Smart Baccarat

A little flashback, to the first Vegas property to introduce baccarat to the United States.

Oh, the power of the nine.  The story of "The Temple of Gold Hair," was news to me.

Labels: baccarat, big baccarat, chemin de fer, las vegas, natural nine, sands, vegas

Not really a surprise, but it's nice to know that the casino management @ M-Resort is on the right page, with regard to how they treat mistakes and their customers. Nice story in The Bear Growls.

On its first full day of operation, the M Resort in Henderson had a single-line 25-cent video poker machine with a progressive starting at $10,000 instead of the undoubtedly intended $1,000. A patron hit the jackpot. Rather than hassle the winner or try to outright cheat him, as many casinos have done in similar situations, after a thirty-minute delay, the M Resort paid the patron the $10,009,

In other news, seems the first month of M-Resort, has proved to be a bit more popular than originally anticipated.

Overall, M was twice as busy as anticipated that first week. A total of 20,000 customers signed up for the iMagine rewards Club in the first few days of operation when the hotel set a goal for 25,000, total, for the entire month.

and a LINK to an M-Resort opening video.

I think my friend Rob put it best, in text message yesterday.

"Beautiful casino without the arrogance."

Diane was kind enough to share some of her great pics of M-Resort. [Thank you Diane!]

another great shot of the table


my favorite sink


the view from your bed in the morning, WOW -- those window are incredible


more seating, more view! love those windows


nice tub, in the master bath, of course, with a view of the strip


this shot really shows the absolute coolness of the wine bar area

Labels: bear growls, las vegas, m resort, vegas

Yes, sometimes you just have to do it! After Foo convinced me to travel to The Vegas to spend some "quality" time with him for 24 hours, and help set him up @ Palazzo; I was a bit unconvinced that my mind and/or body could really deal with a one day trip to The Vegas.

Well, turns out, that my first trip to Vegas for 2009 @ the beginning of February (AKA, the "Pimp Daddy Trip" -- need to post some stories 'bout that soon..) on a fare sale ($92+ tax $130'ish all-in) had me arriving in Vegas on Friday night @ 11PM and departing on Sunday morning at 6AM. I had meant to book the return for Monday, but alas, I didn't and I was unable to change the return flight; even though it was within the Delta 24 hour change window. (Turns out, all of the cheap fare buckets for Monday returns were long gone). I lamented about this, and in the end, was able to get a 25K mile Delta free (roundtrip) ticket (with no fees for last minute booking, since it was coming out of Ellen's Platinum Medallion Account). Of course, NOW, I had a one way ticket left to use that was only applicable to return me to Vegas (BOS-LAS). Oh, the dilemma.

All of this played perfectly into Foo's master plan of convincing me to come out to Vegas, as I already had a ticket TO VEGAS, and only need a return home. Lo and behold, I was able to pick-up a Southwest return ticket on the nonstop from Vegas to Manchester, NH (LAS-MHT) for a mere $137+tax.

The plans were in motion, but still wasn't convinced the body was ready for it.

Yep, it was going to be a 30 hour trip to THE VEGAS!

Departure was the 6.30AM BOS-SLC-LAS on Delta flight with a swift sub 40 minute connection. Timed everything perfectly with a pick-up from my house at 5AM from Dave. We like to punish each other with flight drop offs at very early hours. Used elite security (next to CLEAR) because of my Crown Room Membership (purchased as a companion off of Ellen's Platinum Delta Medallion Status). Arrived at the gate just in time for zone 1 boarding, which was great, as my exit row was zone 1. Flights were on time, and pretty perfect. Exit row coach seating was fine, and IFE was available on the DL 757 from BOS-SLC. Used my expired drink coupons to have two Woodford Reserves (yes, Woodford, and only on Delta) with a single rock for the flight, and watched the pilot and next two episodes of season 1 - Sopranos on my iphone; with a mophie attached to extend the battery. A very nice flight attendant (definitely in her 50's) was totally hitting on me, and making fun of my expired drink coupons. She kept saying "I knew they were expired......" -- but, I'm gonna let you get away with it... actually, I'm just gonna tear them up and give you the drinks... she stopped by later in the flight to offer me another cocktail, but two was more than enough; along with a few club sodas.

Arrival in Vegas was uneventful, and on time. Was happy to see that both trams from terminal D were operating, so there was no wait for the tram. Went to check-in at Encore, which was very red, just like everything else at Encore.



It was just about noon, and I was using a pretty decent offer from Encore, considering I haven't had any play at Wynn since the opening. It was a $129 room rate with $150 in FREEPLAY, so effectively a free room.

Of course, my requested smoking room wasn't available (this always seems to be the case), but the check-in agent felt bad about not getting me into my room immediately as this was a one day trip. To make up for the lack of a smoking room, she decided to "upgrade" me to the top floor, floor 63. Not really sure this is really an "upgrade" even though, she made of point of saying she wasn't even going to ask her supervisor. So, after waiting a few more moments (their computer servers were having issues), and then the check-in person having to go "manually" make my key, I was almost on the way.

Since this was my first stay @ Encore (or Wynn, for that matter), I asked the nice lady to have a 1L bottle of Pellegrino, ice, and limes sent up to my suite. She didn't flinch, and called in the request right away. So, I was on my way to floor 63 of the Encore Resort Tower.

