What happens here, stays here....

I spent the first part of this week in Vegas!! Susan and I traveled with Scott/Cindy and Kent/Mark. We were celebrating Kent's 50th Birthday! We had a blast - this is a fun group.

We stayed at Luxor Las Vegas. I stayed there in 1993 and, except for the towers, not much has changed. Kent said he wanted to sleep in a pyramid, so that's what we did. Scott scoured the internet and found us an outstanding room rate. The rate was good, but staying there, you sacrifice proximity to the heart of the strip. In the last few years, Susan and I have stayed at Paris Las Vegas. We both like the location, the casino and the rooms. They seemed brighter than the rooms at Luxor. Plus, they have crepes! ;-)

I played a lot of blackjack this trip. My favorite place to play is O'Sheas Casino. It is across from Caesar's Palace. O'Sheas has single deck blackjack, and you can usually find a seat at a $5 table. This time though, I played a couple of times at $10 minimum tables. I figure it is only a matter of time until that is the minimum everywhere, so I better get used to it. On the first day, I made $125 playing the $10 table! This is a good way to start - it is better to play with the Casino's money!! On a sad note, I bet $20 on Ottawa to win game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. It looked like they had things well in hand too, then Anaheim snuck up and won the game in the third period, and just like Ottawa, I was a loser at hockey...but still up $105!

The next day we got off to a slow start. Scott/Cindy and Susan/Me hung out at the pool at Luxor, then went to Hooters for lunch. Susan had to work a little, so she skipped lunch and joined us later. We took the monorail ($8 ticket for all day riding is a good way to get up and down the strip) up to Sahara and then walked to the Stratosphere. Scott and Cindy wanted to play single zero roulette. Kent and Mark (well, Kent anyway) were watching the roulette action and then settled in at the slot machines. Susan played a little roulette and lost $8!! Then, she joined me at the blackjack table. Things had been up and down there for me and when Susan joined me, they were down. But, things got a lot better. We got a new dealer - Olga who was a lot of fun. Susan had a green chip and 3 reds. When she tried to change the green to reds, Olga told her she wouldn't need to because she was going to win - and Olga was right! Susan won quite a few hands and walked with somewhere around $125. Her good fortune helped me too and I was able to double my money there and walked with another $100. By the end of day 2, I was up $205!

Day three started with a hearty breakfast at McDonald's. Then, Scott, Cindy and I headed up the strip to O'Sheas. I played blackjack at a $5 two-deck table and slowly, and quite painfully, lost $100. Scott was doing well though and stayed after I had been dismissed. Then, the $5 single deck table opened and I was sitting in the first position (my preferred slot). Things were up and down for a while, more up than down and it looked like O'Sheas was going to take another Ben Franklin from me. Then, dealer Steve arrived. Steve seemed like a good guy and I was feeling good energy at the table. I told Steve I would like to see a winning trend and he said he'd see what he could do to help. For the next 5 or 6 shuffles, it seemed like Steve had not understood what I meant when I said winning trend - I meant me, not him. Then, things started to click a little and we off and running. I had a 15 hand winning streak! It was FUN! I ended up leaving the table with $175. Still down $25 for the day. By the time I left, Steve had moved on to other tables. Scott say him at the game where you bet a number on the wheel and they spin it (something you'd see at a carnival or fair). Scott put $5 on the 10 to 1 spot and I put $5 on the $5 to 1 spot. Steve spun the wheel and I won $25! I tipped Steve the $5 bet and thanked him for a fun day. At the end of 4 hours of playing, I was even money. I never expect to win in Vegas. I like to play the games and usually hope to have some ups with the downs so that I can extend my money and have fun.

Kent had joined us by the time we finished gambling. We realized we hadn't eaten since our McD's power breakfast and were all hungry. I noticed that 4 hours of no food, combined with a steady stream of Corona's, had made me hungry with a little buzz! We hit the food court @ O'Sheas and waited for Susan to join us. Our next stop was Sahara's. Scott gave me a quick lesson on craps and off we went. Craps is one of the most intimidating casino games - and also won of the most fun! I started with $60. We were up and down, and at one point, I think Scott was down to $6! We hit a couple of points and had some good shooters. My second turn as a shooter was great! I hit several points and threw for about 15-20 minutes before I crapped out. By the time we left, I turned $60 into $150!!

I bet another $20 on Wednesday's game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals. This time, I bet on Anaheim. They won the game 1-0 and I made $15.40. So, overall, I lost $4.60 on hockey. The games take on a new meaning when there is money on the line... :-)

By the end of day 3, I was up $295!

Susan and I had an early flight on Thursday. We got to bed about midnight and were back up at 3 to pack. While Susan was getting ready, I headed down to the Luxor casino to play blackjack one last time. I hit a single deck $10 table and played for 20 minutes. I turned $50 into $100. In 1993 when I was at the Luxor, my father and I played $50 a piece right before we left. The dealer that day took our money in 10 minutes! It was horrible. So, I was very pleased to avenge that loss and, 14 years later, get my $50 back. Although, adjusted for inflation, I probably only won about $21.75 of what I lost! :-) Still, it is the symbolic victory that counts!

With cash spent on food, drinks and a couple of foolhardy money fed to the slots, I was up about $150 for the trip. That means, I earned 30% on the money I allotted for gambling. Pretty good return if you ask me.

Vegas is fun, and best when enjoyed in short visits with good friends.