Photo Quiz #13

Pretty hard this week, where was this picture taken? Post your answer in the comments.

Click to enlarge...


Photo by DBag

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VegasRy.com

Any Excuse Will Suffice

In the past, I've never personally needed an excuse to go to Las Vegas. Since getting married though, a somewhat reasonable excuse has become required, but now with the formation of VegasRy.com, I always have a valid excuse. (Honey, I'm on business.) Having said that, Las Vegas has become home to many activity's "championships." This seems like just another excuse to travel to this great city.

These competitions include, but are certainly not limited to the annual Rock Paper Scissors National Championship at Mandalay Bay, Nathan's Famous Las Vegas Hot Dog Eating Championship Contest at NYNY, and the Legends Of Bartending World Championships at the Rio. These are just a few of the many odd events held there. There's no where else on Earth I'd rather be, so I can't fault anyone for needing such an excuse, but these are a bit ridiculous. I knew someone who even played in a video game tournament at the Aladdin last year. As we all know, Vegas isn't a cheap vacation, so if anyone wants to send me there to show off my Golden Tee or napping skills, I'm down for an all-expense paid trip to the city I love.

Dealers: 1, Steve Wynn: 0

Over the weekend the dealers at Wynn Las Vegas voted to unionize, by a fairly significant margin. (444-149)

Now this is just the first step in the organization process, as the Union still has a long way to go before it actually has a contract. Other Strip casinos have passed similar measures, but only one, the lowly Frontier, has actually had a Union contract put in place.

As we have written about previously, this issue stems from Wynn’s practice of including the floor supervisors (pit bosses) in the dealers tip pool, effectively taking money from the dealers, and giving it to their superiors.

Last week, Steve Wynn made a last ditch effort to plead his case to the dealers. Saying he made ‘a mistake’ when implementing the policy and urging a ‘no’ vote during a meeting with the dealers.

From that meeting:

"I did not realize the extent of the mistake I had made until yesterday," Wynn said, explaining his talk with a longtime employee who felt betrayed. "I was more focused on the right thing I did for the bosses, than the wrong thing I did to the dealers."

Fascinating audio of this impassioned speech can be found at TwoWayHardThree.com:
http://media.ratevegas.com/wynn_union_apology.mp3

It’s interesting to listen to Wynn, as he seems to apologize for the WAY he implemented the policy, if not for the policy itself. Now he was not allowed to make promises, due to the pending vote, but it wasn’t clear if he was insinuating that he’d revoke the tip-sharing policy if the union vote fell through or not.

Our extremely uneducated guess would be that this all falls apart during contract negotiations. These are dealers at arguable the nicest casino in the world, and apparently make quite a bit of money, even before the tip-sharing. Our guess is that the union might be able to get the tip-sharing reversed, but in the end, the dealers would be worse off than before the vote to unionize. Either way though, this will be good theater.

Steve Wynn + Labor Unrest = Huge Story. So we will follow this very closely, and are anxious to see what the atmosphere is like at Wynn Las Vegas during our stay there in July.


Wynn Dealers Vote to Unionize

Dealers of the World Unite!

Steve Wynn vs. His Own Dealers

VegasRy Friday Update:

No Gin and Tonic Hour this week, as we have been concentrating on the roll out of our brand new website, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, here are a few stories that have flown under the radar this week:

It's official, Tom Selleck and his mustache will be on NBC's Las Vegas.
-CNN

HBO CEO has resigned after assualting his girlfriend...Ya don't say.
-Washington Post

Jersey Boys will be the latest Broadway show to fail in Las Vegas...this one at the new Palazzo.
-San Diego Union-Tribune

Luxor bombing victim was dating two women. This plot is sure to thicken.
-Las Vegas Sun

This is a decent idea...the Luxor has it's own DING
-Luxor Beam (Via VegasTripping.com)

Harrah's earnings up, miss expectations. Harrah's is in the process of being taken private, and with Casinos all over the country, not Vegas-centric enough to be of much interest.
-Las Vegas Review-Journal

Photo Quiz #5: Answer

So this picture of some random girl was taken outside of Light, the nightclub at Bellagio. That's the Snack Bar in the background.

Actually that is soon-to-be VegasRy sister-in-law Jamie with a Light bouncer. Bonus points if you guessed it was her 21st birthday!

See and be seen at Las Vegas' hottest nightclub - Light at Bellagio

"The Greatest Car Show on Earth" Headed to Vegas?

Now here is something we can see working in Las Vegas.

Every year, they have the Barrett-Jackson car auction here in Scottsdale, which is probably the biggest car aution in the world. As well as being televised on the Speed Channel, last Year it drew 225,000 visitors, and this year it shattered records with a 1966 Shelby Cobra going for 5.5 million dollars.

Anyway, looks like the owners aren't happy with their situation in Scottsdale,and may be looking at other options:

Barrett-Jackson’s $100-million Scottsdale car auction could be scaled back in favor of venues in Las Vegas or Palm Beach, Fla., if plans for a new exposition center at West-World fall through, company president Craig Jackson said Wednesday.

The Barrett-Jackson Auction is a huge event here, drawing many well-heeled bidders, as well as gawkers. I would think that this event would lend itself to Vegas; as Cars, Money and Las Vegas fit together perfectly.


Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction (Wikipedia)

Barrett-Jackson considers scaling back at WestWorld over city decision on building

I Bet You

Professional poker players', Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak, have created a new TV show called "I Bet You." The premise is that they take their gambling addiction away from the felt and out into their daily lives. The entire show centers around them making wagers on various tasks and thus trading wads of money which are tallied up to show who is ahead.

These wages include betting on who can get to a certain destination faster, what type of panties a random female is wearing, who can earn more tips bartending for an hour, and who can blow closer to the legal limit of .08 on a breathalyser. It's not a bad idea for a show but it's painfully obvious that this is going to get old very quickly. Antonio and Phil have great chemistry though, as they are real life best friends, so the show may have some legs. (at least briefly) If you're not familiar with these two as the poker characters that they are, then the show may go right over your head. Don't expect much from "I Bet You," but it was somewhat entertaining. We'll see what the future holds and if the show deviates at all from the repetition it portrayed in the premiere.

