Yo-11 Minutes: Episode 8 "The Race That Shall Not Be Named"
Oct 19, 2023Season 1Episode 8
Michael Mason Trager and Michael Movestro
Yo-Eleven Minutes Mostly Vegas. No BS. Casino Experience +more ⬇️ Yo-11 Minutes: Episode 8 "The Race That Shall Not Be Named" On this episode: -Post Malone at Fountainebleu for NYE -N.C.M- - What is N.C.M and how it can help when traveling?
Yo-Eleven Minutes Mostly Vegas. No BS. Casino Experience +more ⬇️ Yo-11 Minutes: Episode 8 "The Race That Shall Not Be Named" On this episode: -Post Malone at Fountainebleu for NYE -N.C.M- - What is N.C.M and how it can help when traveling?
Welcome to Yo 11 Minutes. Yo 11 Minutes mostly Vegas, no BS, casino experience and more. Michael Traeger is a casino and travel loyalty expert who also helps people turn their travel dreams into reality. And now Michael Traeger, how's it going, michael?
Speaker 2:
It's going great. I made it back to Charlotte after one o'clock in the morning last night, so I'm still a little bit in a daze, but Tahoe was great. But I sort of reflected this morning that I was actually in Tahoe for like over six days.
Speaker 1:
Do you miss the views and the couch and the fireplace and the cognac?
Speaker 2:
I miss all of that. Yeah, I'm actually. I'm missing the Tahoe life. I actually wish I had had a few more days to just chill, because there was very little chilling going on. Right, that was a really good. It was just a great trip. It was really good. It's just you feel like you need that time to decompress, but sometimes you just can't fit that all in and I'm off to Vegas on November 1st. Are you going to be around?
Speaker 1:
Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll be around. I live and work here. Does not many of the places for me to go? Oh, that's true, I can come stalk you yeah, yeah, you could.
Speaker 2:
I'm very much looking forward to that. Oh man, I shouldn't say that, okay, that's horrible, we'll take it Anyway. So what's going on? Is there any news going on, or is this like a no Vegas News week?
Speaker 1:
Oh no, we got it. We got some news. Today. It is time for the news and views. Fontainebleu Las Vegas has tapped Grammy Award nominated and eight time Diamond Certified Global Superstar Post Malone to headline its inaugural New Year's Eve weekend festivities. On Saturday December 30th and Sunday December 31st, fontainebleu Las Vegas will perform two consecutive nights at the resort's 3,800 seat Blue Live Theater. Tickets to the performances will go on sale Friday October 20th at 10am Pacific time. Fontainebleu Las Vegas will offer a robust New Year's Eve package that includes a two night stay in one of the resort's rooms and suites starting at $3,700. Yep, yep, three, seven, two zeros. There's a comma between that three and seven? Yeah, $3,700. The package also includes a pair of row A tickets to Post Malone show at Blue Live Theater on either night of choice, in addition to a $250 resort food and beverage credit. And that's it for the news. Now for the views. Michael, what are your thoughts on Fontainebleu? Starting the New Year with a bang?
Speaker 2:
$3,700. You know what's interesting here. The way it reads is everybody gets a pair of row, A tickets.
Speaker 1:
So you get row A tickets. You get row A tickets, everybody gets row.
Speaker 2:
A tickets, and I think what's interesting about that is it's starting at $3,700. So that must be for a base room. So basically, if you want to spend more than $3,700, you can get a suite. But this package wow, that's some package. That's pretty cool.
Speaker 2:
I mean the main thing I was thinking about and I've wondered this a little bit. I mean, does it really? I understand these packages, like you get everything that you want, you get the room, you get the row A, like you get the experience you want. But I think sometimes it's you can split, you can split things up a little bit and do pretty well. I mean I have no idea if this show is going to absolutely sell out, but I don't know if it's always absolutely brilliant to be buying everything in advance. There's also other stuff happening on New Year's Eve. So I mean it might be a way also to secure a room at Fountain Blue, but I think their rooms are selling. I haven't looked recently because I didn't know we were discussing this today. I haven't looked recently, but I think you can still get rooms for New Year's Eve. So I don't. What's your opinion on that? Like breaking, buying things sort of a la carte or actually buying these packages. Okay, thank you.
