Sports Betting - Practice Makes Perfect

It’s so encouraging that sports are back this year and seats have actual people in them instead of cardboard cutouts. Major League Baseball, for example, is expecting to have full stadiums in July. I’ve been watching a lot more baseball lately. One of the reasons is that I plan to do some betting on the sport in September when I make my triumphant return to Las Vegas, and I want to be prepared.

So, I started keeping track of the types of bets I would make. Being the tech geek that I am, I created a spreadsheet where I am recording teams that I would pick, the spread, and my results. I call it my “fake bet spreadsheet” because I’m not actually putting money down on these games. I just want to see how I’m doing. I added some formulas to determine my daily and overall record and fake profit/loss, teams that I win with, teams that I lose with, and teams that I bet against that win. So how’s it going so far? Not bad, I suppose. My record is about even, and I am slightly overall in the “fake” black. It’s great when you pick an underdog that wins, but it crushes the soul when you pick a favorite and it loses. Regardless, it has given me a better insight into baseball, teams, and how I can adjust my betting strategy when I go to Vegas.

Last fall during college football season, I did something similar with by best friend, Steve, who is a contributor to sports betting in Simplifying Las Vegas. Every year, we typically have a battle royle in a mano-y-mano college football pick ‘em pool. I used to use a third-party website that chose the games to be picked with the spread and tracked our wins and losses. But during COVID, these sites didn’t run pools because so many games were canceled. So I did the next best thing. I created one myself.

Using my Excel skills, I created a spreadsheet that tracked our games and progress. Steve and I chose which games we would pick alternating weeks. You’d think that the person picking the games for the week would have an advantage, but that turned out not to be the case. I also used some fancy formulas to keep track of some specific statistics, like our win/loss record when we picked the same teams, when we picked home teams and away teams, and big spreads (+/-10 points) and little spreads (+/- 3 points). I became rather proficient with advanced Excel formulas.

At the end of the season, Steve beat me by one point. He won one more game than I did. One lousy game! Honestly, I am used to him beating me in these college pick ‘em pools; I’ve only won a few times. The person who loses usually has to “pay up” in some humiliating way. For two years, it meant wearing the winning player’s favorite baseball team’s t-shirt in Las Vegas for one whole day. One year, I won and Steve wore a beautiful New York Yankee’s t-shirt. The next year, Steve won and I had to wear a hideous Boston Red Sox t-shirt. The horror!

So here’s my point. If you are going to bet on sports in Las Vegas, try practicing at home first. If you live somewhere that permits sports betting online or otherwise, it is still a good idea to practice first before gambling your cold, hard cash. You don’t have to geek-out and create an elaborate spreadsheet, like I did. You can keep track in a notebook or on your phone, etc. Even if it doesn’t help you when you are ready to put some money down on games, it will still be fun to follow a particular sport and keep track of your picks.

Good luck, sportsfans!

Viva,

Mike

Spring!

Let’s face it, Las Vegas looks weird with no people on the streets, like it did during the heart of the shutdown. Well, it’s Spring now, and there’s a renewed sense of hope as people begin to travel again and find some sense of normalcy. While I’m of the opinion that it’s a little too soon to go back to the way things were before COVID, I am hopeful that soon we are starting to turn the corner, and like many Americans, I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel.

There are signs that Las Vegas will spring into action and come out of the pandemic stronger than ever. I’m not surprised. This is what Las Vegas does. This is why I love this city so much. It marches on, it defies odds and it survives. The companies and people who make Las Vegas what it is know that visitors expect an escape from their everyday lives when they arrive. The shiny lights, the fountains, and the extremely tall stuff that dominate the landscape are not just part of the allure, they are a sigh of relief that people can rely on when they drive through the streets or look out of their hotel room. While all of the physical structures may eventually be imploded, we know that they will be replaced by something else to capture our imagination.

When I think of spring, I think of luck. I’m not a lucky person, but I still hope that when I sit down at a blackjack table or walk up to a craps table, I’ll win. I’ll take any win I can get. If I walk away from the blackjack table and I’ve had a few free drinks and I haven’t lost any money, that’s a win for me. Most of us gamblers actually expect to lose at least some money in Las Vegas, but we gamble anyway.

I’m optimistic; it’s just in my DNA, and it helps me not to worry so much about things. I hope I win, but I don’t care if I lose some money gambling because I know my limits. I don’t worry about what will happen the next time I visit Las Vegas. Some of my favorite things may be gone or limited, but I’m used to that. I know that something else will be in its place. It’ll be fun, and I’ll have a great time and create some memories.

