore
• Booked offer of 3 nights and $500 Resort Credit
• Also get $150 Birthday Dinner and $100 Spa Credit
• Checked right in with no issues
• Room 6229, Encore King
• This room is WAY up there

Dining

• Had lunch with Jimbo & Katy at Lucky Penny at GVR before I left
• Got the Chicken Club Sandwich
• Used remaining resort credit to cover most of the bill
• For dinner I went to Allegro at Wynn
• Always a good meal here
• Tonight I got beef carpaccio and pepperoni pizza
• No complaints at all
• Bill was $55 and charged to the room to use some of the resort credit

Gaming

• After I left Green Valley Ranch I took a ride to the brand new Durango Station
• Really nice place
• To me it looks like a cross between Red Rock & M but 10x brighter
• Played craps for about an hour
• Won almost $300
• Would have been better if I didn't go one and done 2x
• Played craps at Wynn before dinner
• Table started out terrible
• Almost every shooter went out on their first roll
• We finally got a great shooter
• Won everything back and a very small profit
• Had to quit and go to dinner
• Hit the craps tables again after dinner
• Was choppy at first but most shooters were hitting numbers
• Things turned around and got pretty good
• Some high end don't player decided to join the game
• He was getting killed and pressed his bets to $1000 and full lay on the line & $1000 don't come
• I rolled for 15 minutes
• Took him for about $25,000
• Table continued to be good with him gone
• I had a nice profit in front of me but rolls were getting shorter so I colored up
• Won about $1500 for the session

Total Win/Loss For The Day = + $1850
Total Comps For The Day = $319

Day 9
Tuesday December 19, 2023
Other

• Started the day at the Spa
• Booked an 80 minute massage
• This will use the $100 birthday credit and some of the resort credit
• Just a chill morning
• Massage was good and she beat me up pretty good

• Played craps again
• Terrible dice, could hit a point or much of anything else
• Played another session after dinner and got slaughtered again
• Haven't seen dice this bad in a while
• Lost everything I won yesterday and then some
• Hit a few slots
• Won around $100 thanks to some bonus rounds

Dining

• Dining was a mess tonight
• Also joining me were Jimbo & Katy, Anne, Steve, Jason and Evelyn
• Originally planned on Red 8 but it was a 75 minute wait
• Jimbo got a reservation at Allegro
• Unfortunately it was for California
• Jimbo & Katy left because they had to get back to GVR
• I was able to get into The Buffet
• Total rip at “Holiday Pricing” of $82.99 per person
• WTF?
• Food was good but not that good

Total Win/Loss For The Day = - $1894
Total Comps For The Day = $1026

Day 10
Wednesday December 20, 2023
Gaming

• Played craps
• Was bad to start but turned around
• Got out with a about $1000
• Played again later in the day
• Much better than the last few days
• Won close to $900
• Was up higher than that but I cut my own throat going one and done on my roll
• Played one more round of craps in the evening
• Not too bad and got to play for a while
• Won another $700
• Hit some slots
• A couple of nice bonus rounds gave me a $300 win
• Ran my $100 birthday free play through slots
• Turned it into $80

Dining

• Had lunch at Terrace Point
• Had the hot crispy chicken sandwich
• Maple Glaze, provolone, lettuce, tomato, bacon, onion straws, and spicy aioli on a brioche bun
• Really good sandwich and I'd get it again
• Way too much money though at $25
• Had a very late night dinner in the room from room service
• Won Ton Soup & Pot Stickers
• A bit much at $55 but nothing is open late night and I have comps

Total Win/Loss For The Day = + $3117
Total Comps For The Day = $406

Day 11
Thursday December 21, 2023
Hotel

• Checked out of Wynn
• Talked to a host and got the over charges comped
• Arrived at Rampart
• Booked an offer through my host
• 3 Nights, $40 food and $900 free play
• Room wasn't ready
• Got a call 2 hours later and room was ready
• Room 5200 in the Palms Tower
• Giant 1 bedroom suite
• More space than 1 person could ever need

