Last Wednesday we left for Las Vegas for the third time. We came back last Tuesday and had a pretty good time for the duration. As usual, though I was going to miss Vegas, I think we stayed the right amount of time - we say a ton of sights did and did some gambling. We also left with gambling money still in our pocket which, though it was significantly less than when we got there, I call a success.

This time around, we stayed on the strip again and finally saw the things we have been wanting to see since the first time we went to Vegas, such as the fountains at the Bellagio. The fountains are, so far, my favorite free show. We also walked through most of the hotels on the mid and lower parts of the strip as well as say the Rio. Was fun, though we walked a TON. In one day I think my pedometer counted over 25,000 steps!

Our first night was at the Venetian which was quite a treat. We had been wanting to stay there since we first came to Vegas many moons ago but never wanted to spend quite that much for a room. We both found a good deal this time and also wanted to treat ourselves for at least one night. While it was not flawless (there were some minor issues with our room) it was well worth it. That evening we ate at a hole in the wall Italian restaurant at the Shops at the Venetian. It was ok, though it was more like authentic Italian which is apparently somewhat bland according to Matt and Kristin (who would be in Vegas later in the week as well).

We did another Gondola ride and that was fantastic! It was just the two of us and the Gondola driver/singer. He was not only entertaining but had a fantastic voice and graced us with two authentic Italian songs. I know it's no comparison to a ride on the real thing, it was still quite romantic and something I highly recommend. We also gambled a bit at the Venetian but not much. It was more just walking around. I did get a small nice hit on one of the slot machines. It was one of the ones with a screen in-front of mechanical reels which makes for a nice affect.

For the remainder of the trip, we stayed at Harrah's. Yes, it's one of the gaudy ones but they were nice and, gambling wise, I did pretty good there both at tables and slots. For slots I ended up winning about $140 on $20 and getting about $80 out of another. Table games were up and down as they usually are, but I finally had the courage to play Craps. It wasn't bad though to get the best percentage against the house, you have to bet more on the Pass line than I preferred to bet that trip in one go. Still, the one time I did play, I more than doubled what I bet which I call a win.

Roulette, which is generally a suckers game anyway, was not so kind to me. I adopted Brandon's strategy of betting a significant amount on black or red, seeing it if hits, and leaving thereafter. Only one time did that end up working out for me. I only bet $25 a go though. Brandon bet $100 when he did it. Roulette, too, was not kind to them later in the trip, though.

Blackjack, that's my game and while I ended up loosing over the course of the trip, percentage-wise, that's going to happen. But I lost slowly and some days I was up. Harrah's and MGM Grand were the most kind to me. There was one other place I did well but I can't remember where it was. Either way, I came out on top or lost my money slowly. There were a few times it did go quickly but for the most part, I didn't do a bad job. One in particular was at the MGM at a very social dealer. Bad dealers who are fun to be around are the worst kind because it is so hard to leave. She was really fun though so the money lost can be chocked up to entertainment I suppose. Fortunately, there were some sociable and good dealers. A few times I made $25-40 into $100 and left.

Thursday night we also went downtown after Brandon and the gang got in and hung out for a while. I think I was able to get Brandon to warm up a bit to Blackjack. Both he and Amy like Let It Ride. That game has never been very kind to me and I like the pace of Blackjack. I think Brandon did too but it took Amy further convincing and it was not until we played at MGM Grand that she finally sat down and played.

While seeing the sights with Brandon, Amy, Brenton, Kristy, Matt and Kristin we ran into a table-game of War at the Bellagio. I didn't think they had that in Vegas but sure enough it was there. I was able to more than double my initial bet there. And Matt mentioned later that he was able to win all his money back at War which was apparently also at the Venetian (we must have missed it).

It's weird how we put so much behind things that do not affect the odds. Like rubbing a slot machine screen (something I found myself doing more than I thought given I always thought it was silly), being worried about a new deck shuffle or dealer, etc. Dealers in particular seem to change the game without actually doing anything. Dealers often switched between card-shoes and would completely change whether or not I was winning or loosing. Sure, it's just combinatorics and coincidence I suppose but there were dealers I saw at Harrah's who could clean out a table multiple times. Decide for yourself on that one.

In any case, later in the week we had dinner again at the Venetian with Matt and Kristin. This time at the Italian place in the square area and damnit that place was good! We also later had dinner at the Bellagio buffet which was also really good. Later we had lunch with Brandon, Amy, Brenton and Kristy at the Rio. We finally were able to hang out with them for a greater length of time Sunday when we hung out around New York, New York and MGM.

We saw the CSI Experience and, to be frank, it was not worth the $60 we paid. It would have been good at the Witte Museum as a side thing but not in Vegas. Way too expensive for what you get to do, which is really not all that much. The coaster at NY, NY was crazy awesome though! Matt and Kristin, who went while we were with Brandon and Amy at lunch on Saturday said it was so-so but I liked it. In fact, Amy and I rode it twice!

After that Brandon and Amy did a bit more gambling but didn't do all that well. Brandon did ok at Video Poker but not so great at Roulette. Brenton, who could not gamble (and got busted for it at MGM twice for just hanging out) opted to call it a night early. So we hung out with Brandon and Amy for an hour or so more before they turned in. That was on Sunday, and we went our last night at Harrah's. I won about half my money that I lost earlier back at Blackjack but stopped there and went to bed so we could sleep some and catch our flight.

All in all it was a great trip! I feel bad that Brenton could not gamble and that we did not get to hang out as much with Brandon and Amy. They and Kristy were actually there for a USANA conference more than for Vegas, which is understandable though it was sometimes a bit hard to coordinate schedules. In fact, we missed out on a trampoline room thing Saturday because of that. Corey and I had a blast on our own though and we did have a day with Matt and Kristin as well. I would have not felt fulfilled if I was Brandon and Amy though they went more for business I suppose and I think they had their fill of Vegas.

I haven't :) But I could use a break. We hope to go back again though not for another year or two. It is expensive, after all, but so much fun!

Tags: Vegas