The room (well, they call it a suite) was very nice, extremely well done.



It even came with a view of the Stardust, which was great at bringing back many incredible old memories......



Pellegrino arrived moments after I got to my suite/room, and after getting over the shock of the auto-gratuity and additional service charge, I thanked the very nice server. She did make a point of telling me that the gratuity was already charged. As if, I wouldn't have figured that out by the $18 total price on the check for a single 1L bottle of Pellegrino. Amazing thing, this is even more expensive than at Palazzo (by around $5) --- so, I guess they need to make $$ somewhere. Only complaint, if you want to call it that, is that they delivered lemon slices, not lime slices with the water. Personally, they should have delivered both.

While we're on the subject of Encore versus Palazzo comparisons, I'll mention a few.

Requested turn down before leaving my suite in the evening, and it was not performed. Also, did my late night chicken wing order (around 4AM), at which time I order DRY deep fried buffalo wings with the sauce on the side. I'm very specific about the sauce being on the side, and the order taker repeated the order back. Unfortunately, the wings arrived within a half hour, but drenched in hot sauce. A little annoying, since it took another 30 minutes for a replacement. Though, I must say, the presentation for the french fries was really nice.

Even with these very minor service setbacks, I must say, I totally love Encore. Why, it has a small casino feel, and the dice tables are right outside of the elevator bank to the resort tower. And, it works well. Nice functional suites. Lovely casino floor, lots of sunlight! Actually, that's it.. there is just so much light in Encore during the day, it's incredibly refreshing.

Would I stay here again? Absolutely! Do I like it more than Palazzo? Well, that's not completely fair, and I didn't get a chance to check out the gym or spa. But, I love the vibe and the aesthetic of the property. It just feels clean, open and LUCKY! (I can't believe I said that) --- more on the gambling action a bit later.

Went over to the Mirage, and to my wicked happy surprise, got in a cab (yeah, I was in a rush) where the driver was playing my favorite opera, Turandot. I noticed it immediately, and it turned out that it was a recording with Sutherland and Pavorati.

Got to Mirage to meet Lion, but it turned out, that I was supposed to be meeting him at M. This was a total senior moment on my part. I saw the text with "M", and just translated that into Mirage, as I knew he was checking into Mirage that day.

Well, killed some time watching the dice tables, playing a bit of $1/$2 Top Dollar; and Lion, being the gentleman that he is, arrived to pick me up and wisk me off to M.

I was very excited to be going over to M Resort. The newest hotel/resort/casino in Las Vegas. Being a Vegas history buff, I've always been fascinated about the old, pre-Harrah's RIO that was open by the Marnell's (who are opening M). At the time, the RIO was cutting edge, and was considered way off strip. Something that was never tried before. Well, M is even further off strip --- and opening at a rather difficult time for Vegas; but being that this is a small Marnell property, I have high hopes.

First impressions, wow, I just love the scale. Very well done, and not too big. Place just has an incredible vibe. (Between Encore and M, I felt like I was in VIBE HEAVEN!) Employees are terrific, including the cocktail servers on the casino floor. Great classy details, such as proper glassware (including funky martini glasses) on the casino floor. Hosts very available and very focused on customer service (as was everyone we interacted with). An example was a slot tech who was in the process of unlocking a machine after a jackpot overhearing one of us (not me) lamenting over not being able to get a particular single malt scotch. He immediately took the initiative to call for a supervisor, and bingo, scotch problem solved.

The Loft Suites are incredible. Really lovely interiors, just the right amount of furniture bordering on slightly minimalist. In the late afternoon light pours into the duplex suite, really lovely. This is most definitely a suite for entertaining. Also, if I recall correctly, Bulgari bath accessories! Nice!

the downstairs living room of the suite


stairs to level 2


awesome marble table, with Lion and Foo



love this Loft Suite powder room sink



view from upstairs, the amount of sunlight is amazing



Veloce is the fine dining restaurant on the top floor (16th floor) of M. What an incredible setup. Sweeping view of the strip in the distance from all seating in the dining room. And, the "automat" automated wine service machines in the bar (these are also in another wine bar in the hotel). Basically, tons of glasses on top of the machines, and then you use a "debit" type card to "self-dispense" your wine (in three different pour sizes starting with 1oz). Another feature is that they comp wine debit cards, so you can have easy access to wine currency. There are also cocktail waitresses in the bar, but it's great to be able to pour your own win (and no gratuity).

Love the wine "auto-mat"


Speciality drinks (such as "I'll have what she is having") are great and totally underpriced for a place of this level. $8.50 per specialty drink.

Only problem, is that we had a wait a while for our table, even though we had a reservation, but we loved hanging in the bar. (and Chandler our cocktail server was a hoot, to say the least! I Chandler!) Dinner was terrific. They have an awesome sushi bar, and we started with sushi/sashimi (including uni), bluepoint oysters, kobe beef sliders, and gourmet popcorn shrimp. All around entrees were terrific, I had the pepper filet; and it was incredible. Also tasted the veal chop and rack of lamb, both excellent.

Wine service was excellent, with a great sommelier. They have great glassware, and were constantly on top of making sure we had the proper glasses for our cold sake (appetizers) and red wine. Wine was decanted flawlessly, into a lovely crystal decanter. For the life of me, I can't recall the red we were drinking that evening, but it will eventually come to me. Waiters always knew who was drinking sparkling water (Pellegrino) and still water (Panna); and never made any mistakes.

