A Pirate Looks at 65
05.23.2021 I was out on a leave of absence*
Hey Now! Welcome back my friends! It's like we never left. Well, 6 weeks or so. But since Vegas is still a bit iffy as far as I'm concerned, Mark and I decided on AC for my 65th birthday. We did Vegas 5 years ago for my A Pirate Looks at 60 trip. I booked us 3 nights at Resorts in a suite with an adjoining room. Stephanie was very accommodating. Plus, Dougherty's Steakhouse and Raw Bar is open so she set us up with res. and a comp tomorrow on my actual birthday. We left Sweet Ti and our feline multitudes at 4 am and blasted at breakneck speed in Foxy up the Eastern Shore to Lewes. Pulled in right on time.
just enough time too...
Onward into Jersey, they are just about finished all the construction on the Parkway save for on small stretch. We rolled in just after 11 am. Maggie said my room wasn't ready, but Mark's was. So we stashed our stuff. Must be a late check out for my room. I mean it is Sunday and all. That's cool, I'm in no big rush for my room. We go down for a walkabout. Over between the 5 o'clock everywhere bar and the club they have moved out all on the remaining VP machines and are in the process of installing some sort of Stadium gaming machines. I want to know where my DSTP game ended up. I find it near the Soup Nazi. They have nestled the VP machines amongst unassuming slot machines. Overall, their VP inventory seems to have taken a hit. But my DSTP is intact. I dial up .25 DDP 3 hand and insert coin.
Where's my spinner?????
Sex IN the City
Obligatory Famiglia lunch special
Heat 'em Up is living up to it's name.
Joint's really hopping!
So is check in. But turns out my room still isn't ready. "They are cleaning it right now!" said Maggie. Mark is in his room, and I call him. He confirms said cleaning. "Vacuum's running next door" said Mark. Any hour now.
Cracked Glass Special
So while I'm enjoying playing Sweet Ti's favorite machine, today's local, Hector strikes up a conversation. "Are you winning?" Why, as a matter of fact, I am Hector. How about you? "Well, not today" Turns out Hector is from Brigantine. "Cheers, mate" Ta Hector. Maggie texted me to come and pick up my room keys. 4:30. The previous occupant had a seriously late checkout. Rm 5219. I would rather have an even room looking downbeach, but it's cool. I went on up and grabbed my stuff from next door. Mark and I kick back in the "living room" for a bit and I take a shower.
Stretch makes friends easily
Sweet Ti and I chat for a bit. She has her sister Ri over and they are having a Scrabble tourney. After, Mark and I ease on down back into the action. Hollyrock Hills becons.
We peruse this particular machine. It's 5. denom, 2 credits max bet. But the progressive obviously starts at 1k rather than 5k. Pretty juicy payouts for the other pays though. I decide to invest a hundy and insert coin. I have 10 chances. I get squat the first 9. Last try...
cashed that out....
We hit a few other machines there and nothing was paying off. Mark wants to find a BJ table and I'm pretty much toast. I wish him luck and head back aloft. Ti and I talk again. We are missing each other. Funny how that works. We have been together mostly non-stop for the past 15 months. It's about 8:45, which is getting late for me. We say goodnight and I'm getting ready for bed. Then the room phone rings. When's the last time that's happened? I answer it. "Room service" said Room service. "We are outside your door with a gift." I tell them I'll be right there. So I throw on some clothes, grab an Abe for a tip, and answer the door. "Complements of Resorts. Happy Birthday!"
Well Boy Howdy!
I texted the reason behind this, our host Steph. She's off today and tomorrow but promptly answers me. "You're welcome!! Enjoy and Happy Birthday е¶ (simulated emojis) The bag is for Martina once you eat the junk. She gets a gift too." Well, she is going to the OBX in July. She can take the wine down there too. Mark can have the Coors Light. I try a piece of the cake. It's pretty fancy. Well, it's been an auspicious beginning to our trip. I'm up around 500. I earned 13 points. But the points keep adding up till 5:59 a.m. Chances are I'll be back down earning more before then. Old habits......
05.24.1956
2021 From any resemblance to reality*
Hey Now! Sure enough, 3:30 am. Funny, I don't feel like a Silver Citizen. Damn sure look like one though.
DSTP you Crack Whore Bitch. Her new location is interesting. They are spacing out these VP machines with slots in between. Same thing with a bunch of the old school 3 reel machines. Some of them hadn't been moved in years. Meanwhile the working girl coughed up this.
apropos
This morning is going rather lovely. Time for the inevitable. Roll #5 for us please Jimmy.......
Sorry about the quality of that one. Trying out a new filming method. Can that.
Ridin' that Ol' W4 Train. The OTHER Crack Whore. I was changing up my bets. That's about the only way to stay in business on these as it's 8. max bet. But I managed to get that 524. ticket up over 800. I'll tap out with that. Cheers!
just walk away Reeeennnneeee
All of this can be yours if..... It's 5:58 a.m. Time to hit the kiosk for the day's totals. Remember as far as Resorts gaming is concerned it's still yesterday.