I guess we all could use a little more optimism right now. So here’s to wishing you luck, hoping that you are well, and that Spring finds having a great time in Las Vegas.

Viva,

Mike

Hope

One of the things I promised myself in 2021 is that I would write more about Las Vegas, post more on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. So far, I have not done a great job.

That's what great about hope and persistence. I am just going to keep trying to do better, to do the things I really like doing. Stuff gets in the way - work, chores, life. That's not an excuse to take some time and celebrate.

Las Vegas is an escape for me. I think about it a lot, and I suppose the escape for me is not just going there, the escape is also thinking about my favorite city, writing about it, searching for my next vacation there, reading about it, and chatting with others about it.

So here is my first of what I plan on being many posts about Las Vegas this year. People are starting to travel again - a little too much too soon in my opinion - but before I know it I'll be on a plane again. I can always sense when I'm getting closer. I wake up from my nap or stop watching my movie and look out the window to see the mountains. Then before I know it, I see the Strat and the Strip. We land and then I see the Luxor pyramid and the NY NY roller coaster. When the plane stops and I take off my seatbelt, it's all I can do to stop myself from climbing over people who are taking forever to get their bags out of the overhead compartment and run to the front of the plane. Once in McCarran Airport (soon to be Reid Airport, I suppose), I hear those familiar sounds of slot machines. Although I don't play slots, I love love love the sounds of them. I have even gone so far as listened to the "white noise" of slots on my phone sometimes when I am working.

I head towards baggage claim. If I'm traveling with my wife, Jennifer, there will be bags to be claimed. If I'm going solo, I skip past them and head towards the exit for the garage, which is where my best friend Steve will likely be waiting for me in a rental car. And from there, my friends, my adventure begins.

Hope.

I hope I win at the tables or the sports book, but if not I'm not worried about it. It's my escape.

Hope.

This year, I hope that the Las Vegas I eventually return to is one that I can enjoy, even though I know it will not be the same as the Las Vegas I visited pre-COVID.

Hope.

I hope that you are healthy and can safely interact with others soon if you haven't already. I hope you enjoy my blog, my website and my travel guide. I hope you enjoy Las Vegas as much as I do.

Viva,
Mike

Picture This

I’m getting ready to update Simplifying Las Vegas for 2021. This will be difficult, to say the least. First of all, 2020 will be the first year I haven’t visited Las Vegas since…. Well, I can’t remember when. So I don’t have the same frame of reference that I usually do. I also really don’t know what’s coming up in 2021, so to publish a “travel guide” is not easy when you don’t know how to help people get the most out of their vacations. Still, as I get ready to publish my yearly travel guide, I have a lot to reflect on from this past year and to look forward to next year.

My wife and I have been quarantined since March. Jennifer has Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, so when COVID-19 hit, we had to be extra-cautious. The medication she takes to keep the tumors in her liver at bay, it makes her blood counts really low, so although the medication is working and she feels good, she is very, very susceptible to things COVID-19, the flu, etc. Her doctor has warned her that if she ever gets a fever, she will need to go to the emergency room because her body cannot fight infection with such low blood counts. COVID-19 would likely be fatal for Jennifer.

I mention all of this because there is no question for us – we are not traveling, or even seeing people who have not quarantined for two weeks – because it is not worth the risk for us. As much as I love Las Vegas, I love my life, my wife and my dog more, so we are all staying put.

We take in all of this day-by-day so that we don’t go crazy thinking that it will be forever until we are able to travel again or even see other human beings more than 6 feet from us. We continue to look on the bright side, which is somewhere in 2021 when we feel there is a reliable, safe vaccine to take and there is relatively no risk in getting the disease. Once that happens, you can guarantee that I’ll be looking at flights, places to stay, shows, restaurants and which of my favorite sports teams will be playing during my planned stay in Las Vegas. I would say “I can’t wait” but the truth is I have to wait.

I’ve always said that Las Vegas is like a state of mind for me. When I’m there, it’s an escape from the everyday, and when I’m not there I’m thinking about what my next trip there will be like. So although I haven’t visited Las Vegas in 2020, I still have an imagine in my mind of what it will be like when I return. I’ll have to rely on that image for Simplifying Las Vegas 2021. Until then, I’m relying on you, readers, to give me your thoughts and experiences. Have you been to Las Vegas in 2020?  Did you enjoy your trip? What do you think will happen once the pandemic is over? Give the rest of us a glimpse into your version of Las Vegas.

