It's Not A Bender, It's A Lifestyle.

No, this post is not about the lame Cirque ripoff at the Wynn. It's my one pie-in-the-sky post. I don't allow myself to dream too much in my life. I try to be in the present and plan for the near future and I don't delve into hypotheticals much. I don't generally think it's a very productive use of my time. But sometimes I indulge myself, and this is one of those times. LET'S JUST SAY, that in some drunken fever dream I sit down in front of a progressive Wheel of Fortune machine some night while in town. Something I would never do unless severely hammered, because the odds on those machines are beyond crap. And let's just say I, I don't know, hit a $12M jackpot. Hypothetically. What then? Well first you pay the man. I would want to take a lump sum if an option, so lopping off all the IRS shit say I'm left with, like $6.8M, clear and in the bank account. Then the decisions start. The first obvious decision is to quit my job. Via e...

Oh, so many years ago I was someone who gambled at MGM resorts. It was a glorious time. Slot machines weren't set to "immediately steal $100" mode, you could sit at a machine and sip worse-than-well cocktails while slowly losing your bankroll, and once in a while, just once in a while, you might walk away from a machine with MORE money than when you walked up to it. Those were such carefree, innocent times. It was so long ago I'm not sure I even have a clear memory (2014). Whimsy aside, the comps resulting from that play were healthy and helped finance many, many a Vegas trip for the FYMYAWF'er. 3 comped nights at the Luxors or NYNYs or even the Mandalay Bays of the world were common, and were often accompanied by resort credit and Freeplay into the hundreds. This was through MGM's loyalty club Mlife, and it did result in my being very loyal to them. For several years starting in 2013, 12 out of 13 trips I made were at least partially at MGM resorts, on...

One month from...NOW I will be in the Vegas. All is progressing as it should. Deep into the save regime for this trip. Haven't been out the last couple weeks and have 5 more hibernation weekends to endure. It's a bitch not being able to go out on my Saturdays but I've certainly gotten used to it now after 24 trips and there's a sort of resigned acceptance at this point. I know the hardship will pay off with the better part of a week in Happyland. Leaving the car in the long-term parking at the airport this time. Don't want to deal with the shuttle bullshit this trip. Assuming on-time flight, getting in right around check-in time on Sunday, so it's straight to MGM, drop off the bag, freshen up and out into the heat for night one. I'll be slightly reigned in on money that first night so cheap eats and drinks probably. Also will make sense this time not to go balls-deep with the vodka on the first night. Will be good to work my way into this trip; inst...

Das right bishes. I'll be turning 50 next year and you know where I'll be. Because I like to look 6 months or more ahead at all times, starting to think about the inevitable April trip. I've still got next months trip and the Xmas trip to get through, but hey, who am I kidding, of course I will be in Vegas for 50. I want to do this one up in terms of a room, so I'm going to forego my normal "hunt for comps at all costs and follow them wherever they lie" school of Vegas booking and will be looking for a suite in just one resort this time. Frankly I'd like to narrow it down to a couple places I haven't stayed before but want to. My preference would be to stay at either Wynn or Venetian/Palazzo on this trip, with some lesser resorts being a possibility. Wynn right now is a little over $1000 to book for 5 nights, which, ouch. It's a long way out though and I've been getting occasional offers from them to stay in more the $120.night range...

A very decent haul this time. Certainly more than I thought I'd be gaining at any point this year, as I thought I was out of everyone's comp radar. -3 nights comped at MGM Grand in a Grand King Strip View, $622 value as of today. -2 nights at Palms Place in a Studio Suite (photo above), paid $51/night through Priceline, $99/night on Palms site as of today so savings of $96. -myVegas comped ticket to Beatles Love, $130 value. -myVegas reward for $50 Freeplay at MGM, $50 (but potentially MILLIONS) value. -myVegas reward for $35 food/bev voucher at Nine Fine Irishmen. -Comped ticket to Opium at the Cosmo, just paid $13 service charges. Full price $79 so $66 value. -Two Restaurant.com certs for $25 off of $50 at Carlos & Charlie's and Senor Frog's. $50 value. = $1049 less than what I would have paid full boat. Very tidy indeed. The nights at MGM are obviously the biggun', Not sure why they came my way but certainly glad they did. So, 40 days until...

Starting to hype up for the next trip. It's next month! Will have 4 1/2 days which I think is just about the sweet spot for me now. The June trip was too short to really get into (though that was by design), and the week-long trips a la Xmas last year are just a little too much. Rolling in about at check-in time then having the late afternoon and night to do it up is a good way to hit the ground running. No crazy early wake up call that way either to mess up the sleep schedule. Then it's 4 full days, and not out too early on the fly-out day but also not too late that I'm grinding it out. 4.5 days works OK for the financials, too. I will have no SF weekends for the next 6 weeks but that should be tolerable, and it gives me $500 for the first short day and the usual $800/day for the rest of the trip. Just take it easy on the gambling the first night then it's just a regular trip; if all goes to normal I'll have a nice stash built up by day 3 to start opening ...

Short and sweet, all according to plan. Cut the in flight a little close, boarding was already underway but made it in plenty of time and got to town plenty early. Room was ready when I got there at 9a (!), so dropped the bag at the Park right away. Room was same as the one from Xmas, had the above view, about the closest they have to a strip view. Same paper thin walls, same meh decor, water pressure in the shower better this time. Nothing to write home about but fine for 2 quick nights, and comped. The resort is slowly closing in on being a real working hotel. More bars open now, not much food but that's coming later in the year. Totally dead in there but literally having no strip entrance will do that to a...strip resort. Reserving final judgement until the place is totally open but doesn't seem to be super exciting. Still, MC needed an upgrade and this is it if nothing else. So headed out early on the free day, rambled about hitting spots, got lunch at Twin Peaks, ...