No rhyme or reason to earning the illusive daily points
Time to start over with the stroke of 6 a.m. I take a break to ponder a bit upstairs. I am 500. up for real real, not for play play.
Here's a random ponder for y'all. In that last picture if you make it bigger, you may notice the daylight shining through a few floors. 12 to be exact. It is much more obvious with your own eyes. They have made it through 2 entirely different casino iterations without being completed. I guess it would be interesting to walk around in there. Been to Ocean exactly once since they opened for a chip for my collection. When it was Revel, they had the old Hangover machines. Loved them. I used to get lost in there all the time. Supposedly they fixed that issue. Wonder if they renamed the floors.....
hope not
Sweet Ti called to wish me happy birthday and we facetimed as I opened my cards that Sweet Ti had tucked into my knapsack. Thanks Baby Duck! Time to head back down to the action. Interesting sight awaited me in the elevator. Someone took the sign a bit too literally.
"and don't call me Shirley"
This looks interesting.
I haven't ever tried this iteration before, believe it or slurp it. I dial up .50 8/5 Boner Deluxe. 3 play. 9. a spin bet. 6 credits per hand.
I cashed out an even 1k and inserted a fresh hundy. Let's try some .50 8/5 DDB. I know, shitty paytable. But oh- those multipliers.....
Time to boogie.
Two o's !!!
World's largest koozie
Queue up that Buffalo once again please James>>>>
that went bad like now
Thank god the Tiki torch is burning, right Jimmy????
Once again, took the money and ran. Mark joins me for a round of Heat 'em Up.
Well that was fun. Birthday luck appears to be abounding today. I'm thinking maybe some slant VP. Mark tries the .26 DDB progressive, but the machine won't take his money or a TITO. So he sits next to me and watches as I dial up some 9/5 . DDB.
I hold 2 Pointies.....
Hey Now!
Look's like I picked the right day to turn 65. My buddy Deb shows up to pay me. I always like to get paid by someone I know. I toke Deb and give Mark a hundy. It's time to go up and make a bank deposit. Unbeknownst to me Mark took this shot and posted it on FB.
So before I could even get out of the elevator, my phone blows up. Suddenly one of my granddaughters texts. "I didn't know you were in AC Granddaddy. Oh, and Happy Birthday." Bless her little pea picking heart. I'm having fun bundling up a few grand. Noice. Cleo????
9. min bet
Jim Jim? Queue da Dog if you please.....
Break time. I treat Mark to a burger from Ruby's. Well, I used points anyway. Neither of us were impressed. It really shows around here the lack of willing help these fast food places have. Dunkin' is the same way. Especially last trip. After our repast, we decide on a walkabout. The gossip around these parts is that the flyover is back opened. Y'all know the one- the not so secret walkway to the Hard Rock Taj on the 2nd floor near the theater. Well how about that, it's open! So we crossover to Hard Rock Taj and make the loop around the 2nd floor. Or at least attempted to. This end of the joint is quiet and empty. The former Scores strip joint is closed. There are several conference rooms. Not a one has anything upcoming. There's a few displays of rock memorabilia. Nothing too earth shattering. We see the excalator past the Hooters. At the other end of the hall is the recently re-opened buffet. Back in the day the American Casino Guide had 2 for 1 or 50% off coupons for the buffet. They cooked Ribeyes to order and the view overlooking the beach was killer. We keep on walking and get to the shopping/ food court. It's fairly hopping. So is the casino. They can all stay here as far as I'm concerned. I wanted to show Mark the White House sub shop. He's never had one of these lovely treats. The line is out the door. Good thing we aren't ordering.
Hidden Porte-cochére
We soon ran out of real estate. So much for a loop. Time for an alternative plan. We go downstairs and begin looking for exit doors to Pennsylvania Ave. There's some! We end up at the bus parking area of Resorts. That saved a bunch of walking. Cool.
Hit Hans please Jim-
It's a Bier.......Haus
The hits just keep coming
Cashman Bingo is up next please J.J.>>>>>>>>>>>
Time to get ready for dinner.
Shower Ninja
Dear Steph has graced us with a very generous comp to Dougherty's Steakhouse which is in the middle of it's soft opening. We ease on down/up to the previously Gallaghers location. We are greeted at the entrance by Maureen, one of the owners. She seats us and we check out the surroundings. They have done very little to change the atmosphere here. It was already very iconic and chic.
