Ongoing VP TR, PART 2!

Day 3

We're heading back to FB today to play our late afternoon slot tourney rounds. There's a drawing at the awards presentation that you have to be present for. Afterwards, we've got a little time to kill before dinner at Washing Potato. Nothing on the agenda at the Wynn until then.

Good morning! Today is an important day.

I get buried early at VP which of course means I'm going to get quads on the redeal.

Unbelievable this game. Why is running bad in general correlated with this kind of crap?!

Unfortunately I hit this after already being down 4k.

I somehow manage to only lose 1k that pre-breakfast session. I head back to the room, D and I grab an enhanced flag pic since we won last night too.

We walk over to Encore and book our first losing dice session (somewhat arbitrary recording of times/sessions, for sure). I'm down 2.5k and 3.5k for the day. This one was no fun. After that, we head to Jardin for breakfast.

I got a side of their breakfast sausage only bc they listed both chicken and pork which is new to me. Obv I'd prefer pork, and I have memories of their sausage being too sweet before which I assume was chicken. So let's give this a try. Not too sweet, but a little gritty. Overall the meal was 7/10.

We head to VP and SHOCKER it remains bad.

Believe it or not, this was my first winning session of the whole trip. I think I locked in a 50$ win lol.

We head back for more craps, and book another (small loser), I think 1k or so. At least I got to play for a while. I'm now down 4.5k for the day. It's time to head to FB.

As stated before, I'm still interested in giving FB action, but not to the point where I really hurt myself. So I'm playing slowly when I finally get dealt my first quads of the trip!

Spoiler

Show

Definitely not enough at this stage.

Ultimately, those dealt quads were just enough of an excuse to step up and play bigger. I played a lot, but still lost 2k. Now down 6.5k for the day. Argh. Time to get our tourney rounds in!

D and I are planning on swapping rounds for each other as usual. We don't have much hope, but HEY, we could bink, couldn't we?!

To be continued...

Bink!!!

wait, leon actually teasing a slot tourney result? hmmmm

That is nice. Very nice.

Day 3 continued

So D leads off for my rounds. We quickly realize the scoring here is supercharged compared to the Wynn. Despite only 3 min rounds, the average scores are just ridiculously higher than the highest scores we've ever seen at the Wynn. All the paying symbols are worth substantially more and they seem to hit more frequently. Downside- there's no way for us to "know" how we're doing based on our previous experience at the Wynn. Upside- FB actually tells you in real time how you're doing in the round, and inadvertently how you're doing overall! (more on this in a sec). Here are two examples-

93k would be almost a lock for 1st at the Wynn. Here, it's basically dead last.

So D's first rd is mediocre, mine is garbage and he plays my 3rd round for me- it's nothing special, so I'm getting the min payout for sure (100 FC lol). D's rds are next, and we realize he accidentally played 2 for me. So I lead, with the thought that if I had a good rd, I'd go second for him. If not he can take his last two. It's not like it makes a difference.

I have a great, fun rd. I was between 1st and 3rd for the majority of the 3 min. The real time updates make it exciting. Alas, I peter out at the end and have to settle for 5th for the rd. FB takes all three scores into account, so we still need two more good rds, but this the best start we've seen in a long time.

I then play D's second, and it's garbage 😡 We probably don't have hope here. D goes for his last rd- it's a lot like my first for him- fighting for 1st-3rd throughout. The difference is, his last 30 sec was white hot. D was just hitting, hitting, hitting... I don't think he wasted a spin in the last 30 sec. At some point, he grabbed 1st and did not let go! That was fun to watch.

So we've got a 5th, a 20th, and a 1st for D. That's gotta be good for something, right?! If you scroll back to the pic above you can see a little sticker blocking the lower right part of the screen that is supposed to cover up your overall standings... D leans way over and it turns out you can see behind the sticker. He sees a "1" followed by what looks like an 8 or 9. So We've got 18th or 19th for him. It is kind of cool that we can tell where we are, and of course the downside is we have no sweat at the awards presentation. But in a circumstance like this (where we pretty much know we're good but not amazing), I think I prefer this. Give me the sweat when I really have a shot at the podium.

