Tuesday morning I got a phone call from a client in Vegas who wanted a quick meeting... later that day. At the same time -- Caesars had a promotion for $600 of free play plus $400 of Shell gas cards.
There would be no time to drive -- and I wasn't feeling well enough to drive. I've been ill for a couple of weeks with a lingering cough and cold and congestion. So flying was my only option.
I booked a 1:30pm departure from Burbank, called my host, and booked the promotion (it was still available), and she had a limo waiting for me in Vegas at the airport. But next time, she should have paramedics waiting for me. The long walk from the gate to where the limos are could have killed me -- I was just in no shape for that long walk with my small carryon. Thank heaven for the moving sidewalk and I admit I had to take it slow and easy. I don't remember the walk ever being that long... or was it that my congestion was a lot worse than I thought?
Arrived at Caesars and the limos now use the Flamingo side entrance which is right by the 7 Stars check in and the Augustus tower. So I checked in and went to my room... and got ready for my meeting.
And the meeting was cancelled. The client decided to start running the Infomercial in San Francisco -- which is what I wanted -- so there wasn't any reason to meet.
So I picked up my free play and gas cards. I was asked if I wanted the $600/$400 split or I could take it all as free play. I opted for the split -- because at least I would go home with $400 of Shell gas cards. That decision might have pleased the casino Gods because I actually had a winning trip at Caesars.
Took my $600 free play to $1 7/5 Bonus Poker and this machine must have been on a "quads free for all." I ran the money through... and kept winning and kept playing... and when I figured I had "enough" I had about $1300.
So I went to craps... playing at a $10 table. While there weren't any Firebet payoffs I actually won a couple hundred dollars at craps at the first session.
Then went back to VP and then back to craps... and so it went for about 13 hours straight.
When I was done... and exhausted... and coughing up a storm... I had $2,815 that used to belong to CET (according to the win/loss statement that my host checked). But in my wallet I had $3,120 more than I arrived with. I went to my room, ordered room service, watched two movies, took several hot showers hoping they would help clear my chest... and then slept and slept.
I left Wednesday afternoon without going back to the casino with the cash plus the $400 of gas cards.
This marked my eighth trip in a row using only "free play" and leaving the casino with cash.
One pleasant surprise. Instead of using my "Total Rewards Comps" or "reward credits" I used one of my $500 7 Star Experiences gift cards to cover my food charges. The "surprise" is that the "card" works like a regular credit card (it has a MasterCard symbol) and therefore can be used to pay "tips." When you use "comps" or "reward points" you must pay tips with cash. When I checked out at the 7 Stars office I presented the $500 gift card and it paid the tips -- there was no charge made to my credit card on file. Keep this in mind -- it's another reason why the $500 Total Rewards Gift Card is probably the best use of the 7 Stars Experience credits.
I was able to "hitch a ride" by car back to LA. My son was actually in Utah and stopped by Caesars to pick me up.
He had a little gambling itch so we stopped at Gold Strike in Jean where, with $300 in a $5 8/5 Bonus Progressive machine (progressive on the royal was $21,000 plus change), he hit quad aces for $2,000 with $100 remaining in credits. Nice hit.
After the handpay, the floor person inserted five $5 coins into the machine and hit the deal button and then said to Jason "go ahead, finish the hand." He hit a paying pair. He played a little more and cashed out $200. Then he got $70 worth of gas from comps plus some "cash back" worth about $25 (earned from previous trips).
We didn't realize till recently that Gold Strike actually has a very attractive gas comp and cash back program. I've used $50 of the $120 of gas comps I accumulated. Jason has used his gas comps several times over the past year and still has $60 on account.
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