Smart Baccarat

It was conceived as a classy casino center boardwalk in Atlantic City. A bit too classy for American Gaming tastes. It was casino number seven in New Jersey. It was constructed on a very tiny piece of land on Florida Avenue and the boardwalk. The unique three-level casino with the minimum 500-room hotel opened on April 14, 1981.

From the Elsinore company history profile "In 1980, Playboy/Elsinore Associates began construction on a $159 million hotel and casino in Atlantic City. The Playboy Hotel and Casino offered 500 hotel rooms and suites, 52,000 square feet of gaming space, 25,000 square feet of convention and meeting facilities, and a 1,000-seat entertainment lounge, the Playboy Cabaret. Elsinore and Playboy sought to attract the international, high roller market with a design modeled on European casinos and Playboy casinos in England. Spread over three floors in small rooms the Playboy provided an intimate setting for gaming, including European favorites such as European Single O Roulette, American Double O Roulette, and Chemin de Fer, a game similar to baccarat. The Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City opened on April 14, 1981."

Labels: atlantic city, baccarat, big baccarat, casino, chemin de fer, playboy

Yes, the wait is over.

There is now an iphone application for baccarat.

The Baccarat Pro interface is pretty snazzy.

 

The application provides easy access to the rules of the game, as well as a scorecard, and history.

 

You can keep track of high scores on the leader board. I especially like the card burn feature at the beginning of the shoe, though you are not shown the burn cards. The only odd, or unnatural thing about the game interface is that it sets aside the commission for bank bets when they are placed. This is to prevent you burning through your bankroll and still owing commission. In real life, the casinos know you are on the hook for the commission, and you would just have to dig in your pockets for the balance, if you didn't have it in chips.

A detailed review can be found at the iphone games network website.

Now, one can practice their baccarat strategies all day long!

Labels: baccarat, baccarat pro, game, iphone

On the evening of Oct. 4, 1982, Lefty Rosenthal, the talented professional gambler and gangster-when-necessary who had brought sports betting to casinos in Las Vegas and illicitly run an empire of four hotel casinos, walked out of Tony Roma’s on East Sahara Avenue with an order of takeout ribs. He had just finished dinner with some fellow handicappers, and he was bringing the food home for his two children. When he got into his car, it blew up.

Mr. Rosenthal survived the explosion — later he could not remember whether he had turned the ignition key — but the attempt on his life, for which no one was ever prosecuted, ended his career as one of the most powerful men in Las Vegas. He left the city early the next year and on Monday, at home in Miami Beach, he died. He was 79 and had lived in Florida since the late 1980s.

more details HERE

NY Times obituary is HERE

Rosenthal interview with the Miami Herald in 2008

A nice NPR tribute, Man Behind "Casino" Dies

The Stardust was my absolute favorite Vegas property for many years.

I was friendly with a few baccarat supervisors who worked directly for "Lefty." --- the stories were awesome, one of the many reasons I loved playing big baccarat at the 'dust.

I played the final day-shift big baccarat game at the 'dust back in 2006.

and, I'll never forget the great times I had talking to Shirley in the baccarat room --- the "first" female baccarat dealer in Vegas, trained by "Lefty." Lefty helped train Shirley to be a baccarat dealer, back in the day.

Oh, yes, and they had a great Loyalty Program @ the 'Dust. Chairman and Gold Level were ripe with lots of discretionary perks. ;)

Lefty was one of the last of the true Vegas legends.

Labels: baccarat, casino, las vegas, lefty rosenthal, stardust

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This is the living room and dining area for the new one bedroom suites at the Harrah's Waterfront Tower. These suites are located at the end of the halls, and have sweeping views. The suite can connect to the adjacent room, to make a two bedroom configuration.



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I especially like the funky furniture "divider" that separates the dining area from the living room.



and, of course, no suite is ever complete, without the wet bar!