Oh well. So, that was fun but ultimately disappointing as usual. We came back to the awards presentation, it's a zoo just like registration was, and shockingly neither D or I get drawn for the 1000 free credit either. I take near dead last as expected, D came in 19th as expected for a whole 500$ in FC. Now that all is said and done I'm reminded why I'm generally not a fan of these free tournaments- SO HARD to win anything meaningful.

D and I head back to hi limit to redeem our free play and play a bit more, and I continue my amazing VP run, hit nothing and am stuck another 2k. F. We head to Washing Potato to meet my brother for dinner.

We get a bunch of stuff. Prices very reasonable, and just being able to hear ourselves talk... such a different experience from Papi steak. Food 7/10, decor/ambience 9/10 (some of that is contrast from Papi steak to be sure). I'll definitely be back.

After dinner, my brother drives us back to the Wynn again. OK, here we are- Sat night in Vegas, no more free money, no more chances at a big score other than to do it ourselves... let's make this good.

We play craps for quite a while. The table was never good but it wasn't the worst session. There were several instances of possible tilt that we thankfully avoided- mostly annoying people coming up to the table and playing, but their rolls were actually ok, or a really annoying person coming in next to me, but then a spot opens up by D right away, I take it, the table turns good, etc. So it was a loser, but not a really bad one.

Day 3 result- -11k
Overall- +8k

Day 4

I wake up around 6:30am. I've got a dilemma- I had decided at some point yesterday that I wouldn't go below a 7k trip win. Arbitrary of course, but there it is. So now I'm up, super tired but we leave for the airport around 10am. I know I should sleep more, but this is the last Vegas I'll have until next trip... ok fine. I get up.

Head down for VP, UX and that dream that somehow, a long-overdue lightning strike is coming.

F U. Just, FU.

These douchebag influencers were playing near me and were the height of obnoxiousness. Literally screaming and dancing every time they got a cherry, saying things like "OMG I've NEVER WON THIS MUCH BEFORE" on every hit- how can that be true every time? I can't believe people watch this garbage and it's part of the reason I just despise our social media culture. If you kids are reading this and recognize yourselves- you're douchebags.

Douchebags in their native environment. Wish the Wynn banned these idiots. I've seen drunks get kicked out for being less obnoxious.

I play until break even. D and I grab a final flag pic- it's enhanced bc I bought in for last night's session with cash, and D actually booked a small win.

Almost a stack of flags. I hope I can take a better pic at some point in the future (I think I will, read on).

D and I get in one final session at the Wynn- we both play small/scared, and I book a several hundred dollar loss. I think D lost 1k. After that, it's time to settle our chips and grab a room service breakfast. We head to the hi limit table games section (first time for me) and since they're so used to dealing with lots of big chips, we get cashed out nice and quickly.

After that, it's pack like a madman and off to home. Another Vegas trip in the books!

Day 4 result- -500
Overall- +7.5k

Thoughts- can't complain about the overall results, obv.

I want to like FB so much more but the gaming!!! the mediocre slot tourney conditions... the horrible experience at Papi steak... they just make it so hard. I'm 57k/90k to make Royal status again for next year, so I think for the remainder of the year I will try and give FB enough action to reattain Royal. We'll reevaluate come 2026.

Gaming-wise- continuing to run badly at VP. With the likely upcoming tax changes in 2026, high volume machine play will be a total non-starter. Obv I'm influenced by the results of our first day craps sessions, but the reality is I may have a lot more craps in my future. The likelihood of 5 figure wins will go down, of course, but there's the significant upside of far smaller average losses. I can play tons of hrs long craps sessions with expected loss somewhere in the 2-3k range, vs VP where 10k might not even last me an hr when it's cold (which it just always is these days). Quite honestly, part of me is looking forward to rolling in with my usual 40k bankroll, but knowing I'm not playing any machines- which in turn will let me buy in bigger at craps, bet harder, STILL likely lose less, etc. And like I said, when 2026 rolls around the politicians may have made any machine play a moot point.

Thanks for reading!

Thank you again for the great TR1

I'm excited about the switch to craps, which is my sin of choice. I am afraid you won't be able to document your journey as fluidly as you do with VP. It's hard to demonstrate just how great a 45 min roll is through pictures.

