East Coast Gambler -

This was a slow week after a fun time in Atlantic City last weekend.  I waited outside of Harrah’s for a cab, without a coat for 15 minutes, and caught a cold.  Oh well, such is life.  I ended up about even and didn’t pay for a meal so the trip was good.  The next few weeks will be off and on since I will be away on business.  I’ll forward out any interesting articles I see on twitter, so follow me in you like.

• Meadowlands Begs New Jersey To Let Them Have Slots
• It’s Official: TropIcahna Approved
• Trip Notes In Pictures
• Sands Isn’t Killing Anyone Besides Itself
• Seven Stars Insider: Feb-March

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Here are my trip notes in reverse chronological order via pictures on my tumblr page.  I caught a cold on Saturday night and it’s been slaying me and I don’t expect to get many more posts up this week.  For now, enjoy my trip in brief.

• Medicine
• Straight Flush!
• I found 1 of 3 quarter 9/6 Jacks or Better machines
• Time Machine Slot #2
• Time Machine Slot #1
• Handi-capable Toilet
• Club Cap Now Serves Lavazza Cofee
• Grey Goose + Soda + Lotsa Lime and Lemon
• Chillin in the 19th floor lobby
• View of Borgata from 19th floor lobby in Waterfront Tower
• Extreme Slots Winner!
• Cheeseburger with fried egg. Great Hangover cure, but looks nasty!
• Penny Slot.  No idea what was happening here.
• 4 of a kind! Good morning!
• Sign says up way too early
• Arriving at Harrahs
• 79 Miles to go!

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Doing a check of video poker inventory in Atlantic City on vpFREE doesn’t show much.  Harrah’s hasn’t been updated this year, while Borgata still has plenty of good machines to play.  Here are some of my findings.

If you’re not familiar with vpFREE, it is a database of video poker pay tables that are updated by video poker players.  It’s a great resource if you play a specific game like me.  I always check to see where the Jacks or Better machines are.

Bally’s (last updated: Feb 10, 10 04:35 AM UTC)

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(2) 25¢ Up in Park Place Video Poker area
(4) 25¢ Up near poker area, towards cashier
(4) $1 Prog Up in Park Place to the right of the big six wheel
(3) $1 3 Play Slant in Diamond Pointe immediately to the left after entering
(1) $1 3 Play Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(4) $1 1 Play Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(4) $1, $2 Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(1) $10 Up in Diamond Pointe
(1) $25 Up in Diamond Pointe

99.17% BP 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-40-80-50-800 BP (FP)
(3) $1 3 Play Slant in Diamond Pointe immediately to the left after entering
(1) $1 3 Play Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(4) $1, $2 Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(3) $5 Slant in back of Diamond Pointe
(1) $5 Up in Diamond Pointe
(1) $5 1/3 Play Slant in Diamond Pointe against opposite wall from doorway entrance
(1) $10 Up in Diamond Pointe
(1) $25 Up in Diamond Pointe
(1) 25¢ Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(9) 25¢ Prog Slant in Park Place to the right of the Big Six Wheel
(7) 25¢ 3 Play Prog Slant in Park Place near Big Six Wheel
(4) $1 Prog Slant in Park Place Video Poker area

99.11% DB 1-1-3-5-7-9-50-80-160-50-800
(4) $1 Slant in Park Place Video Poker area
(1) $5 Up in Diamond Pointe

(3) $5 Slant in the back of Diamond Pointe
99.00% JWD 1-1-4-6-8-10-25-50-100-1000
(5) 25¢ Slant Game King bank in Little Joe’s (WWW) 2nd Row from back wall
(3) 25¢ Up non-smoking section of Park Place Poker just opposite the casino host desk

Borgata (last updated: Feb 10, 10 04:35 AM UTC)