The show airs on a channel called MOJO which I've yet to hear of. At any rate the premiere episode is available on their website.

I Bet you

Las Vegas is Smoke Free

Well, sort of.

In the November elections, Nevada voters passed Question 5, which basically banned smoking in all indoor places, except for Casinos...of course.

From the Review Journal:

QUESTION 5
• Passed by voters in November, Question 5 prohibits smoking in nearly all public places in Nevada, including grocery stores, restaurants and bars that serve food. Casino floors, brothels and smoke parlors are exempt.

The smoking ban is back in the news recently, as the first lawsuit regarding the ban has been filed against a business not in compliance of the new law. A local bar refused to remove ashtrays and matchbooks, claiming that they were exercising their right to advertise. This resulted in a civil lawsuit filed by the Health District.

The anti-smoking legislation is not unique to Vegas, as most states seem to have similar restrictions on smoking in public places. However, this is interesting as it relates to casinos and hotels in Las Vegas. We also ran across the article, regarding the Casino Lobby's stance on the issue:

After years of actively opposing smoking bans, the casino industry's primary lobbying organization is backing off as a wave of states pass indoor smoking prohibitions that include casinos.

Since the mid-1990s, the American Gaming Association has pushed for national building code standards accommodating tobacco smoke, arguing that prohibiting smoking would be bad for business.

But fighting smoking bans "is an uphill battle," says Judy Patterson, executive director of the American Gaming Association.

Even states that exempted casinos from no-smoking laws, such as Colorado and New Jersey, reconsidered those exemptions the following year, she notes.

Lobbying against smoking bans at a national level has become nearly impossible for the association, she said.

Seems like the industry views a national ban as an inevitability, and I imagine they would eventually support a nationwide ban. Instead of having some smoking and some non-smoking casinos, drawing customers towards those where they can smoke, I imagine they would eventually support a nationwide ban, one that would include Indian Casinos, leaving all casinos on an even keel.

So how long until ALL casinos have to be smoke free? Gambling, drinking, smoking...these vices seem to go together. As a non-smoker, I suppose that this is a good thing. But at the same time, it does bother me as it is one more right taken away from individuals and businesses, if a bar wants to allow smoking, that should be it's own decision. When I go to a casino or bar, I know I'm in for a smokey environment...if that bothered me, I'd go somewhere else.


Casino fight goes up in smoke

ENFORCING THE STATE SMOKING BAN: Public health vs. free speech

NASCAR Weekend Huge For Las Vegas

The NASCAR race held over the March 9-11 weekend this year has proven again to be an enormous moneymaker for Las Vegas. An economic impact of $198 Million is being attributed to the race itself.


...In terms of its impact on this community, the NASCAR Weekend at LVMS now ranks near the top with many of the major conventions and trade shows that visit Las Vegas every year...

I should mention that this weekend couples with the second weekend of March Madness, which has forever been a busier time there. We were in Vegas over this weekend and it really didn't appear all that busy. Our brief stint downtown though, made it clear where a significant portion of the NASCAR faithful were camping out.

Year Total expenditures for NASCAR weekend
2001 $97,163,700
2002 $121,425,500
2003 $133,451,000
2004 $142,673,400
2005 $167,127,800
2006 $197,891,200
2007 $198,077,500 (We are to blame for about $5k of this figure)

$198 mil is a helluva lot of gaudy NASCAR gear and Busch Lights.


2007 NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas Has Huge Economic Impact: $198 Million

Great Moments in Race Betting

Here at VegasRy we don't even pretend to know anything about horse racing, our knowledge is limited to looking at the racing form for the coolest name. That and being beat over the head with horse racing coverage once a year during the Kentucky Derby.

However, even we wouldn't use this betting strategy:

According to witnesses, the man entered the parlor around noon and asked how much it would cost to buy every possible trifecta combination (a bettor must pick the first three finishers in exact order) in the 20-horse field. After being told it would cost $13,680, he left — presumably to visit his bank.

He returned shortly thereafter, purchased his tickets and left.

Unfortunately for the hopeful bettor, the 2007 Derby $2 trifecta payoff of $440 was a far cry from 2005 and 2002 returns.

Over 13 grand to win $440, good times. At least he got to cash a ticket...


Encore: Yes for Street Sense; no for Oscar

Fight Weekend

The Floyd Mayweather Jr/ Oscar De La Hoya at the MGM Grand Garden arena was not the only publicized fight in Las Vegas over the weekend. Following Mayweathers' split decision victory late Saturday night, the chairman and CEO of HBO was found sparring outside the MGM Grand casino with his girlfriend. HBO's chief, Chris Albrecht was arrested on suspicion of assault. No word yet on who won this fight.

HBO chairman/CEO accused of assaulting girlfriend

Mayweather wins split decision over De La Hoya

VegasRy Stock Watch: Q1 Results

Losers: MGM, LVS
Winner: Wynn

The 3 major Strip Casino operators recently reported their first quarter earnings, and here is our amateur stock analyst take. While it might not be totally accurate given the massive construction projects undertaken by all 3 companies, or the question mark surrounding Macau, it’s kind of interesting to see where your money is going.

MGM-Mirage fell short of expectations; EPS rose from 49 cents to 57 cents, but missed forecasts of 66 cents. Revenue is up to $1,930 million from $1,770 during the equivalent quarter last year.

Terry Lanni, CEO of MGM-Mirage has harsh words when placing blame on the NBA for earnings shortfalls:

"The gang-bangers and others who came for purposes other than attending the game, they weren't very good for Las Vegas," chief executive Terry Lanni told The Associated Press.

Instead of gambling, many people stayed in their hotel rooms, Lanni said.