Viva,

Mike

Come Fly with Me

I love airports. I know that is a strange sentiment and also an odd topic for a blog about Las Vegas, but it falls into the realm of travel in general and getting pumped for my trips to my favorite city.

Most people hate to fly. They hate waiting in line, crowded airports, lack of charging stations, fast food and flight delays. I don’t like any of those things either, and it happens more than I’d like. There are times that I like airports, especially arriving on time somewhere, because I know it means I’m up for an adventure.

The Charleston International Airport (CHS), where I fly from, is tiny. We have exactly two terminals: A and B. Terminal B has 10 gates and Terminal A has 5. You do the math. It’s very easy to navigate. It serves my wife and I mimosas and bloody marys any time we are ready to start our Las Vegas adventure. It has recently been renovated, and it is quite nice. Flying out of Charleston is simple. I book an early flight, get up at the crack of dawn, and away we go. Jennifer and I live about 10 minutes from the airport. However, I insist on getting to the airport at least 1 to 1 ½ hours early. I talk about this in my travel guide, but simply put you never know how long security lines will be, how much time it will take to check bags, and other delays. And there’s no way I’m missing my flight to Vegas, so I’d rather get there early and pre-celebrate. Jennifer makes fun of me for wanting to get there so early, but I can’t help it. I’m excited, like a kid at Christmas, for Las Vegas.

Because our airport is the size of a postage stamp, we have to connect somewhere. Depending on what airline we choose, we usually connect in Charlotte, Atlanta or Houston. Sometimes it’s Philadelphia, Chicago or Miami, but that is rare and I like to avoid those other airports because that adds time to our travel.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the polar opposite of Charleston. It is a ginormous airport with 5 concourses connected by a subway system. It could be its own city with shops, restaurants and pretty much anything you could want from one of the busiest airports in the world. It always seems like we land in Concourse A and are flying out of Concourse E, a million miles away. So I always check our connection times before I book our flight so that we’re not running through the airport. I’m on vacation, so I don’t want to stress about missing a flight. Although ATL is kind of big and impersonal, it is familiar to me because I’ve flown out of it so many times. I’m used to it.

Charlotte Douglass International Airport (CLT) has kind of a quirky layout. They always seem to be doing construction. They have some rocking chairs, usually all taken, in the atrium that face a runway but have a nice view of a sunset if you flight is timed right. I remember connecting in CLT one Sunday afternoon when the Charlotte Panthers were playing the Baltimore Ravens. Most of the bar patrons where I stopped in for a drink were rooting for Charlotte. The Panthers had an opportunity to win but could not connect on a fourth down play and lost the game. A majority of “aww” sentiment rippled through the bar, except for one patron wearing a Ravens sweatshirt who shouted “Yes!” and then got up to walk away. He might have received more dirty looks in McCarran Airport when other people lost money on the game, but in CLT he got away with it.

There are two things I like about George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston. First, if we can get our connection to IAH, it is about half way to Las Vegas, which is a lot easier to break up the travel time. Second, it always seems like the gate we arrive at is very close to the departure gate. So it feels like it gets me even close to Sin City! Which brings me to….

McCarran International Airport (LAS). The first time I flew to Las Vegas it was at night. The Strip was lit up in all its glory, and I was an excited 22 year old kid with my nose pressed to the window. Nowadays, I usually arrive in Las Vegas before noon, but I love to see the mountains, Lake Mead, and then… The Strat and finally Luxor and Mandalay Bay as my plane lands. There’s something special about an airport with slot machines. I know I’m in my home away from home when I hear the call of Wheel of Fortune and someone getting a free spin.

I know my way around this airport, although it goes through upgrades and construction often. Usually we arrive at D gate. As I practically run through the terminal, I see those escalators with the airplanes flying up and down to point me in the right direction. We take them down and follow the signs to the Red Line. That’s the train that will take me to baggage claim. Even if we haven’t checked bags, it’s likely that Steve has already arrived and is picking us up in the rental car.

LAS has a personality beyond the slot machines and kitschy souvenir shops. It also has an aviation museum, a 1958 Cesna 172 and a red 1956 Thunderbird. There’s also a ton of art in and around the airport. There’s something very comforting when I arrive at LAS. I know we’ll probably lose a few dollars gambling, but the experiences we’ll have will last a lifetime.

