Baccarat and Blackjack

Hi Vegas fans,

I read an article in the Las Vegas Sun recently which reports that baccarat and penny slots are overtaking blackjack as the number one game on the Strip. Baccarat is a high-end game, and penny slots are obviously cheap entertainment. The article quotes Anthony Curtis, publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor, who points out that blackjack is a game for the mid-market gambler.


With the economy the way it is, this kind of makes sense. Affluent people who can afford to go to Vegas these days are going to spend some coin on a game like baccarat. But gamblers who may have played $1 slots before are probably downgrading to the penny machines. But what about the average Joe and Jane, who play blackjack as their game of choice? Would they just not play as much because the economy is bad? Maybe. Maybe not.

There is one other factor that I think is missing in this equation. Caesars Entertainment, formerly Harrah's, now owns a majority of the casinos on the Strip. Their blackjack rules are terrible (6-5 payout on natural blackjacks, dealer hits on soft 17, etc.), even on multi-deck games. I no longer play at any of these casinos, which is a shame. I remember when Bill's Gamblin' Hall (formerly Barbary Coast.... which was a better name that did not require apostrophies or ampersands) was a great place to play $5 blackjack. So was Caesars, Aladdin (now Planet Hollywood), the Rio... and the list goes on. As Caesars Entertainment acquired more properties mid-Strip, I found myself on the very northern and southern ends of the Strip.

The funny thing is that it doesn't have to be this way. Casinos can have their cake and eat it, too. They can make the rules slightly better for players, which will drive more people to the tables. They still have an advantage, even with good rules.

Casinos may be worried about card counters. I get this. Make single-deck games 6-5; that's the price you pay if you are going to try to count. Install a constant shuffle machine for multi-deck games and use other measures to ward off card counters. But you are losing an opportunity with the large percentage of us who are not card counters.

The Strip needs blackjack as a staple because it needs the mid-market. If it's going to attract gamblers, it must provide a few decent games with fair rules. The good news is that there are still some places to play $5 and $10 blackjack with good rules, including: Stratosphere, MGM properties, Riviera, downtown, and several of the outskirts casinos (such as Station properties, Orleans, Las Vegas Hilton, etc.).

I encourage you to seek blackjack tables with good rules and to tell anyone who will listen to you to do the same. If you get surveys or have questions about your experience at a casino, comment on the blackjack rules, especially if they are bad. I'm starting a blackjack revolution. Will you join me?

Viva!
Mike

2010 Vegas Year in Review

Happy New Year's, Vegas fans!

As I look back on 2010, I have a lot of good Vegas memories and some scars to remind me that Sin City is one tough town. Here are some of my favorite highlights from this past year, in no particular order:

• CityCenter: This is one groovy, high-end property with art sculptures, swanky bars & restaurants, Viva Elvis Cirque show, and a dark casino. Good times.
• Birthday Blowout Bash: I turned a milestone age this year, and I celebrated with family and friends in Las Vegas. The first night of my trip, I had a few cocktails at Bill's Gamblin' Hall and then... well, the rest is somewhat fuzzy. I do recall having to call my wife to help me find my way back to the room. Good times.
• Cosmopolitan: The new property, not the drink. I have not been there yet (if you have, let us know what you think!), but it looks nice and I plan to go there on my next trip.
• Increased visitation: While gambling revenue has not rebounded quite yet, there are more and more people visiting Las Vegas these days. Slow but steady increases are good news after a few years of negative numbers.
• Harrah's becomes Caesars Entertainment: Meh. Let's see what happens.
• Might as well Jump at the Stratosphere: A new attraction at the Strat temps visitors to jump off the building. I think they strap a bungee cord or parachute to you or something.
• Gillies at TI offers mechanical bull: You can ride it, or you can watch cowgirls wearing little more than their boots on it. Ah, I love legitimate theater.
  
• Simplifying Las Vegas new website, 2011 electronic book versions available on Kindle, Nook and as a Flipbook: Gotta plug SLV. It's been a great year, thanks to you all!

I'm looking forward to 2011. My New Year's resolution is to continue providing great content, fun, and news to readers.

Here's wishing you a happy, healthy, prosperous 2011!
Viva,
Mike

Harrah's now Caesars Entertainment Corporation

Hi Vegas fans,

Harrah's canceled its IPO and has officially changed its name to Caesars Entertainment Corp. You can read the details of the transaction in the LA Times and Las Vegas Sun articles.

By any other name, it's still the same megacorp with Gary Loveman at the helm. As you may have read in my previous posts and in my forums, I'm not a huge fan of entertainment and gambling at Harrah's (oops, I mean Ceasars Entertainment Corp or CEC). The rules are not good for players, and the experience tends to be very generic.

