How would you handle this gambling trip?

I'm headed down to St. Louis this weekend with my friend Karie for a two night trip to see a Cubs/Cards game. I was invited to come by my old Harrah's Joliet host Nick, who now works for Lumiere Place casino down there. He invited myself and a guest to stay at the Four Seasons (comp room valued at $1100 for the two nights!) and with VIP box suite tickets for the game Monday night. Nick has become a friend and Karie and I are looking forward to getting down there on Sunday and hanging out with him watching the first full day of NFL games.

Here's the catch - I really don't want to gamble down there. For one, it's a casino that's not affiliated with anything in Vegas. Two, it's not like I'm going to make frequent jaunts down there if they send me free play, like I would with a casino that's an hour away. Three, I have taken some heavy losses my last few trips and don't have a huge bankroll, and I want to save my money for my Vegas trip in October. However, I KNOW I have to gamble... some. It would be shitty to do that to Nick especially when he's gone out of his way in putting us up at the Four Seasons (instead of the other hotel adjacent to the casino). I have no play history there at all and he's really just extending this trip based on my past play at Harrah's Joliet, so I don't want to completely bone him.

So what would you do? I really only have Sunday to gamble as Monday we are planning on doing the rooftop pool during the day and then the Cubs game that night, and we'll be leaving early on Tuesday to head home. I'm hoping if I bring only $500 and no ATM cards, I'd be ok with that loss, but I'll really need to low roll and hopefully extend my play so I can accrue some points. Also, I'm not sure if I feel comfortable asking Karie to play on my card, but I think it's only fair considering I'm getting her a free trip and free tix to the game!

that's a tough one. I'm sure he is expecting the same type of play that you do at Joliet. I guess you have to ask yourself this question. It you didn't have previous heavy losses and a larger bankroll, how would that affect your upcoming trip? Would you have gambled more? He's giving you some nice amenities. If it were me (and it isn't), knowing that I would never go back there again to a casino that has no affiliations, I would not have accepted the offer from someone I consider a friend.

I'd let him know and be ready to pay for some of it or be assigned a different hotel. Good luck with whatever your decide.

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Originally Posted by Pat

that's a tough one. I'm sure he is expecting the same type of play that you do at Joliet. I guess you have to ask yourself this question. It you didn't have previous heavy losses and a larger bankroll, how would that affect your upcoming trip? Would you have gambled more? He's giving you some nice amenities. If it were me (and it isn't), knowing that I would never go back there again to a casino that has no affiliations, I would not have accepted the offer from someone I consider a friend.

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I guess my thought is that he's gotta know (assume) that I won't be coming back down there regularly, so I wouldn't play like I would up here at a place I'd be visiting again. I even said to him that I only get down to St. Louis once a year - at most. There are too many other places I'd rather travel. And like I said, he's a friend, so I'm wondering if he partially invited us just because we're fun to hang out with. :) He's texted me saying "I'm definitely hanging out with you guys this time" because the last time we went to a game together (in Chicago) he got stuck hanging out with some not so fun clientele.

I am debating whether I should text him beforehand though and just give him a heads up.

I think I'd pass on the offer and ask him to keep you in mind for future offers when you're better funded. Or as RiverSong suggested let him know upfront that you're willing to change hotels and/or pay for some of the trip.

I also don't even know what his position is down there. He went to Majestic Star in Indiana after leaving Harrah's, as Director of Player Development. Then got laid off from MS in May. Then a month later texts me that he's now with Lumiere in St. Louis - so I of course ask if he moved down there? He said no, he still lives up here, and only goes down when he has events or big players in town. So I guess for this trip he'll be there Sunday - Thursday because he's going to all three Cubs games.

I don't know how you're a host without a physical presence, and he's not listed on the website as a host, so I'm curious as to what he actually does... was going to hopefully get the deets this weekend.

I would explain your situation to him. Maybe not do the hotel but get the suite baseball tix.