Labels: atlantic city, harrah's, suite, waterfront tower

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If you look closely, "Os" on the scorecard represent bankers, there were just 3 Banks followed by a TIE (represented by a --).

I always bet the "repeat TIE" (yes, I know it's a sucker bet, but TIEs often repeat... LOL....)

Also decided to use this opportunity to throw out a bet for the dealer,
so you can see my bet (two black chips $200) with a bet for the dealer (on TOP of my bet) --- and the TIE bet (above the Banker bet).

Dealer is pulling the cards from the shoe, and about to hand over the "Player hand" to the highest bet "Player" to face those cards ("Player" cards are always faced before the "Bank" hand)

Labels: baccarat, harrah's, midi-baccarat

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This is a MIDI-Baccarat game @ Harrah's Atlantic City. $25 is the minimum bet, which is great for a table where you can "handle" the cards. Notice how crumpled the PLAYER (hand on the left side) cards are.

While my favorite Baccarat game is Big Baccarat, I can deal with a MIDI game, since you at least get a chance to face the cards. Only big difference from the Big Baccarat game is that the players don't deal (and the shoe doesn't travel around the table).

Players at this table were spreading from approximately $25 to $800, with one woman sitting next to me who was wild with her consistent $75 tie bets (and $25 to $50 Dragon Bonus bets).

Yes, this table has the additional sucker bet, the Dragon Bonus. For more details on the Dragon Bonus, please refer to the Wizard of Odds tables.

From the ShuffleMaster web site :

Dragon Bonus is the industry’s most popular baccarat side bet, and doesn't corrupt the drawing rules or commission structure of baccarat.

To play the Dragon Bonus side bet for baccarat, players must make the Dragon Bonus wager before the dealer reveals any cards. The dealer will then deal and reconcile the traditional baccarat hands according to house procedures.

Natural winners pay even-money on the Dragon Bonus wager and in the event of a natural that ties, the Dragon Bonus wager pushes. Non-natural winners that win by at least four points pay even-money, and the larger the margin of victory, the larger the payout.

Labels: atlantic city, baccarat, dragon bonus, harrah's, midi-baccarat

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Met Sev at the Caesars Diamond lounge, where we had great conversation over Grey Goose Martinis (lots of olives for Sev, as they were out of onions) for a few hours. Couldn't decide where to go for dinner, so I suggested we try to seek out Valentino who was a previous waiter at Primavera (Caesar's Italian joint) for over 20 years. He moved over to Mark Anthony's (which is the Trump Taj's Italian joint) around a year ago.

Valentino immediately started us off with an awesome antipasto, and it was like dining with an old friend again!

Had a lovely dinner starting with a seafood tower trio, accompanied by some great wines. I can't recall what the exact wine was we had with the seafood trio (it was German and sweet, if I recall correctly).

UPDATE : Sev was able to provide some details about our first wine :
Our wine to accompany the starter was a "2003 Berncastler (often also spelled Bernkastler) Doktor Riesling Spaetlese (meaning late picked); those tend to be richer and more concentrated. From the town of Bernkastel in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. There are several producers of this high-end German Riesling; I forget which one we had but I think it was probably Dr. Thanisch. The "Spaetlese" is a higher quality than the generally-drier "Kabinett," and there is also occasionally an "Auslese" which is even more concentrated/sweeter. Though this is Germany, these are grapes grown on hillside terraces on the river banks and are harvested and selected by hand."

A nice shot of Sev and our lovely seafood tower (enjoying his wine).




Sev made sure that the folks were on their toes, confirming the specific vintages available; as the wine list was lacking this very pertinent information. The 2003 Tommasi Amarone was a most excellent choice to accompany our prime. I wasn't particularly familiar with Amarone, and was really glad Sev had suggested it.

