Labor Day Trip Report: Caesars Palace

[Alan Mendelson]

I did a quickie trip to Caesars Palace arriving Sunday afternoon and leaving Monday night (Labor Day) after the traffic rush back to LA.

We left late enough Monday night to miss the traffic snarl and except for a short delay at the Agricultural Inspection station in California it was "speed limit" all the way. Driving to Vegas -- departing LA Sunday morning -- was easy with the roads wide open.

This was a promotional trip with $900 free play plus High Roller tickets. For the second time I never made it to the High Roller.

Sunday night dinner was at 7 at Gordon Ramsay at Paris and it was superb in an unusual way. My date's Rib Eye was slightly overcooked. But slightly was too much for the staff there and they brought her a new Rib Eye even though she had already devoured half of the first one -- and she didn't ask for a replacement. Yes, the service was outstanding, and the Alaskan King Crab legs which were meant as a "side" were really enough for a whole meal. My date was not a coffee drinker but when I ordered coffee with the chocolate spoons filled with Amaretto and Baileys and some other goody she couldn't help but ordering coffee as well to enjoy this fantastic treat. This continues to be my favorite Vegas restaurant and this was my fourth dinner there. The only problem with the place is that the music is too loud, too much rock 'n roll, and makes you shout to have a conversation. Even the wait staff complains about the high volume.

We had tickets for Absinthe at Caesars but dinner took longer than we thought -- because we enjoyed everything so much and lingered -- and never made the show. No charge for the tickets.

We played a little craps and a little video poker. I finished the night down about $800. My date was up about $200.

Monday is when I could claim the $900 free play on my offer. We played video poker with it since the free play could only be converted into $100 promo chips.

I will give you the final tally on our play in a moment.

We had lunch at Mesa Grill which was terrific, and at 6pm we had dinner at Nobu which was amazing.

Gaming on Sunday: my date finished the trip with video poker and craps up $681. I finished the trip with craps and video poker up $1200.

The big winnings for both of us came at the craps table. It was a $10 table and one shooter who used the "hardways set" made 8 passes and four different points. My $10 Fire Bet paid $250. I played conservatively and didn't press much at all. But the player immediately to my left who was negative $2,000 before this shooter got the dice paid back his $2,000 in markers and cashed out a profit of $7,135. I knew exactly what he cashed out because I was watching the chips being colored up and then saw him give the dealers the $135 as a tip.

While walking over to the Mesa Grill we took a look at the new "Poker Room" at Caesars. See the photos below. It's not a "room" any more but a sectioned-off part of the main Forum Casino floor and unfortunately poker players will be hearing noise from the casino floor and the sports book. Too bad. Caesars used to have a great poker room but that room will be part of the new nightclub. The tables aren't in yet but there is room for plenty of them.

I did hit quad aces playing 7/5 $1 Bonus, and my date hit quad 8s twice in less than ten hands playing 7/5 $1 Bonus. Not even one 4-to-the-royal hand to moan about. I was dealt a full house with three aces and I held the full house.

At check out I discovered that I was accidentally charged for movies and WiFi but one phone call fixed that. I used my Total Rewards Gift Cards to pay for all non-comped charges and restaurant tips leaving my reward credits intact and available to be converted to free play in the future.

I also used a Total Rewards Gift Card for some gift shop shopping. The Total Rewards Desk again told me that around the holidays they expect various stores in the Forum Shops to accept the gift cards.

We did not intend to leave Monday night -- actually we should still be there -- but we both got calls that forced us to cut the trip short.

Now the highlight of the trip.

In the rush to pack and leave, my date left one of two handbags in the room at Caesars. All the men I know have only one wallet. Why must women have two handbags to carry their important stuff including their money? Yes... the handbag she left behind had all her money in it. Winnings plus her cash.

We discovered the "OMG Moment" during a pit stop in Barstow -- and I immediately called Security. Luckily, and I mean luckily, they made it to the room before anyone else did and the handbag with the cash intact was taken into "protective custody." What a relief.

[quahaug]

WOW Alan got a date. Good for you. What about your wife? Aren't you married or something?

[Alan Mendelson]

We've been split a long time. Never announced it.

[arcimede$]

Obviously, Alan got lucky.

[redietz]

That was good, Arci. A little double entendre. I was going to say, "Luck has nothing to do with it. If you look like Richard Gere and have some cash, odds are you'll get lucky." I'm sure Rob will chime in with some words of wisdom.

Alan, I have a question regarding poker area. Is it the space directly behind the windows for the sports book, taking up some of the previous sports book footage, or did they put a bar in there? It was cordoned off with draperies last time I was there.

I wasn't going to broach the "date" thing. Everyone knows Californ-I-ans are heathens. That's why the show is Californication.

[Alan Mendelson]

I'm not sure about a bar -- didn't look. But the poker area takes up a big chunk of the space between Mesa Grill and the sports book. Sorry I didn't take more photos.