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(14) 25¢ Slant (Panel says Joker Poker) near the buffet
(6) 25¢ Up (Panel says Joker Wild Poker) between buffet & box office by the ATM
(4)  25¢ Slant in video poker area near the buffet
(8) 25¢ Up by high energy slots (one side of bank is 8/5, other side is 9/6)
(13) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Slant (various names on them – including Either way Royals, Triple Bonus Plus, Draw Poker) These are the next bank up from a huge sign that says Joker Poker – that bank is all 8/5’s between B-bar and the new section of the Borgata
(14) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Slant near buffet
(6) 25¢ Up just into new section of casino by change booth
(10) 25¢, 50¢ Slant (2 panels say draw poker, 8 say Joker Wild Poker) just outside of B-bar entrance
(11) 25¢, 50¢, $1 @ the B-bar
(6) 50¢ Slant (panel says Draw Poker) 2 Banks into the new section going from B-bar to Wolfgang Pucks
(10) $1, $2, $5 @ the B-bar
(4) $1, $2 Slant near the high-limit area
(6) $2, $5 Slant in high-limit area
(6) $5, $10 Slant in high-limit area
(4) $10, $25 Slant in high-limit area99.17% BP 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-40-80-50-800 BP (FP)
(3) $1, $2 Slant outside high-limit area next to roulette tables

98.98% DDB 1-1-3-4-6-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800 DDB (FP)
(4) 25¢ Slant in video poker area near the buffet
(6) $1, $2 next to main cashier at ends of $1 bank

97.25% DJW 1-2-3-3-3-5-8-10-25-800-2000(11) 25¢, 50¢, $1 @ the B-bar
(10) $1, $2, $5 @ the B-bar
(5) 25¢, 50¢, $1 located between the Italian restaurant and The Salon ( High Limit Table Area )

Caesars (last updated: Dec 07, 09 03:39 AM UTC)

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(7) 25¢ Prog Slant behind escalator near the Emperor’s Club
(3) $1, $2, $5 Slant about 3 rows past BJ tables as you walk towards Pacific Avenue
$2 Slant $2 Game Kings in high-limit room

99.11% DB 1-1-3-5-7-9-50-80-160-50-800
(2) 25¢ Up on the rear right wall near the race book. Some on this row are short pay

98.98% DDB 1-1-3-4-6-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800 DDB (FP)
(5) $1, $2, $5 Slant in middle of casino near mens rooom on left

Harrah’s (last updated: Sep 14, 09 08:14 PM UTC)

99.54% JoB 1-2-3-4-6-9-25-50-800 JoB (FP)
(4) $1, $2 Slant in Diamond Cove
(3) $5, $10 Slant in Diamond Cove
(2) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Up near the Xhibition Bar (2 of three in group)
(1) 25¢, 50¢, $1, $2 Up near the Xhibition Bar (1 of three in group)

98.98% DDB 1-1-3-4-6-9-50-80-160-160-400-50-800 DDB (FP)
(8) $1 Prog Up around a circle to the left of Xhibition Bar (with your back to women’s bathroom)
(2) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Up near the Xhibition Bar (2 of three in group)
(1) 25¢, 50¢, $1, $2 Up near the Xhibition Bar (1 of three in group)
(10) 25¢, 50¢, $1 Third carousel down from Total Rewards booth w/”World Series of Poker” sign

97.30% JoB 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-50-800
(8) $1 Prog Up around a circle to the left of Xhibition Bar (with your back to women’s bathroom)

These are the casinos that I will probably visit on my next trip.  To see all of the pay tables at the east coast casinos, head over to vpFREE.

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I was able to get a few more reviews from my trip to Las Vegas up.  I’m almost done!  I can’t believe that I didn’t get to gambling earlier.  That’s not my nature.  I think I was excited to use the pictures I took.  Here’s the week in review.

• Delaware Death Blow To AC, Legalizes Table Games
• Carne Vino Take 2
• MGM Mirage Selling Borgata; Leaving Atlantic City
• Thoughts on City Center
• Casa Di Amore

Happy to say that this is my first post from my new MacBook.  It’s going to take a little getting used to, but I love the way everything looks and works.  Here’s my favorite video of the week from ECG.

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Updated to to poor grammar.

The Wall Stree Journal (Reuters article posted because it’s free) is reporting that MGM Mirage announced that they will be divesting is looking to divest their half of the Borgata for greener pastures in Macau.

The (Wall Street) Journal said MGM has faced scrutiny from New Jersey gaming regulators due its business partner in Macau.

MGM hopes its plan to sell its Atlantic City interests will convince New Jersey regulators to curtail their oversight of the company, the Journal said, adding that any additional scrutiny had the potential to cause problems with MGM Mirage’s business elsewhere.

The casino operator is pushing ahead with its plan to list its Macau operations on the Hong Kong stock exchange, hoping to raise up to $500 million as early as the second quarter of this year.

New Jersey has been messing around with MGM Mirage for almost a year.  Now one of the better casino operators is likely leaving Atlantic City.  I think Boyd Gaming will be able to hold Borgata together for a while.