The details about Amarone are quite fascinating (probably more details than necessary, by Tom Hyland from the Guide to Italian Wines)

Amarone is one of Italy's wine treasures that is loved by wine drinkers looking for ripe fruit, power, roundness and a sense of adventure in their red wine. Put a combination like that together and it should come as no surprise that Amarone is so popular these days.
Why is Amarone enjoying such renown and acceptance these days? Being a big – read 14 percent alcohol – wine doesn't hurt and either does the name which most people can pronounce, unlike some Italian words. But it may be the singularity of this wine that makes it such a favorite.
Amarone is produced in the region of Veneto by estates that make Valpolicella, one of the most popular wines of this area in Northeastern Italy. The same grapes, primarily Corvina (usually the leading component in the blend) along with Rondinella and Molinara, are used to produce Amarone. But the difference between the two wines is usually striking; where Valpolicella is a medium-weight wine meant for consumption with lighter fare with in its first 3-5 years, Amarone is a much more robust wine that is perfect with game birds or other such sturdy fare over the course of 7 to 15 years.
The reason for the stylistic difference in these wines is in the winemaking. To produce an Amarone (properly known as Amarone della Valpolicella Classico), a winemaker will take the harvested grapes and lay them on a straw mat, often in an attic or other warm room. The grapes then dry over the course of several months creating a raisiny flavor that is a distinctive character of Amarone.
As Amarone comes from the Italian word amaro ("bitter"), most examples have a tartness or slightly astringent edge to them. Alternatively, you may notice a sweet edge to them that can be explained in the concentrated sugars the grapes pick up during the drying process. Certainly, the combination of raisiny and sweet black fruit can make Amarone an irresistible temptation.
That slightly sweet edge in the finish can also come from the fact that a particular Amarone may not be entirely dry. Amarone is actually a recent innovation, dating back only from the 1950s. Before that, the process of drying grapes in this fashion (known as appasimento) resulted in a sweet, super-rich wine known as Recioto. Legend has it that the first Amarone was a mistake, as a winemaker had let a barrel of wine ferment too long and the wine's residual sugar had been eliminated. Recioto is still made today and its sweetness and richness make it a perfect choice at the end of a meal, often with powerful cheeses. (Many producers of Amarone also produce a Recioto – the official name is Recioto Della Valpolicella – with Masi and Tedeschi among the best.)

The only let down for dinner, was the dessert which was an edible basket with berries (I forget all the details), but the edible basket was not particularly inspiring, and was very heavy and "doughy."

Upon examining the check, Sev noticed a pricing error for one of the wines (seems that some of the wine lists for the restaurant had not been updated recently). It wasn't hugh, but was a bit annoying, nonetheless. Since we had already settled the check, we convinced Valentino to finish off our evening with two glasses of Hennessy XO; which he graciously poured for us directly from the bottle at our table. This more than made up for the error, as this was a $30'ish glass of Cognac at Mark Anthony.

At some point during dinner, the handy iphone totally lost it's charge, so I was a bit unconnected for the rest of the evening (which was fine...) We went over to Showboat for a bit, as I had a 6x multiplier bonus for September 11th. Played some video poker, $5 Top Dollar (which, was just eating and eating my $$$$), and a little bit of dice. We also were able to partake in a Davidoff Grand Cru #4 Cigar; while being ever so cautious to make sure we were in a proper smoking area. Which, for only a few more weeks includes high limit slots and the rather small section of video poker machines near the center bar. Seemed that both of the dice tables (at Showboat) were non-smoking on this evening. There are only a few more weeks left of smoking in Atlantic City Casinos. Starting next month, the casino floor will be 100% smoke free.

For those interested, the dice table minimum at Showboat had been lowered to $5 (with standard Harrah's Atlantic City 5x odds). But, the table was pretty dead, so I decided to cut my losses and depart Showboat. Sev and I said our goodbyes, and I was back to Harrah's for a bit more gambling.

Got on a very hot dice table, and was able to make a nice hit in the first half hour or so. Actually, got another fire bet (this time, 4 points 25 for 1). Earlier in the evening, got a fire bet for 250 for 1 (5 individual points). This is a total sucker bet, so I only put up a $1 on the chance, I might win. Considering this day, I've probably pre-paid my "fire-bets" for the next 10 years.

