Murph's Musings

2009 Winding down...

2009-12-22T22:09:00.000-08:00

My first impression of Aria was hmm, so this is what $8.5 Billion will buy. Granted, I've not seen the inside of the rest of the City Center project. Aria is nice but, in my opinion, it falls short of WOW! I hope City Center is a raging success and that it helps to pull Las Vegas out of it's current funk but I have my doubts.

Today I visited the Aria Spa . At $30 for a day pass it's priced in the middle tier as far as Las Vegas spa day passes go. The experience, however, failed to crack the top three on my Las Vegas Spas list.

My top three, in no particular order:

Encore

Caesars

Mandalay Bay

A few observations from today's visit.

In the above picture you'll notice a vertical pole attached to a column in the upper left of the picture. That pole had small rods protruding from it. As far as I could see that is the ONLY place in the entire facility where you could hang your robe or towel. Even in the showers there are no hooks or towel bars.

Except for the showers, there is no soap available. If you visit the restroom (which doesn't have sinks in that immediate area) and then head to the vanity area to wash your hands you'll be out of luck.

The corduroy robes are now my favorite in town.

The overhead lighting in the wet area and steam room is very bright. Laying on your back requires a towel placed over your face unless you want to stare at blinding halogen lights.

There is a shower within the steam room which is a plus in my book.

When the steam kicks on in the steam room it is LOUD. I was startled EVERY time it came on. Not the most relaxing thing when you are trying desperately to relax.

As you can see in the picture, there are 4 separate hot tubs. Each is approximately 6' x 6'. They re all the same temperature. My suggestion would be to turn the heater off in one of them and make it a cold plunge and to also vary the temperature of the other three.

For the most part the place looks modern and sterile. I wouldn't even venture a guess as to how many tons of granite was involved in the construction of the spa. One major exception to the sterile vibe is the Salt room. I'm not sure exactly what they call the room but it is BEAUTIFUL. One wall and one column in the room consists of blocks of salt of varying shades from white to tan/yellow to brown. It is backlit and the effect is quite soothing. The theory is that the salt emits negative ions (not eons, Otis) which are rumored to be be good for you.

(for the record, I reluctantly admit to briefly licking the wall to verify that it was indeed made of salt lol)

The sacred Japanese ganbanyoku room is interesting. Basically you lay flat on a heated surface of sacred stones which were "blessed" in Japan. I don't know how much I buy into the holistic approach to wellness, but I don't guess it can do much harm either.

After the salt and stone exposure I returned to the main spa and promptly fell asleep for about 3 hours. The relaxation I was in search of was aparently found.

Overall it wasn't a disagreeable way to spend the day.

*****

Look closely. What the hell is Sanitazing? Does it involve tazering something until the germs give up?

*****

I saw this in the East parking garage at the Palms. What, exactly, would you have to do to someone to piss them off enough to compel them to have bumper stickers made and then paste them around Las Vegas?...and aparently all across the country.

*****

I am dreading the receipt of my 2009 win/loss statements from around town. I will have to acquire and save them since I need to off-set a rather large win from a couple of months ago.

Maybe I will be so embarrassed by how much money I throw away that I will do something about it in 2010. I make too much money to be poor!

*****

Although not really a New Year's resolution I've made a weight loss bet with a freind/coworker. By the end of February the one who has lost the higher percentage of the base line body weight will get a 50 minute massage compliments of the lesser loser. Either way, we both need to lose a few pounds.

*****

Thursday morning I am flying home to Maryland. It's been a year since I've been there. I am very much looking forward to the visit and it looks like they'll have plenty of snow, both old and new for my white Xmas.

*****

I wish everyone health, peace, contentment, prosperity and love in 2010

Today's Pop Quiz

2009-11-16T07:42:00.000-08:00

There once was a creature who had feathers, webbed feet and made a noise that sounded like quack-quack.

Based on this limited information, would you guess the creature to be a(n) :

a) elected politician from Nevada

b) dog

c) cat

d) duck

That was an easy one, right?

OK, on to the next brain twister. I must warn you that this one is just a bit harder.

There once was a guy named Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

Some of the things he has allegedly said or done* are listed below:

1)denounced the "war on terror" as a war against Islam

2)said Muslims should attack Americans in retaliation for the war in Iraq

3)defended suicide bombers

4) said he was "happy" when a Muslim murdered a soldier at a military recruiting center in Arkansas earlier this year.

5)shared a "spiritual adviser" with two of the Sept. 11 hijackers

6)delivered an hour-long PowerPoint lecture to an audience of doctors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, arguing that non-Muslims should be beheaded and have burning oil poured down their throats. (although not necessarily in that order??)

7)tried to contact al-Qaida, and at least one U.S. intelligence official says the Army knew it.

8)entered a medical facility at Fort Hood, prayed briefly, then shouted "Allahu akbar" before he began gunning down American troops

Based on the list above, one should assume that the Maj. is/was:

a) a very good reason to celebrate diversity in the US Military.

b) a very good opportunity to demand that Americans not to "jump to conclusions" -- namely, the obvious conclusion that the attack was an act of Islamic terrorism.

c) a victim of pre-traumatic stress disorder.

d) an Islamic Jihadist or dare one say it, a terrorist.

Please choose your answer carefully.

Related discussion points:

Which presidential administration is responsible for US military personnel on US military posts being forbidden from carrying weapons on said US military post. (Hint--I did NOT have sexual relations.............)

*alleged actions borrowed from Ms. Coulter.

This and that.

2009-11-11T08:03:00.000-08:00

Dawn from my porch a week or so ago.
*****
As I dealt a $1-3 NL game Monday night I (had no choice but to) listened to the players laugh and joke about Darvin Moon and what an inexperienced idiot he was. At the time he, according to up to the second updates, was ahead in the chip count. Finally, as is often the case anymore when I can't take it anymore, I said, "and here we all sit, at the Palms, at a $1-3 game".
I wonder if any of those who were generous in their criticism took pause to wonder at the fact that the two players outlasted thousands of other players who would give anything to be among the last two standing, or as was the case, sitting at the final table on Monday night.
*****
I often ask players, who I know to be dealers around town, how long they have been dealing and how they overcome/avoid utter and complete burnout. I've yet to find the cure for that particular ill. Sigh.
*****
"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength..."--Eric Hoffer
*****
I occasionally read blogs written by others who work with the public. I just stumbled upon this one recently. Although this particular entry hasn't much if anything to do with "serving" the public, it struck a cord with me. Additionally, the public might be well served to read it.

