How Do They Stay in Business? Oh, That's How...

After running errands on Monday, I was ready to test my luck in blackjack or poker today.

I got an early start and by 9 a.m. I was parking the Vue at Bally's. Nothing happening there, so I walked over to Bill's Gambling Hall where I played some blackjack and won $40 in about 15 minutes.

Playing at Bill's reminded me of a story that a dealer told me last week at the Suncoast. Before dealing at the Suncoast, she was a dealer at the old Barbary Coast. She was talking about all the celebrities she had dealt to, including many NBA players. One of her favorites, she said, was Dan Majerle, who was playing for the Phoenix Suns at the time. I told her I was from Majerle's home town and she said her favorite Majerle memory was when he took a flying leap over a PaiGow Poker table to get to the men's room, LOL. She still remembers his long legs clearing that green-felted table, she said! Ah, good times!!

Leaving Bill's, I walked through the Flamingo and into O'Shea's a small casino. They only had 2 bj tables going and they were both filled. I was walking out when I spotted a 25-cent Haywire slot machine. This is one of our favorites, so I shoved a $10 bill into it and began to play. After a few plays, the machine went Haywire, wheels all spinning. It wasn't a huge payoff, but I doubled my buy-in and walked $10 up. So far a profit of $50 for the day.

I strolled past the Imperial Palace and into Harrah's. No play at the H, but I did check out Toby Keith's "I Love This Bar," up on the second floor. Helen's friend Gail is coming in three weeks and she's a country music fan. Thought this might be a good place for a meal during her visit. Today I ordered their buffalo wings and a Coors Light. It took a long time for the wings to arrive, but when they did it was worth it...there must have been a dozen of those tasty delights. I couldnt eat them all, leaving one. It was pricey - $6 for the beer and $10.95 for the wings - but it was research...

My next stop was the Venetian, where I toyed with the idea of playing some poker. But the room there was jammed and there was a waiting list of 6 names. The V is one of the finest, if not THE finest - poker rooms in town. I settled into a bj table and bought in for $100. There was an Asian guy playing at 1st base, while I was at 3rd base. After about 3-4 hands, I saw that he was never doubling down and didn't understand what "soft" hands were. When he stayed on A-6 against a 10, I picked up my chips and moved to the next table. That turned out to be a good move, since in about an hour I found myself up $80. I left with the profit.

So far, I'm up $130 for the day and it's about 2 o'clock. I decided to walk back to the car, but along the way I wandered into the Ghiradelli chocolate shop outside Harrah's. I bought a 50-square assortment for Helen. Then I went on to Bally's. I decided that if I could find a seat at a $10 table, I'd try a little blackjack there. Bad move. I bought in for $50 and lost that in about 8 hands...time to head home.

On the way home, I stopped at our nearby Middle Eastern Market for fresh pita bread, hummus, tabouli and lebne. That was dinner when I got home. Pretty tasty and quick to dish up, LOL!

While I was hiking up and down the Strip, Helen was on the phone with Lorraine, her brother Norm's wife in Southern California. Lorraine and Norm were planning a trip to see us, but it sounds like the trip is off. Lorraine's mother is ill and they'll be staying closer to her. Helen was also on-line researching a device that helps MS patients cope with "foot drag." We watched the video on youtube and it's impressive, but it comes with an impressive price tag - $6,000. And it's not covered by medicare. We'll study it some more and ask Dr. Sullivan, Helen's neurologist, about it.

After dinner, Helen and I had a few of the Ghiradelli squares for dessert. The milk chocolate is rich and creamy, the dark chocolate sweet and bitey. The caramel filled squares are a favorite, while the espresso packs a real punch. All are DELICIOUS...We'll be baaaaack!

Now we're just chillin' around the apartment and thinking about tomorrow when the adventure continues...