Checking back at my notes I actually got in .7 hours at $50 to $150. I was the only one at the $25 min table and I kept my chips in a big sloppy pile clumsily putting bets out..that may have helped. Don't remember if they figured it out or I left because I hit my stop win.

Pretty sure I got backed off at least twice on return trips. One of the times a friend and I were kicked off less than 15 minutes. There's usually at least one pit boss staring the entire first deck or two. I don't have the same bankroll any more so I'll probably try the $10 to $30 stakes this upcoming trip and see if it's as sweaty(I expect it will be.)

Ha I think ELCo sweats everything. Probably an argument that they’ll sweat $10-$30 more than $50-$150. The $10 to $30 probably fits in better with there usual low end counters. $50-$150 there thinking you’re an ELCo high roller and they don’t want to scare you off.

Not sure it's really craft, but at the V this summer, I asked for "something more malty than hoppy" and the waitress was nice enough to bring me a Newcastle.

Don’t really want to hijack this thread too much but how fancy a drink can you get at some of the bigger rooms nowadays (Venetian, Wynn, Aria)?

Mojitos, pina coladas, Moscow mules still okay?

Or is it rum and cokes basically.


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I'm not positive on the mules but you can definitely get a Pina colada, daiquiri, margarita etc

Caesars Poker Room usually has Dogfish Head 60 and 90 minute IPA available

Yeah, that's the one.

Those ain’t fancy, I’m sure you can order anywhere. Ask for a vieux carre or a Hemingway daiquiri if you want to see a blank look on the waitress’s face.

Generally they will make you any cocktail they know how to make and have the ingredients for but it’s the quality of the booze that is in the cocktail that will be variable.

As promised, here is my Trip Report about the beers I found and where I found them. As expected if you want Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light, Miller Light, etc. you can get them at any casino at the table. At each place I play I would ask the following when the nice beverage person came around:

"What do you have for IPAs?"
and
"What are the darkest beers you have?"

I figured I could get the most info that way. Often the answer to the IPA would be, "Yes we have the IPA". Most often a place would just have 1 IPA and usually it would be Goose Island.

As it turns out everybody has New Castle and almost everybody had Guinness (in a bottle, not the can or draft). So no fun porters or stouts. Also no local pub beer at the table. But where did I play and what else did I find?

- Goose Island IPA

Golden Nugget
Mirage
Excalibur
Ballys
I think Planet Hollywood had it too.

- Saint Archer IPA - never had this before found it pretty good!

Planet Hollywood
One other casino had this but I can't remember where

- Ballast Point Sculpin IPA

Harrahs
I believe Flamingo had it as well but can't be sure.

And sometimes you just gotta have a Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri:


For my money ($1 a drink) I believe the best value is the Sculpin. I also do like New Castle and Guinness so a nice change up with those. And speaking of value..

Play 4 hours at Ballys (during a 24 hour period I think) and get a free Paris buffet voucher. Fully transferable and never expires. Play 3 hours at Planet Hollywood between 5:00 am and 2:00 pm get a free buffet voucher for their buffet. Also fully transferable and never expires. Good stuff!

Thanks for the report. I'm hoping to do similar research there in Nov or Dec.

Sculpin is a good beer, totally agree that’s your best bet. Not a Newcastle fan. Do you know if the Guinness was the draught bottle or the regular bottle? I really prefer the draught.

The draught bottle.

I'm not into Newcastle, either, anymore, thanks to that one night, almost 25 years ago. French onion soup, also, same incident. But, it and Fat Tire got me off macro-brews, with the assist from Sierra Neveda Pale Ale. Speaking of SNPA, and getting back on-topic, it should be available (has been, in the past) @ Caesar's Palace (the bar near the poker room had it, not sure if you can order it at the table)

It was indeed the draught bottle And I do believe Plant Hollywood had Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at the table, but I did not get one.

The challenge there is getting a game started before 11 a.m. Isn't easy. Hopefully you have 3 friends. Forget what many have called the worst buffet on the Strip and opt for the comp for the pizza joint by the sports book instead.

Which imported beer is free at the tables? Also what is the highest quality of vodka and whiskey that is free?

All the cocktails now seem to be in these little itty bitty glasses that kind of ruin the cocktail

Er...

Imported beer isn't better than American made beer. It isn't like spudz mackenzie will be skateboarding you over a Bud Light if you don't want it. Also, after a few vodkas or whiskeys it all tastes the same Dewars and Jack are usually the top shelf.

Every casino is different.

I heard IPAs go bad after a month or two and you should only buy them from snooty craft beer shops that restock often. I don't know how good they'd be in the bottle at a casino. When I bought Stone IPA from the grocery store it was meh, even after pouring it into a pint glass and letting it sit a little. I loved it on on draft from the bar.

That would surprise me. My understanding of the name is that the British (back in the colonial days) found that the excess of hops acted as a preservative, keeping the beer better on the long boat trips to India from England.

But maybe I'm imaging that I heard that too.

I have heard that too. Quick google search suggests that they're still safe to drink for years, but start to lose flavor after a couple of months.

Hipster neckbeard types (I shaved recently, so, not me!) seek out fresh canned IPAs from local breweries, not big-box liquor stores like Wine Mo or Total Bev or even the local grocery. It makes a difference how old they are and how they are stored.

I imagine beer sitting on the shelf of the MGM or Caesar's warehouse for months, improper stock rotation, heat/cooling issues, etc. This will impact on the flavor of the beer.

Macro brews don't have this issue, because their flavor profile is so bland to begin with. Bud Light tastes like Bud Light, every time.

If a beer in a Vegas bar moves that slow, I would guess it's out the door. I can't imagine a Strip bar keeps a beer in a bottle for more than a week.