Lanni said the weekend soured the company's support for bringing an NBA team to Las Vegas, a move under consideration by commissioner David Stern.

"Mr. Stern can keep his basketball franchises out of Las Vegas as far as I'm concerned," Lanni said.

The company also had lower-than-expected revenue from its Macau operations, as the other US operators in Asia have superior products at this time. Las Vegas Sands failed to meet projections as well, seemingly due to the incredible expenses associated with pending projects, totaling 7.6 billion dollars. Revenue is up, but EPS is down to 26 cents from 34 last year.

Wynn Reports reported the first quarterly profits since its inception, EPS coming in at 54 cents, from a 12 cent loss per share last year. This is also better than analyst’s expectation of around 50 cents a share. Revenue was up to $635 million from $277 million.

Another interesting performance benchmark is Average Daily Rate, or ADR. This is the measure of the room rate per day for the company’s hotel properties. MGM’s ADR was $169, vs. LVS’s $276, given the company’s higher-end market. Wynn Las Vegas came in at an even higher $310.

MGM Mirage 1Q Profit Rises 17 Percent

Expenses drag down LV Sands earnings

Wynn Resorts posts profit, shares jump

Luxor Employee Killed by Backpack Bomb

Breaking News from CNN:

A backpack exploded in a parking garage attached to a Las Vegas hotel early Monday, killing a man who had picked it up and injuring another person, authorities said.

The man had removed the backpack from atop his car when it exploded shortly after 4 a.m. on the second floor of a parking behind the Luxor hotel-casino, said Officer Bill Cassell, a police spokesman.

We will keep you updated on this horrible event.

Exploding backpack kills man on Vegas strip

VegasRy Podcast: Gin and Tonic Hour #7

Thursday Night Musings

Not much going on this week, so we talk about:
-Our alcohol intake
-The NBA in Las Vegas
-We booked our trip!
-Tips for planning a trip
-O Review
-How many Cirque shows do we need?


Download Here

Subscribe to the Podcast!

Gambling Camaraderie

One of the initial lures of Las Vegas for me, and many others I'm sure, was the gambling aspect. The lack of much gambling content here at VegasRy so far is not necessarily on purpose. Instead, it is very reflective of what we truly love about this great city and gambling doesn't top that list. Having said that, I do still enjoy gambling and intend to make more mention of it in the future.

Gambling in general doesn't excite me like it used to. Striking it rich at the tables is no longer a fantasy as I've come to terms with reality. What does keep me coming back though is the camaraderie associated with gambling.

A few years ago at a local casino in Illinois, I had an interesting experience. I found myself in the middle of a $10 blackjack table just to the right of a husband and wife who seemed to be doing well because the husband had a stack of black chips ($100) much much larger than my red ($5) ones. I always liked to find tables where people were winning or seemingly winning by the amount of money on the table. The husband, who I'll refer to as the 3rd basemen for the duration of this story, would play small denominations like $10 or $20 per hand and then all of a sudden as if "the count" was significantly in his favor, he would bet upwards of $100. This, in and of itself, is nothing new but he played much differently when he had such large amounts on the line versus when he played the minimum. For instance, one hand in general comes to mind. I put out my measly $20 while he lays $100. I found two face cards for 20 while the 3rd basemen showed 12. The dealer showed a 10 and for whatever reason (be it "the count" or just nerves of the amount of money on the line), he stopped on 12. Naturally, this sparked my attention and sure enough the dealer flipped over a 6 and then pulled a 5 to make everyone a loser. Quietly, I sat back disgusted over the measly $20 that the 3rd basemen essentially cost me. At this point, his wife leaned over to me and the following dialogue transpired:

3b's wife: "Did that upset you?"
me: "Well, I can't say I'm pleased."
3b's wife: "I'm sorry."
3b's wife (whispering to her husband): You're upsetting the rest of the table.
3b (loudly): As if I care. If this is a team sport, then get me a jersey.

Shortly thereafter, I colored in and was on my way. This event never really upset me or scarred me in any way, but it made me realize what I truly love about gambling. I love playing blackjack like we are a team vs the dealer and thus the house they represent. This is of course a natural feeling when you sit with a table full of your friends, but I treat it similarly when I'm sitting with all strangers. I enjoy rooting people on as if I have a stake in their success. Generally nowadays, I'm on the lookout more for "fun" tables as opposed to those with lots of money on them as was common years ago. Don't get me wrong, winning makes everything fun, but I win so infrequently that this sense of team camaraderie makes it much more fun.

Similar to blackjack, craps is played even more like a team sport. This is probably why it is my favorite pit game, while I'm bored by games such as slots. Nearly everyone these days plays the pass line. This promotes people to root for the shooter and generally puts everyone on the same team. There is nothing more fun that experiencing a "hot" craps table. Three tables in my lifetime ring a bell and I'll never forget them. High-fiving strangers when the shooter hits a difficult point such as a 4 is always a euphoric moment.

Enjoyment in gambling can only come from winning for so long because inevitably the house has a big edge and we're all likely to become lifetime losers. That's why I find my enjoyment in the camaraderie and team-like atmosphere created.


Put me in coach! I've got my jersey on and I'm ready to play.

What If We Ran Vegas: Children Not Allowed

Full Disclosure: My parents actually took me to Vegas when I was about 13 or 14, however it was part of a larger trip out West. It wasn’t as if we flew in so my mom could put in 14 hours a day at the slots (Like she does now). That said, I actually did enjoy Las Vegas, it was at the beginning of the Disney-fication of the town, as the Excalibur had just been built, and we stayed at Circus-Circus. I liked to play at the arcades, and walk around and see these incredible giant buildings in the middle of the desert.

Boy how things have changed, although Circus-Circus hasn’t. Fast forward 15 years; the kid-friendly theme has come and gone, prices have gone through the roof, and even the Visitors Bureau’s (“What happens here, stays here”) motto promotes the risqué, sleazy side of things.

So, at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, or a child-hater, Vegas is most definitely not a place for kids. Do you want to try and explain this to your children?