Service was very polished for a brand new restaurant. (actually, amazingly so... if it wasn't for the wait, it probably could be considered very close to perfect)

Desserts were interesting, though we only sampled the coconut "lolipops" --- once again, great drink list to go with dessert. They have a "homemade" Limoncello, as well as a Limoncello cocktail. Both were very good, with the cocktail being a bit too sweet. I keep picturing an old Italian man in the basement, making the house Limoncello.

Pricing was incredible for a restaurant of this caliber. In addition, they don't rape you on cocktails or wine. Really nice! --- great to see your comp dollars going twice as far as they do on the strip. Value, beauty and service! It's a winning combination!

amazing view from our dinner table, with the strip in the distance.



I can't wait to go back... oh, and the topper! $5 dice! (and $5 3/2 blackjack)! (and I swear they had a $10 2 deck pitch game that was 3/2 --- but I "might" be mistaken, as I don't really pay too much attention to BJ)

The pre-Harrah's RIO VIBE IS BACK! Long live M Resort!

I can't help but think, that the M Resort executives are peering at all of the soon to be bankrupt hotels on the strip in the distance, and laughing.

Actually, and stay with me on this for a moment,

But, peering out the window at the strip in the distance, during dinner, I couldn't help but think of Star Wars and Death Star.

The Death Star was the code name of an unspeakably powerful and horrific weapon developed by the Empire. The immense space station carried a weapon capable of destroying entire planets.

Well, after seeing the City Center monstrosity, all I could think of was DEATH STAR!

MAYBE, the Jedi warriors are being launched from M-Resort to destroy MGM-Mirage and Harrah's and allow for us to regain the OLD VEGAS! or, just a more gambler friendly Vegas....

Finished up the evening with a bit of fun gambling at M-Resort, and then called it a night, being dropped off by AK and Andrew at Encore. I wandered around a bit, but realized that I needed to get some rest (it was after 3AM, and I had been up for over 24 hours at this point).

Went back to my Encore suite, ordered a bit of room service, and watched some mindless TV to end a wonderful whirlwind of a day.

Of course, I was up just a few hours later and was ready to hit the casino floor. Got my $150 FREEPLAY loaded very quickly at the Red Card desk, and immediately play some 3-play $1 STP short pay video poker. I was hoping for some good CHI, but the machine was just sucking $100 bills, and sucking... and sucking.. so, after 2 glasses of champagne and a few sparkling waters, I decided I needed to hit the dice tables.

$10 dice, with standard 3X/4X/5X strip odds. Great, and I do mean great dealers. (even greater after another glass of Champagne) It was up and down for a bit, and then it started to go up very nicely. My rolls were pretty decent, as well as this one other lady shooter, and this other dude who would hunch over (stick left) and always knock over my odds (I was stick right). Once I was up a few, I knew I should leave, but I really wanted to make a score (I really should know better). Needless to say, that didn't happen, and it was a losing session. At which point, I did what every proper degenerate gambler would do..... take a final shot at the $25 Top Dollar machines ($50 per spin). Hit the bonus at the second spin, and really thought I was in the money. Heck, all I need was like a 100 unit bonus to really make some cash. Instead, I wound up with a 35 unit bonus ($875), played it to around $750, and immediately cashed out. Thankfully, I had recovered my dice loses. What a way to end a whirlwind (3+ hour gambling session).

Went to the Encore Resort Store to pick up some presents, including something sexy for Ellen and a shirt for Joe (my trainer). I'm always promising Joe a present from Vegas, so I figured a nice Encore shirt would do the trick.

Back up to the room, and quickly arranged my limited stuff (it was only a 30 hour trip), and re-packed my backpack. Called down to speak to a host to see if my action warranted anything. Turns out, my 2+ hours of dice was worth $100 in food and beverage credits. Though, I only had around $50 on my room folio (Pellegrino and chicken wings). Luckily, the host said she would carry the $50 forward to my next visit, and gave me her name and email to contact her for my next reservation. Very nice! Impressive, Wynn really does like table players (well, at least a little bit!). Called down to the front desk to check-out, and was on my way to Burger Bar @ Mandalay Place. In addition, requesting a 1PM check-out was no issue (though, this was a midweek stay).

Was very glad to have a final lunch @ Burger Bar with Lion, Foo, AK, and Andrew. It was a great relaxed time (like the entire stay), and I had more than enough time to enjoy lunch before my flight. I had an angus burger topped with Foie Gras, super yum and highly recommended. I also had cole slaw and a side of sweet potato fries!

Lion wisked me off to the MaCarran, and after a stopping by the kiosk to print out my Southwest boarding pass (of which, I checked in online on my iphone); I was off to the gate and a rather quick (due to nice winds) slightly over 4 hour nonstop from Vegas to Manchester, NH!

Wow, what a trip! Too short, but most definitely worth it!

Labels: craps, dice, encore, las vegas, m resort, top dollar, vegas

Well,

Had a "historic" trip to Atlantic City a few weeks ago (at both dice and big baccarat @ the palace court casino @ Caesar's AC)... had an INCREDIBLE trip to Vegas last week...

But, you're going to have to wait just a "bit" longer for all the stories...