When it’s time to come home, we arrive (early, of course) at LAS and prepare for our journey back home. CHS welcomes us, usually late at night, and we return to our home and collapse from our “working vacation” as Jennifer calls it.

So, yes, I love airports. Especially the ones that take me to Las Vegas.

Viva,

Mike

New Frontiers

I bet a lot of folks don’t know that The Frontier was the second hotel/casino on the Strip, opened in 1942 (after El Rancho Las Vegas in 1941). The desert was deserted back then, with nothing but tumbleweeds, heat and a great distance between each property.

Frontier has a storied history, changing names several times (including changes from New Frontier to Frontier to New Frontier), but I think the sentiment and feel of the property was pretty consistent throughout its years. When I visited it in the late 90s and early 2000s, it reminded me a lot of the other places near it that I loved to go to on the North end of the Strip: Riviera, Stardust and Circus Circus.

Frontier was always a casual, gambler’s haven. Great table game rules, easy access, never too overcrowded and tremendous cocktail service. I recall several years ago when my best friend Steve and I visited Frontier several times. We were staying at the Riv, so Frontier was within walking distance. Steve and I played several rounds of blackjack one night, and the cocktail waitress knew us by our drinks. She brought me rum and Cokes with great frequency and speed. She had what appeared to me a Russian accent, and she was friendly. The next night, I was kind of hanging back, taking a break from gambling, watching Steve play craps. The same cocktail waitress approached me and said, “rum and Coke?” in her Russian accent. Why, yes, I don’t mind if I do! Frontier had Gillies, bikini bull riding and mud wrestling. It was just one of those properties. I could tell that same story about several casinos back in the early 1990s, after Mirage was built but before Cromwell. After TI but before the Linq and its subsequent High Roller giant observation wheel.

You see, friends, back in the day, the properties were ALL about gambling. Sure, there were some great restaurants and some spectacular shows, but in the end it was all geared towards getting your money in the casino. It started to change when high end clubs started showing up on the Strip. Before you knew it, Saturday pool parties and ultra lounges were making money, and the casino became secondary. With that came resort fees and charges for parking in garages.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be a curmudgeon who complains about Las Vegas and pines for the way it used to be. I just would like to see more balance on the Strip. You can have your million-dollar DJs and topless pools, but can you please also include a few 3:2 blackjack tables? Maybe somewhere in the back? What’s the harm, really? It’s the way you used to make money, and for folks like me, I’m more apt to spend my entertainment dollars elsewhere if I can’t get at least one good table or sports book bet.

Frontier closed and was imploded in 2007, and the spot where it stood is now vacant, deserted with tumbleweeds, much like a lot of the land that surrounded it when it first opened in 1942. Plans and intentions for new properties have fallen through, and now Wynn Resorts owns the land but has not announced any information regarding development. If you look across the street and to the south of where Frontier stood, you’ll see the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. High-end properties with lots of lights, although not the neon tubing that encompassed the buildings years ago. This is a new Las Vegas, a new frontier, built with all the modern accommodations one would expect. Except maybe for speedy cocktail service, $5 3:2 blackjack, and bikini bull riding.

Viva,

Mike

Stardust Memories

If you have ever read anything I’ve written, you know that I have a soft spot for the old Stardust. From its early beginnings with the coolest signs on the Strip to its mobbed-up past right up to its implosion, the Stardust was a special place. By the time I started visiting it in the early 1990s, it had lost some of its shine, but perhaps that is what I liked about it. It wasn’t quite run down, but the ‘Dust had certainly seen its better days. After some searching, I found a cool map that shows the Stardust’s layout, which is exactly how I remember it.

 I always entered the property from the North entrance and walked into the always-packed sportsbook. Past the book were the many table games where I spent a lot of time playing $2 blackjack. I remember meeting up with many folks traveling from all over the world, happy to sit and enjoy low-minimum gaming and free drinks. I’d put down my $20 and receive 20 silver $1 gaming coins. At the end of a session, if I was lucky enough to have money left, the dealer would “color me up” (trade my $1 coins for higher denominations). I’d get those red ($5) or green ($25) chips and walk directly to the cage behind the tables to get cash for them.