[Dan Druff]

I was at Caesars the same time as Alan, though I got there earlier (Thursday night).

We also dined at Nobu, though not the same day as you did. We went on Friday. It's always great, and the staff there is extremely nice and gracious. The Nobu manager is a great guy and does an excellent job with the place. The food is always great. My only complaint about Nobu is that it's expensive, so the cost of the meal adds up quickly. Every meal for two ends up being $250-$300, and that's without any drinks. However, you really are getting quality food there, and they really treat the customers well.

Our meal at Old Homestead Steakhouse wasn't as good. They had a "computer problem" which caused us to sit for long periods of time with no food. An hour after we sat, we had received only a salad. We were not told about the problem until the food came (over an hour after ordering it). The manager eventually "made the situation right" for us, but I still kinda wish I had gone to Gordon Ramsay, which Alan likes to rave about. The difference is that my girlfriend really prefers a filet, and Gordon Ramsay only has an 8 oz option (no 12 or 16 oz), which really is quite small. So that's why we chose to go to Old Homestead. Old Homestead has always been too expensive for what you get, but they seem to have cut down on the portions while keeping the prices the same. Now you're paying $65 for 16 oz steaks (not Wagyu, by the way), so that's just ridiculous. By comparison, you can get a 24oz Porterhouse at Mastro's (which is one of the best steakhouses in southern California) for less than that.

On Sunday, we went to the Bacchanal Buffet. I am not a buffet person, but I got a discount ($30 per person instead of $54), so we decided to try. We went about 2pm, and the line was outrageous (something like an hour). We were able to go right in because we were Seven Stars, but even Diamonds had to wait a good deal of time. Pretty amazing that people wait an hour for a buffet. Anyway, it's really very good as far as buffets go. I ate too much there. Most items there tasted great by buffet standards. Beef ribs were a little disappointing, as they were tough. Probably wouldn't pay $54/pp for this, but for $30 it was definitely worth it.

On Monday we went to the Paris buffet. This was again motivated by price -- it was free! Was very inferior to Bacchanal, as you might expect. Variety was pretty good, but the food just wasn't very good quality, which is a common problem at buffets everywhere. No question that it's extremely inferior to Bacchanal.

On Friday night, I went on the High Roller for the 2nd time. Last time was about 2 months ago. It isn't doing well. This was Friday night of Labor Day weekend, and we barely waited before getting on (there was a very short line). They obviously expected high demand when they built it, as there is a large Disneyland-like waiting room with "switchback" lines. Instead, you just breeze right through the room. To make things worse, most people I saw in the ticket line were holding some kind of "free High Roller" voucher. Indeed, you are able to get 2 free tickets every month as a Seven Stars member. They are also throwing in two tickets for the monthly "freeplay booster offers", which is what Alan used for his trip. (His freeplay was for the month of September, which is why he played on Monday.) Basically they are giving away a lot of these because it's not getting used much otherwise. One problem with the High Roller is that it's not easy to get there. If it were sitting right on the strip, I bet they would get a lot of walk-up traffic. Instead, it's all the way in the back of the Linq, and many people aren't going to make it back there.

I tried to meet up with Alan, but he was busy. I didn't realize he was with a date.

Alan, next time you take a date to Vegas, try driving up to Mt. Charleston. You can get there in like 30-45 minutes, and it's just such a change from Vegas. You're up at 8000 feet elevation, see snow in the winter and spring, and there are some interesting hiking trails there. We went there on Saturday. Mt. Charleston is one of the overlooked parts of the Vegas area.

[redietz]

It tells you something about the Caesars' sports book, I guess. When I first went to LV in the 80's CP was the top sports book. Mega-action. High limits. Packed all of the time. Had to fight for a seat hours before kickoff. They had huge helmet chairs up front for their best players. The place was electric Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday night.

CET has turned it into a tomb. Low limits. Little action. Easy to get a seat. Really sad. I'm not surprised if they hijacked square footage for their poker room.

Oh yeah, Alan, I love Absinthe. Your date missed out. It's like a cirque cabaret (or something). I found it really funny and entertaining. Catch it when you have a chance.

[Dan Druff]

It tells you something about the Caesars' sports book, I guess. When I first went to LV in the 80's CP was the top sports book. Mega-action. High limits. Packed all of the time. Had to fight for a seat hours before kickoff. They had huge helmet chairs up front for their best players. The place was electric Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday night.

CET has turned it into a tomb. Low limits. Little action. Easy to get a seat. Really sad. I'm not surprised if they hijacked square footage for their poker room.

Oh yeah, Alan, I love Absinthe. Your date missed out. It's like a cirque cabaret (or something). I found it really funny and entertaining. Catch it when you have a chance.

I'll tell you what turns me off about Absinthe. It has a terrible setting.

It's literally in a small tent that they set up outside Caesar's. Looks hot and uncomfortable in there, at least in the summer.