Since, I'm currently a refugee @ the Omni Parker House in Boston, due to the largest ice storm in the history of New Hampshire.

Some details HERE :

Federal State Of Emergency Declared For New Hampshire
Lynch: Expect Prolonged Outages, Seek Warm Shelter

So... spending a few days (and hopefully only a few more) in Boston, making lemonade out of lemons... and of course, enjoying this wonderful city.

The 8AM update this morning from Public Service New Hampshire :

Sunday 08:00 a.m.
As of 8:00 a.m., PSNH reports that about 191,000 customers are without power.

Crews working overnight were able to restore power to approximately 30,000 PSNH Customers. As of 8:00 a.m., PSNH reports that about 191,000 customers are without power, a significant decrease from the 322,000 customers reported at 5 p.m. Friday.

Public Safety – A Top Priority
As the restoration effort is underway, public safety continues to be a top priority. For your safety, customers are warned to refrain from cutting trees and branches that are on top of or touching power lines. Always assume that these wires are energized and can be extremely dangerous. If a downed wire is found, notify PSNH of its location immediately. Please remind children who go outside, to avoid any wire that is on the ground or hanging near the ground, and to notify an adult if a downed or loose wire is seen. Additionally, please recognize that the work being performed by line and tree crew requires strict attention to detail. To help assure the safety of these crews, we ask that you refrain from milling around the employees and their equipment while work is in progress.

Power Restoration – Progress is Steady
The company’s power restoration workforce will be enhanced further today with over 120 additional crews from Maryland, Ohio, and Canada, who arrived throughout Saturday evening and early morning hours on Sunday. In total, there will be 335 line crews on the PSNH system working to restore power. With clear weather expected today, it is anticipated that considerable progress can be made during the day.

Understandably, customers who have been without power are anxious to know when it will be restored. At this time, we are unable to provide precise answers to individual locations, given the magnitude of the damage and debris that must be removed before wires and equipment can be reconnected or replaced. We continue to expect that it will take several more days before power to all customers is restored, and we strongly encourage customers without power to make alternative arrangements for shelter.

Labels: atlantic city, boston, ice storm, las vegas, new hampshire

On the evening of Oct. 4, 1982, Lefty Rosenthal, the talented professional gambler and gangster-when-necessary who had brought sports betting to casinos in Las Vegas and illicitly run an empire of four hotel casinos, walked out of Tony Roma’s on East Sahara Avenue with an order of takeout ribs. He had just finished dinner with some fellow handicappers, and he was bringing the food home for his two children. When he got into his car, it blew up.

Mr. Rosenthal survived the explosion — later he could not remember whether he had turned the ignition key — but the attempt on his life, for which no one was ever prosecuted, ended his career as one of the most powerful men in Las Vegas. He left the city early the next year and on Monday, at home in Miami Beach, he died. He was 79 and had lived in Florida since the late 1980s.

more details HERE

NY Times obituary is HERE

Rosenthal interview with the Miami Herald in 2008

A nice NPR tribute, Man Behind "Casino" Dies

The Stardust was my absolute favorite Vegas property for many years.

I was friendly with a few baccarat supervisors who worked directly for "Lefty." --- the stories were awesome, one of the many reasons I loved playing big baccarat at the 'dust.

I played the final day-shift big baccarat game at the 'dust back in 2006.

and, I'll never forget the great times I had talking to Shirley in the baccarat room --- the "first" female baccarat dealer in Vegas, trained by "Lefty." Lefty helped train Shirley to be a baccarat dealer, back in the day.

Oh, yes, and they had a great Loyalty Program @ the 'Dust. Chairman and Gold Level were ripe with lots of discretionary perks. ;)

Lefty was one of the last of the true Vegas legends.

Labels: baccarat, casino, las vegas, lefty rosenthal, stardust

So..... we land in Vegas, and since we have checked bags, I absolutely refuse to rush off the plane; as we need to wait for the bags anyway. We say our good byes to the awesome flight attendants and are on our way to baggage claim.

The Venetian Limo dude is waiting with a sign in baggage claim, and we proceed to pick up our bags. While waiting for our bags, I start chatting with these two nice girls from Georgia; who just arrived on the ATL-LAS flight (we were on the SLC-LAS flight). Of course, we are a bit anxious about our bags, since our connection from BOS (in SLC) was only 20 minutes. Alas, the bags come off the plane -- much to our relief. I ask the "Georgia Girls" if they want a ride in our limo, as no Vegas Virgins should be forced to deal with a cab to their hotel, of course, they say yes.







First stop is the liquor store, and we procure the requisite Sparkling Wine, Beer (Sam Adams - for Merf), Grey Goose L'Orange, and a few other items.

We do a short strip tour (it's also Merf's first time to Vegas) --- and then stop at the Palazzo first (Georgia Girls will continue to MGM). Upon arrival at Palazzo, since we are prebooked in a concierge level suite --- we get to check in at the private concierge desk right at the entrance of Palazzo (no need to walk all the way to invited guest check-in). Dave hands over his credit card, and we are checked-in in under 5 minutes, and on our way to the Bella Concierge Suite on the 25th floor.