Managed to drop back a significant amount of my dice winnings playing some more Top Dollar at Harrah's (can we say "addiction"); but, overall it was a pretty successful evening. I sort of wish I was a little less, "into the action" as I probably should have packed it in (along with a larger win) much earlier in the evening. Such is life in the gaming world!

Finally got to bed around 5'ish!

Labels: atlantic city, caesars, trump taj

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Had to kill some time before getting my room key (rooms were to be ready @ 12.30PM).

So, a quick hit & run at the TOP DOLLAR MACHINE.

Knew I should I played $5 instead of $2 denomination. Oh well!

Labels: atlantic city, harrahs, top dollar

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A very smooth trip through Boston Logan this morning. Delta was handling all of the ground services which was sort of cool; even joked with the check-in agent about adding my Delta Medallion number to the record. Interesting to see a BOS-ACY flight printed on Delta stock. Security was super fast, and the boarding pass checker at the metal detector told me "good luck!" Obviously a reference to my flight's destination. Typing this mid-flight, with an estimated flight time of 45 minutes. Now it's about time for a vodka & soda!

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On the way to Boston Logan for a flight nonstop to Atlantic City. I'll be mobile blogging for the next 48 hours.

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I must say, they did such a nice bar setup in our suite. I'm all about the glassware, and they were very good about making sure we were always supplied with sufficient quantities of proper drinking vessels.

I also wanted to mention, that I had a number of requests that were handled very well by the Palazzo resort concierge Helen (mostly via email) before our arrival. This included pre-blocking a concierge level suite. In addition, the concierge wasn't able to get us a smoking Bella Suite, but got approval for us to smoke in our non-smoking suite and proceeded to send ashtrays (approximately 10) to the suite. I must say, the ventilation and air circulation was so good, the room always smelled fresh, even though we were smoking in the suite.

Alex picked us up in his convertible rental car, and we proceed to the Golden Nugget.

We arrive at the GN for dinner with quietlion and Andy. This was such a nice treat, and I was very happy to be sharing my birthday dinner amongst such fine company.

I started with some oysters on the half shell, and had a very nice medium rare 8oz filet mignon sans butter. Numerous vegetables were ordered and shared among everyone at the table. We started off with a Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne, which was a perfect compliment to my oysters. The wine with dinner was Darioush 2004 Shiraz, which was exceptional, and went very well with the variety of entrees ordered at the table. Of special note was the quail appetizer, which Richard had suggested, and I tried a piece of from Alex's plate -- it was very nice.

After dinner, we took a nice walk down Fremont street, so that we would have time to enjoy our cigars. Cigars included Davidoff Grand Cru No 4 and some Cubans Dave had brought me back from his trip to Cancun.

We got back to the Nugget and were just hanging around in front of a dice table. Alex mentioned we should give it a whirl, and both stick left positions were wide open... so, why not. Alex stood immediate stick left, with me to his left. When the dice finally came to me, I was one fire! 6 Points (ok, it might have been 5) --- tons of numbers, back to back hard 10's --- it was by far my best roll in the past year. And, what did I do, I fuck'ed it up. Yeah, I won hundreds... but it should have been thousands..... (Alex won around $700 since he was being pretty aggressive on the 4 & 10). But, I was just so distracted by our friends, and arranging for the "Georgia Girls" to meet us. I was on the line for $10 and backing up full (Vegas) odds, with the 6 & 8 for an average of $24 each, and the occasional 4 & 10. For the life of me (well, actually, because I was distracted) --- I still don't know why I didn't press up my pass line bet (to secure more odds) after the 2nd or 3rd point rolled. But, how can I complain, it was my birthday..... and I had a great roll at the dice table. During all this, there were also goodbyes to Dave and Merf who were fading fast... so, as you can see --- lots of distractions, but at least I can say it was a conservative controlled roll. And, after my roll (which had to be at least 20 minutes) --- Alex and I colored up; with the "Georgia Girls" arriving just moments before.