Carl Icahn seems to be the only person buying casino properties so I’m curious to see who will purchase MGM’s half of the casino.  Maybe this will be an entry point for one of the other casino operators that have been rumored to open a casino over the years.  We’ll see.

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The Atlantic City Press has a great article looking back at the past year and forward to this year for each Atlantic City casino.  Click here to see all of the analyst comments.  Below are the bullets for each casino.  I covered most of this as it was announced (go me!), but here’s a consolidated list.

Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino

Opened: May 14, 1984

Owner: Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc.

Employees: 2,187

2009 revenue: $202.3 million

Trump Plaza’s dismal performance in 2009 included a 28.7 percent decline in table game revenue and a 20.2 percent drop in slot winnings. The property will likely fall below $200 million in revenue in 2010. In 2005, it had more than $303 million in revenue.

This Boardwalk casino could use a facelift. Not much has happened since the casino floor was remodeled in 2006. Its architecture is hopelessly outdated. The Boardwalk entryway is like a portal to the 1980s.

Whoever wins in the bankruptcy fight over the Trump casinos will have to decide whether to unload the Plaza or upgrade it to take advantage of its prime Boardwalk location.

In what seems far-fetched now, in the pre-recession days of 2006, casino titans Donald Trump and Steve Wynn briefly played with the idea of redeveloping the Plaza into a

$3 billion megaresort.

Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort

Opened: April 2, 1990

Owner: Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc.

Employees: 4,097

2009 revenue: $446 million

Donald Trump once boasted that this Indian-themed gaming palace was the “eighth wonder of the world.” Although it falls short of that lofty assessment, it did prove to be one of the few casino standouts in a dreadful year. The Taj joined Borgata as the only casinos that avoided double-digit revenue declines. For the Taj, it was 7.6 percent.

Moreover, the Taj was the only casino to have only a single-digit decline in both slot and table game revenue. Taj’s ace is its new 800-room hotel tower. Opened in Labor Day 2008, the $255 million expansion has generated extra hotel and convention business without using slot machines or table games as the main attraction. The tower is completely gaming-free.

Taj’s new owner will get the new tower, a remodeled casino, surrounding property good for expansion and the world-famous Steel Pier amusement park. Trump Entertainment flirted with redevelopment plans for the historic pier, but always lacked the money. With the right vision, and enough financing, a revamped pier jutting 1,000 feet over the ocean could become, well, the “eighth wonder of the world.”

Trump Marina Hotel Casino

Opened: June 17, 1985

Owner: Trump Entertainment Resorts Inc.

Employees: 1,799

2009 revenue: $162.6 million

Trump Marina is the cellar-dweller for gaming revenue. Overshadowed by Marina District neighbors Harrah’s Resort and Borgata, the smallest of the three Trump casinos pulled in only $10 million in revenue in December. That was 25 percent lower than December of 2008.

For 2009, Trump Marina’s slot winnings plummeted 19.2 percent, to $125.3 million, and table game revenue fell 23 percent, to $37.3 million. Its total revenue of $162.6 million was even less than the $176.6 million that the tiny Sands Casino Hotel had in its last full year of operation in 2005.

The Sands closed down in November 2006 and was imploded a year later to make room for a proposed new casino. Analysts wonder whether Trump Marina awaits the same fate. Efforts to sell the Marina for $270 million failed last year, and now the casino is part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy battle for the entire Trump Entertainment gaming empire.

Icahn is vying with a bondholder group backed by Donald Trump for control of the Trump casinos. A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge is scheduled to rule in February whether Icahn or the bondholders will take over.

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Quite a bit of news this week from Atlantic City to Las Vegas and back to Connecticut.  I suffered a small scare as all of the tags and categories on ECG disappeared.  I messed around and got everything back to normal.

I started a tumblr blog this week.  I’ll be posting some fun off topic stuff (videos, pictures, etc) there as well as articles I don’t have time to touch on during the week.  ECG and the tumblr will feed into my twitter account so if you follow me on twitter you will have everything.

TConnecto the week in review…

• Love…Viva Elvis
• Bally’s Upcoming Renovations
• Trump Gives Up
• Borgata Blackjack Bingo!
• Low Ballin For Disaster at Fontainebleau
• Resorts Giving Up
• Week 11 NFL Picks
• Foxwoods Financial Troubles

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