Las Vegas Visitor

Stay away from that one. Oh, I guess it is OK to throw a bill down as you walk by. Sort of as a joke. But it is not for serious gamblers. The hold (what the house takes) is an atrocious 20%. You may have a different opinion. Let us know, we are here to listen. Maybe you were lucky and made a lot iof money on the wheel.

To me this is the only way to gamble in a casino. You will probably say that guy is nuts. Maybe I am, but let me explain. Those of you who have never rolled “them bones” are probably scared and confused of all the action at a busy craps table. Chips are flying around, the stick man shoves them around and calls the action, the shooter fiddles with the dice. But in reality it all is very controlled and orderly. I am not here to explain the entire game . Just let me tell you the do’s and do nots.

Do not, repeat not, play the field, the big 6 or big eight, do not place any proposition bets. Just stick to the basics which are: make line bets, make come bets, make place bets. Other than that you have no control, it is just how the dice hop. Betting this way you may still not win, but you shave the house edge to a fraction of a percent. And that is what you want. After that you need luck, you have done your part by betting the right way. Remember, on field bets you lose 12% of your money, the Big 8 and 6 take twenty percent. You do not want those kinds of odds. I have made money shooting craps. Not all the time, just here and there. How about you? Are you a lucky craps shooter?

Two different types of poker are being dealt in Las Vegas at this time. They are seven card stud and Texas Hold ’em. Several more are being played around the U.S. such as Pineapple, stud and others. But they have not gained a foothold in Las Vegas. Poker in Las Vegas is immensely popular. Poker parlors are crowded almost around the clock. Poker tournaments are common. It is impossible at times to even get a seat at a poker table. Should the poker parlor not be as crowded as the room manager would like he can resort to a couple of ,completely legal, tactics. He can call on his shill to take a seat at the table. The shill starts a game by playing with the casinos money. Once the table is filled with sufficient numbers of players the shill leaves. Whatever money he won while playing he hre turns to the house. Then we have the proposition player. His also is to start a game. he plays with his own money, but receives a salary. If he wins he can keep his winnings. Needless to say, both of those player are very good at what they do, otherwise they would not be there.

Poker is unique amongst all the games played in a Las Vegas casino. The dealer has no involvement in the game other than dealing the cards and running a smooth table. He does not care who wins or loses. The house makes money by taking a so called “rake”. It is a certain amount the casino keeps out of every hand played to cover its expenses .

The problem with poker in Las Vegas, or anywhere else for that matter, if it even is a problem, to me it is, are the shady characters that populate the poker rooms. There are people who try to make a living by playing poker as an occupation. Sit down at a poker table and all others at that table are unknown to you. You do not know who is signalling who. You do not know how many at that table know one another and work together to take all you have. For that reason I do not play poker. I did a couple of times and found out right away what was happening. I was sitting at a low ante table. Each time the other person would put a huge bet on his opening hand. After about three hands I knew what was going on. I figured it was impossible to get a good hand each time. I cashed out and left.

I have been around this state for quite a few years. During that time I have known some bad problem gamblers. It starts harmless enough with a few coins down a slot machine. Before you know it those coins need to be retrieved, because no one wants to lose. From there on in it becomes a downward spiral. Do not fall into that trap. Just cut your losses and wave them good bye. If you are unable to do it on your own help is available. We urge you to contact the following. Do not delay, do not wait till the problem gets worse, and it will. It is :Nevada Council on Problem Gambling, 5552 Fort Apache, Suite100, Tel. 702 369 9740. or 24hr help line 1-800-GAMBLER.

I recently used them. This is how it works. You enter the tunnel and tell the attendant know where you would like to go. He points at a Tesla car with driver and tells you take that car. The driver takes you where you want to go for five bucks. Definitely a good deal. I don’t need to tell you those cars are very comfortable. Elon’s tunnel diggers are busy expanding them all over the Vegas valley.It is a whole new way of getting people from point a to point b. Very convenient. And no tipping. It is not allowed. That is a relief. The local papers reported that Elon (he calls it the Boring Company), has been approved for an additional 68 miles of tunnels. http://www. elon-musk-tesla-tunnel-las-vegas/

Do you like our report on those tunnel You should try them, just for the experience. Resorts world has a station, and the Convention Center does too. There are a few more, find them by checking the website.

We try hard to support local artists. Here are a few books that are worth reading. “Nevada a Strange State”. Short vignettes, most of them with a drawing. Did you know that after 1939 it was no longer permitted to ride your horse into a casino? Another good one is “Silveropolis” the largest silver strike in Nevada history. The third one is “The Great Lake Mead Water Caper”.” Russian oligarch trying to steal our water. But Phil and his team are messing that up. Good read, lots of tensions and chases.

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If you like fine art than this gallery is a must see. It is very convenient, the Bellagio is located center strip.We checked the admission policy. Tickets run $20. We are not sure it that is for all exhibits, they constantly change. Under 17 must be accompanied by an adult. I would make a reservation, some exhibits are very popular. Here again, we think the Bellagio spends a lot of money on maintaining this gallery. The same as with its conservatory and those fountains. The idea is to get customers through the doors. But still, very admirable. We support the MGM company (the owners) for keeping it going. Wynn started it. He also deserves our thanks for bringing some culture into the gaming scene.

