A Free Play Whore No More in Las Vegas

I've always been a free play whore. If a resort
offers me free play and free rooms, I'm there.
No more. I just got back from Las Vegas and was
offered free play at MGM properties. I checked into
Treasure Island and New York New York for the
free play. Waste of time and effort.

I've been a die hard MGM resort fan. I always liked
the treatment and the amenities from the hosts and
the staff. I also liked the points that you can redeem
at the end of the year at their Players Club
Holiday Gift Shoppe. In the past, I've scored some great gifts
using my accumulated points. I played at different MGM resorts
and couldn't hit a thing. I didn't see any jackpots, either.
The machines were tighter than a
bad face lift. I couldn't get my points to rack up. Sigh.

Something has changed and I can't put my finger on it.
I went for my birthday and the usual champagne wasn't
offered, nor was the usual snack basket from my host
and my play hadn't changed. Hmmmm. Cutbacks, maybe?

New York New York has at least a third of their casino
under construction. I peeked behind the curtained off
area and there were piles of dirt and holes cut in the floor.
No construction was going on. It made the casino
claustrophobic and darker.

TI was not busy at all. It was empty all the time we were
there. Not one machine was hitting, didn't see one jackpot
the entire time we were there. I always hit something on
the video poker (usually a jackpot) and couldn't even hit
quads on anything!

Now back to my free play. Didn't win a nickel on it either
place. Makes me wonder if your machine goes into a different
mode when you are playing free play. I know all about the
number generator. I know its not easy to manipulate the
payouts, but it still makes me wonder. As soon as I pulled
out my players card and reinserted my card to stop the
free play, I hit something. It was little, but it was a hit.
Weird coincidence or is it a conspiracy to get us in the door to
play by dangling free play money in our face?

What do you think?

My free play whore days are over. I could have stayed
free at Red Rock Casino which is way more fun and way
more luxe than either TI or NYNY. But I went after
the free play, gambled and lost.

Las Vegas Hotel review: Treasure Island

TI as it is now known, has the location going
for it. Its connected to the Mirage by a tram,
across the street from the Venetian and a short
walk to Harrah's and Wynn's. Its in the center
of all things and the prices for the rooms
are affordable

If you are a shopper, Treasure Island is located
next to the Fashion Show Mall. You don' t even
need to go outside, you can cross the street
to the mall via the sky walk from the casino.


Treasure Island has upscaled its image from
a family friendly pirate theme to an adult playground.
Gone is the pirate skull sign, in its place is a new
electronic TI sign. TI is the way the hip refer to
this hotel, it will always be Treasure Island to me.
TI has hot pulsating ultra lounges like Tangerine and
the Social House an upscale restaurant/night spot
frequented by celebrities.

While it hasn't instituted a no children rule,
the changes to adult hotel are evident.
The child friendly pirate show out front has changed
to The Sirens of TI, a more adult pirate show. it features
the sexy Sirens of TI. The ship still sinks and the
cannons still fire and the kids still get a kick out of it.

Treasure Island remains a friendly, intimate
hotel and casino. Its easy to navigate and easy
to reach your room from the casino floor.

The rooms have all have new comfy beds. They
are as comfortable as those at the Bellagio.
The pillows are both feather and poly.
The rooms are fairly identical, all done in shades
of gold, the latest addition besides the
new beds are flat screen televisions.
The new TV's have a sleep timer which sends
my husband into pure happiness.

The bathroom has a large marble vanity, a hair dryer,
tub and shower combination. Not luxe, but very
usable. Toiletries are from their spa Wet and
include two different kinds of soap, body lotion
shampoo and conditioner. The rooms are comfortable
and clean. I personally think its time for a total redo
of the decorating scheme, but it works.

The rooms have a safe in the closet as well as
extra pillows. We've also found the hair dryer
there on the top shelf instead of in the baskets
they used to have on the bathroom counter.

TI's greatest asset is their friendly staff. They
go above and beyond to make your stay pleasant
and fun.

TI is building a new high rollers area that should
be open in late December. Its going to feature
a buffet for the players. How cool is that?

TI has some great restaurants. Francesco's is one
of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city. Service
is sometimes a pain in the rear, either they are fawning
over you or you are waving your hand for service.
The food is excellent.

TI has a great Mexican restaurant called Isla Mexican
Kitchen with a tequila goddess that will mix your
drink at your table.

Kahunaville is the most fun restaurant/bar. The restaurant
is separate from the party bar and features polynesian
inspired food. Its EXCELLENT and very well priced!
The restaurant also has a really cheesy and fun fountain show.
The real fun is in the bar area where they have
world famous flairtenders, bartenders that put on
shows flipping bottles and pouring drinks into pyramids
of glasses.

TI also has the Steak House and the Social House
for sushi and saki. You'll find a Starbucks, a Coffee
Shop and a Ben and Jerry's.

TI just redid their suites in an ultra modern almost
Jetson like manner. Done in shades of red, black,
earth tones and chrome, they are modern in a retro
sort of way. You have a desk, sofa and two bathrooms.
Yes, a his and her bathroom with a jacuzzi tub in one, a large shower
in the other, large marble vanities, robes, slippers, luxe toiletries,
a refrigerator, a safe, and damn, a scale.

The pool area has a lot of palm trees and loungers Its not
as sophisticated as a lot of the other MGM properties,
but its a decent pool area in the summer.