Speaker 1:
I would say if you really really want to secure Roe A Seats to see Post Malone, I think the fans are going to do it. He's just phenomenal. He's very popular. I don't think they're going to have a problem. The thing is, the scheduling of New Year's Eve is the only thing that's going to be kind of tricky because you know, some people have already made plans and stuff. I think they'll fill the seats one way or another, at least Roe A.
Speaker 2:
Well, here's my other question for you. I mean just totally pregnant. I mean especially since, like I mean, this isn't the fucking opera, so everyone isn't going to be sitting in their seats the entire time. It. Does Roe A really make that much of a difference? Like, does it? Does anything? Like to me, anything in the first 10 rows, like the true first 10 rows, seems to be equivalent to me. Like, the only time it makes a difference is, like, seriously, when I go to the opera. I mean, obviously you know you can sit closer, but you're going to champ the time. You're going to be standing at a concert or something anyway.
Speaker 1:
Oh, Michael, you speak like a tall person. You see, for short people like me. I would kill for Roe A Seats to fucking anything.
Speaker 2:
I am not a tall person, I'm like barely 5'10", but I like the way you say.
Speaker 1:
you speak like a tall person, because they're the only ones having real fun at concerts. You know, that's just how it is.
Speaker 2:
Okay, that's so. At least that's a couple of you. It just had me thinking about it for a moment. But I guess you know I'm not a frugal person but I some of the prices today just absolutely blow my mind Like I don't know what like world that we're in. But hey, it's supply and demand. I mean, I don't blame anybody. If you can sell things for a certain price, you're definitely going to get it. And I think F1 is learning a little bit of their lesson that they're going to have to adjust their prices a little bit.
Speaker 1:
So I guess supply and demand. I drove through the strip yesterday on my way somewhere and I passed by the front of Bellagio and it's just what a the term gaudy monstrosity comes to mind when it comes to the seats that they have up there, the grandstands and everything completely just blocking the fountains altogether. It just looks horrible there right now.
Speaker 2:
You know what the problem is. I can't believe they allowed that to happen, though I don't know, but you know seriously what the problem is here.
Speaker 2:
It's like some kid with a fucking video game, like when they do it on a video game and they have all the cars racing in front of the Bellagio fountains. That's all done by computerized animation, so you don't have to worry about it. It's like someone looked at a video game and then say this looks really cool and I totally get it, you want to have the cars going in front of the Bellagio fountains, but did somebody really think this through? No, they really think through, like, can we really, can we practically have this race course going like this? And I just I get it, I get why they wanted to do it. But you know what Real life Las Vegas is not a video game, exactly, I mean, it's real. There's repercussions on these things. Anyway, don't get me started, but it just it seems like maybe they hired like some like kid who like did video games, to like plan the whole thing. It's possible.
Speaker 2:
Next week next year they'll have aliens landing in the middle of the strip.
Speaker 1:
Why not? I would actually welcome that. I think that would be pretty awesome.
Speaker 2:
Okay, good.
Speaker 1:
That's it.
Speaker 2:
By the way, no more rants about F1 for three more episodes. Okay, we'll do what we can. We'll do what we can. I'll do my best.
Speaker 1:
Thank you, and now it's time for the T's. I'll give you a hint NCM.
Speaker 2:
I'm giving people a moment to say what the hell is NCM. But NCM is actually a really cool concept that Caesar's entertainment has, and I don't often say a lot of really positive things about Caesar's, though they have a really good loyalty program. Caesar's rewards still has a lot of elements of it that are great, but Caesar's has a program called NCM, which is National Casino Marketing, and that is a program in which you get one host who is independent, who is part of the NCM network and may help handle anything that you need for Caesar's at any property in the country. They also handle things like people's seven stars trips or booking reservations. But it's a really good program and the reason why I'm mentioning it is because most people don't know about it. I actually do not think any other casino company has it, though a side note to that is that no other casino companies other than MGM and Caesar's have so many properties throughout the country. But we had a NCM host, sandy Kramer of SNS Casino Tours, help us at Zorkfest this year and she was awesome. Not only did she help people who had never played at Caesar's get rooms and suites at Harris Tahoe, but she also helped coordinate our private craps table as well as the slot pull and the filming for it. So I'm just saying that this is something for people to think about if they want to have one host at Caesar's for all the properties.