I worry for our future, although I fear the cause is already lost. W.W.M 11/12/09

"And for the support of this Declaration with a firm reliance on the
protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our
fortunes, and our sacred honor..."--the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of
Independence"

On Independence Day, a few hours ago, they killed my son, Aaron in
Afghanistan"--David M Masters

One of my favorite speeches of all time I discovered just recently was
actually the work of Rush Limbaugh, Jr., the father of the very popular radio
host of the same name. I suppose it is odd to brand something a favorite when it
brings tears to my eyes every time I hear or read it--but this speech is perhaps
the most succinct expression of what actually made this country--the attitudes
and sacrifices and the sheer will--that exists today.A girl I dated several
years ago [who, unfortunately, I realized I was in love with only after she had
moved 2000 miles away and gotten engaged to someone else] had the speech framed
for me. It is a big piece--a little larger than a full-size movie poster--and it
hangs in a prominent place in my home office. To this very day it is difficult
for me to walk past the piece without reading at least a little of what is
printed there.When most of us think of the men who created this country we think
of the fighting kids in the militia that evaded, outlasted, and eventually
outfought the British--and we think of those patriots who had the strongest hand
in guiding our young country once it had been created--Washington, Jefferson,
and Adams. That fighting force and those individuals deserve all the credit
given them and more, but for me personally the men I think most of when I think
of our founding are those other signers, the ones who in many cases lost nearly
everything after affixing their names to the Declaration.Jefferson, Adams, and
Washington [the general, in the field at the time, was not a signer] all risked
their lives and property, but for the most part lucked out for lack of a better
term--their homes, estates, and businesses survived largely untouched. For many
of their brethren however the toll of freedom was high and harsh indeed.The vast
majority of these men were rich and had large families. Most of them committed
to the cause knowing full well that their possessions, families, and lands were,
for the most part, located in areas under the direct control or within the near
reach of the British forces.Francis Lewis of New York lost everything, including
his wife who was captured, raped, and tortured by British soldiers. She died
shortly after being returned to him in a prisoner exchange.William Floyd of New
York saved his family but lost all of his possessions and was forced to live as
a fugitive for seven years.Phillips Livingstone of New York lost all of his
great wealth and his life before ever getting to see the dawn of the new nation
he had given everything for.John Hart of New Jersey was nearly captured trying
to return home to see his dying wife. When he finally snuck back to the ruins of
his property his wife was already dead and his thirteen children gone. He never
found his children and died broke and broken in 1779.Robert Morris of
Pennsylvania spent his vast fortune in support of Washington's army. The effort
destroyed his merchant fleet of nearly 150 ships and reduced him to a
pauper.Abraham Clark of New Jersey was offered the lives of his two captured
sons near the end of the war if he would publicly renounce the Revolution and
endorse the British throne. He refused, and his sons died in captivity.My
favorite of these generally unknown heros however is without a doubt Governor
Thomas Nelson of Virginia. Nelson commanded the Virginia militia throughout the
war and was in command at the epic battle of Yorktown. As American artillery
began to zero in on the British, their General Cornwallis ordered his command
relocated to Nelson's own immense, opulent home. American cannoneers would not
fire on the residence."Why do you spare my home?", demanded the angry
Nelson."Sir, out of respect to you," replied the artillery commander.Nelson
cried, "Give me the cannon!", and went on to demolish his own home in order to
defeat Cornwallis.In total, nine of the signers died during the war, five were
captured, twelve lost their homes, seventeen were completely bankrupted, and two
saw their wives ravaged at the hands of the enemy.I have often wondered if I
could have made any of the sacrifices that these men did, just as I wonder
sometimes whether I would have found myself at a recruitment office on 09.12.01
had I been a younger man.I have lived my life doing things the hard way, because
usually the hard way is the best way. I understand, as apparently fewer people
do each and every day, that in order for something to have real value and
foundation there must be labor expended, sacrifices made, and even sometimes
little blood drawn. I comfortably admit owning a tremendous amount of contempt
for those who have decided that their life path will be the easiest, simplest
one--no matter how many broken promises, cut corners, failures, and
disappointments are left in the wake of that path. I would rather accept
responsibility than pass the buck, would rather break trail than follow meekly,
would rather do battle than dodge the draft.When someone says, "I've heard of
you," I have no worries whatsoever. My word is good, my credit is good, my bills
are paid, my businesses are successful, my reputation is intact, and I sleep
like a baby--if a baby only slept about four hours a day, that is. That is the
only way I know to live my life.Could I have made the sacrifices that many of
those fifty-six signers made? I don't know--I suppose that is a question that
can only be answered just as the deadline looms.The problem, unfortunately, is
that I am much more sure of the answer to another question, namely: "How many of
those in our current government would make the sacrifices that many of those
fifty-six signers made?"The answer to that question is a very low, disgustingly
low number--and I'm speaking about both parties.Ironically, the only name that
hits me right away as a resounding "yes" is a man in such questionable health
that he probably wouldn't last two weeks in such a stressful situation--former
Vice President Dick Cheney. Probably Senator Lieberman, who has shown a
refreshing willingness to speak plainly about important issues regardless of
party line. Probably former President George W. Bush, if he has anything left in
the tank. Maybe the two magnificent senators from Oklahoma--but I don't know
enough about them personally to be sure. Maybe crazy Dennis Kucinich--his idea
of America is diametrically opposed to mine, but he nevertheless seems to go
about his business--his insane business--in a pretty forthright manner.Not only
would our current "leaders" have recanted revolution to save their two sons as
Abraham Clark refused to do--they would have recanted for a 757 ride [private of
course] home to San Francisco, a trip to Paris [excuse me, fact-finding
mission], a post office named after their grandfather, $1.2 trillion for the
union thugs that get them re-elected every two, four, or six years, hair plugs,
custom-made Allen Edmonds loafers, a cheese steak, aluminum collar stays, a can
of aqua net, etc. Not only would they have recanted for the most minor of
trinkets and geegaws, they never would have considered revolution in the first
place unless they could have been exponentially enriched by it--not the other
way around.

My Latest Toy

2009-10-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

My parents were here for 5 nights. I plan to post a few pics and observations about their visit and my playing the Las Vegas tourist soon.

Until then, the pic is of my newest toy. It seems like I have wanted a vintage slot machine for as long as I can remember.

Well, I now have one.

I'll leave you with a parting shot of some of the view that my parents had from their studio suite at Palms Place.

RIP Bob Stupak

2009-09-25T18:52:00.000-07:00

From the Las Vegas Advisor:
September 25, 2009 Bob Stupak Dies: Entrepreneur, gambler, and self-styled
"Polish maverick" Bob Stupak died today at Desert Springs Hospital after a long
fight with leukemia. He was 67.

In my opinion, Bob Stupak was an "interesting" individual.

The only time I ever dealt to Stupak was at the Ultimate Bet Aruba event. Having said that, it was an extended engagement. He had entered a tournament that started in the early evening and he went deep. All the other dealers left to go do their thing. Sipu and I stayed to deal the final table. It was daylight when we finished. Several times throughout the night he and I stepped outside for a cigarette. On one of those smoke breaks he asked me how I got to Aruba. I wasn't sure if he meant how I landed the dealing gig or how I physically got to the island. I made an assumption that he meant physically. Well that left two options since you can't exactly drive to Aruba. I briefly considered whether he had arrived on a cruise ship but I couldn't figure out what he was driving at.

I said that I arrived on an airplane. (?)

He said that he was stranded on the island.

I said I could think of worse places to be stranded.

He paused for a few seconds and then thoughtfully said that he couldn't think of a worse place to be stranded.

No worse place than Aruba??

HUH?

What he was driving at was that the high humidity in Aruba was taking it's toll on his ability to catch his breath. He was nearly desperate to get off of the island but couldn't get an earlier flight.

If I remember correctly, he chopped first and second place money.

RIP Bob. You certainly led a full life.