Also I read that you are stuck sitting on small, fold-up chairs, which are placed close together. Doesn't sound pleasant for 90 minutes, especially for a guy like me who is 6'2" and well over 200 pounds.

A lot of people on Yelp seem to like it, but I'm not sure I would. I guess a lot of the humor is "raunchy", and while I find some X-rated humor to be funny, I never liked vulgarity just for the sake of being vulgar. (On a side note, this is why I think Howard Stern was better when he was operating on terrestrial radio, and subject to more restrictions. When Howard falls back on vulgarity, he isn't as funny anymore.)

[regnis]

I'm not sure about a bar -- didn't look. But the poker area takes up a big chunk of the space between Mesa Grill and the sports book. Sorry I didn't take more photos.

Forget the photos of the poker room. We need photos of the date!!

I always found that a date in Vegas was troublesome if you wanted to put in some heavy hours at the craps table. My now wife was the exception which I guess explains why she is my wife.

I know a guy there that sells the little blue pills if necessary.........just kidding.

[redietz]

Both times I've seen Absinthe, it's been winter, so it was comfortable. Seating was okay (I'm 6 feet, 180). It was raunchy, but funny. And there really aren't bad seats.

[Dan Druff]

Both times I've seen Absinthe, it's been winter, so it was comfortable. Seating was okay (I'm 6 feet, 180). It was raunchy, but funny. And there really aren't bad seats.

I know you say "there really aren't bad seats", but I read that the seats are on the same level as those in front of them, so I imagine you'd have trouble seeing over tall people sitting in front, except for the acrobatic acts.

Regarding the raunchiness, I am not a prude at all, but I don't like shock-humor for the sake of being shocking. So like I'm reading in the reviews that the MC will see a bunch of guys sitting up front together and call them "cumguzzlers" and "faggots". I'm not offended by that language or even in the politically incorrect "humor" of it, but it's simply not funny. I know that some people would find it hilarious to hear that type of thing said about a bunch of guys sitting together at a show, but I just think it's lame and really uncreative. All of the bad reviews of Absinthe basically say the same thing -- that it's uncreative raunchy humor, and that the setting/theater is uncomfortable.

I don't want to go too into bashing the show without having seen it, but I have to say that I think I believe the bad reviews more than the good ones.

[redietz]

I missed the "cumguzzlers" comment -- that's a bit harsh. The point is -- the humor is a framing device, a continuity provider while the acts get organized. I wouldn't say the humor is the guts of the show. Some might disagree. What I liked was seeing some of the smaller acts you might see at a Cirque show, on the periphery or briefly, up close so as to almost touch them. That was cool.

[Alan Mendelson]

How much were the tickets I didn't pick up? The ticket price might determine the value of the show.

[FABismonte]

How much were the tickets I didn't pick up? The ticket price might determine the value of the show.

I received comp tickets from my host. The seats and tent were comfortable. The face value was $140 or so. Front row seats with a small bottle of champagne. I really enjoyed the show and laughed my head off. The vulgar sense of humor will turn some people off, but not everyone appreciates Don Rickles either.

Regards FAB

[redietz]

The day-of ticket booths would have the non-front-row tickets going for roughly half of the $140. I've seen pricing all over the place.

[Rob.Singer]

Mildly entertaining thread. Funny arci talks about someone getting "lucky" by ANY interpretation of the word. Not shocked about the date thing either. I've told Alan umpteen times he should take his wife on some non-gambling trips for a change, but to no avail. I guess this one can't be blamed on S. California.

[Rob.Singer]

This thread reminds me of Dancer and arci all in one fine bundle. Arci ruined his wife's... and his...lives in retirement because he just had to drag her to local casino after local casino while sickness was upon her. Addiction to the machines and multiple points days came before anything else.

Dancer also treated his wife like a used & abused meaningless animal, by choosing his pathological addiction to vp over the right thing to do--which obviously was to stay away from the casinos and take care of his wife.

Now we have Alan with yet ANOTHER impending divorce, and this time no way he talks anyone out of how it was due to his incessant need to keep going to casinos for more and more action--instead of taking time out to go on some non-gambling vacations for a change. I warned him, and I'm sorry he didnt't listen, but then again, problem gambling is a POWERFUL demon. And if this is just too much of the undeniable truth, where nothing but denials and excuses show up, then I guess it's "ban me" once again and for good. BTW, my wife of nearly 36 years is making a recipe I took home from Hanoi tonight: "bahn mi" sandwiches with Vietnamese noodles. Thought it was pertinent

[Alan Mendelson]

Rob I am not going to discuss the divorce here. It's no ones business and we both have our reasons. You seem to think all problems are linked to gambling but they are not. If you need to know more we can discuss over that dinner you owe me sometime in 2015.

[Dan Druff]

I wonder if Rob's happy marriage is as real as his $100k video poker hand in January.