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I think I'd contact him and tell him that you'll have to pass because you don't have a bankroll to justify the comps. If he's inviting you as a friend, he'll let you know that it's not a problem. If he's inviting you as a friendly host, he'll probably thank you and extend the offer another time...

Yes, I would be upfront and tell him that you will not be gambling hard, unless you get a really nice HP, and then you will be happy to recycle some of it!! Ask him if this will make a difference on his offer, put it in his hands. If he says no, will not make a difference, go, have a good guilt free time on their dime!

Blasé, I can only say if you are giving it this much thought, I believe you know the answer. If he is a truly good friend who means something to you, I would have to tell him thanks for the offer, but no thanks. A friend is worth more than a game, even with VIP seats. Save your money for next month. You love Vegas, you get a lot out of it, and though only $500, I would much rather have it for Vegas.

I would probably explain it to him since I am sure if you don't let him know and only play that $500 I'm sure he wouldn't be willing to help you out in the future but if you're not going to have any ties to him either anymore not sure what to tell you I just wouldn't want to intentionally low ball a host who is hooking ya up. Deffinately a tough scenario.

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Originally Posted by zeus

Blasé, I can only say if you are giving it this much thought, I believe you know the answer. If he is a truly good friend who means something to you, I would have to tell him thanks for the offer, but no thanks. A friend is worth more than a game, even with VIP seats. Save your money for next month. You love Vegas, you get a lot out of it, and though only $500, I would much rather have it for Vegas.

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I was going to say the samething.

Jen. How's your kitty? Did he perk up after getting back home after Hammond?

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yeah, like everyone else said, just be up front and tell him. He may still say to come anyway- you don't know his situation, might need to just hit some numbers on getting a certain amount of players into the casino and has a nice budget to spend on it, so a $500 bankroll may do. Or if he really is expecting big play, and you tell him you can't he'll appreciate you letting him know.

Sell some of the ex's stuff and build up the bankroll..lol

I just texted him and he said don't worry about it. He said he promised to take me to a game this summer and that's what he's doing (we were supposed to go to a cubs game up here but when he got laid off by MS he had to renege on the tickets).

He said just play, use your card and do your best. He has a feeling I'm going to be lucky, lol. We'll see! He also said it was ok to use our own cards, or do it whichever way we like. He also mentioned it's better to spread the play out over both days, which I thought was odd, but if that's better for him I'll do it.




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Originally Posted by kdk

yeah, like everyone else said, just be up front and tell him. He may still say to come anyway- you don't know his situation, might need to just hit some numbers on getting a certain amount of players into the casino and has a nice budget to spend on it, so a $500 bankroll may do. Or if he really is expecting big play, and you tell him you can't he'll appreciate you letting him know.

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I do think this might be the situation since he said, "but Karie will gamble too right?" And he knows she doesn't gamble a ton... So maybe he is just trying to hit a certain amount of players.


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Originally Posted by TwoArmedBandito

Jen. How's your kitty? Did he perk up after getting back home after Hammond?

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She is better, thanks for asking. Her thyroid numbers are high so I'm taking her for another check next week. Scott is actually going to watch her this weekend so I don't have to rely on the cat sitter; she'll do better with him around.


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Hi, I am glad you contacted him and got your answer. Have a great time in my hometown! I work right by the stadium so I know how crazy it gets for Cubs-Cards! Wednesday is the day game and it will be crazy busy! If you get a chance on Monday during the day, head over to Ballpark Village, lots of good places to eat! Have a great time!

I think you probably feel better now having talked to him and explaining your situation. Now go, enjoy yourself, and maybe somewhere down the road you'll be able give him a trip that I know would boost his numbers!

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Originally Posted by tee2green

I think you probably feel better now having talked to him and explaining your situation. Now go, enjoy yourself, and maybe somewhere down the road you'll be able give him a trip that I know would boost his numbers!

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Yes, I do feel better. I gave him plenty of outs and he honestly sounds like he doesn't care. Oh, found out he's a "vendor," whatever that means, so he can gamble and drink at that casino (I know hosts usually can't play where they work).