Our bar setup in the suite (notice the copious quantities of glassware)

A lovely cheese plate send by my friend executive chef TS







After we get settled, everyone realizes they are hungry --- and there is still a bit of time before my shave at "Art of Shaving - Palazzo Shops." We decide to get a quick bite at Woo

Woo: The folks behind the Las Vegas legend Mayflower Cuisinier have cloised that place and opened Woo in the Palazzo. The menu is pan-asian and the food is served family-style, meaning enough to share. Order a lot of different things since the portions are small, and you'll want to sample many dishes.

Alex joins myself, Dave and Merf - and we have a blast. The food is terrific, and includes a tuna tartare and some excellent ribs! Yum.... I break away from lunch early, to go get my birthday shave (a few shops down) at the "Art of Shaving."





After an awesome shave (THANK YOU - Dave!) -- Alex drives us over to Paris/Bally's as it's time to get him checked into his room at Bally's. Alex tends to spend 2-3 weeks at a time in Vegas --- so, I offer to get him 5 nights @ Bally's to use between his other comp night stays. We valet at Paris, and walk over to Bally's -- using Diamond Check-In I make it known to the lovely lady that it is indeed my birthday. BINGO - score a junior suite for Alex (for a stay which includes a weekend). I tip the nice lady, and we are off to check out Alex's very 1980's junior suite in the north tower.

We decide to get a quick drink at the Paris Diamond Lounge, which is super crowded at the point.
We manage to find a table, and I grab some food for the table. I'm actually surprised there was hot food, such as egg rolls and chicken fingers --- I grab a selection and some cheese for everyone. Since we don't have a lot of time, we order quite the round (or two) of drinks. A lemon drop martini for Merf. Dirty Martini's for myself and Alex. Dave wants a chocolate martine (what is that boy thinking).. in addition a round of sparkling wine for everyone x2 (remember, it's also Merf's birthday celebration, as it was her birthday a week earlier)... and a few Perrier waters for the table (hydration and drinking water is always key to staying healthy in Vegas, especially in the summer).

We finish our drinks, and go to get a cab back to Palazzo. The cab line is hugh, but the Diamond card gets us to the front of the cab line, managing to piss off around 20 people.... but, heck, that's one of the perks... so, you might as well use it. Unfortunately, there is no signage (or not very good signage) at Paris with regard to the "Diamond-Cab Line Cut --- so, you just need to by-pass the line, and get the cab dispatcher's attention (and, of course, I always tip).

Back to Palazzo and a bit of time to freshen up before dinner downtown at Vic and Anthony's at the Golden Nugget. QL has invited us for dinner, and that was very gracious... did I mention, it's my birthday!

Labels: art of shaving, baccarat_king, ballys, delta, diamond lounge, las vegas, palazzo, paris las vegas, vegas virgins, woo

This was my Vegas birthday trip that was planned back in March/April. I originally had a comp'ed Palazzo offer for March -- but, I basically postponed that offer for a June trip. This would be my first trip to Vegas for 2008, the last being in September of 2007 during the VMA awards.

The Palazzo offer got sweeter, as a birthday offer, and included :
Comp Palazzo Suite for up to 4 nights with an upgrade to a Concierge Bella Suite
2 Bottles of Sparkling Wine
2 Bathrobs
The Ultimate Birthday Dinner for 2 (tasting menu) at Jade (Palazzo)
2 Venetian Monkeys (gotta love that)
Chocolates
and some free slot play

This offer was très bon, and was a bit hard to figure; as I only played some video poker a few times last year at Venetian.

So, it was June 26th, my OFFICIAL birthday and I was off to Vegas for the first time in 2008.

Our flight departs 7'ish from BOS (Boston Logan) so Dave and Meredith (Merf) pick me up super early, so we don't need to stress with our arrival at the airport. We get to BOS in record time, and I suggest we pull up at departures and Merf and I jump out and got to First check-in to drop the bags and grab our boarding passes. This works perfectly, and we are all set in under 10 minutes. Hop back into the car, and drop off at Logan long term economy parking. Luckily, just moments after we get to the bus shelter a bus arrives to take us to the terminal. We chuckle at all the people schlepping their bags on the bus --- and mention how sweet it was we dropped the bags first, before parking.

At the terminal, we use the First (& Shuttle) security line and clear TSA security in under 10 minutes. Merf has a bit of extra screening, but it's not much of an issue. I of course get my lighter through, as I'm expert at placing my lighter in the carry-on bag. Though, my real Colibri lighter is de-fueled and packed in my checked luggage. Can't risk having a $100 lighter taken by the TSA security folks.








We go to the Delta Crown Room by our gate (A17 if I recall correctly) --- of course, I tell the Crown Room desk lady that it's my birthday --- I just can't help it..... as I'm so excited to be going to Vegas on my birthday. (By the way, I score a present --- a Business Elite amenity kit --- as a birthday gift... very nice!)













Gotta love this pic of two of my favorite places, Israel and Vegas
























And for those who thought we got trashed at 6AM at the Crown Room, unfortunately, there is NO alcohol until 8AM due to Boston liquor laws --- so, it was just coffee, orange juice, and sparkling water.

We got to the gate (which was pretty close to the Crown Room) in time for Zone 1 (First Class) boarding, and used the Delta Breezeway to board immediately. Once on the plane, I had my usual sparkling water and lime for pre-departure drink.

after we were airborne, I ordered a mama-mia martini; the flight attendant searched the entire first class galley for the new premium tequila --- but, alas, there was none to be found (and also none in the economy section).