Click to enlarge…


Anyway, a couple trips ago, I actually saw an unsupervised boy pick up a beer bottle from the side of the street and drink from it. I guess my argument isn’t against kids in Vegas, but for unsupervised kids in Las Vegas. There are things that a child might interested in town, such as the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, but these can be seen during the day, before the debauchery really begins when the sun goes down.

So, we aren’t about to tell anyone how to raise their kids, but at least until they are old enough to look after themselves, take them to the real Disney World (or here), and leave the Adult Disney World to those of gambling age.

Lohan Finally Legal

In honor of our nation's birthday, VegasRy.com will be in Las Vegas July 1-4. We recently learned that we won't be alone in celebration as none other than Lindsay Lohan will also be in attendance.

Lohan turns 21 on July 2nd and is having a birthday bash following a dinner in Malibu. This is great news as we are destined to have an inside Vegas scoop on her or one of the many celebrities likely to be in town.

It's funny how we've heard for many years how Lohan has had a drinking problem and now, since entering rehab has been sober. Celebrity life is so much more accelerated. Are we sure she's not turning 31? I'll be on the lookout for her activities as another stint in rehab is almost inevitable.

Stay tuned for more updates on this subject...

Full Story here

Know Your Surroundings: Monte Carlo

The fourth installment of our "Know Your Surroundings" series is on Monte Carlo. The casino at Monte Carlo is by no means extravagant, but it has long been a favorite of ours because it plays its part. By that, I mean that it doesn't try and be something it is not. It is defined as a more casual casino and therefore typically attracts a less sophisticated crowd.


Monte Carlo's casino is unique in that it's one of the few of the larger casinos that it is nearly impossible to get lost in. (or at least confused as to where you are) It's one giant room centered with gaming tables which are surrounded by many slot machines. It has little to no sports book though, but they do make a mean bloody mary at the bar.

There is a centrally located restroom in the heart of the casino near the cafe. While we cruised back to the Bellagio in the wee hours of the night in March, twice we dined at the MC cafe. It is by no means special, but as a late night snack it's a nice pit stop. I enjoyed a burger one night and an omelet the next.

There are two other restaurants of note at MC. First, the Dragon Noodle, Co. is a pretty tasty Chinese restaurant. I highly recommend it for a lunch, but only if you plan to not wander the city much. The food is almost certain to please you, while at the same time slowing you down drastically. Don't expect to have room for copious amounts of tasty fluids in the hours following your dining experience. Secondly, the Monte Carlo Brew Pub & Brewery is a decent pub and by far MC's best establishment.

This map is a shade dated as the Hypermarket Convenience store is no longer there.
I'll always miss stopping there for a Labattes Blue when departing on the south side. Beers there weren't severely overpriced as is common at nearly all Las Vegas bars.

See the archives here:

Know Your Surroundings: Paris

Know Your Surroundings: Caesars

Know Your Surroundings: Bellagio

MTV and Palms Reunite (again)

According to tmz.com, MTV is set to host their 2007 Video Music Awards at the Palms Hotel and Casino on September 9th. Previously, MTV hosted the Real World Season 12 at the Palms and is currently filming a reunion season there as well.

The weekend of the awards show should be full of celebrities and might be a great weekend to hit up Las Vegas. Book early though because once this hits the mainstream press, prices are certain to skyrocket. All of a sudden, this is a tantalizing weekend for a 4th 2007 trip for VegasRy.com.

MTV's return to the Palms is evidence that a partnership has apparently formed between the media giant and the Las Vegas hot spot. Hopefully, this relationship will provide future Vegas programming. Note to those in charge though..."Sweet 16: Vegas style" is not what we are looking for in terms of programming.

As for the question: MTV + Palms = ??? That hopefully will be fully answered in the months to come. So far they've done right by themselves as opposed to E's airing of "Paradise City," which a bulk of was also filmed in and around the Palms.

MTV's RW Reunited: Remember Me

He Said/She Said Review: Las Vegas Little Black/Red Book

Las Vegas Little Black Book
by David deMontmollin and Hiram Todd Norman

Las Vegas Little Red Book
by Molly Sullivan, David deMontmollin and Hiram Todd Norman


The Las Vegas Little Black Book/Little Red Book bill themselves as the Guys/Girls guide to the perfect Vegas getaway. Both are co-written by David deMontmollin, currently the Executive Director of Marketing at Hooters Hotel and Casino, (Note: He has an MBA from Arizona State University...so do we!) and the Girl’s guide is co-authored by Molly Sullivan, whom you might recognize from the unspeakably god-awful E! Series, Paradise City.

Now we are generally skeptical of most travel guides, as they are usually woefully out of date, and by trying to be everything to everyone, actually help very little as far as what to actually expect when in Las Vegas. These books are different, solidly aimed at single, 21-35 year olds looking to have a sinful time in Vegas. Today we will be comparing the two, as Guest Commentator Allison and me, VegasRy, have read both, and will share our thoughts on how valuable their advice really is.

Preparation: SHE SAID – No girl, in their right mind, is going to pack one, single pair of shoes to go out in. Be realistic…and on that note, if you do pack the required three pairs, you will not be able to carry your luggage on, as recommended. Bad advice. Keep the group size between 5 and 8, and do not invite the friend that is crying about her recent breakup. Good advice. HE SAID – Plan your trip…with each guy it gets exponentially harder to maintain “the group”. There is so much to do in Vegas, that if you do not plan, as advised, you do not get to experience any of it. Good advice (for the 24 hour trip discussed).

Hotels: SHE SAID – The Little Red Book suggests the coolest, most expensive places in Las Vegas Hard Rock, Palms, Wynn. Of course…they recommend these because that is where you are going to find guys with money…but nice hotel selection, nonetheless. HE SAID – Here’s where the two books differ…while the Red Book suggests the hippest places on the Strip, the Black Book recommends hotels for large groups of guys on a budget. We tend to sway toward the nicer locations, but if you are a 21 year-old on a budget, this is decent advice.

