Fiscal Fitness

Beautiful blue skies and temperatures well into the 60s made it a perfect day to do a lot of walking along the Strip.

So I left the apartment around 9 a.m. and drove to the Bally's parking deck. By 9:30 I was checking out the casino's poker room, which was absolutely empty. No tables going, no dealers, no one at all. I've never seen it completely shut down. The rest of the casino was also pretty dead. Looking for a blackjack table, I saw a total of three open - two $10 tables that were full and a $25 table with one lone player. Bally's was quiet on this Wednesday morning.

I ambled over to Bill's Gambling Hall and played for a while, winning $26 before I went next door to check out the Flamingo. Looked at the poker room, but didn't play. Moved on to the Imperial Palace where it mirrored the action at Bally's - though the IP poker room was busy with a morning tournament.

My next stop was Harrah's where I walked through, but didn't play. I did a lot of walking and little playing this morning. But that's good. I need the exercise and walking is a good way for me to work off a few pounds. It was a beautiful day and the Strip was not too busy.

By the time I reached the Venetian, it was time for lunch. The V is home to one of my favorite Las Vegas eateries - the Grand Lux Cafe. Over the years, I've eaten here probably a dozen times and never had a bad meal. Today I opted for a lunch salad of mixed greens and grilled chicken with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing. It was tasty and substantial enough to satisfy my hunger. One thing about the Grand Lux Cafe, they don't skimp on the portion size.

After lunch, I played some blackjack and won a little bit $45, so for the day I was up $71. That success came to a screeching halt when I crossed the Strip and entered Treasure Island, now known as the TI. I found an empty bj table and quickly lost 5 straight $10 hands. Changing tables I bought in for another $50 and went through that in about 8 hands. From up to down in about 15 minutes...

Leaving the TI, I walked through Mirage, Caesars Palace Forum Shops (where I got completely turned around and disoriented) and Bellagio. I was just checking out the sites and enjoying my hike along the Strip, though a little perturbed for turning my profit into a loss. I worked my way back to Bally's by 2 p.m. and decided to leave the Strip and go to the Suncoast.

My longtime friend Terry asked me to make a bet for him: He wants the Arizona Cardinals to win the Superbowl at 5-1 odds. Only the Suncoast offered 5-1 odds, the Strip places only had them at 4-1. Anyway, I drove to the Suncoast to buy Terry's ticket and while there I decided to play a little blackjack.

The Suncoast has been my own personal ATM lately. I've taken more than $2,000 out of that casino in recent trips and hoped today would be no different.

I bought in for $100 and after an up-and-down start, I found myself up $150, then $200, then $300. I played for about an hour and eventually cashed out up $365. So subtracting the $30 I lost on the Strip, today's profit was $335. A good lesson in fiscal fitness.

Helen finally finished her sewing project today. It's something special for someone special, that's why I haven't explained many details about it. While I was huffing and puffing along the LV Strip, she was relaxing at home, sewing, reading her book "Arabian Jazz" and watching some TV. We both had fun and tomorrow the adventure continues...