Delta's description of this new drink :

Margarita
The thought of a top-shelf
margarita—served at your seat—
available only on a Delta flight . . .
kinda leaves you speechless. With
Tequila Herradura Silver–100% de
Agave and Midnight Bar Collection
Margarita Mixer

instead, I ordered a pomegranate martini per Delta's menu :

Pomegranate Martini
One of the hottest flavors going
today, this Pomegranate Martini
is fabulous.

at first, they brought it in one of the funky party glasses that Delta uses for specialty drinks when sold in economy.



of course, I quickly asked the lovely flight attendant (and she was very nice) if she could swap that out for a proper REAL FIRST CLASS glass.




For breakfast (pic to the right and below), I pre-ordered an Asian Vegetarian meal. It was actually pretty good, though I think I would have preferred the breakfast cheese quesidilla with spicy sausage. I continued drinking vodka (with just a splash of the juice) as well as sparkling water with lime (hydration is key when flying).






After lunch and my few beverages, I was able to catch around 2+ hours of sleep, which was awesome -- as I went to sleep the night before around 11PM only to wake up at 4AM. I'd been super busy over the past week (work, OpenSkies trip to Paris) -- so, I really did need to get a bit of rest on this flight. Can't remember what the movie was, but I had no interest. Just sleep and listening to some tunes on my ipod.





OH, and I almost forgot..
Guess who was in row 6 of the First Class cabin on this flight from BOS-SLC,
CELTICS #0 Leon Powe. And, what an exteme gentleman. I was originally in row 6 (next to Powe), but switched to row #1 so he could sit next to his SO and child. And, what a cute little boy, especially when he was sleeping on Powe's chest. I really wanted to snap a pic, but that would be bad form. I chatted with Powe for a few moments when I woke up from my nap, and he gladly signed BOTH of my Delta boarding passes... ahhh... an autographed boarding pass to Vegas --- that really rocks (in my opinion).




What a nice person he was... I was so impressed, and was glad to tell him that I was in the garden on that first Sunday of the finals. GO CELTICS! YOU ROCK!

We arrived in SLC with 20 minutes to make our connection from SLC-LAS --- Merf needed a smoke (real bad), so we obliged and stopped in the smoking chamber on our way to the next gate (and of course, she was impressed when I pull out my lighter to light her Camel Red Lights --- I really am trying to turn her into a Dunhill Red Girl). We arrive at the gate while they were in the middle of boarding, but were able to cut the boarding line (hey, we're in First Class --- and I'm a Medallion) using the Delta Breezeway.

Got situated in our seats, and immediately asked the flight attendant if they had any tequila. I didn't want a repeat performance of no tequila, like the BOS-SLC flight. Of course, she had some, but this flight was only 1 hour --- so, I'd have to get ready to really drink heavy, to catch up on my initial loss of margariatas... No worries, since I was now well rested --- and consumed by tobacco smoke after a few moments in the smoking lounge.

This flight attendant from Puerto Rico was a real blast....

ahhh....... I finally get my margariatas! (notice I splased in Amaretto, since Delta no longer stocks Grand Marnier on domestic flights --- BOO!)




1 hour later, and well, just a few margaritas later.... we touch down in THE VEGAS.....

With flights like this, you can just imagine what's in store for the trip........ You'll never guess.... well, maybe you will.....

Labels: baccarat_king, celtics, delta, first class, las vegas, leon powe, palazzo, venetian

Just in case a few folks out there were losing sleep.....

Atlantic City casinos will have a new casino chip!

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - It's enough to pay for a decent car, a wedding, or a year at Rutgers University, with some money left over for beer.

And it fits in the palm of your hand.

Atlantic City's casinos are getting a new gambling chip worth $25,000 for high rollers.

The state Casino Control Commission approved the new top-value chip Wednesday. The gold chip edges the yellow chip, which at $20,000 apiece is now the second-highest chip denomination.

This is going to join the current ensemble of AC casino chips in denominations of $1; $2.50; $5; $10; $20; $25; $100; $500; $1,000; $5,000; and $20,000.

New Jersey is known for very consistent regulation of casino chip colors --- so, you can count on the colors (basically) matching the denomination at any of the properties. For example, purples are always $500 and oranges are always $1000.

For a long time, plaques (very James Bond) have been the staple of high-roller (whale) currency. Bond wins $65,000 playing craps in Diamonds are Forever
and if you look closely, they use high denomination plaques at the dice table when Bond buys in.

Actually, there are two non-chip varieties of casino currency :
jetons which are round acrylic pieces
and
plaques which are rectangular, or square acrylic pieces.

A good example of a baccarat plaque is this one used many years ago at the Sahara.
Currently, you would be hard pressed to find any plaques in use that are in denominations below $10,000. More commonly, they are in denominations that exceed $20,000, such as this Trump Taj Mahal Plaque.









Seems that players really prefer the convenience of chips, which explains the decision for the $25,000 chips by the Atlantic City gaming commission. This also coincides with the decision by Caesars Atlantic City to raise their maximum bet to $50,000 per hand. There are still plaques available for bets of $50,000 or $100,000 per hand, though, I honestly am not certain which properties in Atlantic City raise to these limits. "Alyce Parker, a spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment Inc., which operates four casinos in Atlantic City, including Caesars, said the casino has been using $50,000 and $100,000 plaques for its top customers for the past 10 years." In Vegas, this is a more common situation; and Wynn, Bellagio and Caesars all have chips in the $25,000 range (and above).

