Artemis Windsong
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The love in me salutes the love in you. M. Williamson
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 19:32:12 GMT -5
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Post by Artemis Windsong on Nov 3, 2015 22:11:10 GMT -5
I once heard a story from a woman (and her Hubby) who was quite a gambler (not poker and not a 'professional') who while in Las Vegas was given a swanky hotel room and services as a "comp". She kept saying the room was a 'comp', I was 'comped' a lobster and champainge dinner in the expensive restaurant, etc. I couldn't figure out if it was because she had lost so much money gambling and the Casino wanted her to stay and keep loosing... or if it was because she had won too much money and the Casino wanted her to stay and keep gambling so she could loose it all back to them again... It sounded like the "comp" services and what not were all really high end... maybe it's all about the prestige of being 'comped' a 2K a night suite (even if the suite never gets that price when/if it's in the general rotation of rooms). Kinda like a 'retail price'.... The comps are based on the amount of money you gamble. I had a gambler friend who lived free in Las Vegas for several years. He was a whale.
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beergut
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Post by beergut on Nov 4, 2015 4:04:48 GMT -5
Caesar's Palace is my favorite Vegas hotel. I've stayed at nothing but great rooms there. But this year there's a big event going on that weekend so all the rooms are priced high. I booked a room at the Linq (the redone Imperial Palace, obviously banking on the "redone" part), and then things got all switched up. Some friends decided to go along. Other friends decided to go too. Then someone decided to go AND share a room. Then other people started canceling. Then others joined up, so we're staying all over the place on the Strip. Turns out I'm staying at Polo Towers, which is apparently non-smoking -- but, unfortunately, no casino. Seriously, join Total Rewards. I don't gamble enough to get comped anything, but I do get promotional hotel deals all the time. I stayed at The Linq when I went in August. They have finally completed all of the room renovations, transforming from Imperial Palace to The Quad to The Linq. It is very modern, it is similar in style to Aria or SLS. They seem to be catering to the 25-35 crowd. I went with my father and my uncle, and had a room there and at one of the hotels downtown. My father preferred the room downtown, he doesn't like the younger crowds. I really liked Linq, and found it to be fun. I am a big fan of Hash House A Go Go, and they have one at Linq. I stayed at Polo Towers 18 years ago, it was nice back then.
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beergut
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Post by beergut on Nov 4, 2015 4:06:26 GMT -5
If you have transportation while in Vega, look up the Stratosphere. Even if you don't have transportation, if you're staying on the Strip, you can take the monorail to the Stratosphere. For people who are visiting Vegas for the first time, I recommend taking the monorail and getting a multi-day pass. Trust me, your feet will thank you as you will save yourself a lot of walking. It is also a lot cheaper than taking a cab.
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seriousthistime
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 22, 2010 20:27:07 GMT -5
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Post by seriousthistime on Nov 4, 2015 8:12:28 GMT -5
Caesar's Palace is my favorite Vegas hotel. I've stayed at nothing but great rooms there. But this year there's a big event going on that weekend so all the rooms are priced high. I booked a room at the Linq (the redone Imperial Palace, obviously banking on the "redone" part), and then things got all switched up. Some friends decided to go along. Other friends decided to go too. Then someone decided to go AND share a room. Then other people started canceling. Then others joined up, so we're staying all over the place on the Strip. Turns out I'm staying at Polo Towers, which is apparently non-smoking -- but, unfortunately, no casino. Seriously, join Total Rewards. I don't gamble enough to get comped anything, but I do get promotional hotel deals all the time. I stayed at The Linq when I went in August. They have finally completed all of the room renovations, transforming from Imperial Palace to The Quad to The Linq. It is very modern, it is similar in style to Aria or SLS. They seem to be catering to the 25-35 crowd. I went with my father and my uncle, and had a room there and at one of the hotels downtown. My father preferred the room downtown, he doesn't like the younger crowds. I really liked Linq, and found it to be fun. I am a big fan of Hash House A Go Go, and they have one at Linq. I stayed at Polo Towers 18 years ago, it was nice back then. Good to know, beergut. I won't hesitate to book the Linq next year. People complain about the elevators being slow. Was that a problem for you? I also like Hash House a Go Go, and this time I'll have a fridge and microwave so I can take my leftovers home.
