I just got back from a trip to the Trop in Vegas late last night.

Traffic was about as I expected for returning on the last day of a holiday weekend, but it was an "interesting" trip otherwise too.

Turns out in addition to the Chinese New Year over the weekend, there was the All Star Game in town, and some hip-hop "music" competition or awards thing, and also a hip-hop-ish "thugwear" clothing show on somewhere in town (the last two items were hearsay, so I can't verify those happenings for sure).

So...the folks we saw around were an entirely different crowd than we are used to seeing.

For the first time I can recall, I don't think I saw more than TWO other folks wearing cowboy hats the whole weekend! *LOL*

Also, I came away from a blackjack table holding a PINK CHIP!!!! WOW! A first for me EVER.

I actually won around 700-ish over what I started with over the whole weekend. Another high for me! Unfortunately the slots were not so generous to Sandi, so we ended up coming home about even. Although we ate "free" all weekend from the winnings, so I guess we were a bit ahead.

Now, if we can ever get the tables AND the slots to be good to both of us at the same time, we will really be set!

We were comp'd the room for the weekend, but when I called my host to see if she would comp one of our meals ($45), she said we were already actually "over comped". WHA????

Can't figure that out...we played more than we ever have this weekend...on both slots and the blackjack tables.

The only thing different is that I won. I won every time I sat down at the tables except for twice, when I dropped $100 before changing tables and luck (both times).

Seems like perhaps they were eying more than my table time this trip. I swear the fact that I won seemed to be at issue (this was backed up by some comments from others at a couple tables who also saw the pit boss eyeing my pile of chips).

The pit boss' were much more interested in my chips this time than I have ever seen them before.

I know, I know..."they only track time" for comps. I also know that $700 is small beans for them.

It just seems odd to me. Maybe, like Sandi says, I should quit trying to figure out the comp game and just take 'em where I can.

I also had another first experience...had some numbnuts charge a bar tab to my room (I remember the dude being a bit more interested in my room-charged meal than he should have been, in retrospect). The VIP gal was kind enough to remove the charge from my bill once she compared signatures, but I am a bit irritated at the goon who did it because:
(a) he drank $60 of booze for free, and
(b) he only drank $60 worth of booze for free. I mean, seriously, if you are gonna drink on someone else's tab, why stop at $60??? what a loooooooser. ;)