Photo Dump

2009-08-21T06:00:00.001-07:00

The picture of the most profitable outing is the Wynn picture.
I have been going to the spa at Encore. On Tuesday before I headed upstairs to the spa I entered the free slot tournament and was assigned to the 1:00 PM session. The 11,320 score was good enough to win the session and $500 in free slot play. The session win also entitled me to play in the finals at 5:00PM. I came in second in the finals and that was good for another $750 in free slot play.
Logic told me that it would be best to run the $1250 through a poker machine with a "decent" pay table. At the Encore you aren't going to find any full pay machines......at least I couldn't find any there.
I started out playing a poker machine, but to me a single hand poker machine is BORING and too much like work. I then started bouncing around on penny and nickel machines betting the max. My good fortune continued and by the time I had run the $1250 through a variety of machines I was able to cash out around $1,430.
I went back to the Encore on Thursday hoping to play in the daily tournament again only to be told that you are only allowed to play in it once for the duration of the promotion.
Oh well, the one time was gooooood.
Perhaps the most satisfying thing from my point of view is that after I had played the freeplay through once, I cashed out and left the premises and didn't give any/all of it back (that day at least).

Calling Dr. Freud.

2009-08-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

After three days (I work nights) of insomnia I finally get to sleep at a decent hour only to be awakened by this dream:

I'd apparently quit my current job and returned to my previous one back on the East coast. Many of the employees at my previous workplace were familiar and even one person from three jobs ago worked at my last place of employment.

From the time I walked back into my previous place of employment I totally regretted it. I kept thinking WHY did I do this? Is it too late to undo this?

Every printer in every office was spewing paper with enough velocity to hit the ceiling.

There was a line on the floor that didn't exist when I last worked there. Everytime I stepped over it alarms went off and people would yell at me that I'd stepped into the bakery side of the business and that I couldn't do that.

What the hell?

Does anything really matter?

2009-08-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

In the interest of full disclosure, I have never cast a vote for a Democrat in my life. I'll admit to having come very close to pulling a lever with a D beside it once or twice (really only once) a long time (17ish years)ago.

I'll also publically claim Ronald Reagan, warts and all, as the most inspirational politician of my life time. During the Reagan years I was truly proud to be an American.

I can also state that in some respects and on some issues, my views settle somewhere left, way left, of the middle of the road. Most of those issues have to do with getting the government OUT of our daily lives which seem counterintuitive

Having said that, with each passing year I become more and more disgusted with politicians of all stripes. There really aren't vast differences between one and the next. There are planks of each platform, right and left, that I find to be full of termites and decay.

Some days I wonder why I bother to read the paper (yes, I still read the paper a few times a week. I'm aging and some habits die hard) or surf the 'net for the latest drivel flowing from the talking (or typing) heads. Hell-in-a-hand-basket comes to mind more often than not.

How is it, from a poker perspective, that the Democratic party is perceived as leading the fight for personal freedoms and the evil Republicans are perceived as the party that wants to keep you from your weekly home game? Something is quite wrong with that picture.

The problem, as I see it, is that the vast majority of the population is closer to the middle than the politicians. The right and left have drifted so FAR right and left that they no longer understand the middle.

How is it that we, as a people, continue to send the same people back to Washington over and over again when polls show our displeasure with those same lawmakers? Do we "vote" one way with our ballot and then "vote" another way when participating in a poll?

Is this what was envisioned 230+ years ago?

http://buchanan.org/blog/pjb-socialist-america-sinking-1600

After half a century of fighting encroachments upon freedom in America, journalist Garet Garrett published “The People’s Pottage.” A year later, in 1954, he died. “The People’s Pottage” opens thus:
“There are those who still think they are holding the pass against a revolution that may be coming up the road. But they are gazing in the wrong direction. The revolution is behind them. It went by in the Night of Depression, singing songs to freedom.”
Garrett wrote of a revolution within the form. While outwardly America appeared the same, a revolution within had taken place that was now irreversible. One need only glance at where we were before the New Deal, where we are and where we are headed to see how far we are off the course the Founding Fathers set for our republic.
Taxes drove the American Revolution, for we were a taxaphobic, liberty-loving people. That government is best that governs least is an Americanism. When “Silent Cal” Coolidge went home in 1929, the U.S. government was spending 3 percent of gross domestic product.
And today? Obama’s first budget will consume 28 percent of the entire GDP; state and local governments another 15 percent. While there is some overlap, in 2009, government will consume 40 percent of GDP, approaching the peak of World War II.
The deficit for 2009 is $1.8 trillion, 13 percent of the whole economy. Obama is pushing a cap-and-trade bill to cut carbon emissions that will impose huge costs on energy production, spike consumer prices and drive production offshore to China, which is opting out of Kyoto II. The Chinese are not fools.
Obama plans to repeal the Bush tax cuts and take the income tax rate to near 40 percent. Combined state and local income tax rates can run to 10 percent. For the self-employed, payroll taxes add up to 15.2 percent on the first $106,800 for all wages of all workers. Medicare takes 2.9 percent of all wages above that. Then there are the state sales taxes that can run to 8 percent, property taxes, gas taxes, excise taxes, and “sin taxes” on booze, cigarettes and, soon, hot dogs and soft drinks.
Comes now national health insurance from Nancy Pelosi’s House. A surtax that runs to 5.4 percent of all earnings of the top 1 percent of Americans, who already pay 40 percent of all federal income taxes, has been sent to the Senate. Included also is an 8 percent tax on the entire payroll of small businesses that fail to provide health insurance for employees.
Other ideas on the table include taxing the health benefits that businesses provide their employees.
The D.C.-based Tax Foundation says New Yorkers could face a combined income tax rate of near 60 percent.
In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson called George III a tyrant for having “erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”
What did George III do with his Stamp Act, Townshend Acts or tea tax to compare with what is being done to this generation of Americans by their own government?
While the hardest working and most productive are bled, a third of all wage-earners pay no U.S. income tax, and Obama plans to free almost half of all wage-earners of all income taxes. Yet, tens of millions get Medicaid, rent supplements, free education, food stamps, welfare and an annual check from Uncle Sam called an Earned Income Tax Credit, though they never paid a nickel in income taxes.
Oh, yes. Obama also promises everybody a college education.
Coming to America to feast on this cornucopia of freebies is the world. One million to 2 million immigrants, legal and illegal, arrive every year. They come with fewer skills and less education than Americans, and consume more tax dollars than they contribute by three to one.
Wise Latina women have more babies north of the border than they do in Mexico and twice as many here as American women.
As almost all immigrants are now Third World people of color, they qualify for ethnic preferences in hiring and promotions and admissions to college over the children of Americans
All of this would have astounded and appalled the Founding Fathers, who after all, created America — as they declared loud and clear in the Constitution — “for ourselves and our posterity.”
China saves, invests and grows at 8 percent. America, awash in debt, has a shrinking economy, a huge trade deficit, a gutted industrial base, an unemployment rate surging toward 10 percent and a money supply that’s swollen to double its size in a year. The 20th century may have been the American Century. The 21st shows another pattern.
“The United States is declining as a nation and a world power with mostly sighs and shrugs to mark this seismic event,” writes Les Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, in CFR’s Foreign Affairs magazine. “Astonishingly, some people do not appear to realize that the situation is all that serious.”
Even the establishment is starting to get the message.

Zombies

2009-07-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

I am continually frustrated by people who cannot think for themselves. If the "computer" tells them something, they accept it as gospel. Any attempt to analyze, or actually use a thought process is lost on them.