I really wish I had a picture to show, but these girls really dressed themselves up for the town; but heck, it was their first night out in Vegas.

We went to the bar and Richard picked up drinks for us to bring back to the split level suite, and we all hung around for a while. Just after we got to the suite, Lisa (MissL) arrived, and I met her downstairs and we proceeded to pick up 2 splits of Champagne (Laurent-Perrier) to bring up to the suite to toast our birthdays. My birthday of 26th June was just about ending, and Lisa's was about to begin on the 27th of June --- so, we had a toast at a time appropriate to celebrate both of our birthdays.

After a bit more relaxing and hanging out, Alex, myself and Lisa left with the "Georgia Girls" with a plan to potentially go to Pure. But, we hit a wicked horrible traffic jam (like 30 minutes) -- and we were all beat (especially me, who had been up since 4AM Eastern Time for the flight to Vegas). I decided to just go back to Palazzo, and Lisa got off there, with the intent to walk back to Paris, just hours before her return flight to Phoenix.

It was a great arrival in Vegas --- and a great way to celebrate my xx birthday!

Thanks to EVERYONE for sharing it with me, and making this a very special and memorable birthday!

Labels: baccarat_king, dice, golden nugget, palazzo, quietlion, vic and anthony's

So..... we land in Vegas, and since we have checked bags, I absolutely refuse to rush off the plane; as we need to wait for the bags anyway. We say our good byes to the awesome flight attendants and are on our way to baggage claim.

The Venetian Limo dude is waiting with a sign in baggage claim, and we proceed to pick up our bags. While waiting for our bags, I start chatting with these two nice girls from Georgia; who just arrived on the ATL-LAS flight (we were on the SLC-LAS flight). Of course, we are a bit anxious about our bags, since our connection from BOS (in SLC) was only 20 minutes. Alas, the bags come off the plane -- much to our relief. I ask the "Georgia Girls" if they want a ride in our limo, as no Vegas Virgins should be forced to deal with a cab to their hotel, of course, they say yes.







First stop is the liquor store, and we procure the requisite Sparkling Wine, Beer (Sam Adams - for Merf), Grey Goose L'Orange, and a few other items.

We do a short strip tour (it's also Merf's first time to Vegas) --- and then stop at the Palazzo first (Georgia Girls will continue to MGM). Upon arrival at Palazzo, since we are prebooked in a concierge level suite --- we get to check in at the private concierge desk right at the entrance of Palazzo (no need to walk all the way to invited guest check-in). Dave hands over his credit card, and we are checked-in in under 5 minutes, and on our way to the Bella Concierge Suite on the 25th floor.




Our bar setup in the suite (notice the copious quantities of glassware)

A lovely cheese plate send by my friend executive chef TS







After we get settled, everyone realizes they are hungry --- and there is still a bit of time before my shave at "Art of Shaving - Palazzo Shops." We decide to get a quick bite at Woo

Woo: The folks behind the Las Vegas legend Mayflower Cuisinier have cloised that place and opened Woo in the Palazzo. The menu is pan-asian and the food is served family-style, meaning enough to share. Order a lot of different things since the portions are small, and you'll want to sample many dishes.

Alex joins myself, Dave and Merf - and we have a blast. The food is terrific, and includes a tuna tartare and some excellent ribs! Yum.... I break away from lunch early, to go get my birthday shave (a few shops down) at the "Art of Shaving."





After an awesome shave (THANK YOU - Dave!) -- Alex drives us over to Paris/Bally's as it's time to get him checked into his room at Bally's. Alex tends to spend 2-3 weeks at a time in Vegas --- so, I offer to get him 5 nights @ Bally's to use between his other comp night stays. We valet at Paris, and walk over to Bally's -- using Diamond Check-In I make it known to the lovely lady that it is indeed my birthday. BINGO - score a junior suite for Alex (for a stay which includes a weekend). I tip the nice lady, and we are off to check out Alex's very 1980's junior suite in the north tower.