The hotels in the chain (Bally's, Paris, Caesars, Harrah's) are pretty nice. The rooms I've stayed in are clean, comfortable, and a good value. Well, with one exception: the Imperial Palace, or as my wife calls it, the "IP freely" (because of the smell), which is a below par for a mid-Strip hotel. Now as the old saying goes, "how much time do you spend in your room in Vegas?" Not much, but people do typically associate their vacation with their hotel or hotel chain. Vegas Today and Tomorrow has a good map of Who Owns What.

For example, if you're staying at the Flamingo, you are probably going to spend time there and in surrounding properties for convenience, and they are all owned by CEC. Most of your other options on the Strip include MGM properties, Wynn, or Sands (i.e. Shel Adelson... think Venetian and Palazzo). MGM has a huge grip on the South Strip (Excalibur, NY NY, MGM Grand, etc.) and is a better proposition than CEC, but I'd like to see more $5 tables at their properties. A lot more.

The funny thing is that it doesn't have to be like this. I prefer to play at the Stratosphere. Now, it's not the most glamorous place in the world, so if I'm going with my wife and want a nicer hotel, we may book somewhere else. However, I can gamble at the Strat all day - either at the blackjack tables, the sports book or the craps tables. If I want to venture out to other places to eat, see stuff, or take a break, I just hop in the car.

On our last trip, my buddy Steve and I drove out to M Resort. Nice place, good rules for gaming. A little bit out there, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. I don't mind cruising to to other places - like downtown, the Riv, the Trop, Excal - for a change, but it would be nice to have even more opportunities on the Strip to spend my entertainment dollars.

I would guess that I'm typically the exception rather than the rule; I would bet that most people play where they stay. But remember the Golden Rule; you have the gold in your pockets, and you decide where to spend it (which should be the places with the best rules). It's time we start telling these megaresorts the real deal. We're educated. We know that CEC owns a majority of the mid-Strip properties and MGM has a lock on the South Strip. We're not going to be held hostage by limited options. Give us better gaming, good deals, and a unique experience. Otherwise, we'll go somewhere else.

Vegas fans, I urge you to think about these things the next time you book your trip to Las Vegas. Regardless of where you stay, please don't play somewhere that has bad gaming rules. Don't eat in a restaurant just because it's in your hotel. Don't go see a show that's not really your style just because it's within walking distance. My biggest Vegas tip? Rent a car. It will open up your world to other venues and will remind you that Las Vegas is more than MGM and Caesars.

Viva!
Mike

Brief Reflections on Recent Trip to the Strip

Hi Vegas fans,

It's been a few days since my last trip to Vegas. So I've had some time to reflect, replenish, and remind my boss how great I am so that I can get a raise to make up for the money I lost. Ha. It's ok... it was a good trip anyway. I got to spend some time with my friend, Steve, who had a rougher trip than me. Undoubtedly, we will return again, hopefully victorious. Or at least break-evenous.

Some observations from my recent trip:
* The Stratosphere, though cruel to me and Steve, is still my favorite place for $5 blackjack in Vegas.
* Sports betting is fun but can be so heartbreaking when your bet loses by 1/2 point.
* It's good to have dumb luck sometimes. I bet a 3-game parlay (my beloved Virgina Tech Hokies, Kansas State, and NC State Wolfpack). I misunderstood Steve, and we wound up betting all three teams to win outright instead of betting the spread. Oops. It wound up working out, and we won more than if we had played the spread!
* M Resort is kind of outta the way, it's big, and it's fancy. Good $5 blackjack and craps, though there's not much excitement there.
* Plenty of "party pits" or gaming pits with scantily clad young ladies. While you're looking at the girls, look out for bad rules at the table games near these, too.
* There's still lots of fun things to do when you need a break. I loved the Bellagio conservatory (free) and the Fine Arts Gallery ($15 admission). What a great way to spend some time on a vacation!

See my pictures on my Facebook page or on my Flickr account.

Can't wait to go back!
Viva,
Mike

The JUMP and a new Cirque Show

Hi Vegas fans,

Jump from the Sky
If you like to get your thrill on, you're in luck because there's a new ride at the Stratosphere. The Strat already has three nutty rides, including Insanity, X-Scream, and Big Shot. Now, there's SkyJump Las Vegas. Here's the deal. Go way up in an elevator and press the button for 108. Then, get into your jump gear and get ready to free fall 855 feet. Wow! I don't think I'm brave enough for this. I get woosey when the plane hits some turbulence. My thrill ride days may be limited, if not over!

King of Pop Cirque Show
A Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil show will debut in the fall of 2011. The show is a joint production with the Michael Jackson estate and will feature, of course, the music of MJ.

Well, I gotta wonder. We already have Love and Viva Elvis. Cirque is either keeping a great thing going, or they are spreading it too thin. I guess we'll know in the fall of 2011.