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Nov 4, 2015 15:21:59 GMT -5
To be honest that's not that bad of a price for what you get. Expensive sure... but there's a lot of things packed into that price. $1500 a night, and they still charge additional fees. J/K. If these places are still in business, someone must be staying there. For people with a certain net worth, $500 vs. $1500 a night probably doesn't mean much.
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Post by mojothehelpermonkey on Nov 4, 2015 16:02:48 GMT -5
I guess if they didn't charge extra for that, everyone would be demanding private hunts, yoga sessions, trail rides, and spa experiences. That last one does sound a bit sleazy.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Nov 4, 2015 19:21:56 GMT -5
Does it include meals?
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Nov 4, 2015 19:24:40 GMT -5
My friend gambles a lot, but every year, when I prepare his tax return, he has enough losses to offset his winnings.
He came to visit me here and won a lot of money for a high roller bet being a lot less then Vegas. They comped us a room because they wanted him to come back and play some more. Didn't work.
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beergut
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Post by beergut on Nov 4, 2015 20:01:31 GMT -5
My friend gambles a lot, but every year, when I prepare his tax return, he has enough losses to offset his winnings. He came to visit me here and won a lot of money for a high roller bet being a lot less then Vegas. They comped us a room because they wanted him to come back and play some more. Didn't work. Does your friend document every single casino visit, date, time, amount gambled, won/loss, etc? In order to claim losses on your tax return, you have to be able to document everything.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Nov 5, 2015 16:01:44 GMT -5
I haven't done the expensive hotel thing, but I used to travel a 2-3 times per year to Europe for my previous employer. Travel policy said for transcontinental trips use business class. $7000 per plane ticket! it was nice but not $7000 nice. Went to a lot of small towns in Europe with limited hotels though, under $100 per night for a small local hotel.
One time I remember seeing a family with young kids (maybe 7-10 years old) all 4 of them in Business Class. Did they really pay $28k for 4 of them in business class?
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DVM gone riding
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Post by DVM gone riding on Nov 5, 2015 18:02:00 GMT -5
Caesar's Palace is my favorite Vegas hotel. I've stayed at nothing but great rooms there. But this year there's a big event going on that weekend so all the rooms are priced high. I booked a room at the Linq (the redone Imperial Palace, obviously banking on the "redone" part), and then things got all switched up. Some friends decided to go along. Other friends decided to go too. Then someone decided to go AND share a room. Then other people started canceling. Then others joined up, so we're staying all over the place on the Strip. Turns out I'm staying at Polo Towers, which is apparently non-smoking -- but, unfortunately, no casino. Seriously, join Total Rewards. I don't gamble enough to get comped anything, but I do get promotional hotel deals all the time. Are you going the first weekend second week in dec?? Nfr is there and my professional organization is having a meeting too. Several hundred equine vets all iver the strip! But I can't affird to go
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Nov 5, 2015 19:27:45 GMT -5
My friend gambles a lot, but every year, when I prepare his tax return, he has enough losses to offset his winnings. He came to visit me here and won a lot of money for a high roller bet being a lot less then Vegas. They comped us a room because they wanted him to come back and play some more. Didn't work. Does your friend document every single casino visit, date, time, amount gambled, won/loss, etc? In order to claim losses on your tax return, you have to be able to document everything. He is very aware of the rules and does just that.