Gaming

• Played video poker while I was waiting for the room to get ready
• One of the best sessions ever
• Lots of dealt winners including 6 full houses
• Got dealt the ultra dreaded A2345 straight flush
• Glad for the $625 pay off but annoying too
• Hit my first royal of the trip
• Got dealt quad nines
• Cashed out with a $2000 win
• After dinner played blackjack with Jimbo
• Playing 2 hands I started off with a blackjack on both
• Next round blackjack on 1st hand, 20 on second
• Decent session but lost a few key hands
• Colored up with a $75 win after being up close to $300
• Played more video poker after blackjack
• Another decent run with dealt winners and lots of quads
• Cashed out with another $200 win
• Ran my $300 free play through dollar single line
• Hit quad threes
• Turned the $300 free play into $450

Dining

• Went to Jade with Jimbo & Katy and Katy's sister
• Ordered everything family style
• Pot stickers and spring rolls for appetizers
• Beijing beef, sesame chicken & chicken chow fun

Total Win/Loss For The Day = + $2712
Total Comps For The Day = $558

Day 12
Friday December 22, 2023
Gaming

• Met up with everyone and played video poker
• Got totally slaughtered
• Very few quads
• Fewer dealt winners
• Dropped $990 on 7k in action
• Played more video poker after dinner
• Better session with lots of dealt trips and hitting quads
• Had a good amount of dealt winners
• Nothing in between those
• Took another $490 loss but did 12k
• Ran my $300 free play through $1 single line
• No major hands but enough not to die
• Turned the $300 into $250 cash

Dining

• Met with Jimbo & Katy for lunch at Earl Grey Cafe
• Got Earl's Delight (Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup)
• Had a late lunch in the Summerin Room
• Finger foods and snacks and soft serve ice cream
• Dinner at Earl Grey
• Wasn't too hungry after the Summerlin Room
• Just got chicken noodle soup

Other

• Went out to the store to get some supplies for Christmas Lunch
• People were out of control
• Yahtzee Mike and his daughter Alex arrived today
• Jimbo and Katy's daughter A arrived today
• Came to the room around 11pm and watched TV

Total Win/Loss For The Day = - $1188
Total Comps For The Day = $632

Day 13
Saturday December 23, 2023
Gaming

• Hit the 10 plays again
• Things were going well with dealt winners and quads
• Got dealt quad aces
• Session was up and down but cashed out up $800
• More video poker later on after lunch
• Was down $150 in no time
• Had a major turn around and got back to even
• Had bunch of quads and dealt winners
• Before long was up over $600 on nothing but “stuff” as Dee used to call it
• Things turned around and I cashed out up $200
• Got killed on slots dropping around 5 bills
• After dinner played craps with Yahtzee Mike
• Session started out tough
• Was down, down, down with no one shooting well
• Things turned with 2 decent shooters
• Went from being down $600 to being up $400
• Colored up with a $230 win
• Ran my $300 Free Play through single line dollars
• Turned it into $400 cash thanks to quad nines

Dining

• Went to the deli for lunch
• Got bacon cheeseburger
• Good burger, I'd get it again
• Dinner was at Spiedini Fiamma
• Got the Chicken Piccata
• Something changed since last time I got it
• It wasn't bad but not as good as it was in the past
• Mike covered the bill with his comps
• Thanks for dinner Mike
• Other
• Hung out with Yahtzee Mike and Alex at the end of the night
• Finally wrapped it up and said our good byes around 11:30
• They are going home in the morning
• Was great to see them
• Went to bed around midnight

