Trip Report: VIMFP

It was an absolute blast of a trip. Big thanks to Chuck and Hunter and the Vegas Tripping gang for all they did to make the weekend a success.

Thursday

• Flew from DTW via Delta and sat next to a fellow VIMFPer!
• For Uber/Lyft pick-up at LAS, terminal 3 is less crowded
• Stayed one night at the El Cortez Cabana Suites
• Check-in is at El Cortez, but you can check out in the Cabana Suites lobby
• Beautiful lobby and great service- 24/7 lobby attendant and security
• Room was small and showing some wear, but still comfortable
• Bathroom, albeit tiny, was well designed aesthetically
• Got Pizza Rock for a light snack- Red Bull and pizza slice for $8
• A little VP at the D’s Longbar
• A lot of VP to round out the night at the Parlour Bar at El Cortez

Friday

• Morning walk up and down Fremont St.
• Grabbed a coffee and bagel from Fremont’s Dunkin Donuts
• Played Supertimes VP at El Cortez – low limits and a ton of fun
• Checked out of El Co and made my way to the D
• Lunch at Le Thai with Taylor and Tara
• Le Thai is absolutely delicious- a must visit if you’re downtown
• Went to Golden Gate for the ice breaker and YCBT craps sessions
• Paraded down to the D’s Vue Bar for more merriment
• Some random VP play while the events were taking place
• Met my sister at Nacho Daddy- this may be blasphemous, but I found it good, but not great
• Was convinced by Scott and my sister to partake in a “scorpion shot”- quite an experience!
• Saw the Sublime with Rome concert thanks to the generosity of the D team

Saturday

• A couple spa cycles at Golden Nugget to start the day
• Breakfast at the D Grill – I had a $5 off coupon with the room reservation

• You can order it for take out, but you have to be seated first
• Quickly ate at a bar top so I could watch tv and promptly played more VP at the Vue Bar
• Continued tour of Downtown- spent a lot more time at the California
• I may or may not have grabbed another slice at Pizza Rock for lunch
• Tiki run! First, a small group gathered at Frankie’s, then we shot over to Golden Tiki for a few more drinks. I recommend making a two-stop tiki run if you’re ever interested.
• Back in time for the slot tournament. I came not even close to winning, but I had never been in one of these before. So a Vegas bucket list item has been checked off.
• Dinner with Alastair at Binion’s Cafe- basic food with prompt service
• Main event in the D Showroom- the performances were great and it was really cool to see people you listen to in person.
• A quick and terrible craps session at Downtown Grand followed by some VP

Sunday

• Return visit to Dunkin Donuts – I don’t need a big breakfast and would rather slowly slip coffee and slowly play VP. A good start to the day for me.
• Made my bets via the DTG kiosk – no one there with about 2 hours to game time
• Met up with Taylor at the Cal sportsbook to watch the early games
• Really nice, recently renovated space with a full bar in the book
• Went to root on the players in the “Hangover Cup Casino Challenge” at Golden Gate
• Showtime at the D! All the shows on Sunday did so well. Tons of laughs, a few tears (mostly me backstage), but just a fantastic time.
• Check out at the D, off to Harrah’s for the night
• Harrah’s rooms were surprisingly decent. Much better than what I was expecting. I’ve turned into a Harrah’s fan.
• Out to Summerlin for dinner to try and be a good uncle
• Epic craps session at the Luxor. Huge thank you to Mike Patton for reserving tables and making sure everyone was comfortable.
• Each table hit the “All” bet! It’s a terrible bet based on the house edge, but really fun. Especially when everyone at the table is on it.

Monday

• Quick cup of coffee then off to Paris for Eric and Iana’s vow renewal!
• Back to Harrah’s to check out, only to realize I had more time than I thought
• Sat at the VP bar in Fulton’s Food Court
• You can order food right from the bar
• Full breakfast and VP? It’s my new favorite thing.
• My last session for the trip and I finally hit a hand

And that is that. So much fun. Every Vegas or gambling obsessive should try a trip like this- meeting up with other people who “get” it.