A Mackem in Vegas (Part II)
The worst sequel since "Return to the Blue Lagoon"? - Let's find out shall we?!
I'm heading to Sin City from Oct 21 to Nov 5 so thought I'd attempt a proper live TR this time, as opposed to last year's catch-up effort below...
https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/108/l...
Flying Upper Class again on Virgin Atlantic from Manchester after getting an amazing deal with some cash and miles, mainly because (I think), they stop doing the 3x a week direct flights on October 24. That means I have to come back via JFK but used up my small amount of Delta miles for the LAS to JFK leg and then am back in Upper Class on Virgin for the overnight leg home.
My partner thinks I'm more excited about the flights than the trip itself and she's probably not wrong! Makes a massive difference in the airport experience, the flights themselves obviously and for £800 and a few thousand miles is a very affordable luxury.
I'm staying at the Orleans again and will be mainly playing there as I think Allan Kessler is hosting a tournament series with plenty of mixed games while I'm there, but will also be doing my usual long walks along the Strip to check out different rooms and places to eat. (Weather looks ideal)
Plan is to update each morning Vegas time when the jet-lag kicks in and hopefully there will be plenty of pics if I can remember how to upload them.
Cheers
Cool. looking forward to it
glgl. agree with flying business class with long haul. allows you to look forward to the flight instead of dread it
In for a mackem TR!
When you say, "plenty of pics," do you mean holiday snaps? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge! Say no more!
glgl. agree with flying business class with long haul. allows you to look forward to the flight instead of dread it
Quick derail but this hit the nail on the head for me. For the first time I recently booked business class for an international flight to Tokyo and looking forward to the flight has definitely been an unexpected benefit.
I'm in. Enjoy the flights! Sounds lovely.
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In for the traveling in style and mixed game tourneys at Orleans. GL and run good.
Thanks everyone.
Just checked in online and about to do my packing. Flight is at 1045 UK time on Tuesday but am staying in a cheap hotel nearer the airport tonight to avoid any potential traffic problems (M62 from Leeds to Manchester can be carnage)
Also testing my photo uploading so shoe pic and bankroll hopefully below (annoyingly couldn't specify large bills when ordering online, hence the wedge of smaller bills on the right!!)
Well, the jet-lag has well and truly kicked in so here we are at 2:30am with an update on days 1 and 2....
The journey went pretty smoothly and from leaving the hotel to being in the lounge was about 35 minutes, leaving plenty of time to relax and take advantage of the facilities!
Turned out to be one of the older planes which did at least mean it had a bar in the back of the cabin but the lay out was terrible, with all the window seats facing out into the cabin. You'd need to be a contortionist to make the most of the view!
Food was good - smoked salmon starter and a pre-ordered pan-roasted haddock followed by a chocolate fudge cake...
We land on time and the only glitch was discovering that my global entry had expired so I was sent back to the regular immigration queue, but thankfully it wasn't long and was soon in an Uber heading to the hotel.
The $20 trick at reception got me "upgraded" to an 18th-floor King with a (distant) Strip view, although the guy tried to charge me around $700, of which $100 was a deposit, for the resort fees/taxes etc; I politely explained that my booking with Trivago said only around $440 was due and in fairness he sorted it pretty quickly, but it was a good job I was paying attention.
Stayed awake as long as possible before crashing out and woke up to a rare sight - a Vegas thunderstorm
Weather cleared pretty quickly and was absolutely glorious for the rest of the day so took the chance to walk down to the Strip - about 20 minutes from the Orleans to NYNY for those who like to know these things.
Took the chance to check out a couple of poker rooms which have opened/reopened since my last visit, although it took me ages to find the one in Caesar's Palace. Saw only one sign for it and eventually kind of stumbled across it next to a FedEx office!
Also went to Planet Hollywood which, as I think someone mentioned recently, is on the mezzanine level and only had two tables running at around 2pm. It's a nice room but, like Caesar's, felt really quiet with an OMC vibe so I didn't bother playing (also forgot to take a pic of Planet Hollywood)
That's it for now - plan for today is the 11am NL super stack at Orleans ($100 with a 5k guarantee).