Case in point.

Last night I visited the Carl's Jr. at the corner of Spring Mtn. and Decatur. The sign in the window advertised two Western Bacon Cheeseburgers for $4. The sign also said that you could make it a combo for $2 more. Alrighty then.

The guy says $7.13.

Now, I know that the sales tax rate just went up in Nevada. The new 8.1% tax rate isn't as easy to calculate as the sales tax rate of 5% when I lived in Maryland. 5% was a piece of cake to calculate, but I don't think this has any bearing on what happened last night.

Deep breath.

I say to the guy, lets assume that the sales tax rate is 10%. It's NOT, but let's make this rather simple for you. IF the sales tax was 10% we could take the $6 charge for the food and make a simple calculation to determine that the tax would be 60¢ for a total of $6.60.

By this time another guy, who I assumed was the manager had joined the "discussion".

By what you are telling me, the sales tax would have to be near 20% to arrive at $7.13 (actually it would have to be 19% but at this point......nothing was getting through)

The "manager" guy says to me "Sorry, I'm not good at math."

Sigh.

You, sir, are not good at logic either.

And I won't give you a passing score at customer service!

I finally gave up, left the food on the counter and walked out without paying.

Yes, the computer was not programmed to make this transaction automatically. As I learned via a phone call to the on duty manager this morning, the operator had to manually deduct 60¢ to arrive at the advertised price.

I'll NOT be a customer of this restaurant again.

I've already barred myself from the McDonald's closest to my house for a similar incident. In that case, after I tired of "arguing" with the cashier I asked for the manager. She listened to my story, looked at the computerized total and said "That's the total the computer is telling me, that's what I have to charge you."

SIGH!

When did people stop being able to THINK!

This wide spread problem has vast political and social implications, at least in my mind.

If you didn't know it already, we're pretty much doomed to live with stupidity.

Donkeyote

2009-07-15T19:04:00.000-07:00

As I waited to push onto table 2 a few nights ago, I noticed that the 10 seat had a 3-4 inch plastic donkey that he was using for a card protector.

I asked him if the donkey had a name.

He said, "Just donkey, but you can name him if you want".

I said, ok, I name him Don Quixote.

He looked at me very strangely and asked who Donkey Otie was.

Sigh.......

Excalibur to remove automated tables, bring back live dealers.

2009-06-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

The 10 month "experiment" of automatic poker tables at Excalibur will come to an end soon.
This, in my opinion, is a good thing......

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/23/state/n111635D19.DTL

(06-23) 11:16 PDT Las Vegas, NV (AP) --
The Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas says it is removing touch-screen monitors from its poker room and will return to a traditional setup with live dealers.
Tablemaker PokerTek Inc. and hotel owner MGM Mirage said Tuesday that the tables would be removed July 5.
Players use the touch-screens to control action at the tables, with no chips, cards or dealers.
MGM Mirage officials say they found that players prefer live dealers to automatic tables.

Holiday Wishes

2008-12-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

There are many people that I should call today. Well, not just today, but on a regular basis. Alas, I'm horrible at keeping in touch.

Just because I don't keep in touch doesn't mean that I don't think about family and friends often.

Please accept this as my cheesy good wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

2009 has to be a better year.....right?

The Rest of the Story

2007-02-13T09:47:00.000-08:00

The last post ended with a player giving me a sincere compliment. When he did this my reply was more than a simple thank you. I told him that I appreciated it but in this town there were so many mediocre (or worse) dealers that a dealer who really tried to follow the rules stood out like beacon in the night. Don't read too much into this. I certainly don't feel like I am a beacon or the poker gods gift to players.....I'm NOT.

There was some wierd and crazy shit this week.

I'm dealing a $2-5 no limit game. After all of the cards were delivered and the pre-flop action was half way around the table the 3s stopped the action and told me that his first card must have been boxed. (a boxed card is a card that is face UP in the deck. sometimes this is the dealers fault and sometimes the shufflemaster does crazy things) He had his cards directly on top of each other but the bottom card was face up. Anything is possible but I don't believe for one second that I dealt the card to him face up. I believe that I would have seen it or another player would have seen it coming off of the deck face up. If for some reason no one noticed it as the first card was delivered that card would have had to have sat there face up for a few more seconds as everyone received their second card. Since I'm aiming the second card to come to rest in the same position as the first card it just seems unlikely that the first card was boxed.

When card is truly boxed the procedure is to replace the card immediately with the next card on the top of the deck. Since I had completed the deal this was not possible. Consequently the ruling by the floor was that I was to replace the card. (this option assumes that I flipped the card over as I dealt it which makes it even MORE unlikely that I didn't notice this happening)

My assumption is that the player somehow flipped it himself but that is irrelevant.

Of course the exposed card was the Ace of Spades. Of course the player involved threw a fit.

****

Sometime mid week I'm dealing $2-5 no limit on table 10. It's an unusually LOUD table. On the turn the 4s bets $40. The 7s sets out $40. They were heads-up. I brought in the bets. I tapped the table. I burned and turned. ONLY then did the 7s yell that he had SAID $140. My response would have been sorry about your luck, pal. Of course, with the oversight of the floor, I brought the river card back and began shuffling it into the stub as the $100 raise stood. The 4s mucked. The 7s had a fit. The first river card was a 10 which gave the 4s three tens. The 7s claimed that the river gave him queens full of tens.

The 7s has a reputation among the dealers for verbally but very quietly stating his raises while physically only setting out the amount of the call. Speculation is that he waits to see the action of a few players behind him before loudly stating that he said raise or if the action is not to his liking he just remains quiet. Knowing this I should be more diligent monitoring his actions. He also should be subjected to some type of torture......

****
In another $2-5 no limit game I bobbled the first card to the big blind. It wasn't blatent, but it fluttered enough that I could tell it was a black card. No biggie really. I just stopped dealing and retrieved the two cards that had been dealt and reshuffled. (in our room it is only a misdeal if the first card to either blind is exposed--otherwise we just replace the exposed card after completing the rest of the deal). The player made a point to thank me for doing the right thing. He said that most dealers would have kept dealing while hoping that no one noticed. Really?

*****

Sunday night a local celebrity of sorts was in the 1s of a $4-8 limit game. He was about 8 drinks beyond drunk. The game was totally out of control. It just doesn't work when there are 5 or 6 table captains and 3 or 4 of them are drunk. I though I had the game reasonably calmed down when the 1s started to running his fingers wildly through my hair while making strange noises. Perhaps I should have been upset but all I could do was laugh.

The 1s and 5s (who claimed to be friends earlier) were escorted out by security about an hour later after a physical confrontation.

*****

I've mentioned before that the limit side of our room will be closed on Thursday evening and open sometime late on Friday night. I've taken that opportunity and arranged not to work. I'll be hosting the roving pan game at my place. I look forward to it.

****

Last Thursday I won a few dollars at the Tuscany. I hit two solid six spots within 5 spins. I decided to treat myself to a massage. I hadn't done that in months. I visited the Spa at the Orleans as I had never been there before. Everything was fine, but it isn't anything special. It is a little bit cheaper there than at a spa on the strip though.