The dealers at the ‘Dust were always friendly. I remember one in particular, Penny, who was friendly and pretty happy in general. Even curmudgeons smiled when Penny wished them good luck at the table. Penny was probably in her late 20s or early 30s (I’m bad at guessing ages, so who knows). She had long blonde hair and was pretty. She probably had been dealing for years but she had not lost joy in the art of dealing blackjack. She got to know the folks at her tables and had the really rare talent of dealing at a good pace and still carrying on a conversation. Penny certainly set the bar for me in terms of my expectations for blackjack dealers. It didn’t hurt that I actually came out ahead many times I was at her table. She was like a good luck charm.

The ‘Dust had a few restaurants right behind the table games. My favorite was William B’s, a really nice and reasonably priced steak house. There were also a few shops tucked away behind the slots. It wasn’t The Grand Canal Shoppes or The Forum Shops by any means, but that wasn’t the ‘Dust’s style. This was a place where everything was good but not over-the-top. The whole concept was pretty simple; large, easily-navigated rectangular casino floor with decent games, a good sports book, a few quality eateries, some shops where you could buy ibuprofen and cigarettes, a theater with a headliner, and exceptional service from everyone who worked there. No resort fees, no dazzling attractions, no 6-5 blackjack or crapless craps, no charge for parking, no waiting an hour for your drink just because you are playing at a $2 table. No nonsense.

Times change, and there will be people who will argue that the Stardust is no longer in existence because it wouldn’t change with the times. Maybe, but I don’t think so. I think there are other properties that went the way of the Dodo because they couldn’t keep up with “modern Vegas” but I don’t think the Stardust was one of them. There are still plenty of people out there like me that just want a fun place to hang out and slowly lose my money playing blackjack or quickly lose it playing craps without having to deal with other annoyances. That’s why the Stardust will always have a special place in my heart.

Viva,

Mike

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I suppose I’m nostalgic. I have been looking at old videos from the 1980s and 1990s of the Strip and Downtown. Here is a good YouTube video of one that compares 1988 to 2019. When I see those old hotels/casinos, it brings me back to when I was a younger man on a low budget, enjoying all that Las Vegas had to offer. For my next few blog posts, I am going to relate what some of those old places were like and how they have changed.

I guess I’ll start at the beginning. The first time I traveled to Las Vegas, my best friend Steve and I stayed at the now defunct Riviera. Ah… the Riv. It was pretty cool back then - 1992. That giant, window-world of a facade was only 2 years old at the time and looking quite stylish in the Vegas sky. The Riv was also near other casinos that catered to low rollers like me - The Stardust (my fav casino of all time), Circus Circus and Frontier. Construction had begun on the nearby Strat, but it was still a glimmer in Bob Stupak’s eye at that point.

The Riv was, at the time, one of nicer hotels in the area. A ton of movies were filmed there, even in its later years when its age started to show. It went through numerous upgrades and expansions since its inception in 1955, which lead to a bit of an odd layout. It had a myriad of hallways that seemed to lead to nowhere, and I recall once when my wife and I visited, we saw comedian Louie Anderson wondering around with his manager, and they were lost. Louie was saying “No, this can’t be right. This can’t be the way.” They stood there for a few minutes and looked for signage to help them find their way.

On our first trip to Las Vegas, Steve and I got into the city really late because our flight was delayed. We checked into our room at the Riv and immediately headed down to the casino at about 1 am. Ah, youth. I was nervous, and I’m sure it showed. I sat at a blackjack table where the cards were dealt face down, and I had no idea what I was doing. The dealer and some of the players were getting a little impatient with me. After a few hands, I just got up and went to a different table. I must have had that newbie smell all over me! Now a grizzled veteran, I can lose money at blackjack no matter the number of decks, how they are dealt or how surly the dealer is.

I remember a trip years later when Steve and I stayed at the Riv and had a pretty good blackjack session there. There was a younger dude at our table who kept wanting to high five us every time the dealer busted. The dealer was getting upset because he said the guy was reaching across the table and the eye in the sky wouldn’t like it because he was blocking their view. The young man didn’t seem to care, but Steve and I both thought it was not a good idea to anger casino and security folks. We left after a while with our profits, but I don’t know what happened with our gambling companion. Perhaps they used his head to open the front door facing the Strip. Probably not, but it had not been that long after the mob ruled those casinos, so who knows.