Weather cleared pretty quickly and was absolutely glorious for the rest of the day so took the chance to walk down to the Strip - about 20 minutes from the Orleans to NYNY for those who like to know these things.
Good luck! How are the rooms at Orleans? They look very tired & worn from what I have seen on YouTube.
(which is a shame, as it's a great property. Would consider staying if the rooms got a refresh).
Glad you’re there and having fun
Yeah those old virgin Atlantic bus class seats aren’t configured well. Storage not great either but the seats are comfy and the food is always good on them
Plane food looks good. Only 20 mins walk to strip from Orleans, that’s not too bad, I might try that next time.
Good luck! How are the rooms at Orleans? They look very tired & worn from what I have seen on YouTube.
(which is a shame, as it's a great property. Would consider staying if the rooms got a refresh).
Yeah, they are definitely on the old fashioned side but clean and pretty big.
Will post a picture of the room after housekeeping turn up later!
Nice easy walk now they’ve completed the road construction and takes you past In n Out Burger.
Enjoyed a double double yesterday although the fries were terrible.
Well that’s a kick in the balls.
Pool is closed for the season. I know it’s late October but the weather is perfect.
Wish I’d known that was going to be the case.
Great pictures!
I’m sad that the vibe in Vegas poker rooms (and Vegas tourism in general) seems so down lately.
To me, Vegas is always fun and exciting… but it was a noticeable shift even from this summer’s WSOP.
Curious to hear what you’re observing.
Early days but Orleans feels busy. Will report from the Strip rooms as we go along.
As for the pool thing, looks like I can pay for a day pass to the pools that are still open. Prices vary wildly but think I can go to RW for $30 unless anyone knows different or can advise otherwise?
Thanks
Good luck! How are the rooms at Orleans? They look very tired & worn from what I have seen on YouTube.
(which is a shame, as it's a great property. Would consider staying if the rooms got a refresh).
Yeah, they are somewhat run down but still functional. On the flip side, they are quick to give comps, and probably have slightly better odds than Strip games. Next time you go to Vegas, go over and gamble there. Be sure to sign up for a loyalty card first. It'll be a bit of a pain to stay there, but a comped room may be worth it. The bonus is they don't charge resort fees on comped rooms.
Two other small bonuses:
1. They have Megabucks slots there. If you're unaware, it's a system of hundreds, maybe thousands, of linked slots throughout NV. Minimum jackpot - $10 million. I always run a hundo through them, you never know...
2. They have a mother buttload of video poker machines. I have hit a royal there. Unfortunately I was playing dimes, lol. Four hundred bucks!
Orleans LUUUUVS slot players. You probably don't have to play much to get a 3 or 4 day comp. Plus, everything is cheaper than fancy Strip casinos, drinks, food, everything. The poker room is fairly active and you would crush there I'm sure. The Friday night deepstack tournament has a good structure and has a better than average turnout. Don't be late in regging unless you want to be an alternate, they have a stupid system for registration.
As for the pool thing, looks like I can pay for a day pass to the pools that are still open. Prices vary wildly but think I can go to RW for $30 unless anyone knows different or can advise otherwise
Thanks
Circa Swim is a cool experience, especially for watching games, although I’m not sure they would show Sunderland [emoji23]
As for the pool thing, looks like I can pay for a day pass to the pools that are still open. Prices vary wildly but think I can go to RW for $30 unless anyone knows different or can advise otherwise
Sahara's pool is completely free for everyone if I remember correctly. Although that's a long way to go for a swim!
(but yes, for us Euros it feels silly that pool season in Vegas ends late October already)
They have a mother buttload of video poker machines. I have hit a royal there. Unfortunately I was playing dimes, lol. Four hundred bucks!
Yes, I know they have a lot of VP with great pay tables 😀
Funfact, me and brother stayed at The Orleans back in 2013, way before I started posting TRs here. Room was dated already then, and probably not renovated since...
Poker room is awesome though.