*****

Anna Nicole Smith

For the last 5 years you could have purchased this chip for around $7. It's funny how society is fascinated by the death of a celebrity. This chip has recently sold for as much as $132 on Ebay.

You can have this one for only $100.

Just kidding (I think)

Maybe I'll just keep it in my collection.

Cashing Out?

2007-02-14T21:34:00.000-08:00

I'm cleaning the kitchen in preparation of hosting a gathering. Why I have a casino chip in the kitchen is anyone's guess. Disorganized and unmotivated to alter the disorganization the chips, literally, fall where they may.

In any case it was a timely discovery.

A chip simply facilitates a gamble. Could we simply use cash for all gambling transaction? Sure we could. Would it be convenient? Not at all. Let me tell you that it isn't the easiest thing in the world to try to count a stack of $100 bill with one hand while a deck is firmly grasped in the other. A stack of $100 chips? No problem at all. We cut them out in two seconds. If people used cash they may even stop for a second to contemplate what that $100 bill would buy or which utility bill they could pay with it. A chip is just a little clay/composite disk. It's not of much use in the real world and you certainly can't mail one to Cingular and expect that your cell phone bill is no longer due. If I had a dollar for every time I've seen a player toss their case chips into the pot with little or no expectation of getting that pot pushed to them. I'm going home they say. It's as if they don't know that they could cash in those few chips for actual folding money. What difference does a few dollars make? Hell if I know.

I wonder when & how some lives take on the less-than-real quality of a casino chip.

It's always worth face value but only if you cash it in.

And if you truly cash it in, nothing else matters at all.

I don't have any real feelings about the life and death of Ms. Smith. Part of me wants to pity what passed as her life. Contempt creeps up to the door but it doesn't come in. What was real and what wasn't?

Did she ever handle this chip while visiting the Seminole Hard Rock? If so, did she gamble it away or did she cash it in?

Are you cashing it in?

Bourbon Street

2007-02-20T10:49:00.000-08:00

Aren't you sorry that you missed Paris Hilton's Birthday Party?

Does she really need to rent billboards to get people to come to her party?

*******

The game is $2-5 no limit. It gets down to heads-up and they both get all in. She has around $1,700. He has about $1,300.
She wins the hand. He isn't happy and doesn't make a move to push his chips.

He: Count her down.
She: What are you talking about? I have you covered.
He: I have a right to have your chips counted.
She: Be a man.
He: When's the last time you even saw a man?
She: Never at a poker table.
He: You are the biggest scumbag I've ever played with.

It all went south from there.

*******

The past few days have been interesting. Not good and not horrible, just interesting.

There were plenty of NBA players in and around the room. After all, the Palms was the host hotel. There were also a lot of wanna be gangsters/thugs hanging around too. Some were generous but most weren't. It wasn't too much different from the norm from my perspective although I'd have to say it was a little on the not too generous side for me personally.

There were also a few shootings.

The crowds were certainly over the top. All Palms employees were forced to park off site. (I got no sympathy on that front from Linda who informed me that Bellagio employees parked off-site for EIGHT years lol) The shuttle was a little unpredictable, but I'm always early anyway so it didn't really impact me in a negative way.

I talked to one of the Palm's pit dealers who visited out of town friends at the MGM on Friday night. He parked on the 5th floor of the MGM parking garage. So far so good. When he tried to leave it took him four and a half hours to get out of the garage. I heard someone else say it took them three hours to get out of the Aladdin garage.

The general consensus is that this event was great for the hotels and not so great for the employees. I don't think there is much casino employee support for bringing an NBA team here.

The crowds aren't going away any time soon (barring a major disaster of 9/11 proportions).

The Review Journal reports that the current building boom in Las Vegas will create 113,000+ new jobs. City Center, Echelon Place, Encore, Palazzo etc. Even with 7,000 or so people moving here each month between now and when all of these projects are complete there will be a labor shortage. New resorts open with workers lured from other properties. It's a vicious cycle and highly competitive.

The George Wallace sign is covering the old Bourbon Street Casino Sign. The Bourbon Street building itself was demolished months ago but the sign stood as a lone reminder of what once was. Hopefully the Bourbon Street sign will find a final resting place in the neon boneyard. Until then I guess Harrah's Entertainment will use it for advertising.

Bourbon Street discontinued table games a few years before they closed for good. This chip is from a time when they offered table games there.

It just keeps getting better and better

2007-03-04T20:28:00.000-08:00

By now I would hope that everyone in the gaming industry knows about the toke "sharing" policy at Wynn Las Vegas. That situation is ongoing with law suits and union organization drives. How it plays out is still in question.

Part of the new policy was that actual dealers (toke committee members made up of elected dealers) would no longer count "their" money. In and of itself this is VERY shady. The story goes that the dealers could request to view the counting process via video tape. Why? It certainly doesn't instill confidence that all is kosher at Wynn LV.

Recently the bacarrat crew had a pretty good day. It's reported that the crew dropped $90,000 in yellow chips as tokes. When the tally sheets were made public there was no notation of the $1,000 chips. HUH? It gets better! Now it's reported that the tally sheet from that day has gone among the missing.

This, coupled with the recent "house cleaning", successfully fans the flames of unrest at Wynn. By housecleaning I mean wholesale terminations.

How much more uncertainty must the Wynn dealers suffer?

*****

I call BULLSHIT!

If the postal carrier was really concerned about MY convenience he would have delivered the package to MY door instead of leaving it with the HOA office.

I get my mail at a centralized mailroom within my condo complex. I live about 100 yards from said mailroom. Me thinks it was the carrier's convenience (and laziness) that was taken into consideration, not mine.

*****

From 9:00 AM January 1 when our freeroll qualifying began until the end of February there were 1,407 hours. One of our players amassed over 500 hours played during that time period. I know he keeps detailed records. I'd very much like to see his win/loss for those 500 hours. At least he earned $500 comp dollars.

*****

Remembering the Stardust

2007-03-05T01:11:00.000-08:00

In a week it will all be gone.

To follow the progress of the demolition click here. There are some GREAT pictures and videos.

This picture is "borrowed" from the leavinglv.net site that is linked above.

For some reason I find it both ironic and poignant. In a city that discards the past like yesterday's newspaper maybe there is a message here for all of us. A final "flipping of the bird" from a grand ol' lady who will soon slip (not so) quietly into the night.

As we head into the future with a reckless abandon take a minute to look back and remember what once was.

When in Doubt, Whip it (them) Out

2007-03-10T00:19:00.000-08:00

There really hasn't been much to write about lately.

One day blends into the next. Deal the cards, deal the cards, deal the cards.

Oh well, that's what I do.

Today on table 2 there was a grumpy old man in seat 7. Within two hands of my down his cards were coming in fast and landing in the box. As I wasn't in the argumentative mood I simply ignored it. The next hand the cards again came in fast and he said something like "Murph your dealing really sucks", or something to that effect. Of course he was talking about the cards he was getting not my mechanics. I honestly don't remember exactly what he said. My reply was a jovial "Yeah, I've been told that before".

He just grunted and I kept on keeping on.

A few hands later Mr. Happy actually won a pot. As I was gathering up the cards and moving on to the next hand he throws me $1 and says "That one's for the pot". He then threw me $2 and said "those are because you said the right thing when I was complaining before". He continued with something about that "comment" would have had the last dealer red-faced and in a huff. Really? Perhaps.