But thanks for the trip reports no matter how they come

Yeah and of course I'm still superstitious about taking pics in the middle of a good roll. I've now been able to grab several mid roll pics of stacks etc. But I've taken 3 pics lifetime of a table max bet (my 6 years ago, my 9 on a recent trip with D, and D's 10 this last trip). IMMEDIATE 7 out each time.

I legit don't know what I'm going to do next time. It shouldn't make a difference. And yet, I'm 3/3 for screwing myself so far...

You need an outsider to take a max bet pic without you knowing. Probably 100% impossible as you'll be fully aware of the situation

How long was actual slot tournament at FB or the ones at Wynn? Is it like an hour or two or a whole day type of deal?

The one at FB was pretty much like all the free ones I've participated in. Reg on a Fri, play isn't until Sat. About 10-15 min of play elapsed for all players. The event itself "runs" the whole Fri and Sat but the stuff that matters takes about 20 min and is simply spread out.

The buy in ones at Wynn are definitely better. Same basic format, reg the day before, but you get more play (5, sometimes 10 min rds), there's typically a rebuy 4th rd (with its own separate prize pool), and there's free food and drink out pretty much from reg thru the entire event. Having to come back for the rebuy at a later time spreads out the play, and it ALWAYS matters, bc you could bink the rebuy rd and win almost 6 figures right there. So everyone cares, right up until the very end. Actual play time isn't much more but the format makes one care much more. The free food and drink gives you a legit reason to take a break from gambling and just kill some time there.

Seen a ton of "Vegas is dead" articles/videos/etc. over the past few mos. As my de facto man on the street in Vegas, have you noticed a significant dip in people during your 2-3 most recent trips?

That influencer thing was wild. If nothing else, I'm shocked they'd be on the floor at 6:30 in the morning.

I was there two weekends ago and there are definitely fewer people there and its not particularly close.

the power of coordinated false opinion

not directed at anyone posting above
more flashlighting the influence of social media

Vegas should pay you for providing such a great trip report. Definitely gets my juices flowing.

I had a similar experience with FB, wanted to like the place but grabbed my ankles so hard it made it tough.

With craps it always seems to be a losing session when my entourage (Or even just one buddy) is with me. Given that, I usually play alone, and I am irrationally superstitions so basically, I'd prefer if nobody breaths when I am about to roll the dice! The session you and your buddy pulled off was amazing. In recent trips I've played craps off strip at Durango where they have 10x odds. The comps are not the greatest and options for food aren't as good as the strip...although it seems they are expanding so by next year that aspect may improve.
Thanks for the exceptional trip report.

I have read every single one of your trip reports, on both threads, the last several years and unless I forgot I don’t EVER remember you, or your folks, or your friends, binking a big score.

That time is coming soon..

must be specifically directed toward the slot tourneys

Yes..sorry. I was referring to the slot tournaments that Leon, his parents, and now friends partake in..

no reason for sorry, figured as much
leon has had some amazing past results that are hard to forget

i thought as much and no need to apologize
who would have the nerve to block the gang leon brings to a slot tourney

Out of interest how do you think your comps etc will change if you move to craps? I would assume it is harder to track your points at the table than putting it into a machine?

I haven't, honestly. Seems like it's as crowded as always.

Best I ever got was 4th in a 5k buy in way back in 2017? 2018? That was good for 25k. Man that was a long time ago.

I think we've kind of been over this. I suspect my comps will go down but only bc they rate machine play better than tables. Most machines have far worse EV than tables, and even if they're similar (eg, my VP poker play vs craps), the variance is just so much higher with a machine and it's way easier to tilt off money at a machine than the tables. At least for me.

I think it's just as easy to track at a table, it's just a function of the pit boss entering in info. That info may not be as accurate as at a machine but it's certainly no harder for the casino to track. I'm also curious though, if 2026 comes to pass and I move my play to the tables, I'll be playing bigger than I ever did in the past. With my tendency to tip and try and be "liked" by the crew, which hopefully will get me rated favorably, I could actually see my comps going up! Here's hoping... 😀

Leon's not going to see decline of people, because he goes to the casinos where price doesn't matter to the clientele.

another astute angle shot by omc