Labels: atlantic city, chips, diamonds are forever, harrah's, james bond, las vegas, plaques

I made it a point to see 21 last night, and I found it to be a bit of a bore. I guess it wasn't so much that it didn't follow the book, or even the over emphasis on the evil professor (played by Kevin Spacey).

Fundamentally, my issue is that the MIT team is just not that interesting. I promised myself I would "try" to not knit pick a number of scenes that were unrealistic in this flick. This involves such things as the lack of table limits (were those $25,000 checks I saw on the main casino floor at Planet Hollywood), or the fact that they were going to change the chips over after a minor snafu in the casino (not like the real event when MGM had to replace their high denomination chips after the infamous Tyson fight and ensuing riot). Also, they managed to not really show the "grind" involved waiting to jump into the positive situations. Quite frankly, I would have figured things would have been a bit more exciting, considering you hardly ever saw much waiting around --- or distressing positive counts that do not yield a positive cash result (i.e. variance). Don't get me wrong Bringing Down the House was a pretty good read, but I always found Ken Uston's team (Al Francesco et al) and their story to be a bit more intriguing.

That's right, the MIT Team did not develop the BP (Big Player) strategy, that brilliance was the work of Al Francesco

The scene: a Lake Tahoe casino. The cast of characters: Al Francesco, Al's brother, Al's sister, and Al's sister's husband. The Francesco family was hanging around the casino, waiting for their dinner reservation. Al's brother, a card counter himself, killed the time by playing small-stakes blackjack with bets of $1 to $5. Al was standing nearby, chatting casually with his brother-in-law. When he saw his brother make a $5 bet, Al would throw in another $100. When he saw his brother make a $1 bet, Al would hold onto his money. After half-an-hour, when the family went to go eat dinner, the pit boss begged Al to stay and keep plying blackjack.


The significance of the event was immediately apparent to Al Francesco. From the pit boss's point of view, Al had appeared as an unsophisticated tourist, barely paying attention to the game, with plenty of money to throw around, who had simply gotten lucky on a few hands. Thus was born the persona of The Big Player.

Al would go on to finding and training the best blackjack player EVER --- aka "the Roadrunner," "the Phantom," the "Mad Bomber," and "the Wandering Jew." That's right --- Ken Uston.

In 1971, Al started playing with teams of seven: six counters and one Big Player. Al recruited the team members and taught them basic strategy and Lawrence Revere's Advanced Point Count system. When they were ready to play, the counters would sit at different blackjack tables, each one counting the cards and making small bets. When the count was favorable, the counter would signal the Big Player, who would come over to the table and bet big until the count turned against him, and then walk away. Like Al Francesco in Lake Tahoe, the Big Player never appeared to be anything other than a wealthy, unsophisticated tourist who happened to get lucky. In this way, Al Francesco's teams won millions of dollars over the course of a few years.

One of the blackjack players recruited and trained by Al Francesco was Ken Uston. To the dismay of Al and the other team members, Uston revealed their secrets to the world in his 1977 book The Big Player. The publication of Uston's book effectively spelled the end for Francesco's teams. Many of the team members hated Uston after that, but Francesco refused to carry a grudge.

Virtually all of the most successful blackjack teams that came after The Big Player was published—the Hyland team, the MIT team, the Czech team, the Greeks—used Al’s BP concept to disguise their attacks, and that approach is still being employed profitably by teams today.

Anyone interested in blackjack team play should get themselves a copy of Ken Uston's book, The Big Player. One of the most amazing stories in "The Big Player" was when Uston won $27,000 in 45 minutes at the Freemont in downtown Las Vegas. The incredible thing was that the "maximum" bet at the Freemont was $500. At one point, Uston was playing twelve hands simultaneously -- and managed to win all twelve for a total win of $6,000.

What I personally find incredible, with respect to the Francesco/Uston Teams, is that they made made millions in the early 1970's. Another fascinating read involves how Uston and his team took Atlantic City by storm in 1979 (winning $145,000 in nine days), as well as the legal battles fought by Uston, to prevent counters from being barred. "One Third of a Shoe" is perhaps one of the best gambling reads ever, though, it is rarely mentioned and it is difficult to locate copies. (of course, I have multiple copies of all of Uston's books in my personal gaming library) These efforts eventually allowed for the "open environment" in Atlantic City, and to this day, card counters cannot be barred from AC casinos.

Another more recent chronicle of card counting, You've Got Heat is a great book (in journal format) of a card counter's multiple trips to Vegas from 1999 to 2003. What is fantastic about this book, is that it follows the ongoing journey trip to trip. At the end of each trip (chapter) the author gives you his starting and ending bankrolls (and net win/loss) for the trip. A bit different than the team player (and at a much lower bankroll) it is still very interesting to see the highs and lows of advantage gambling.

One final good (recent) read on the subject is Dave Stann's book Hollywood Blackjack. This one time starving actor's very frank accounts of his journey playing Blackjack is pretty entertaining. It starts with "Chapter 1 - Fuck the Stardust." Stann gives a pretty good historical account of the game, and also spends some time discussing tournament strategy and the Ultimate Blackjack Tour.

