A closing picture of the Strip from our time share on the final evening.
Like all good things, they had to come to an end otherwise we’d be pretty sick of them and they wouldn’t be good. I’d say my Las Vegas itch has been scratched until the end of the year. We get to use our time share again next year because this year’s usage was really supposed to be for 2007, the people running it were kind enough to postpone it.
On the final full day, Somara and I used these free slot credits for Casino Royale we received from attending the owner meeting, something equivalent to $40. The attendant accidently gave me $50. Thanks to parochial school, I told him I got one too many. He probably thought I was a moron. Slots aren’t my game, besides, the machines only paid out if you hit a major jackpot. At least it was free. Casino Royale is on the east-side of the Strip, nestled between Planet Hollywood and what will be the next Hard Rock Cafe (a second one, the off-Strip location isn’t closing). Right. One of the lesser attractions like Imperial Palace, New Frontier (gone) or the Boardwalk (gone). Its silver lining was three-dollar craps and one-dollar roulette. The former is a bargain over the standard Strip casinos; betting on the shooter and sixes ‘n eights are the same price (versus $5 and $6 respectively). I definitely plan to go back to stretch my budget for one of my three games. It was wise of the original owners to use one of Fleming’s better titles, I think most people would avoid it if were named Moonraker or A View to a Kill.
The remainder of our afternoon was first spent eating at Planet Hollywood and seeing what else was modified since 2003. Somara played roulette for a bit while I watched her strategy pan out; not bad, she finished ahead by four bucks! The lady working at the table was really friendly as we talked about the history of various games (many go back to the Renaissance or earlier). I didn’t know that all the numbers in roulette (1-36) add up to 666, the lady was right, I checked through Excel. Then we worked our way up north to Treasure Island. Somara went off on her own to play some things she wanted to check out. I took in a busy craps table to learn more about the etiquette. Later on I was a spectator at the poker room. I didn’t join in but it’s not as expensive as I thought; $40 to enter and it’s two dollars a hand to start. Sadly, it’s still Texas Hold ’em or what I call, poker for retards. Sorry if I’m insulting anyone. I know the game makes quick, cheap TV filler on ESPN and a lowest-common denominator in the last Bond movie (to me, Bond will always be a baccarat player, poker is beneath him). I grew up with poker requiring five cards in your hand and beaucoup bluffing like on MASH or Star Trek: the Next Generation. Either way, I might give it a shot next trip, as long as I don’t come of as a rube. I know I’m going to lose, I just need to make sure I do it looking gracefully.
Somara and I made our final bet on our wedding date…lost, drat! It’s still ahead financially. We’ve won $700 on 27 while we’ve lost less than $100 in five years. Certainly better than what Wall Street has done in the last 18 months. Then all gambling ended by tradition, or maybe more by edict when it comes to me. It was mid-evening (Austin time) so we returned to TV, unwound, did some travel prep and had a relaxing dinner at the Denny’s built into the resort; it had free Wi-Fi the whole time, I just didn’t want to cybersquat very much during the trip.
I’ll close with some pictures and assess this vacation’s lessons in a couple weeks like I did on Vegas IV plus a time-lapse movie of taking the Deuce. Thanks for posting and keeping up. It was the best vacation ever with my wife plus the time share was great. One common thought that kept coming up was how we missed celebrating the attractions of the city with our friends like when we got married or my trip in 2005. Maybe next time?
A brave window washer on the side of the Venetian.
Same guy in the red circle to give some perspective. Yikes!
FINAL GAMBLING RESULTS:
Somara: Unknown
Steve: -$219.99 or -$70 if the Flyers win the Cup next Summer
Great picutres. A clear reminder why you have education.