Slots and Food: Aloha Slot Tournament and Luau Beach Party at The Plaza

Blonde4ever does the Aloha Slot Tournament and Luau Beach Party at The Plaza

It has been many years since I have participated in a slot tournament in Vegas so I was happy to be invited to one during my recent trip to the Plaza. I have only taken part in two others; a very fancy one at Bellagio that I assume I was mistakenly invited to about ten years ago, where every time you played you were given free food and drinks, and a very boring, un-fancy one at the Venetian that literally gave you no benefit at all about eight years ago. I was curious to see what a Plaza slot tournament would consist of.

I checked into the hotel on a Thursday and was all squared away in my quiet room by noon. I was eagerly anticipating seven days in one of my favorite places. I followed the instructions to register for the Aloha tournament between 4 and 6 pm where I received my slot machine assignments and time to play for the next two days. Rounds one and two happened the next day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I liked that the times were convenient. I didn’t have to haul myself out of bed at the crack of dawn and the afternoon time slot ended early enough to not conflict with my dinner plans. I did not do well in either of my sessions but I got a great kick out of Curt, the casino host, running wildly around the banks of slot machines announcing the best scores and amping up the excitement level.

The schedule stated that we were to go to the Plaza showroom to see the Scintas at 7:30 pm. I had other plans so I didn’t do that but I have seen them before and I know that they put on an excellent show and that was a very nice perk for being part of the tournament.

Our last session was held on Saturday and once again I got a horrible score. It was still fun taking part and developing camaraderie with the other participants. One fellow who sat next to me had had a few too many kamikazes at the pool and I continued to call him “Kamikaze Guy” every next I saw him in the casino for the rest of the trip. I was hoping I had earned enough points during my Plaza play in their casino to be able to play what they call the “redemption round” where they toss out your lowest score and replace it with whatever you got in that round, but sadly I did not.

Initially when I registered on Thursday I was given a yellow wristband to allow me entrance into the Luau, however, my son who was also visiting Vegas decided to join me on Saturday so I went to the Player’s desk to ask if I could get another wristband for him. They graciously gave us two green wristbands that allowed us to have complimentary cocktails too.

The awards ceremony was at 6:30 pm by the pool that night. The prizes were in Freeplay but there is always the chance of turning Freeplay into actual cash.

• First was $5000
• Second was $2000
• Third was $1000
• Fourth was $500
• 5th – 10th was $250

I knew unless they gave out booby prizes for the lowest score I would get nothing but I was still excited about the evening to follow. The Plaza had planned a Luau Beach Party. I came equipped with my swimsuit, cover-up, and sunglasses. First, we were warmly greeted by people in Hawaiian garb handing out leis to all the guests. The walkway ramp down to the pool area was decorated with lit bamboo torches. I could see a large set up for a buffet but it wasn’t quite ready yet. There were also several bars set up in addition to the main bar to make sure no one ran out of refreshments.

Past the pool itself, there was a large area filled with many tables and chairs and glasses of icy cold ice tea. Beyond the tables was a stage area where the entertainment performed. My son and I got a beverage and settled into some seats.

At first, it was a little warm with the sun on our backs but as the sun lowered in the sky the pool area became more and more pleasant. By the time darkness fell I was surprised at how gorgeous the pool area was with all the coloured lights.

The buffet opened following the announcements of the winners in the Aloha Slot Tournament. Truthfully I wasn’t expecting much from an outdoor buffet but I was impressed by how good everything tasted. My favorite was a fish dish and some kind of Hawaiian sweet potatoes. I never did make it over to the roast Kahlua pig because the line up was so long but everyone who tried it said it was delicious. I think next Luau they need to have the pig pre-sliced. The desserts were pineapple upside down cake and key lime pie. I hate it when desserts are just sweet and have no real flavour but these were not like that. They were incredible. I could have made a meal out of them alone. I made good use out of the green wristband and helped myself to several Malibu rums and orange juices to stay in the tropical theme.

After the buffet, they brought out a Hawaiian band and Polynesian dancers. They did a great job of changing up the music and the tempo and adding lots of variety to their performances. I decided to enjoy the show from the pool itself. No one else was in there but me but I did not care (maybe the rum helped with that?) I can’t even describe how much I enjoyed swimming under the nighttime Vegas sky in the warm (heated) water with the beauty of the pool deck all around me.

The cherry on top of the whole evening was when fireworks were set off from the pickle ball courts. Yes, it was loud but very beautiful and exciting. The party continued even after the fireworks but I was done for the night.

This Aloha slot tournament and Luau turned out to be well planned and very enjoyable. (It was much better than the Venetian slot tournament I was in years before!) I would not hesitate to participate in another one if I am ever lucky enough to be invited again.

[Photos and video: Blonde4ever]

Blonde4ever

Bonnie, aka Blonde4ever, is the admin of one of our favorite Vegas forums: LasVegas4ever. She covers a large spectrum of topics from her personal experiences in Las Vegas.