The pool was pretty awesome. It was big and rectangular and always had a cool, shady spot resulting from the shadows of the nearby hotel towers. The Riv hosted only a few eateries, including a nice steak house that had great food and was inexpensive. A few shops randomly scattered around the property, mostly near the pool. I remember a tattoo parlor and some small gift shops. There was no ultra lounge, no volcanoes or amusement rides, no million-dollar car dealership. Despite the fact that The Riv was not a modern hotel/casino, I thought it was a place I thought would be there forever.

Alas, it went the way of Frontier and Stardust when it closed in May 2015 and was later imploded. A huge hole is left where it used to be, waiting for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to do something with it. This area of the Strip is kind of odd these days. There is some new construction and some rebuilding, but I’m not sure how much traffic it will attract. Over 40 million people visit Las Vegas every year (well, not this year obviously). Mid-Strip is always packed, so what would drive people to head north? The Drew and Resorts World are set to open in the future, but who knows how they will fare or if they will divert people away from those pretty fountains at Bellagio.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see a resurgence of the northern area of the Strip. I just don’t know what would make that happen. I thought when SLS entered the picture that people would see it as an alternative to the expensive places Mid-Strip. That didn’t happen, and now it’s up to Sahara to try to make a go of it again.

I'll remember the Riv and all it’s glory and what those first few trips to Las Vegas were like for me and Steve. We played $2 blackjack with great rules and craps and lived like kings. We parked for free and never paid resort fees. We never had a problem getting a seat at a table or at the sports book. Times have changed, so I spend less of my entertainment dollars on the Strip than I used to, but I am still ever the tourist and not ashamed to admit that I love to visit Bellagio and see those fountains and the conservatory inside. But I do long for those days at the Riv in what seemed to me like simpler times.

Viva,

Mike

Las Vegas Trivia Challenge

Hi again Vegas fans!

I hope you all had a safe, fun 4th of July. Usually this is a time I consider taking a quick trip to Las Vegas. With the Coronavirus still looming, I can’t risk it right now. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not thinking about my favorite city and getting ready to publish my 2021 Travel Guide, Simplifying Las Vegas.

In the meantime, I had an idea and ran with it. I created a fun, online trivia game with a hero who has adventures in Las Vegas. I looked at several freeware websites, and I couldn’t really find what I was looking for until I came upon a site called RPG Playground. Now, this website is really meant to create role playing games with kings and queens and such. With a little practice, it is pretty easy to create characters, landscapes and stories.

Although it’s not mean for a Vegas trivia game, it did the trick for what I needed, and I built it pretty quickly. After a while, I had some fun with characters that were meant for castles and dungeons and put them in Las Vegas. I might expand it in the future, but for now it does the trick. I have an idea for a much more complicated, detailed game. I’ll need more time and resources, and I don’t know when I will have either of those. After all, I want to get back to Las Vegas at some point and spend my time and money there!

Viva,

Mike

Virus, Dust, Boom, Bust

As Las Vegas continues to re-open amid COVID-19, I can’t help but wonder what will change, what will remain the same, what will be new, what will seem new, and how we will all navigate this strange new world we live in now. What, if anything, have we learned about traveling, Las Vegas, gaming, giant corporations, and our need to get away?

Much like the stock market, Las Vegas goes through mood swings pretty frequently. One day it seems like every hotel/casino has been there since Ben Siegel’s Flamingo opened, and owners decide to put the brakes on building expansions. The next day it looks like a giant crane convention, with new projects rising up to the sky as quickly as the concrete is poured in their foundations. The cycle continues, and old properties are imploded, and their remains are left to old YouTube videos, including scenes of the day of their demise when they crumble into ashes.

As a visitor, I like the boom times, when new casinos bring excitement and hope. This happens to be one of those times, with over 15 new projects taking place now, despite the fact that the economy took a nose dive and Coronavirus made everyone stay put for three months. This does not even include Resorts World, which is scheduled to open in about a year. Strange days, indeed.

On the other hand, I do tend to wax nostalgic and recall 1992, when Treasure Island was new, and I could play blackjack at Caesars for $2 a hand. With great rules. So next year when Resorts World opens and takes the place of my beloved, long-gone Stardust, I will have mixed feelings.

In terms of three new casinos that will open within 12 to 18 months, I have an idea of what gaming will be like. I am basing my opinions on what I picture blackjack and craps rules will be offered because those are the games I play the most and how I judge a casino. We’ll have to revisit this blog as these places open and see what everyone thinks of them. In the meantime, here are my thoughts.