That day the nits had no power over me. That's the way it should be. Let them stew in the slop that is their discontent. I'll stay out of that quagmire, thank you very much.

*****

The past few days have found me golfing and swimming in 70-80 degree temperatures. Back East in Maryland it's cold and they had about a foot of snow a few days ago. My mother and nephew took advantage of the white stuff and built a snowman. I wonder how many years it's been since I built a frosty. many many years for sure.

By all accounts my little buddy is doing great in kindergarten . Here is his interim progress report.

I'll be planning a trip home in July to celebrate his 6th birthday.

*****

Linda has posted several updates on the progress of MGMMirage City Center. You can check out her pictures here.

The scale of the project is impressive as is the price tag. The announced budget for City Center is $7 Billion.

The first residential units to be offered for sale are in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the sales figures are staggering.

The Las Vegas Advisor Question of the Day addressed City Center and reported:

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the most expensive of the hotel-condos, will have a 400-room tower and 227 condos; units start at $1.5 million for a 600-square-foot studio and top out at $12 million for a 4,100-square-foot penthouse; the Residences at the Harmon will have roughly the same number of units. The Vdara will be a 1,543-unit condo-hotel, while the Veer Towers are a pair of 37-story condominiums with more than 2,000 condos and no hotel rooms. MGM Mirage is now selling the units at the Mandarin and Vdara. The Mandarin went on sale first; MGM

Mirage has announced the first-month sales results for Mandarin.
* 200 units sold out of 227 (90%)
* $613,000,000 in sales from Mandarin residences
* $1,584 average-square-foot price

WOW

*****

An incident happened on a $2-5 blind NL game the other day. The 1s went all in for about $440 into $400ish pot. The 5s called. I ran the cards out. The 1s tabled his hand and I started to push up the board cards to indicate his hand. In the mean time the 5s tabled his hand. The 1s had the best hand. For unknown reasons the 1s reached out and turned his cards face down and pushed them a few inches toward me before I killed the 5s hand. The 1s misread his hand and thought he lost. In a split second the 1s grabbed his cards back and turned them face up again. The 5s had a fit and started yelling that the 1s mucked his hand. I started to tell him that once the cards were tabled I was obligated to read the hands and push the pot to the winning hand. It didn't make any difference what happened to the cards AFTER they were tabled and read my me(and the camera for posterity).

He was having none of it so I called the floor. Of course the floor told him the same thing I did. He was pissed but really didn't have an argument. The cards had been tabled and as they say "Cards Speak".

The 5s lost another $500 or so on the next hand and then racked up and left in a huff.

When in doubt, table your hand!

*****

I've needed something for my walls since moving in here. I couldn't find anything that I liked. Fate to the rescue.

Gary and Marie recently acquired a second condo unit at Casablanca just East of center strip. (I'd put their view of the strip up against any other mid-rise view in town.....what a view) It was fully furnished but not to their liking so they are in the process of cleaning out/gutting it and starting over. Consequently they have been making a lot of trips to Goodwill. Their need to get rid of stuff converged with my need for wall art.

Goodwill's loss was my gain. Thanks Gary and Marie!

Voila.

Stardust Fireworks/Implosion

2007-03-13T10:04:00.000-07:00

Click Here: Boom

Pearl @ The Palms

2007-03-13T10:04:00.001-07:00

Pearl @ ThePalms

On Monday night I got my first look at the new concert venue at the Palms. It was employee play day which was basically a test run or soft opening. The 2,500 seat venue is simply named Pearl. I'm no expert on concert venues but I think this one is pretty damn nice. I tried to walk around to different areas of the arena and it looks like there isn't a bad seat in the house. There are multiple levels most of which are below casino level.

I guess I'm not the target demographic because the concert line-up that has been announced includes a name or two that I have never even heard of. Carlos Mencia? Alejandra Sanz? Maybe I'm just too old...or un-hip. Whatever.

From www.vegaspopular.com :

I've learned that one of the reasons that the biggest names in the business are falling over themselves to play the Pearl at the Palms is because the rockers can literally use the new Palms recording studio in the same building, and simply go right from their luxurious fantasy suites directly to the stage of the Pearl. "It's the most user-friendly setup for music superstars, they love it. It's the ultimate luxurious setup for rock stars- and beats anyplace else in America in terms of state of the art facilities. Acoustics are 100% perfect and there's total privacy and security every step of the way,"

No matter who plays there it will drive casino traffic. Do Carlos Mencia fans play poker? Are they good tippers? Time will tell.

Trump Plaza Dealers Go Union

2007-03-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

My friend Katie blew into town last Tuesday. She is a chemistry teacher at Sacramento State and she was enjoying a portion of her spring break in Las Vegas. On Wendesday we decided to have lunch at the Top of the World restaurant in the Stratosphere tower. I had eaten dinner there maybe 8-9 years ago. The view was just as I remembered it except that this time it was daylight.
We both sprung for the Kobe burger.....well done. I like my steak medium at most but when I eat a burger it has to be cooked.
I asked the waitress if the Kobe was domestic. I know that real Kobe is imported from Japan but I also have heard that a lot of places serve domestic "Kobe Style" beef. She assured us that it was indeed real, imported Kobe. The burger was delivered to the table charred on the outside and RED RED RED on the inside.
We both at it anyway. lol
It did have a distinctive taste but I'm not sure if the taste was due to the charred exterior or due to the type of beef. I don't think I'll be ordering any more $16 Kobe burgers any time soon.

Despite that it was a nice way to spend an hour or two as we rotated high above the Las Vegas Valley.

****

The qualifying rules for the River King $1,000,000 free roll have been modified. Starting last Monday you can earn double hours by playing on Monday or Tuesday. I assume that this promotion within a promotion will last until the qualifying period ends.

On Tuesday I decided that I wanted a beer when I finished work. Most of the waitresses would have just brought me a beer but you are really supposed to be actively playing in order to order drinks. Whatever. I sat in a $2-4 limit game and anxiously awaited the opportunity to order a Sunset Wheat. I'm not sure why I mostly drink the bland ol' Miller Lite. Occasionally I like a "real" beer. The Palms had recently stopped serving both Sierra Nevada and Blue Moon beer. Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat is the replacement. I'm told that the Maloof's recently acquired a large stake in the Miller distributorship here in Las Vegas and since Leinenkugel's is a wholly owned subsidiary of Miller Brewing that explains the introduction of Sunset Wheat.
In any case I really like it. And I really wanted one. Just one.
Honestly, it took me about 70 minutes to get the damned thing.
During the wait I managed to suck out and flop some monsters a few times. One of the suck out winners came in the form of a diamond flush(which gave me an entry and a chance to win $100). After that suck out the loosing player made the comment that he plays there all the time and tips me. I guess a dealer isn't supposed to ever win a hand.
So what? I had to bite my tongue. About an hour earlier I had spent a down on that very table. I had in fact pushed three pots to said player. Said player neglected to toss me a bone all three times.
When the beer finally came I quickly drained it and cashed out a small winner.
The diamond entry was a winner and I picked up the cash on Wednesday.

The dealers at Trump Plaza have joined their neighbors at Caesars Atlantic City by voting for UAW representation. The dealers at Trump Marina have filed a petition asking for their opportunity to vote also. The dominos are falling in Atlantic City. Will the Las Vegas dealers follow suit?