Food: SHE SAID – The restaurants boasting celebrity chefs earn the highest rankings in the Red Book, like Spago, Nobu, Mix and Olives. Of course, the defining “Dining” recommendations come in the list titled Five Restaurants to Meet Mister Right. HE SAID – According to this book there are only two types of restaurants in Las Vegas. High end steak joints and all-you-can-eat buffets. They are one for two, in our opinion, a steak is an integral part of every Sin City trip but buffets are a cheesy Vegas relic. Nowadays Vegas has so much more to offer, do your research before deciding where to dine and make it a memorable experience.


Clubs: SHE SAID – Nightclubs and Ultra Lounges rule the Red Book list. While ranking the top places to be seen, the Red Book authors give such great advice as “Never Pay, Have the Guys Pay for You!” and rank clubs by the general level of attractiveness that it’s male clientele boast (it remains to be seen if the authors are discussing physical attractiveness or the beauty of a fat wallet.) HE SAID – The Black Book recommends avoiding the mega-clubs when in groups of guys. This is good advice for those who do not want to be tied down to one club, or spend $18 a drink, plus a $30 cover charge (if you can even get in). However, if $200 a piece seems worth it, shell out for bottle service. They don’t call it VIP for nothin’.


Opposite Sex: SHE SAID – How to score a guy that will pay for your drinks, give you money to gamble, and maybe even take you shopping!!!! The Red Book authors even delve into what color chips the appropriate “prey” should have in front of him at the Blackjack table, how he should have them stacked, and exactly what spa you should visit pre-going out to get all dolled up to look just like that Paris Hilton. HE SAID – While the book does give advice for where the girls are, and how to break the ice, it never strays into anything too risqué. While it might not suggest the hottest clubs and lounges, avoiding these places also means you steer clear of the Paris Hilton wannabes and other gold diggers who only want you to buy them drinks while clinging on to a desperate hope that some rich man will whisk them away from their Us Weekly-reading lives.

Favorite Quote: SHE SAID – Tie!!

“You never know who you might run into in Vegas; a new friend, a new job opportunity, or maybe even a new boyfriend!”

(When advising on what men to avoid sitting next to at the blackjack table)… “Does his lip twitch and is there a sheen of sweat collecting onhis forehead? Translated…he could be just as nervous in the bedroom!”

HE SAID – Another Tie!

“Limos serve as a great place to hook up. The limo offers a hookup sanctuary that is quick to get to, and you don’t have to spend the night. Just get a girl in the limo for a ride down the Strip and a glass of champagne, and the likelihood of getting some action will increase tenfold.”

and

“Vegas gentlemen’s clubs have women. Lots of women. Lots of hot women who will flirt with you; lots of hot women who will flirt with you and take their clothes off for you.”

Best Advice: SHE SAID – Pick your co-travelers carefully…the group you are with can make or break your vacation. HE SAID – Plan your trip carefully, and if you aren’t willing to shell out the big bucks, stay away from the clubs.

Worst Advice: SHE SAID – Whore yourself out. HE SAID – The words Bellagio and Wynn fail to be mentioned by the authors.

What do you think of the other book? SHE SAID – The Black Book authors have a lot of good advice…if you are a 21 year-old looking to get drunk and find some short-term female company! This book actually wasn’t nearly as offensive as the Red Book, it just came across as much better advice for a younger crowd. HE SAID – The Red Book is jaw-droppingly blatant about its intentions…as if failing to find a rich dude to buy you drinks and take you shopping somehow brands the trip as a failure. A cautionary tale for every male out there…read 5 pages, and you’ll never buy a drink for a strange female again!

Conclusion: While more entertaining and more targeted than most travel guides, these two books have their flaws as well. If you’re a guy, and under 25, the Black Book is for you. If you’re an enormously shallow, single, woman whose hero is a spoiled, Los Angeles socialite…by all means, pick up the Little Red Book!


Buy the Little Red Book (Girls)

Buy the Little Black Book (Guys)

Photo Quiz #5

Here is the third picture. Where is this located? (Be specific) Post your answer in the comments.

Click to enlarge...

Caesars Bettes on Midler

We've long speculated about who Celine Dion's successor would be when she inevitably wraps up a long and lucrative run at Caesar's Palace's Coliseum. While Dion is very talented, her style really isn't our forte and hence we've never considered seeing her perform.

On that note, please stay tuned for another concert review you won't read here as we've just learned that the one and only Bette Midler will begin her run in Celine's shoes in 2008. We like that they are catering to adults as opposed to bringing the likes of 'Disney on Ice' to Vegas, but this isn't exactly what we had in mind.

Midler's extensive singing and acting career is detailed on Wikipedia. Time to add another entry.

My First Time in Las Vegas: VegasRy

The first time I was in Las Vegas was March of 1999. Bellagio had just opened, Venetian was undergoing its finishing touches, and the Wynn was a distant memory. This was also waaaay before Las Vegas was as big as it is today, with little to no exposure in the media, being before The Real World, Ocean’s 11, and Las Vegas the TV show. The spring break destination came down to between Disneyland and Las Vegas, and I distinctly remember being asked: ‘So we are going to go and look at a bunch of hotels?’ Thankfully, (or not, depending on your viewpoint) I won that argument.

We stayed at Treasure Island and were upgraded to a corner room (This was long before the 20$ trick entered our universe) and were blown away by the sheer size of everything, and how over-the-top everything was. We ended up walking the entire strip, from Treasure Island all the way to Mandalay Bay and back.

We ate at Spago (Because it was in Showgirls) and The Buccaneer Bay Club (Long gone, Social House now), and saw O, as it was the best show on the strip at the time (Some would say it still is). Even before the days of ultra-lounges and 150$ show tickets, and it was all pretty over-whelming and pretty exciting as we were in the middle of the biggest building boom of the last 40 years. The next few times in Las Vegas there was always something new to see, which kept us coming back…many, many times.