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Originally Posted by Elf70

I think I'd pass on the offer and ask him to keep you in mind for future offers when you're better funded. Or as RiverSong suggested let him know upfront that you're willing to change hotels and/or pay for some of the trip.

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I agree with this.

You should tell him your plan ahead of time so he knows...which probably means you will stay home and save your $ for vegas

How did the trip go @Blase?


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Originally Posted by MNvegasgal

How did the trip go @Blase?


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It was fabulous!

We got there around noon on Sunday. Funny thing is Nick was on the road at the same time as us, so he kept texting us (while driving!) and I had Karie respond. We ended up meeting him at a gas station in Springfield to fill up. Then somehow we beat him there, so we got checked in at the Four Seasons and then went down to Ozzie's sports bar at the casino to watch football. Nick got us VIP Lounge passes (where the drinks are free unlike in the casino) but it didn't open til 4 on Sunday, so we hung out at the bar for a while and then went to the casino until it opened. None of us won anything at that time.

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Then once the lounge opened, we hung out there for a while, and essentially had dinner there - the food was excellent and they had a variety of stuff! Like mini roast beef sandwiches, pizza, a salad bar, shrimp cocktail, wings, tons of desserts... it was plenty of food. Then back to the casino to gamble. I had a nice $800 win on Wonder 4 Jackpots (no pic) and then got this nice royal for $400.

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Eventually some other guys coming in for the trip got there and we hung out with them for a while. Finally around 11:00 we ended up going to the Landing, which is a bunch of bars right by the hotel. We went to this place called Joey B's, where they have a "wall of shots." We each ordered shots for the others and we had to guess what they were! It was fun. Stayed here til about 1 a.m. I think!

Monday we had a lazy morning and eventually made it down to the pool. Karie and I had a great day sitting in the sun and getting in some pool time. Wasn't planning on drinking because of the prior night's hijinks but you know me, I couldn't resist for very long! We also got a bbq pizza and some tortilla chips/guac out there and just charged it to the room (per Nick). Nick came down and hung with us and kept asking us to go have lunch with him, but we were enjoying the pool.

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Then back to the room around 3:30 to freshen up. We had to meet everyone in the lounge by 5:30 to head to the game, so that's what we did, except the shuttle bus was full and long lines to wait for the next one, so the three of us just took a cab, lol. The suite was awesome! Brats, hot dogs, full nacho bar, and some other stuff. To drink it was just beer and soda, but someone (not sure who) brought in two bottles of Ketel, so we were drinking Ketel and cranberry/Sprite. The Cubs won 4-1, we *almost* saw a no-hitter! Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

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After the game we took a rikshaw back (hilarity as Karie had to sit on our laps) and then just gambled for a while. This is when Karie was on fire. She wanted to play Wonka and we played a couple different versions until she settled on the Pure Imagination. She was betting $1.00 or $1.50 the whole time and got some serious Ooompa Bonuses - one for $250, one for $270, and the biggie, a full screen of wilds/Willy with a 5x multiplier for $445!! I think she cashed out up $850 for the night!!

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By this time I was exhausted, but I didn't want to leave her alone so I sat nearby losing money on Geisha, until I decided to go play the 3 reel Willy, and ended up getting a bonus on max bet where I won about $360. We finally headed to the rooms at around 1:30, when all of a sudden Karie grabs my arm and says, "there's Rizzo!" "And Arrieta!" Well it turns out most of the Cubs were in the casino gambling. Then of course we couldn't leave, we had to stay and stalk for a bit! Hee hee! Karie tried to get a few pictures but it was hard to do without being obvious.