Here is an opinion written by a lady who goes by the name HarrahsHell on the dealers lounge forum. (sorry about the formatting....I copied and pasted and I'm too lazy to fix it right now)

So just as an example, I'm going to explain the two Nevada casino jobs I
had where one was union and one was not and the differences in the two IDENTICAL
positions I had with each.When I sold my bar in Florida and moved to Nevada in
1996 I first moved to Reno (WHAT was I THINKING?!) Reno was NON-UNION!I worked 2
jobs in cocktails. Each paid $5.15 an hour. You NEVER got a raise. There were
bartenders who had been there for 20 years and they were STILL making minimum
wage.From 9-5, daily I worked at the Atlantis Casino serving drinks.My paystub
would show my 40 hours at minimum wage and on each bi-weekly check there was a
deduction of $50+ for health insurance. This was health insurance I never once
used because it was CRAP and the deductable was $5,000 or something. Basically I
had it just in case I ever got hit by a mack truck. It didn't include vision or
dental either. I think the most I ever received on my paychecks there was maybe
$250.We didn't recieve holiday pay. We weren't allowed over-time.And if for some
reason your pay was "accidently" short one period, good luck in ever seeing that
money again.Vacation requests weren't confirmed until about 2 days beforehand so
you couldn't really buy airfare, etc. The boss would always say something like,
"We're kind of short-handed right now so we'll just have to wait and see." Are
you KIDDING ME????Furthermore, the casino owner was so cheap he fired all the
porters and insisted that the cocktail servers carry a nasty-ass rag on their
tray at all times to clean their areas (slot machines) and worst of all, we had
to keep the glass ashtrays beside each machine spotless at all times. That meant
that every time we'd take a round of drink orders we'd come back with about 10
ashtrays on our tray along with empty glassware. As we called our order to the
bartender we would have to wash each ashtray BY HAND using nothing but water and
paper towels. THEN!!!!!!! We had to garnish the drinks we had just served! I
guess the health department was paid to look the other way.I want you to
understand how serious this is because a union, ANY union, would never stand for
any of this.As we would deliver the drinks we'd be picking up more filthy
ashtrays so YOUR Corona might actually be touching filthy ashtrays before I
handed it to you.If there were coin wrappers on the ground (pre-TITO) we had to
set our tray down, bend to our knees and pick up the trash on the floor and then
continue serving drinks.Our uniforms were the exact same as the ones they wear
at Orleans and we were required to wear 2 inch heels. On more than one occasion
a girl's tips were stolen or a drink taken off the tray as she was crawling on
the floor, looking like a slut, picking up trash. What if someone had flung some
date-rape drugs into the drinks when the server was occupied with trash instead
of attending to her customers?My night-time job at the Reno Flamingo was much
nicer because of management but it was STILL non-union so you STILL only got
paid $5.15/hour and you STILL had to wear 2 inch heeled shoes.Four years ago I
moved here and my job at Flamingo LV was union. My starting pay for cocktails
was $10.69 hour so my pay doubled just by moving here.You must average (I THINK,
not sure) 38 hours a week for the first 3 months to begin insurance coverage.
Once you have qualified for insurance you only have to average 28 hours a week
to KEEP your FULLY PAID, GOOD INSURANCE THAT COVERS VISION AND DENTAL!Therefore
my paycheck stubs HERE would look like this:40 hours x 10.69/hour, and on every
OTHER check (once a month) my union dues of $34 would be deducted.The union told
the casinos to shove 2 inch heels up their ass and that we could wear just about
any kind we wanted as long as they were black.The first time I carried ash trays
on my tray here and started to wash them (out of habit, I guess) the girls all
looked at me like I was insane. The first time I bent down to pick up trash,
ditto.So basically with the union I was making more than DOUBLE what I made
non-union PLUS I had an extra $100/month that wasn't being stolen from me for
"health insurance" because I had FREE HEALTH INSURANCE with the union. I got all
of that for $34 a month in union dues.Now do YOU think it's worth
it?????Honestly! Think about this. Isn't it worth $34-$40 a month (that's ONE
dollar a day, people!) to have free health insurance with NO deductables, have
your wages shoot UP from $6.15/hr to God-knows-what, know that if you go to work
and Wynn is in one of his pissy moods and screams, "YOU'RE FIRED!", all you have
to say is, "We'll see about that."Then you contact one of the union employee
reps (there are usually 2 or 3 on duty at any given time of day or night) and
RIGHT THEN the matter is settled.If Wynn STILL acts like an ass the union rep
picks up the phone and NOW some higher-up from the local union office comes
flying into WLV like a bat out of hell to protect you.If worse comes to worse
you might still be sent home for the remainder of your shift but you can bet by
the next day Wynn has been hammered to death by the union and their lawyers and
unless you've killed some one or stolen money you've still got your job,
including the pay you were forced to give up when you clocked out the night
before.The union is NOT going to stand for tokes being counted without SOMEONE
from your department witnessing the amount. And it is CERTAINLY not going to
stand for the hostile work environment that you all are working in right now.I
have seen MANAGERS fired if something inappropriate was said to a union
employee. The employee still held his job afterwards.Tonight is Saturday. The
way it's currently set up in the count room each of you could EASILY be shorted
$40 tonight ALONE on your tokes. That's your month's "dues" right there!You've
probably already paid a year's worth of dues since this whole thing began- you
just have no way of knowing.I'd pay the $40 a month just for the piece of mind
in being able to walk into work knowing you won't be harrassed by any
managers!And no, I'm not working for nor have ANY intention of ever working for
a union.I just think you should realize how different your lives would be than
they are right now.Now there IS one con but thank God the union has procedures
in place if this should happen to you.Union "shop stewards" are basically Wynn
employees who have agreed to represent the union while they are at work.There is
usually one from each department on each shift.If Wynn or his management blows
up and hauls you into the office the "shop steward" is the person who has taken
courses and been given direction by the union on how to handle circumstances and
will be the one called off the floor to accompany you to the office so you'll
have a witness to back you.Like any people, some of these shop stewards can be
idiots and not know how to handle the situation.BUT!!!!!! If that happens then
all you do is go ahead and clock out and go to the union's main office the next
day and file a grievance and then THEY handle it. You still won't have lost your
job, it just might take a day longer to get it back.The situation at Wynn CAN
get worse! He can get even crazier than he is now and act like that nut I worked
for in Reno. For God's sake, get a UNION in there so you don't have to go
through the kind of crap I went through.
HH

Sam Angel...Leaving Las Vegas

2007-04-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

Amazing Aerial Tornado Damage Photos

2007-05-08T00:17:00.000-07:00

Click: Greensburg, Kansas

As a child I used to have nightmares about tornados. Invariably I would be in the basement looking out of the small windows there. The dream-tornado would always come from the crest of the mountain and roar into the valley.

Mom always reassured me that because we lived in the mountains, tornados weren't a concern.

When I was in my twenties, a cat 4 tornado cut a path through the Frostburg area about 12 miles from where I grew up. The can, and do occur most anywhere.

The best we can do is stand in awe of the power they unleash.

The other serial nightmare of my childhood involved the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker emerging from the silverware drawer in our "old" house. Even after we moved from that house, it was torn down, and a state road was constructed directly over where the house once stood those three devils still made appearances on occasion.