Total Win/Loss For The Day = + $1126
Total Comps For The Day = $575

Day 14
Sunday December 24, 2023
Gaming

• Video Poker was the start of the day
• Tough start, dropped 5 bills on 3k
• Reloaded and had a better run
• Lots of quads and dealt winners
• Had a bit of a comeback
• Cashed out down $700 and went to lunch after 10k
• After lunch played again
• Much better than earlier
• Enough quads to stay alive
• Did 14k and got out even and took a break
• After dinner played again
• Not a good session but somehow played a long time
• Dropped $300 and reloaded with another $300
• Got some dealt winners to get back into it
• Bleeding started so I switched to DDB
• Hit aces and back to Bonus
• Bled again and switch back to DDB
• Hit quad threes and back to bonus
• Played a long time, got over 15k through, down $300
• Tried a little bit of Dream Card
• Not a fan due to the 10 coin requirement
• Third hand in got dealt trip deuces
• Dream Card came out and gave me the dealt quad
• Cashed out with a $300 win
• Tried my luck and Spin Poker
• Was smooth to start but got rough
• Dropped $200 of the $300 I won on Dream Card

Dining

• Went to the buffet for lunch with Jimbo
• It was actually Sunday Brunch
• Overpriced at $33
• Dinner was at Jade with Jimbo, Katy, Alicia and Diane
• Ordered a bunch of appetizers and entrees family style
• Never had a bad meal here

Other

• Had no free play so called it a night after over 42k in action
• Watched TV then went to bed

Total Win/Loss For The Day = - $898
Total Comps For The Day = $369

Day 15
Monday December 25, 2023
Gaming

• Started with 10 play video poker today
• Got absolutely slaughtered
• Dropped a grand on under 10k
• Switched to single line for dollars
• Started of smooth
• Hit a quad
• Lost around 20 straight hands after that
• Slow bleed continued
• Was down to my last few hands
• Hit another quad and lost almost every hand after that
• Dropped another 5 bills
• Now down $1500 on less than 15k
• Played a few slots and lost more
• After dinner took one more shot at video poker
• Was a much better run with more quads and dealt wins
• Held a jack and hit my 2nd royal of the trip
• Cashed out with an $800 win
• Shot craps for a little while
• Table was choppy to bad
• Lost a few hundred bucks here too

Dining

• Had a big lunch spread in Jimbo & Katy's suite
• Food from the deli and some stuff Anne and Evelyn brought as well as a cake from Yahtzee Mike
• Big group of people with me, Jimbo, Katy, Anne, Steve, Evelyn, Stacy & Norm
• Dinner was at Hawthorne Grill
• Got French Onion Soup and 8oz filet mignon
• Dessert was a chocolate thing they gave for my birthday
• Also got the mango sorbet

Other

• Came back to the room to get packed up for the move tomorrow

Total Win/Loss For The Day = - $1204
Total Comps For The Day = $354

Day 16
Tuesday December 26, 2023
Hotel

• Left Rampart and went back tot he Strip
• Checked in at Horseshoe (Bally's)
• Booked this straight up with no offer for 2 nights (need 1)
• Checking in was quick in the diamond/7* area
• Was assigned room 2397
• This is a resort executive “suite”
• Great view of the Sphere but the noise of Flamingo Rd

Dining

• Had dinner a Horseshoe and Guy Fieri's Flavortown
• Got the Crispy Cheese Burger
• Great Burger but not worth the $27 price tag

Gaming

• Played a variety of slots and VP
• Got totally destroyed and got very little play
• The only good thing was it was 5x tier so I qualified for 7* in 2024

Total Win/Loss For The Day = - $1139
Total Comps For The Day = $197

Day 17
Tuesday December 27, 2023
Transportation

• Got gas and returned the car with no issues
• In no time I was on the shuttle back to the airport
• Checked in & dropped the luggage at the United Premier Area
• Headed to Security
• Clear and TSA Precheck had me through in 5 minutes
• Went to the United Lounge with a one time pass
• Had breakfast in there and relaxed for an hour
• Booked this flight back in first class as part of my 7* trip
• This is flight 2163 non stop to Newark
• Scheduled to depart 11:30am and arrive 7:21pm
• After the flight took off lunch was served
• Got the Beef Enchiladas that come with a small salad, dinner roll, nuts and coffee cake dessert
• Slept most of the flight home
• Landed 20 minutes early

Luggage

• As always in Newark luggage took forever

Rental Car