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I was really good in that I didn't use my ATM cards at all and just played with the $600 ish that I had in my purse. Even though I had a couple of nice wins, I only ended up ahead about $150. I'll take it, though! Karie won about $300 overall (guess she lost a lot on Sunday!) And obviously I gambled enough, as we had about $250 in charges from the pool and valet parking, and it was all comped off! It was weird in that we had to email a host, Nick himself couldn't do it, but she got back to me the same day and said all charges would be waived! Darn it should've ordered more drinks at the pool! :)

Also, I really loved the machine selection there. They had lots of old Aristos, even some that I'd never seen before. The layout of the casino was really nice and airy too. I wouldn't make a trip down there just for gambling, but would definitely go back next summer to see a game.


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Wow blase cannot believe you saw a bunch of Cubs! Very cool. I've seen David Wright of my Mets in Vegas and got giddy.

And congrats on the winning trip and getting charges taken off at the end!


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Sounds like an fabulous trip! Thanks for the write up. I need a gambling buddy like your friend.

Jen, so glad to hear it was a great trip! The wonderful pics show it. Thanks for the TR!

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Great trip, sorry the cards lost.

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Originally Posted by Luckylinda123

Great trip, sorry the cards lost.

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We were rooting for the Cubs, so it was all good!


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Originally Posted by DK528

Wow blase cannot believe you saw a bunch of Cubs! Very cool. I've seen David Wright of my Mets in Vegas and got giddy.

And congrats on the winning trip and getting charges taken off at the end!


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It was neat. The team was staying at our hotel, which we knew ahead of time, so we knew there'd be a good chance we'd see a few players. I never saw anyone in the lobby but Karie and Nick did. In fact every time we saw Nick he was telling us how he saw so and so. Here's his pic with Rizzo and "Grandpaw," the catcher Ross.

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And I guess Karie saw Joe Maddon in the lobby reading a newspaper, and she said she was in the elevator with a bunch of players but they were all speaking Spanish. We were pretty sure there were some Cubs wives at the pool with us on Monday too. One really pretty woman kept taking selfies of herself. [emoji4]

The one player Karie really wanted to see was Kris Bryant, but he eluded us.

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Sounds like a fun trip. Blasé, you look so happy (and beautiful) -- I don't think I've ever seen a bad picture of you, now that I think about it. The goodness shines through, even if you're losing.

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Originally Posted by Blase

Also, I really loved the machine selection there. They had lots of old Aristos, even some that I'd never seen before. The layout of the casino was really nice and airy too. I wouldn't make a trip down there just for gambling, but would definitely go back next summer to see a game.


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Sounds like you had a good time and while if they had old Aristocrat you have never seen that is pretty crazy but it's some of the titles that you've never seen before?

[QUOTE=Blase;144434]We were rooting for the Cubs, so it was all good!



You are from Chicago but we are from Missouri. Lived in Columbia so kc royals and stl cardinal baseball are our teams.

[QUOTE=Luckylinda123;144463]

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Originally Posted by Blase

We were rooting for the Cubs, so it was all good!



You are from Chicago but we are from Missouri. Lived in Columbia so kc royals and stl cardinal baseball are our teams.

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Ah, gotcha. I don't think I ever knew that! Are the Cards still in wild card contention?


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Originally Posted by dvandentop

Sounds like you had a good time and while if they had old Aristocrat you have never seen that is pretty crazy but it's some of the titles that you've never seen before?

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Yeah, there was one with fairies and butterflies that I've never seen, and a witch themed one. Wish I took pics!!


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[QUOTE=Blase;144467][QUOTE=Luckylinda123;144463]

Ah, gotcha. I don't think I ever knew that! Are the Cards still in wild card contention?


I had to ask the true fan. Yes tied for 2nd place wild card spot

I enjoyed sitting close to Harry Carey at Cubs spring training games here in Mesa. The cardinals train at ft Lauderdale Florida. Harry was all you would expect him to be and a huge flirt.

Sounds like you had a great time Blase - if you plan another trip, let me know, I can show you around!

Thanks for filling us in. Sounds like a great place. Man.. I would have been so stoked to see any of "my boys" out and about in the Casino. I plan on meeting Brian Dozier someday.. working on making that happen.