. In that vein we would like to recommend some books by local authors. We want to support the local authors by providing this space free of charge. “Nevada a Strange State.” That It is a collection of short vignettes and numerous drawings that are about all the odd things in our past and present. Did you know that after 1939 riders on horse back were no longer allowed to enter a casino? Another good one is “Silveropolis” the largest silver strike in Nevada history. Or “The Great Lake Mead Water Caper” Russian oligarchs use Nazi technology to steal our water. You can buy the books on Amazon. http://www.mgmresorts.com

Would you visit the gallery or buy some books? Let us know. Do you think we nee to make changes?

It is inside the New York New York Hotel at 3790 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Here you can find the “Flavor Walls” One is all Reese’s, another is all Kisses, the third is, you guessed it, all Jolly Rancher. A huge treat for all ages. But, it has competition, believe it or not. Ethel M is just a few miles down the road in Henderson, in a off strip complex that is well worth visiting. Go to my Ethel M post. For other odd and exciting stuff get the following books. “Nevada a Strange State http://www.hersheyschocolateworldlasvegas.com

This is stretching it, it is 150 miles one way. It would take me around three hours. It is worth it if you have the time, and a car. or book a tour. Some amazing sights that are not available anywhere else. Almost the entire state of Utah is full of amazing sights. Have you ever been to Zion? Share your experience here. I can recommend a couple of books. “Nevada a Strange State” The Great Lake Mead Water Caper” and last but not least “Silveropolis” Get them on Amazon or directly from us. http://www.nps.gov.zion

While I was sleeping someone else was doing this, collecting huge neon signs. I wish I would have thought about it first. It is real interesting to see all those huge signs rescued from casinos that are long gone. Lots of them too, not just one or two. And very close to down town. It is at the 700 block of Las Vegas Blvd. N. A few parking spaces only, but I never had a problem parking my vehicle. A very nominal fee needs to be paid for entry to the building. Well worth it. What do you think/ Do you like to look at that old stuff? You will see signs of casinos you may have never before heard of, the Thunderbird for example, or the Silver Slipper, and others. If you think those signs are strange you should read this book, “Nevada a Strange State” or “Silveropolis, or “The Great Lake Mead Water Caper” good entertainment plus you will learn something. http://www.neonmuseum.org

official name is The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. Inside the historic post office building on 300 Stewart St, one block north of Fremont St. Very interesting place. It even has a “Speakeasy” pub with home brew., it is in the basement. I like it a lot, but what do you think of it? http://www.themobmuseum.org

If you like to know more about nNvada I can recommend the following books, “Nevada a Strange State”, packed with odd stuff , drawings and vignettes. Two more that I can recommend are “Silveropolis” I have read them all. This one is about the largest silver strike in Nevada history. and “The Great Lake mead Water Caper. ” Get them at Amazon.

About two blocks east of down town Las Vegas, on Fremont St. at the entrance of the container park. A large sculpture of a dragon. It is programmed to spit fire every so often. It is interesting to see, do you agree? http://www.downtowncontainerpark.com

It is a sculpture made of stainless steel. Mr. Wynn paid a tremendous amount of money for it, word has it it was around $28 million. Jeff Koons is the artist and it took two years to create. It is now sitting in the Wynn (hotel) esplanade under twenty four hour guard. It weighs 2000 pounds. A cleaning crew is flown in from Germany once a year for cleaning. I make it a point to look at it when I am in town. Did you take a look? Let us know what you think of it.is http://www.wynnlasvegas.com

There have been scandals around bingo rooms in the past. One operator was caught never paying a large pay-out. Hopefully it all is cleared up now. But several bingo rooms were closed by the Gaming Control Board, and a large one was forced to sell. That one morphed into the Palace Station. There are not many bingo rooms around any longer. I do not know of any on the strip at all. The Station Casinos chain of casinos have them. There may be a couple more somewhere, but I am not aware of them. To me it is just a game, not gambling at all. I say that for a simple reason. There is nothing you can do that would affect the outcome of a game. In blackjack you can ask for a card, in dice you will roll them and so forth. Not bingo, just fill in the numbers that are called and hope for the best. But, it is a pleasant way to spend an hour without losing too much. Let me know what you think. Station casinos actually started out as a bingo parlor and morphed into Palace Station. http://www.palacestation.com

We are always trying to help local artists. We currently promote three books. They are: Nevada a Strange State, Silveropolis and The Great Lake mead Water Caper. All proceeds will go to the artist and we thank you. The books are on Amazon.

It is at the NewYorkNewYork hotel. It runs right through the casino, overhead of course. That goes without saying. It is not the only one in town. This is Las Vegas, baby. If you have an indoor roller coaster, I want one also. The competition can be found at CircusCircus. See how that works?, I am seeing double in both cases. The latter hotel has an entire indoor amusement park. I give it a separate treatment. And, by coincidence, those two hotels are almost exactly on opposite ends of the strip, one on the south end, the other in the north. One of them has a giant statue of Liberty up front, the other a giant Clown. I let you guess which is which. Let us know whether you enjoyed that ride. .http://www.newyorknewyork.mgmresorts.com