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seriousthistime
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Post by seriousthistime on Nov 5, 2015 20:16:27 GMT -5
Caesar's Palace is my favorite Vegas hotel. I've stayed at nothing but great rooms there. But this year there's a big event going on that weekend so all the rooms are priced high. I booked a room at the Linq (the redone Imperial Palace, obviously banking on the "redone" part), and then things got all switched up. Some friends decided to go along. Other friends decided to go too. Then someone decided to go AND share a room. Then other people started canceling. Then others joined up, so we're staying all over the place on the Strip. Turns out I'm staying at Polo Towers, which is apparently non-smoking -- but, unfortunately, no casino. Seriously, join Total Rewards. I don't gamble enough to get comped anything, but I do get promotional hotel deals all the time. Are you going the first weekend second week in dec?? Nfr is there and my professional organization is having a meeting too. Several hundred equine vets all iver the strip! But I can't affird to go No; going in about a week, for a long weekend..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 5, 2015 21:15:59 GMT -5
One time I remember seeing a family with young kids (maybe 7-10 years old) all 4 of them in Business Class. Did they really pay $28k for 4 of them in business class? Maybe not. If Mom or Dad or both fly a lot on Business, especially in Business Class, they can rack up a lot of miles.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Nov 6, 2015 0:15:50 GMT -5
One time I remember seeing a family with young kids (maybe 7-10 years old) all 4 of them in Business Class. Did they really pay $28k for 4 of them in business class? Maybe not. If Mom or Dad or both fly a lot on Business, especially in Business Class, they can rack up a lot of miles. It doesn't always have to be miles either. The last few trips I've taken in First Class, the tickets were about $200 more than cattle class, and the flight times were better. Had we taken a comparable coach class ticket on the same flight, the premium would have been even less
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beergut
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Post by beergut on Nov 6, 2015 3:54:51 GMT -5
Does your friend document every single casino visit, date, time, amount gambled, won/loss, etc? In order to claim losses on your tax return, you have to be able to document everything. He is very aware of the rules and does just that. OK I remember reading the IRS rules on declaring gambling losses, and wondered who the hell has time to document every single visit, time, date, amount, etc, they have gambled in a year. I guess if you do it enough, though, it becomes worth the tax write-off.
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whoami
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Post by whoami on Nov 6, 2015 10:53:10 GMT -5
One time I remember seeing a family with young kids (maybe 7-10 years old) all 4 of them in Business Class. Did they really pay $28k for 4 of them in business class? Maybe not. If Mom or Dad or both fly a lot on Business, especially in Business Class, they can rack up a lot of miles. I just bought 2 BC tix to Amsterdam. It was right at $7K. The taxes and fees were $2K of that $7K. I have 2 FC tix going to St Maarten next month. They were $1100 each. When I flew to FC Venice earlier this year, I racked up 32K miles for that trip between all the assorted bonuses....
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spartan7886
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Post by spartan7886 on Nov 6, 2015 16:18:41 GMT -5
He is very aware of the rules and does just that. OK I remember reading the IRS rules on declaring gambling losses, and wondered who the hell has time to document every single visit, time, date, amount, etc, they have gambled in a year. I guess if you do it enough, though, it becomes worth the tax write-off. I always document to ensure I am reporting the correct amount of winnings at the end of the year. Admittedly I am not a high roller nor a frequent gambler, but I made DH input the $4 I won at Harrah's Shreveport one year in Turbo Tax, and on a different year when we went to Vegas my winnings outmatched his losses so we had a small (<$100) amount of gambling income there as well. It's not that difficult.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Nov 6, 2015 21:42:06 GMT -5
He is very aware of the rules and does just that. OK I remember reading the IRS rules on declaring gambling losses, and wondered who the hell has time to document every single visit, time, date, amount, etc, they have gambled in a year. I guess if you do it enough, though, it becomes worth the tax write-off. When you are talking over $100K in winnings, you take the time. I am not a paid preparer and I don't have his records. He provides me with the numbers and I put them on the tax return. It's his problem if he gets audited. Not mine. My name is not on the tax return. He signs it and is responsible for the numbers. Last year, he gave me the wrong numbers for his estimated tax payment. Not my error.
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