Speaker 2:
Now the other thing is, this doesn't change. You know, she still has the same criteria of other hosts, if you know what I mean. Like it's, it's not, like it's gonna. She's gonna be able to necessarily get you more, but you have one point of contact. But there is one interesting element, michael, do you know what that is? No, I do not. Okay.
Speaker 2:
Well, the interesting element is that regularly, when you deal with a host at a property especially if it's a new property, that you go to another Caesar's property, you're advocating for yourself. And what's great about an NCM host? If they're a good NCM host and almost all of them are and they're independent, they're advocating for you and that's because their financial model is set up. Advocating for you because that's how they get compensated by by being hosts for people. So it's sort of nice because you have someone else advocating for you so you can advocate for yourself, but it's good to have that.
Speaker 2:
So, something to think about. Or, as I like to say to people you know. Just understand your action. For full disclosure If your action is really light and you're a $25 Blackjack player and you do, you know $500 and coin in on slots, no host is going to help you and see them, or otherwise. So or, as I like to say, people who have shitty casino action or shitty play while their play is still going to be shitty when a national casino marketing host looks at it or a regular host looks at it. Because the biggest complaint I get most of the time for people when they complain about a host is that they are not self aware, that they're not gambling enough to really have to really deserve a host. And that's not mean to mean to insult people, it's just you've got to be aware of how your action is represented, just like how when doesn't like me as much as they used to?
Speaker 1:
I don't think when has ever liked me, but that's just. I'm a low roller in the wrong casino.
Speaker 2:
That's just what it is for you know this is a great topic though. You understand what you are when you're there, so you're not bitching to people saying, hey, I try to get in contact with the host at win and they wouldn't talk to me or they just ignored me. I mean, you're basically saying I know what my action is. A host at win is going to laugh at me, so I'm not going to bother them, so that's sort of that's sort of okay, right, and that's a conversation. You know, one of the hardest problems about casino loyalty and casino stuff is people never want to discuss it. Like, when people say to me, like I gambled a lot, I don't know what the hell that means.
Speaker 2:
To some people that means they lost $100. Does some people that means they played eight hours at a $300 average to another person? So I always try to qualify for people and it's like people are very private. Well, I don't want to tell you what I really played. Well, if you're not going to say what you really played, what your action was, how can anyone give you advice on whether you're being ill treated by the property? Right, I mean that's, it doesn't make sense, like, if you don't say what it is. If you said to me well, I'm a little roller, I put in like $500 coin in a day I'd say, well, that's a reason why none of the hosts want to speak to you I mean, but but if you don't tell me what that means like if you say I lost a lot of money and to you that's $200, which is fine, I mean, maybe that's that is a lot of money to somebody, that's fine, but if you just use terms like a lot of money, it's very hard to help people, in my opinion.
Speaker 1:
Good stuff to know before we get going. Is there anything on your mind?
Speaker 2:
No, not really. Well. Actually, one thing's on my mind. We'll discuss this next time. I keep saying next time all the time. This book and look at that quote. Really interesting quote there. This book is not an advantage playbook. This is more of like a psychology, of like how you should deal with gambling, so more like money management and stuff like that. But it's very, very interesting. It's out of print. It's written by Lyle Stewart. Lyle Stewart is one of my favorite people in the world. He was pretty much so put out of business by Wynn when Wynn sued him in a defamation lawsuit over one of the other books that he wrote. He was a crazy Baccarat player and he's a great storyteller and he happens to have also lived in the town where I grew up, fort Lee, new Jersey. So anyway, lyle Stewart Casino, gambling for the winner. Very interesting to book to buy and you can find it on the Amazon.
Speaker 1:
On the Amazon. All right, well, that's gonna do it for this episode. Luxury travel booking Travel Zork travel. Visit us at travelzork travelcom to plan your next amazing vacation and please join the conversation on social media. You can find us easily. All social platforms are at Travel Zork. We'll see you next time.