Coming soon... new, exciting stuff! Like a revised scavenger hunt and, eventually, a revised website. Yup, I've got my work cut out for me. Wish me luck, and help me out by giving me as much feedback as you can.

Thanks!
Viva,
Mike

It's a good thing that...

Hi Vegas nuts,

In my last blog, I commented on "What's Up With?..." and listed stuff that baffles me about my favorite city. This week, I'm taking a different approach. This is a little bit more of a positive spin, which of course is more my style!

It's a good thing that...

• Gordy the accordion player is still singing his heart out at Battista's Hole in the Wall. It's a Vegas tradition for me and my friends/family and a must every time we go.
• The Statosphere is still shining high in the sky. I love this place, as you may have read, and it's so much fun to play $5 blackjack and craps there.
• Excal and Trop are still shining, too. See above.
• Paradise Road runs parallel to the Strip. With the addition of City Center, the Strip is really crowded these days. Of course, remember my golden rule: if you want to drive the Strip and all its glory, try to do so before 10 am or after 1am. During those times, it's less crowded
• I am afraid of foreign ATM charges. It has kept me from the ATM Crawl of Shame many a time. My buddy Steve is not immune to it, but on our last trip he rebounded quite nicely from his last withdrawal and ended up with Fat Wallet Syndrome.
• The drinks at the tables are free. If they weren't, I'd have to perform the ATM Crawl of Shame (see above).
• My wife is a patient and understanding woman. She encourages me to hang out with Steve and "howl at the moon" whenever we go to Vegas. Viva Muffles!

There's a lot more I can add to this list, so I'll do a Part II soon. In the mean time, send me your Vegas lists of "It's a good thing" and I'll post them.

Until then, remember to... Go to Vegas. It's that simple.
Viva,
Mike

The Stratosphere

I spent month-long vacations in the stratosphere, and you know it's really hard to hold your breath -- Bruce Springsteen - Growin' Up

I wish I could spend month-long vacations in the Stratosphere. It's one of my favorite casinos. Why? Here are my top 10 reasons why the Strat is a great place:

10. Parking. Unlike many casinos, it's not a maze of confusing twists and turns. It's simple: drive up to the 5th floor, turn right, park near the elevator. Take the elevator to the 3rd floor to get to the casino. Which leads to #9...

9. Easy casino navigation. On more than one occasion, I've gotten lost in the bigger casinos like Caesars and the Venetian. The Strat is simple. Once you park and get to the 3rd floor (see #10 above), you take the escalator down to the casino, and it's all laid out for you. Even without a cell phone, you can find friends at the tables or machines.

8. It's like an old friend. It's familiar, it's funky, and it's fun. And unlike the Sahara, you don't have to smoke when you go inside. Of course, like most casinos, it helps if you do.

7. Cocktail waitresses. They aren't the most glamorous. They don't wear the skimpiest outfits. But they are friendly and they keep the free drinks coming, especially if you tip and are friendly to them.

6. Bathrooms. Generally clean, but more importantly, very accessible. There are two in the casino that are very easy to get to in an emergency (important considering free drinks as noted in #7 above)

5. The pit bosses. Generally good-natured and willing to comp you a little more if you play there a lot. Their type can be difficult, mean, and dismissive if they want to be. At the Strat, I've encountered some pretty decent pit bosses.

4. The craps box men. At the craps tables, there are no harsher box men in any casino. They are constantly on those craps dealers. I would hate to be them, but it makes them better. Dealing craps can't be easy. There's a lot of money on the table, and I honestly don't know how they keep track of it because everyone puts different bets down for different amounts. The box men at the Strat know their stuff and are very strict about how the game is run. That's good news for players.

3. The rules. All multi-deck games are 3-2 blackjack (are you listening, Harrah's? That's why I don't play in your casinos any more!). The other rules are good (resplit aces once) and there are plenty of $5 blackjack tables, even on weekends.

2.There is also always a $5 craps table available, too.

1. The dealers. At the tables, most dealers are fun, friendly and remember you. While this is true at many casinos, it's particularly true at the Strat. When I was there last week, one dealer (Gina) was all smiles and said she remembered me from "last time" which was months ago! She appreciates being a good dealer. She related to me that she understands how lucky she is to have a job during this economic downturn.

She said that it used to be different. When dealers got laid off or fired, they would just go to another casino. Not any more. Competition is tough, and it has really made the dealers appreciate their customers more. She gets it, and I appreciate that. Plus, she's a great blackjack dealer - very professional and yet very friendly. Kudos, Gina - I'll see you next time I spend my vacation in the Stratosphere.

That's my list. Obviously, I really like this place. It's undergone some changes, but Bob Stupak had a dream, and it was a good one. Viva la Strat.

Mike