Craps GREAT NORTHEAST ROAD TRIP - AUGUST 2016

THE GREAT NORTHEAST ROAD TRIP - AUGUST 2016


This trip was essentially our annual pilgrimage to Niagara Falls but included stops at Seneca Allegheny Casino in Salamanca, NY, Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara, NY, Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Casino Niagara in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Mohegan Sun Casino Pocono in Wilkes Barr Pa and lastly Mt. Airy Casino in the Pocono, Pa. So in the six days on this trip we visited 6 different casinos.


We hit the road on Wed. 8/3 at 4:30 am and made it to our first stop which was Seneca Allegheny in Salamanca, NY by 10:30 am. Our room was booked for 2 nights, the 3rd and the 4th. I should have known better than to try to play craps right after we arrived. Between getting up at 4 am and the 6 hour drive I was too tired to really be at my best. Here are my throwing results:

BOB

#1 12 throws 1 point made 5 come out wins

#2 6 throws 1 come out win

#3 9 throws 2 points made 1 come out win


I stopped because my throwing was not nearly as good as I wanted. After dinner that evening I went back to the table but it was too packed with players so I ended up not playing


On Thursday morning we were at the table by 7 am and we were the only players there, $5 minimum with only half the table open for play. The results are as follows:


EVA

#1 6 throws 1 point made 1 come out win

#2 6 throws 1 point made


BOB

#1 7 throws 2 points made

#2 12 throws 2 points made 1 come out win

#3 14 throws 2 points made 1 come out win


Time for a breakfast break. 3 hours later after spending time at the pool, I went back to the table.


#4 7 throws 1 point made I USED PARR FOR THIS HAND

#5 24 throws 4 points made 1 come out win

#6 8 throws

#7 11 throws 1 point made


Early morning, 7 am on the 5th of August:


EVA

#1 8 throws 2 points made

#2 11 throws 1 point made

#3 11 throws


BOB

#1 8 throws

#2 10 throws 1 point

#3 5 throws


I didn't feel like I was on this morning. The dice were worn and were not being replaced until around 8 am but we weren't going to be there that long.


The last time I was at Seneca Allegheny sometime last year I complained about an excessive table bounce. What I found out was that they had just replaced the layout and it hadn't settled yet during that visit. On this trip the table bounce was fine and I rate it as an 8 on a 1 to 10 scale. So it is very playable. There are no bonus bets on this table and the max. odds are 5X. The hotel rooms at this casino are first rate and during the week most of the year the cost will be around $80 per night.


After leaving Seneca Allegheny we drove for 75 minutes through Buffalo and on to Seneca Niagara which is a sister casino to Seneca Allegheny and is approximately 1 mile from the RainbowBridge going over into Niagara Falls, Ontario. I didn't get to play any craps here because the one table that was open had too many players on it when we arrived at 10:30 am and we were only staying for an hour.


When we left Seneca Niagara we went over to Canada, half hour wait at Canadian customs, and parked at the Fallsview casino parking garage. One open craps table was too crowded to play and the table limits at this casino are 95% of the time very high. I think I donated a few bucks on slot machines. In Canada you have to exchange your American dollars for Canadian dollars and the conversion was 126.50 for $100 US. Our Canadian friends, Mike and Sandy got there around 3 pm and we had dinner at the casino. After this we went to check in at the Bed & Breakfast that we had booked for Friday and Saturday night. This was our first B & B and we found it to be great. Cost wise it was 1/3 of what one of the major hotels wanted. Around 6 pm we walked a half mile to casino Niagara which is a sister casino to Fallsview. This casino doesn't have a craps table so I spent a few hours doing slots. I couldn't win anything big but I won small on a number of machines and ended up around + $120.