Anyone want to interpret that one?

******

Several people have chided me about not posting more often. Frankly, I wish I had started an annonymous blog. Although I like incorporating family and friends on this virtual page, my daily reality is work related. I desperately want/need to rage against all that is wrong at my workplace.

Apathy and neglect reign supreme..... and we are all adrift.

Today the stone tablets were delivered from the mount. Among MANY other "thou shall nots" is the thou shall not play "on the clock". Given that we are perpetually over-staffed this will only serve to compound that issue.

Why? you ask. It seems that an on-the-clock dealer not only check-raised, but did so on a bluff and then showed said bluff when the other player folded to the check-raise. Showing a check-raise bluff is not always good for the game.

The player went berzerk. Part of me wishes that he would have been told to get over it, it's part of the game. (despite the fact that our handbook forbids check raising while clocked in). A HUGE part of me wishes that, like other similar situations where rules are violated by certain employees, said employees were addressed individually and disciplined. Jerking the rug out from under EVERYONE because of one persons misdeeds is not, in my humble opinion, the best management strategy. ***disclaimer*** that is only MY SUGGESTION of how to better manage and should not necessarily be construed as a direct criticism of management....incase anyone is actually reading this.

Yes, I need an annonymous outlet...and I need it soon!

Wynn Succeeds Where Others Have Failed

2007-05-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

As prediced, Steve Wynn has managed to motivate his dealers to organize.

The final tally is 444 FOR the union, 149 against. Nearly 75% voted YES.

Nearly 75%! It's been said that you couldn't get two dealers to agree on pizza toppings, let alone asking for union representation. Congratulations Mr. Wynn. You have cemented your legacy in this town, state and nation.

Do the right thing, Mr. Wynn. Don't contest the vote. Don't drag the negotiations out for months. Your "family" has spoken. They trust a third party more than they trust you and in desperation they have cast what amounts to a no-confidence-in-you vote. Here's you chance to start rebuilding a relationship with your employees.

Wynn dealers, keep the faith during the negotiation process.

The rest of the town is indeed watching closely. Thank you for doing what had to be done.

Running Scared

2007-05-15T11:22:00.001-07:00

From Inside Gaming comes this news:

... Fiesta Rancho, reversing a trend, closed its five-table poker room May 13; it was one of the few poker venues in the valley that still permitted smoking ...

Very, very interesting.

If anyone knows what happened to the poker room staff there please let me know. Were they transferred to other areas within the property or simply terminated?

*****

On the Bellagio poker room:

"I was told that comps are for the higher limit players. One player told me that it was cheaper to just go buy a sandwhich than have to bribe the Floor for a comp."

"I'm told that you can be moved up the list if you are willing to grease their palm. Thanks, but no thanks."

These quotes are from an older trip report on allvegaspoker.com.

Yesterday at a no limit table the chatter turned to this issue at a
famous strip poker room. It seems that a half dozen, give or take a
few, floor people have been terminated for these practices.

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If you have even been inside the "new" Aladdin, you sure wouldn't recognize the place now. Planet Hollywood is finally up and running and the casino floor (the only part of the casino/hotel that I've seen since the changeover) is very nice. Gone are the gaudy fake jewels adorning every post, nook and cranny. Sleek decor now abounds. Check it out, you won't believe it's the same place.

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John L. Smith is intimately familiar with the tactics of Steve Wynn. Mr. Smith is the author of Running Scared, a book that exposes many aspects of Wynn's life that Steve would prefer not be revealed. Wynn sued in an attempt to keep the book from being published. I got published anyway.

Below is John L. Smith's column from May 15th. You can click here to view the column in it's original form.

May. 15, 2007 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

JOHN L. SMITH: Wynn shoots himself in the foot with bid to redistribute dealers' tips

Steve Wynn once shot off his index finger while playing with a
pistol. You'd think he would have learned his lesson.
Last September, Wynn fooled with the wrong end of another gun when he forced his dealers to share their tokes with floor supervisors.
Bang. That'll show those dealers.

But in no time, it was Wynn who was doing the bleeding.
Not at his lusty bottom line, but in the image department.
Like workers in some gaudy gulag, Wynn Las Vegas dealers were warned not to speak with the press after the change. When they did, some media scolds chided them for being ungrateful.
I've rarely seen such journalistic fretting about what working
people earn. Breathless stories of dealers making up to $100,000 a year -- most of that in tokes, mind you, for their hourly wage is a pittance -- made them appear greedy and ungrateful.
I'll let others measure the depth of the dealers' gratitude. In a business that celebrates greed, one that finds casino operators scoring insane salaries and scooping up gargantuan net profits, how
anyone can criticize the dealers for battling to hang onto their tips is beyond me.
Last, the card pitchers were warned against attempting to
organize. Over the weekend, they voted by an overwhelming majority to do just that, electing to invite the New York-based Transport Workers Union of America to negotiate with management on their behalf. It was a decision that took real courage in the face of Wynn's intimidating influence.From the start, state bureaucrats and Wynn's lawyers warned the dealers they had no legal standing. They were told to save their money and forget about litigation.
They didn't listen.They received only a partial hearing at the peoples' Legislature after an Orwellian afternoon in which they weren't allowed to mention the name of their billionaire boss. And yet they still refused to quit.When they talked about organizing, they were reminded how quickly they could be replaced.
Some, in fact, were replaced.
But as the months passed and Wynn's profits
from his Strip and Macau casinos were reported along with his own $6 million annual salary, the story began to refocus. Legalities and ethics aside, Wynn had robbed Peter the dealer to pay Paul the floor boss, and he looked bad doing it. And looking bad is something Steve Wynn hates to do.
After 40 years in the casino racket, Wynn has made a vast fortune by being a good boss and by reminding people about all the class he brings to the Strip. But in one move the multibillionaire made himself look cheap. He "redistributed" the dealers' tips without their consent, then tried to portray the dumb decision as an innovative business move. It was such a bright idea that not one major casino corporation endorsed it.
When the blue smoke and bullying failed, Wynn tried the direct
approach. Addressing his dealers on the eve of the election, his tough-guy talk was replaced by the measured speech of a contrite father figure, who apologized for his mistake and expressed gratitude for all the dealers have meant to his success. He implored them to vote against the union and said, "I gotta be your guy in order for us to really get great."
It was taped and disseminated on the Internet.
Trouble is, the dealers' guy screwed them out of a piece of
their tips. Wynn should have rescinded his stupid policy before the unionization effort began. It probably would have derailed it.
Instead, he escalated a fight that can only hurt morale at his casino. Not many good-news stories are generated from union contract negotiations.
Wynn is a brilliant guy in many ways, but is there no one in his life who tells him when he's full of baloney and headed in the wrong direction?
Over the years, Wynn has had a great relationship with his workers. Word of a new Wynn property opening sends a buzz
of excitement through the casino worker subculture. People were genuinely thrilled to be part of his operations because they knew they'd be flying first class and making arguably the best tokes in the business.
Steve Wynn has blown his credibility with his people.
Now he'll have to hustle to stanch the bleeding from his self-inflicted wound.
John L. Smith's column appears
Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or
call 383-0295.
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Two pics of the old and one of the new. The construction pic is of City Center as seen from Tropicana just West of the 15 (Near Wild Wild West)