Gambling-wise, I remember playing at Bellagio way back when 5$ tables were still plentiful, and after a session, I had a few silver, one dollar coins, and threw them into at nearby slot machine to get rid of them. Turns out I won 160$ on the 2^nd spin, a lot of money for a college student back them. (Side Note: I have since put well over 200$ into that same machine and have yet to win a dime…I swear they did it on purpose)

My favorite memory of this trip was when we saw the Bellagio for the first time. Naturally, we were blown away, and I wanted to bring back a souvenir for all of my buddies back in Iowa. So I went to the Bellagio gift shop and bought maybe 8 shot glasses, a decanter, mug, etc. Being the first night we were there, with the energy still running through my body, we ended up walking the entire strip, all the way to Mandalay Bay, all the time carrying my heavy as hell glassware.

The best part of this story though, was the next day when I realized that Bellagio, Mirage, and Treasure Island (TI was years away) were owned by the same company, and the very same items I purchased and dragged all the way up and down the strip…were available downstairs in the very hotel that we were staying at.

We’ve come a long way…the Excalibur hasn’t.

Booked...

Whew! That was a close one, we could have actually gone 4 entire months before heading back to Vegas, but thanks to an offer from Wynn Las Vegas, we have booked our next trip.

Life is always better with a booked trip to Las Vegas to look forward to, so we'll be in Las Vegas July 1st - 4th. Summertime is usually a dead time of the year, and that coupled with it being a Sunday-Thursday makes it a pretty cheap trip.

I've stayed at the Wynn once, just a couple months after it's opening. Despite all that we have read about the glitches in service and other problems, we had a great time, and can't wait to go back. And given our sub-par experience at Bellagio in March, it will be interesting to compare the 2 nicest joints on the Strip.

We're looking forward to trying a few new things, a few old things, and updating you with all the goings-on in our favorite city.

P.S. I just added up all my previous trips, and this will be my 20th(!) time in Vegas.

VegasRy Book Review: Bust

Bust
By Adam Resnick

What happens when you give a degenerate gambler a blank check to bet, and lose, millions? Essentially, that’s what happened to Adam Resnick, who is now serving time in prison for wire fraud. A cautionary tale if there ever was one, it doesn’t delve too deeply into why the author gambled so much, it’s more a memoir than a character study.

Resnick was a gambler basically as long as he can remember, from poker games with his grandfather, to gambling in college; whether is was trips to Vegas from the University of Arizona, or local Indian casinos while at the University of Wisconsin. He was gambling every cent he could, and then some, but it was only a precursor to what was in store.

After college, Resnick became a successful businessman, making millions selling medical equipment. But the access to greater amounts of money only fed his addiction, and he began lying and pleading to anyone and everyone to keep gambling. From a Dateline NBC segment on Resnick:

In 1998, when they got married, Meredith didn’t catch on that Adam was still gambling all the time. Only now, he lied all the time, too.

Resnick: I would actually buy tickets to California and leave them on the counter in the kitchen so—saying, “Look, I’m going to California.” And take it a step further, I’d actually pay for a room at a hotel in California.

Of course he wasn’t really at that hotel, but at a casino in Vegas.

Resnick became a valued high roller at Las Vegas Casinos, being flown in on a private Gulfstream, and staying in his own private villa at the Bellagio. Only he didn’t seem to enjoy a second of any of it…gambling was his only concern. The comped shows, dinners, even women were only distractions, keeping him away from the tables.

Later in life, Adam became an insider at a bank in Chicago, which effectively gave him access to unlimited funds, which he predictably abused. The book opens with the Author driving to a Chicagoland Casino, needing to win 3 million dollars in order to save the bank, and himself. The collapse that follows is the exclamation point on an almost unbelievable tale of addiction.

The book is written in apologetic way, like the author knew what he was doing was wrong, but he did it anyway. Some of the numbers are mind-boggling, and we would have trouble believing the scale of his loss and deception, if it weren’t for the press coverage of his downfall. We recommend the book, not for the high-flying gambling tales (although there are quite a few), but for the look into a gamblers psyche. Bringing Down the House kicked off a series of gambling memoirs, and the sheer magnitude of Resnick’s story is what makes this better than most.


The Dateline segment is online here:

Buy Bust

VegasRy Podcast: Gin and Tonic Hour #6

Welcome Back Trishelle, We Missed You!

In Our First Non-Recap Podcast, We Discuss:
-The future of MGM-Mirage
-South Dakota is not Vegas
-The Real World Reunion is the best thing to ever happen to us
-Thoughts on Steve Wynn
-Book Review: 24/7


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Internet Gambling Ban to be Lifted?

From MarketWatch:

Gaming Americans would be able to place bets over the Internet under a bill introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank on Thursday.

Frank's bill would roll back a ban on online gambling and enable companies to be licensed to accept bets and wagers online from individuals in the U.S.

The bill would exempt the operators from current restrictions on online gambling and would require licensed companies to have protections in place against underage and compulsive gambling, money laundering and fraud.

Not sure that this bill has much of a chance of passing, but we are in favor of it, as we are in favor of anything that would lessen government regulation, (some would say censorship) especially when it comes to the Internet. In our opinion, Congress is woefully unprepared and unqualified to deal with progressive issues such as this.

The real issue isn't whether or not gambling is bad, it's that the government can't tax it and get it's cut. This bill would allow for increased regulation and, obviously, increased taxation. However, since the vast majority of these companies are offshore, not sure how domestic taxation will apply. Also, not sure how you can develop a foolproof way of verifying age, location, etc.

Internet gambling has always been technically illegal in the US, that's why the companies operated in other countries, mostly the Caribbean. The way companies and gamblers circumvented this was by moving money through a middleman, so credit card companies and banks weren't directly funding gambling. However, due to legislation passed in 2006, it made it illegal for banks to deal with this middlemen, effectively cutting off the flow of cash.

