Weekend Update

It's a quiet Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas (4:10 local time) and I'm watching the Vikings-Eagles play on TV while Helen is reading. Thought it would be a good time to catch up on our weekend activities.

Saturday morning I went to the Suncoast to get in some football bets and play blackjack. I laid my hard earned money on a Cardinals-Colts parlay, which turned to ashes when the inept Colts couldn't find a way to hold on to a 17-14 lead with about 4 minutes left.

Much better luck at blackjack where I posted a sweet winning session over some 4 hours of playing. I started around 1030 am and played til around 2 pm when I took a lunch break. One of the pit bosses comped me $15 at the snack bar, so I enjoyed a half of pastrami on rye, chips and a diet pepsi courtesy of the Suncoast. Then it was a return to card-to-card combat over the green felt of the blackjack table. When the dust settled around 4, I was up $140.

But one of the fun aspects of the day was a promotion that the Suncoast is running. They are going to send someone to the NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu Hawaii. On Jan. 24 they will draw an entry card from a big drum and the winner gets the airfare from LV, 4 nights in a hotel, game ticket and $1,000 cash. Every time you get a blackjack you earn a stamp on your entry card. A suited bj is worth two stamps. It takes 5 stamps to fill out the card, which you then enter into the big drum.

Anyway, over the 4-5 hours I was there, I had several blackjacks and filled out about 3 cards, but was really helped by other players. They would get the bjs and realize they would not be here for the drawing (ya have to be present to win) so they would give me their entry cards.
Two players, Kevin and an older Asian woman, both from LA, must have each given me 3-4 cards. As a result of their generosity, I have 13 entry cards in the contest, which will run for another 3 weeks. Hopefully I'll have 20-30 entry cards for the drawing...

In addition to the top prize, the casino will award 4 cash prizes of $250 each, and several items of football memorabilia, jerseys, autographed helmets, photos and footballs. I'll be sure to attend the drawing on Jan. 24.

This morning Helen and I drove down to Planet Hollywood to have brunch and do a bit of shopping at the casino's Miracle Mile shopping center. We've been here for a month now and this was Helen's first trip to the Strip. We arrived at the PH around 10:30 a.m. and went to Cheeseburger for brunch. Helen chose a Hawaiian Omelet with sausage, cheese and pineapple, while I chose Macadamia Pancakes with two eggs (over medium, thank you). It was really tasty and we both enjoyed our meals.

Then we went shopping through the vast arcade of the Miracle Mile. For those not familiar with this shopping site, the MM is only a notch or so under the Forum Shops of Caesars Palace. It may even top FS in the number of stores, if not the high prices. Anyway, we enjoyed checking out a number of shops, including two that sold autographed items of rockers, athletes and movie stars. Anyone need an autographed guitar signed by all four Beatles for only $175,000? Or how about a Van Halen autographed photo for $695?

We decided against any autographs, but Helen did pick up some jewelry that she liked.

During a break from shopping, we wandered into the PH casino and looked for a $5 or $10 blackjack game. Didn't find anything that looked good, so we sat down at a 25-cent video poker game. I slipped a $20 into the machine and played only 4 or 5 hands before I hit a full house that pushed our total up to $27.50. So for about 2 minutes work, I earned $7.50 - a 37.5% interest rate. I cashed out - Cha Ching!!

For dinner tonight, I'll whip up some salads for us. Got to eat a little light after that hefty breakfast we enjoyed, LOL.

Tomorrow the adventure continues...