On Saturday morning myself, Eva and Mike went to Fallsview at 7 am to play craps. Here are our results:


EVA

#1 14 throws 1 point made 1 come out win

#2 18 throws 2 points made


BOB

#1 20 throws 2 points made 1 come out win

#2 14 throws 1 point made


The craps tables at Fallsview are 12 feet long and have a normal bounce. I rate the table as 8.5 on a 1 to 10 scale. Although I did not play at the Salon Prive I did watch for a while. This 1 craps table is 12 feet long with a dead bounce. I'd give this table a 10 rating. One other thing that I noticed is that this table has the widest straight wall section that I've ever seen on a craps table. The corner radius is so tight you'd almost think that the table had square corners. I was observing this table on Saturday night and the minimum bet level was $50 which is too rich for my blood. So for anyone who has a big enough bankroll to support a $25 minimum bet level other than on Saturday night, this would be the casino to try your luck at.


We went back to Casino Niagara after a visit to Niagara on the LakeSaturday afternoon and Eva hit her birthday, #17, on roulette with and 8 chip bet for a $280 win. Because of her win we treated Mike and Sandy to dinner at the Sandstone Grill steak house on Saturday night. After dinner it was back to Casino Niagara. Mike and Eva were playing Spanish 21 with no luck.


After breakfast on Sunday morning Eva and I hit the road for our return trip. However, we had one more casino stop planned. This was the Mohegan Sun in the Pocono which I think is in the town of Wilkes Barre, Pa. We got there around 2 pm and it was totally packed with people everywhere. There were 2 open craps table but both of them were totally filled right to the time we left to go to our hotel at 8 pm.


We went back to the casino on Monday morning at 7 am and were able to get on a $5 table with no other players. The table was terrible, 14 feet long and bouncy, I mean really bouncy. On a 1 to 10 scale I would give this table a 4 or 5 rating which to me is a never play there again. Eva had a 11 throw hand and I had a 6 throw hand with the dice bouncing all over the place. So after a small donation we both colored in and left. They gave me a hard time concerning my hand coming too far in front of the stickman when I was throwing so I ended up moving maybe 2 feet to the right to satisfy them. So instead of making my normal 6 foot throw I ended up making a 9 foot throw, 1 foot of this additional length was due to the 14 foot table length.


So it's now 8 am and we are leaving Mohegan Sun to go home to New Jersey and I suggested that we stop at Mount Airy also in the Pocono mountains, about 30 miles from Mohegan Sun. This was in the direction that we had to travel to go home so it was a go. We arrived around 8:45 to find an almost empty casino. I've played craps here before and did not feel that their tables were too good. They are all 12 feet long and somewhat bouncy. I'd rate the bounce as a 7 on a 1 to 10 scale. Just barely playable in my opinion. One table was open with no players so I bought in. All I wanted to do was try a few hands without losing too much money. I bought in for $60. My 2 hands were as follows:


BOB

#1 12 throws 1 point made 1 come out win

#2 25 throws 3 points made 2 come out wins


I colored in for $160 so I had a $100 profit for a few minutes of work. I then tracked down Eva and found her at a Crazy 4 poker table. She won $500 and recovered her previous losses from the start of the trip.


The craps summary for this trip is:


Eva- 8 points made in 7 hands with 2 come out wins

Bob- 23 points made in 17 hands with 14 come out wins


Eva's average roll length was 10.57 throws per hand.

Bob's average roll length Underhand was 12.31 throws per hand.


I'm always disappointed in the limited amount of craps play that I get in on one of these trips. 17 hands in 6 days is pretty pathetic. I'm always on new tables that I'm not used to and don't really know the best times to be playing. The same thing happens when we go to Atlantic City. Eva plays poker at the Golden Nugget and the games don't really get going until noon. So we typically arrive at 11 am and by that time it is too late for me to get on an open craps table with few to no players. So I end up waiting until 2 pm when they open a 2nd table and I can get in maybe 2 hands before the table fills up with players. Once the table gets up to 6 players or more I'm gone. For the whole year so far other than cruises and a few road trips, I've only played no more than 20 hands in Atlantic City for the whole year. It's amazing that my throwing performance has stayed as good as it has.



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