The SAFE Port Act, at least as far as it applies to Internet gambling, is an affront to personal freedoms, along with being hypocritical. Gambling is legal in some form in almost every state, with 2 Casinos within 10 minutes of where I now sit, and off-track betting at countless bars in between. While this wouldn't cause us to gamble online much, if at all, we should have the freedom to do so if we choose.

The House Committee is scheduled to discuss this in June.

Rep. Frank's bill would roll back Net-gambling ban

Maybe the Bartender Insulted Her Choice of Rum...

From the 'no one cares' department:

Carmen Electra has backed out of an engagement to be a special guest star in magician Hans Klok's new show, "The Beauty of Magic," at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

The former Aladdin resort on the Las Vegas Strip set a press conference Thursday to announce the new guest star and explain Electra's sudden departure from the show, a spokeswoman said.

We haven't mentioned this new show because, well, we didn't care. For those Carmen fans out there, we are sorry, but this leaves her more time to have her picture taken bent over the hood of a car...or whatever it is she is famous for.

(UPDATE: Pamela Anderson is set to replace Electra in the show, and will be paid about $4 million for a 12-week engagement...the world isn't fair sometimes)


Electra backs out of magician Hans Klok show at Planet Hollywood

Open Letter to the Mustachioed Bartender at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood

Photo Quiz #4: Answer

The 4th quiz photo is actually located in two places:


This sweet banner may or may not still be there today but back in March it graced the two mall entrances to the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood. Hopefully now that the PH transition has completed, they are no longer there. I don't typically make too many assumptions when it comes to this place though, because it leads to much disappointment.

Anyways, good luck next week.

A Free Piece of Paper Does Not Make You a VIP

V, I and P are the most overused letters in Las Vegas, especially when used in conjunction with nightclubs. To quickly straighten this out:

-Tiger Woods is a VIP

-The dude that dropped 100 grand at baccarat is an IP

-Pretty girls are P’s

-As guys…we are lowercase p’s

That said, I’m sure you have all seen those supposed VIP to nightclub passes that are all over the place. They are usually obtained through cab drivers, guys on the street, online, or picked up at various stores or booths in town. But what do they really get you?

Well, we have limited experience with them, as they seem like a scam. (And usually they are) When there is a line a mile long at Pure on Saturday night, a pass you picked up from a guy on the street won’t get you a damn thing. It is still the bouncer’s discretion whether to let you in or not.

These passes can mean different things, some will:

-Waive your cover charge

-Waive your cover provided you are there by a certain time, like before 11 PM

-Allow you to skip the line

-Get you ‘Invited Guest’ status…which is a fancy way of saying you get to wait in a different, albeit shorter, line.

-Do nothing at all, especially on a busy night

From our experience, and what we’ve read, definitely don’t spend a dime on these. They are available free most places…hell, we got ours to Revolution from girls handing them out in front of the club. Most of the cab drivers and other low-lifes count on the fact that people buy them during the day, as it sounds like a good idea, then have no recourse when they end up not working later on.

Another thing we’ve seen is that hotel guests ‘usually’ get preference at a given club, although I’m sure this depends on time of night and how full the club is. For instance, we were staying at Mandalay Bay and were able to use the ‘Invited Guests’ line to rumjungle, and didn’t pay cover. In that case, all we needed was our room keycard.

The best advice given our experience is to do your research ahead of time and plan where you will be going for the night. Given the long lines to most popular clubs, club hopping is almost impossible, so pick one. Either plan to get their early to avoid the line, or arrange through the club’s host or hotel concierge for bottle service. This is a pretty pricey option, but will allow you to skip the line, not have to worry about a place to sit, and avoid the obscene price of drinks once inside.

If all else fails, grease some palms. Either that, or be a pretty girl…not an option for most of us.

Vegas Link: NormClarke.com

Norm Clarke’s daily column in the Las Vegas Review Journal is THE place to go for Las Vegas and celebrity news and rumors.

Clarke’s column deals with current gossip and goings-on. With unparalleled access and a large network of spies, Norm breaks more stories regarding upcoming shows, celebrity events, and anything having to do with Las Vegas. His ongoing feud with Pete Rose (the two have a history) is also entertaining unto itself.

Since Las Vegas is home to the most daily celebrity sightings in the world, the column also covers who was seen where the night before. For example, what club is Paris whoring herself around in last weekend? Check Norm’s latest write-up…

Norm’s column occasionally strays into US Weekly territory, but for the most part is pretty even-keeled, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Warning, it can be habit-forming.

Norm Clarke Home Page

Las Vegas Review Journal Home Page

Taking Out The Trash

The Las Vegas Metro alongside the FBI successfully executed 'Operation Dollhouse' over the weekend. In total, eight brothels were busted leaving six people in jail on prostitution charges. Authorities found 25 prostitutes, 3,500 tablets of ecstasy and $20,000 in cash. Neighbors complained of lots of people coming and going from the homes as well as an abnormal amount of trash.


It's good to see the neighborhoods are getting cleaned up in Las Vegas. Now, how about getting back to a little thing called Las Vegas Blvd? One of my biggest disturbances with the city is the ridiculous amount of 'porn slappers' that litter the area. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term 'porn slappers'; it refers to those individuals who hand out the stripper/prostitute cards on the sidewalks up and down LV Blvd. Being the seasoned pro that I am, I've learned to walk with my hands in my pockets in order to send the blatant message that I'm not interested, but this annoyance is simply unacceptable. As far as I'm concerned, this is advertising for prostitution under the guise of something more along the legal line so there must be some way to prosecute these individuals.

As a result, I'm campaigning for an 'Operation Garbage Disposal' to clean up the sidewalks in Las Vegas. Who is with me?

Read about the bust here.

And the plot thickens...
Apparently a San Mateo County Sheriff and his Undersheriff were detained at one of the brothels. Palo Alto Online has the story.

Stratosphere Sold

From Bloomberg:

Carl Icahn agreed to sell the Stratosphere, three other Nevada casinos and 17 acres on the Las Vegas Strip to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s real estate funds for $1.3 billion.