At the end of the day, I have to say that a bit of emphasis on Blackjack is refreshing in the current poker-centric world. I'm sure that the casinos will be happy to host a new group of folks trying to beat the house. I have always said that the fact that blackjack was beatable (even though "unlikely" beatable for the vast majority of folks) was probably the best advertising a casino could ever wish for, with regard to attracting players to their properties.

Labels: al francesco, atlantic city, big player, blackjack, ken uston, las vegas, mit blackjack team

An interesting article published a few years ago by Andrew MacDonald & William R. Eadington is one of the few available that discusses high stakes baccarat.

They have a rather fascinating discussion of volatility, the law of large numbers, and fear of the unknown; and how this all relates to the high stakes baccarat business. They go on to explain "Extending this, there is about a 95 percent chance the player will end up within two standard deviations of the expected result (between 75 units behind and 51 units ahead), and a 99.7 percent chance he will end up within three standard deviations of the expected outcome (between 107 units behind and 83 units ahead)."

Upon first glance --- you figure, yeah, I knew Baccarat was not particularly volatile for the casinos... but, what many don't figure in their analysis is the often perverted (and excessive) table limits that need to be offered to the baccarat whales. While "normal" games will often have a maximum bet of $5,000 to $15,000 --- the "whale" table limits are what make it such a volatile business. (These maximum bets often exceed $100,000 per hand)

As they go on to say "Thus it is very rare that outcomes are beyond three standard deviations. However, if one unit is $150,000, the “unlucky” outcome for a casino with our hypothetical baccarat player at the two standard deviation (95 percent confidence) level would be a player win (or casino loss) of 51 units, or a rather painful $7.65 million (before expenses)!"

In addition, you have the problem with the limited number of decisions (or hands) played by the high end baccarat player. As we all know, more hands (or spins on a machine) equal less "sweat" for the house. But, with baccarat, a shoe (with only around 70 decisions) can take up to 3 hours in high end big baccarat play. This small number of hands coupled with the über high maximum bets is a volatility disaster.

"At a 1.2 percent house advantage, a maximum bet of $250,000 played for 1,000 hands will result in an expected win of $3 million but (within two standard deviations) will vary between a loss for the casino of $12.5 million and a casino win of $18.5 million in 95 percent of occasions."
HOLY VOLATILITY BAT-MAN!

We are going to continue this discussion and looking at why the RIO got out of the high-end baccarat business, when the propellor heads at Harrah's purchased the property from Marnell in 1999.

In an effort to blog on a more consistent basis; I'm going to be setting out an agenda for each week (every Sunday or Monday).

So, this week's agenda will include :

- continued discussion of big baccarat and volatility
- brief history of the RIO Casino, the purchase by Harrah's, and the end of high stakes baccarat at the RIO
- a look at the Palazzo Suites (at RIO) built for the high stakes baccarat royalty

and just in time for the new movie release, we will look at the new movie "21!"




but, take a trip back to the "original real deal blackjack team" --- yeah, NOT the MIT Blackjack Team --- but the "wandering Jew" and his crew in the 1970's.

Labels: 21 movie, baccarat, big baccarat, high stakes baccarat, las vegas, mit blackjack team, palazzo suites at rio, rio, wandering jew

Thanks to my man Alex being up on everything Vegas...
We dumped Pure and went straight over to the VIP entrance at LAX @ Luxor

P. Diddy Hosts the VMA After-Party at LAX
September 9, 2007
LAX Nightclub was built for a king on Sunday night as P.Diddy and DJ AM hosted a star studded VMA after party. Entering the club wearing a jeweled crown and gold medallions, Diddy reigned supreme over the entire VIP stage. With DJ AM spinning hit after hit, Diddy grabbed the microphone and began his impromptu emceeing for the evening. With the packed house in frenzy from the duo of Diddy and DJ AM, Britney Spears entered the club and hung out with a small group before leaving for the evening. Seated at the table just next to Diddy was Paris Hilton who was joined by Palms owner George Maloof and local funnyman Jeff Beacher. As Hilton and her group danced at their VIP booth, she eventually made her way over to Diddy's table to spice up the party a bit. Surrounding Diddy in his entourage were singing sensations Eve, Ne-Yo, Cassie and Young Joc as well as Taye Diggs, Ray J and Los Angeles Clipper Shaun Livingston. While Diddy held court on the VIP stage, Tommy Lee and Criss Angel tore it up on the opposite side of the stage with a plethora of women and Ryan Starr of American Idol fame. The two buddies rocked all night and took in the electric vibe at LAX while fans tried to catch a glimpse and snap pictures. Son after Pamela Anderson dropped in to check out the nightclub and say a quick hello to Lee. Meanwhile the dance floor VIP tables were lined with celebrities including Adrian Grenier of Entourage who was joined by The Hills cast members Brody Jenner, Frankie Delgado, Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port as well as hip hop legend Too Short, rocker Cisco Adler and actor Josh Henderson. Too Short decided to give Diddy a break and took the microphone for a few minutes to sing along as DJ AM blared his old school hits. Shortly after Diddy took the microphone back and addressed the crowd partying Sunday night at Las Vegas' top nightclub destination. Also making LAX the VMA after party of choice was musician Robin Thicke, actors Jesse Spencer of House and Kevin DuBrow of Quiet Riot.

Labels: las vegas, lax, luxor, mtv, vma