Today's locals, Jonathan and Julia appear from the back. We will be their customers this evening. Jonathan is an old hat at this having worked at one of the families other establishments, the Knife and Fork. Julie on the other hand is a newby to this gig. Relax Darlin'
these 2 are harmless
Heineken 0.0
candied bacon Queen cut prime rib Bone in Filet
thankfully they didn't sing
Well the service was excellent, Julia only needed to be prompted once to fill my water. Betsy's oysters were okay, I'm hard to please so far as oysters go. The candied bacon wasn't fatty enough, but interesting. The meats were done perfectly. Maureen came by to ask after our meal. Nice touch. I inquire about the Raw Bar's progress. They are turning the old Burger Bar into a raw bar. She said it should be ready by the ribbon cutting. J&J packaged up our leftovers and brought the bill. I gave them my player's card. The comp didn't quite cover the bill, but I also had a food comp that needed to be used up, so they used that. Perfect. Plus, I have another birthday food comp that we will use up tomorrow. I toked them very generously. The only thing missing was our 2 lovely ladies. Becky and Sweet Ti. Back to the room with the stash. Good thing I have 2 refrigerators. I'm once again toast. Mark goes off in search of a likely BJ table. I call my Sweet Ti and catch her up on our goings on. I managed to earn 27 points today and added a solid 2k to the going home BR. Happy Birthday to me!!!!
05.25.2021 I felt like a rocket launched*
Hey Now! It was all a dream I dreamed so long ago.....6:30. Nice to get 10 hours of sleep. Needed that. Sweet Ti and I have a nice chat. Then I hit the showers and munch out on some leftovers. Finally, just as I'm about to head down below Mark walks in. He's been up for an all night epic BJ session. He ended the evening up several hundy. Absence of liquor is a powerful tool. Crash time for Bucko.
Went downhill rather quickly after that.
All of the years I've been coming here and I never noticed this iteration of B7's. Hell, for that matter I can't recall seeing this version in ANY casino. This might be very tasty in a dollar or above denom. Special scatter bonus pays!!!!!! But since there's no progressive tied to it you can't tell how long it's been since the 3 Blazing 7's have been hit on the line for the 4k premium.
some random Konami game
leftover bounce back slot cash
Which I promptly lost here on 1.DDB
Tasty leftovers!!
Run that Bingo footage please there Jim....
Almost a push
W4 Jackpot. That bitch. Started out with 2 Buffalo Gold and 2 Miss Kitty at the 2. level. Bounced around a bit. Made it to 8. level.
Jimmy, where's that feline anyway??????
I did push on that session.
The obligatory Top $$$ session on Sweet Ti's favorite machine. She was playing along with me at home. Fun. Gift time.
Half a rack of luminous lawn art. Damn cute little things though. Surprisingly powerful!
Meanwhile Stretch is getting acquainted with today's local, Freddy the Friendly seagull. Take us to the play by play J.J. please!
Beach Blanket Bingo!!
Hey Now! At this point in the action, it's time for the day's major repast. We head up to Breadsticks- WHICH IS CLOSED!!!!. Hard to believe but even in the middle of summer. Closed for lunch on a Tuesday. Well that cuts back significantly on the offerings to use up this 50. food comp I have. M'Ville Restaurant is mobbed. That leaves the Landshark since neither of us likes the Noodle joint. It's a half hour wait for the Landshark, so we instead opt for the bar/lounge there and score a table next to the windows. Mark wants to go outside but that NE wind coming off of the water is brutal. And I work outside! We were promptly served by the barkeep. The food was lousy.
Between the 2 Buffet restaurants here, I've probably had 6 meals. None of them were worth a shit. Even comped! JB got too damn big.
first spin hit!
I had a blast playing these spitfire machines. These penny denom versions hit right well. Or they did this evening.
Here's where I stand so far.
I swear today went by so fast. Some days just seem to get away from you. Like a few hundy that disappeared along the way today.
05.26.2021 Into the wild blue yonder*
Hey
Now! 6 a.m. Time to pack it up and make ready. We are catching the 2:30 ferry so
we have a 1 p.m. checkout. Plenty of time to win a fortune
gambol left. I give my Sweet Ti her wakey wakey call. It will be nice to
get back home to see my baby.
Still plenty of leftovers
Let's try some more of those WWII vintage British airships please Jimmy....
Worse bonus ever???? Top 5 fer sure dude!
So that Raja dude on YouTub swears the payouts increase by 23% on Cleo with the volume cranked. So I cranked it. Seemed to work. Then I ran into today's local, Barb. We have been buddies with Barb and her old crew for years. Here's a shot from a few years back.
Barb informs me that her old shiftmate here Mignon who left for Hard Rock after getting laid off here has retired. Her hubby retired from here a while ago. And Barb is down to only working part time herself. The times they are a' changing y'all. Still.
COWABUNGA DUUDE!!!! Surf's Up Jim~
Mark stirs. He texted my for my 20. I text back "420". Turns out he had a profitable evening at the tables. Good for him!
Today's FSP
Good ol' reliable Heat
Getting real close to departure time now. As per my usual M.O., I sit down for one last VP session. Insert coin.
that'll do it
I'll spare y'all the boring details about the trip back. Suffice it to say we made it. Mark ended the trip just a few hundy down. I managed to fandangle a small profit. That's always an unexpected pleasure. oh, plus 124 points. Now if Delta will just behave.... So thanks for playing along on our adventures once again. See y'all next trip!!!
* The Tiki Bar is Open, John Hyatt