1.     Circa. This giant will dominate the downtown skyline. 777 rooms, hopefully all lucky. It will reportedly have the World’s Largest Sportsbook (look out Westgate!) and a two-story casino, which tells me they won’t have to worry too much about loose slots and 3:2 blackjack. That’s ok, because Downtown Grand, The D, Plaza, California, Four Queens, and a short walk to El Cortez all should still have good, inexpensive games. I’ll still probably visit Circa and watch some sports (well… when sports return), but unless they have $5 craps tables and 3:2 blackjack, I won’t be spending my money there.

2.     Virgin (Hotel/Casino formerly known as Hard Rock). Hmmmm…. If I had to guess, Sir Richard Branson will continue the party heartily theme and Virgin will have extravagant pools and clubs for young, hip folks. In other words, not me. I also imagine, following in Hard Rock’s footsteps, the gaming floor will be small, expensive, and not really great for folks like me who like to sit at a blackjack table for a while and lose my money slowly. Craps will probably be non-existent or will have maybe one table. Please, just let it not be that “crapless craps” crap.

3.     Resorts Word. This will be another huge property that will be in a part of town that needs some love. Regardless of what used to be a great place to gamble, and much like Circa, because of Resorts World’s size, I doubt gaming will be any good. If you want to spend some time at a great low-roller joint, try Circus Circus down the street. Seriously. This place is dank, dark and old. Not to mention, well, clowns and circus acts. But, you can’t beat it for $5 blackjack and at least one craps table that won’t make you want to hurl. I haven’t been to Sahara yet, but I’d like to hear from those of you who have visited it and spent some money (and hopefully won some money) there. Please comment here and let us know!

I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt it. As Las Vegas continues to grow, the newer properties usually have crummy gambling and bank on that new car smell to attract customers. Since the shutdown, some properties have adjusted things to draw customers back. For example, many parking fees have been lifted, at least temporarily. Once they start charging those fees again, I wonder if that will lead to opportunities for others to offer free parking and no resort fees as a differentiator. Very few do this now, but maybe that list will grow after the pandemic. Who knows. We are in unchartered territory.

Viva,

Mike

Las Vegas and Loss

When you think of the words “loss” and “Las Vegas” what comes to mind? For me, it used to be the outcome at the craps and blackjack tables. But this year, it also means something different. This has been, to say the least, a strange and challenging year for all of us in one way or another. I’m not trying to sound too dramatic, but I’ve been thinking a lot about loss in one way or another for a while now. For me, one of the ways comes to mind applies to my relationship with Las Vegas. I haven’t been able to visit my favorite city since the pandemic. I had planned on going there for my birthday in early April, but obviously that got scrapped. So now I’m counting the days until we find a vaccine and it becomes safe to travel.

Loss can be accompanied by fear, anger, frustration and hopelessness. My many sessions at blackjack and craps are proof of this. But I count my blessings and think about all there is to gain on the other side of loss. There’s opportunity, new beginnings and, yes, even hope.

In that spirit, I have revised this website and added a new Instagram account. I have been thinking a lot about the theme of rebuilding, so you will see that in Simplifying Las Vegas. It will look a little different, but it will feel much different. I am focusing on the idea of Community a lot more. Because I am practicing social distancing now, I am feeling a sense of loss from being physically apart from people. So Simplifying will help bridge that gap. I’d like your help. I would love to hear your comments, your ideas, your thoughts as we transition to this new way of life. What are your concerns when you return to Las Vegas? What do you miss most? What do you hope will happen?

I look forward to fun. It’s what I miss most about my trips to Sin City. I miss hanging out at the blackjack table with my wife, my friends, and the folks we meet along the way. I miss the rare occasion when I win a double-down and have also tipped the dealer so that she wins twice as much money, too. I miss hitting a point in craps and almost spilling my rum and Coke when I do my happy dance.

I miss the early mornings in Las Vegas, when I wake up before anyone else and walk up and down the Strip or Fremont Street. I love the idea of a new day, of a new beginning. I even love the smell of stale smoke from the night (or a few hours) before I have started my stroll, the sight of half full beer cups before they have been thrown away, the scattered sports book tickets that didn’t win.

I expect all of this to happen again, but it might take a while. So I have to be patient for now and just deal with Loss. Just let it linger and know that there will be something else on the other end.

Viva,

Mike