High Ends and Low Rolls

“That 8 is about to hit” J says to me as I set a green and red chip down behind the pass line. Few things in life bring the thrill of victory and agony of defeat like rolling dice at the craps table. In an instant a perfect stranger can become your best friend if he just rolls the number you need. I take a deep breath as J rolls a “hard 10” …that’s when both dice show a 5. Until then the table had been cold, but now we were gaining momentum. “That’s the third hard way you’ve rolled!” our new-found friend at the table yelled out in jubilee.

This time J and I both take deep breaths as we collect our chips. We want to temper our enthusiasm as we are just one rolled 7 away from packing up and heading to the airport. Excited and nervous, J rolls the dice so hard that one flies clear off the table, a move that would become his staple. After he gathered himself and chose two more dice, J hurled the dice to the back of the table. They bounce off the wall and fall to the felt. I can’t see the numbers so I depend on the “stick man” to tell me the number. “44…8…hard way” yells the man. He did it!! AGAIN!! High fives and fist bumps all around and even the dealers are getting in on the excitement. We only walked away from the table with a modest gain. But for one brief second… for one small moment, everything was perfect. We celebrated…we rejoiced…we did it all! And we did it…the hard way.

Mr. SJ here! I’m taking a crack at this week’s blog as the ‘real’ SJ handles some family business. I had the chance to head to Vegas for a quick trip celebrating a 40th birthday with my good buddy, J. In the dozen or so Vegas trips I had never taken a guy’s trip…so this would be a “Vegas first”. This trip would take us off the main strip and park us directly on Fremont Street. J likes to play and being a wise 40-year-old, doesn’t like to be frivolous with his money. Downtown Vegas is the perfect place if one wants to gamble because the minimums are lower and as I’ll explain later, have some incredible dealers. 

This would be our first time staying at the brand-new hotel, Circa. SJ did a wonderful job reviewing it in our trip report from February, but now we were actually staying in the hotel! Check in was a breeze! Utilizing the famed “$20 trick” we scored an upgrade to a room overlooking the incredible pool complex known as Stadium Swim. Las Vegas has several spectacular pool scenes, and Circa has quickly made its case for best pool of any hotel. On top of the upgrade, we also received a $25 food and beverage credit.

Starting with the room, perhaps the best thing besides the view is our space included TWO king beds. Personally, I loved the décor and even thought the bathroom wallpaper was fantastic. From a comparison standpoint I found the room to be better than the Mirage or Golden Nugget. My biggest gripe would be that there were no plugs close to the bed, so charging your phone was a bit of a pain. Chasing Tip: if you get a view facing the Stadium Swim just remember the screens NEVER turn off and you’ll need to pull those blinds tight at night.

Circa is visually stunning and has the best sports book. The two-story complex literally has you feel as though you are sitting in a stadium. Lining the area are video poker and slot machines. Second Chasing Tip: if you are trying to score free drinks play these machines. I sat and played $.25 video poker and after a couple of minutes the machine spat out a free drink coupon. It didn’t take J and I long (and also didn’t take a lot of money) before we had PLENTY of coupons for the day, and like Cinderella they expire at midnight. 

This trip was a low roller’s dream. We frequented The Café at Binions and Magnolia at 4 Queens for breakfast, and I finally got around to trying that $0.99 shrimp cocktail that I had been #chasing for years. It may not be the highest of quality, but it was everything I had hoped. You know it’s a good Vegas trip when two things happen: you play for the entirety of the trip on day 1 money, and you handle so many chips that on the plane ride home you think you’re developing carpal tunnel.

Perhaps my biggest surprise was how much fun J and I had playing at The Plaza. While I still liked it best as Biff’s Pleasure Paradise, The Plaza offered just about everything we wanted. Located steps away from Circa, we would regularly make our sports bets before heading to the tables across the street. The Plaza had $10 minimums including craps, a rarity for any trip (Downtown or Strip) on a hopping Friday night. We spent hours playing Blackjack, Paigow and Craps. All in all there were three main reasons we loved The Plaza:

– The music was fantastic

– The drink service was lighting fast

– The dealers were the most fun of any I’ve experienced

Chasing Tip #3 – if you’re looking for a place to play, and you’re new, do yourself a favor and stay at Circa, but walk over to The Plaza.

Make no mistake, not everything was cheap. Barry’s Downtown Prime at Circa was one of the best steakhouse experiences of my life! And I’m not just saying this because former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir was in the booth next to us! Celebrating J’s birthday, we sampled a little of everything that Barry’s had to offer. The ribcap was certainly one of the top 2 or 3 steaks of my life, so I highly recommend it with the fried cauliflower. We ordered the tableside cocktails and while they were very good, they did not warrant the hefty $50 price tag. (#chasingtip: if you want a great Manhattan downtown, head over to Hugo’s Cellar at the Four Queens). Since shows are BACK, we were able to see Piff The Magic Dragon (from America’s Got Talent), and it was a blast.

All in all, it’s not a bad gamble to take your Vegas trip downtown (the rewards could be high). I would totally do it again (and will). Lastly, never be afraid to put your chips on the table when there’s a hot shooter throwing dice! Sometimes the most fun you’ll have in life is when you #chase things the hard way…

Roll the dice, start planning your Vegas getaway and don’t forget to #chaseme…