Goldman's Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds will buy the Arizona Charlie's Decatur and Boulder casinos off the Strip and the Aquarius Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nevada. Icahn's American Real Estate Partners LP will see a gain of $1 billion from the sale of the properties he began buying just eight years ago, the Mount Kisco, New York-based company said today in a statement.

Not sure about selling now, as the North Strip is on the verge of a renaissance of sorts. But a cool billion dollars in just eight years is a pretty good ROI.


Icahn Sells Four Casinos to Goldman for $1.3 Billion

Las Vegas Sands and Macau

We haven’t written much about Macau, because well, Macau isn’t Las Vegas. But its ties to Las Vegas and the companies that operate casinos in both locales are very strong. There are 3 US companies that operate casinos in Macau, Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, and MGM-Mirage. Recently though, one of those operators, Las Vegas Sands, has become the target of multiple lawsuits regarding the securing of its gaming license.

Quick geography lesson, Macau is classified as a Special Administrative Region of China, similar to Hong Kong. Governed by China, it is located about 45 miles west of Hong Kong, as is comprised of only 21 square kilometers of land. The big deal here, though, is that gambling is legal, and it’s proximity to the many Asian gamblers makes it a gold mine, as many companies have already discovered. In fact, recently Macau became bigger than Las Vegas in gaming revenue, for the first time.

Having traveled to China, and studied in detail the way business is conducted there, it’s no surprise that allegations of impropriety would arise. Connections and who you know reign supreme as far as getting deals done in China, with family connections and friends of friends taking precedent over traditional channels, or being able to throw money at a problem. Payoffs and kickbacks are commonplace, and it seems like the LV Sands lawsuits are an example of the difficulties in a foreign company entering a mostly closed market.

From an article in the Las Vegas Business Press:

Three multi-million-dollar lawsuits against Las Vegas Sands and owner Sheldon Adelson have shone a light on events leading up to the company's casino expansion into Macau. Potentially, they expose a grittier side to the company's foreign business practices.

The lawsuits -- two filed in District Court and one in Federal Court -- allege a series of broken promises and possibly questionable business practices by Adelson and top Las Vegas Sands executives in their rush to secure Macau's final casino concession in 2002.

When the gambling monopoly in Macau was lifted, predictably the competition for the few gambling permits was fierce. Allegedly LV Sands entered into a partner ship with a Hong Kong businessman, as well as a Taiwan Corporation, and then reneged on its deal when they obtained the license through alternate channels. Both parties are suing to get their promised cut.

For those of you that don’t know, Sheldon Adelson is currently the 2^nd richest man in America behind Bill Gates, as LV Sands stock has been one of the hottest of the last year. He also has a very public feud with Steve Wynn; call it a clash of very large egos, for these 2 neighbors in Las Vegas. (Adelson’s Venetian is next door to Wynn Las Vegas) Anyway, we have zero inside knowledge on this topic, or of the legal precedents, but this looks like a set of cases that will never make it to court, either by being thrown out, or at the very most, resulting in a settlement.

Gaming isn’t always a clean business, especially coupled with the shady environment in Macau…but it makes for good theater, and we will definitely keep you updated.

A gritty side of Las Vegas Sands

VegasRy Podcast: Gin and Tonic Hour #5

Welcome to the Bathroom! Last Day in Vegas.

-Why can't we sleep?
-Stroll through the Wynn
-Differing views on the Venetian...
-...but Booze Tubes rock
-Dinner at Fix
-Bottle Service at Tryst
-Southwest loses my luggage, but who cares?

Note: We tried to keep this one short, and it ended up being over an hour anyway...whatever, it's free.



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VegasRy Preview: CityCenter

One of the great things about Las Vegas is that it’s always changing. Even if you go every 6 months, there is always something new or changed to see or do. As Las Vegas is in the midst of the umpteenth building boom, there are several projects we are looking forward to, and one of them is MGM-Mirage’s Project CityCenter.

CityCenter is a multi-use project that is going up between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo properties. It will contain several hotel towers, and the requisite casino and retail areas. MGM says that the property will open in November, 2009. Here is a description from the MGM-Mirage press release.

CityCenter is MGM MIRAGE's dazzling vertical city in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts. The development combines into a single urban core approximately 2,700 private residences, two 400-room non-gaming boutique hotels (one of which will be managed by luxury hotelier Mandarin Oriental), a dramatic 60-story, 4,000-room resort casino, and a 470,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district. CityCenter is a design collaboration between MGM MIRAGE and eight of the world's foremost architects including Foster and Partners, Gensler, Helmut Jahn, KPF Architects, Pelli Clarke Pelli, Rockwell Group, RV Architecture LLC led by Rafael Vinoly and Studio Daniel Libeskind.

Current rendering of CityCenter, note the kooky Veer Towers, the crooked high rises front and center:

Current cost estimates for CC put the price tag at 7.4 billion(!) dollars, making it the most expensive private construction project undertaken in the US. 7 billion is quite a chunk, but MGM claims they will sell about 2.5 billion dollars worth of condos in the meantime, which lowers the net cost considerably. Condos were the flavor of the month for a while, with many projects planned on or near the Strip. Many have failed, but CC seems like the real deal. Another interesting aspect of the project is since these condos will be owned my thousands of individuals, when it comes time to implode the buildings for something new, they need all of those owners’ approval.

Here is a live snapshot of the construction. That is the main hotel tower going up in the foreground.

CityCenter is quite an undertaking, and it will be interesting to see how they pull it off. I can see where they are coming from; they have the area, might as well develop it all at once, and sell off condos and operating rights to hotels to deflate the costs. No one has more experience and resources than MGM-Mirage when it comes to building Las Vegas properties, so we have high hopes. This much is for sure, CityCenter will definitely transform the Las Vegas Skyline.

City Center Home Page

MGM MIRAGE Provides Update on CityCenter Progress