We decide to get a quick drink at the Paris Diamond Lounge, which is super crowded at the point.
We manage to find a table, and I grab some food for the table. I'm actually surprised there was hot food, such as egg rolls and chicken fingers --- I grab a selection and some cheese for everyone. Since we don't have a lot of time, we order quite the round (or two) of drinks. A lemon drop martini for Merf. Dirty Martini's for myself and Alex. Dave wants a chocolate martine (what is that boy thinking).. in addition a round of sparkling wine for everyone x2 (remember, it's also Merf's birthday celebration, as it was her birthday a week earlier)... and a few Perrier waters for the table (hydration and drinking water is always key to staying healthy in Vegas, especially in the summer).

We finish our drinks, and go to get a cab back to Palazzo. The cab line is hugh, but the Diamond card gets us to the front of the cab line, managing to piss off around 20 people.... but, heck, that's one of the perks... so, you might as well use it. Unfortunately, there is no signage (or not very good signage) at Paris with regard to the "Diamond-Cab Line Cut --- so, you just need to by-pass the line, and get the cab dispatcher's attention (and, of course, I always tip).

Back to Palazzo and a bit of time to freshen up before dinner downtown at Vic and Anthony's at the Golden Nugget. QL has invited us for dinner, and that was very gracious... did I mention, it's my birthday!

Labels: art of shaving, baccarat_king, ballys, delta, diamond lounge, las vegas, palazzo, paris las vegas, vegas virgins, woo

This was my Vegas birthday trip that was planned back in March/April. I originally had a comp'ed Palazzo offer for March -- but, I basically postponed that offer for a June trip. This would be my first trip to Vegas for 2008, the last being in September of 2007 during the VMA awards.

The Palazzo offer got sweeter, as a birthday offer, and included :
Comp Palazzo Suite for up to 4 nights with an upgrade to a Concierge Bella Suite
2 Bottles of Sparkling Wine
2 Bathrobs
The Ultimate Birthday Dinner for 2 (tasting menu) at Jade (Palazzo)
2 Venetian Monkeys (gotta love that)
Chocolates
and some free slot play

This offer was très bon, and was a bit hard to figure; as I only played some video poker a few times last year at Venetian.

So, it was June 26th, my OFFICIAL birthday and I was off to Vegas for the first time in 2008.

Our flight departs 7'ish from BOS (Boston Logan) so Dave and Meredith (Merf) pick me up super early, so we don't need to stress with our arrival at the airport. We get to BOS in record time, and I suggest we pull up at departures and Merf and I jump out and got to First check-in to drop the bags and grab our boarding passes. This works perfectly, and we are all set in under 10 minutes. Hop back into the car, and drop off at Logan long term economy parking. Luckily, just moments after we get to the bus shelter a bus arrives to take us to the terminal. We chuckle at all the people schlepping their bags on the bus --- and mention how sweet it was we dropped the bags first, before parking.

At the terminal, we use the First (& Shuttle) security line and clear TSA security in under 10 minutes. Merf has a bit of extra screening, but it's not much of an issue. I of course get my lighter through, as I'm expert at placing my lighter in the carry-on bag. Though, my real Colibri lighter is de-fueled and packed in my checked luggage. Can't risk having a $100 lighter taken by the TSA security folks.








We go to the Delta Crown Room by our gate (A17 if I recall correctly) --- of course, I tell the Crown Room desk lady that it's my birthday --- I just can't help it..... as I'm so excited to be going to Vegas on my birthday. (By the way, I score a present --- a Business Elite amenity kit --- as a birthday gift... very nice!)













Gotta love this pic of two of my favorite places, Israel and Vegas
























And for those who thought we got trashed at 6AM at the Crown Room, unfortunately, there is NO alcohol until 8AM due to Boston liquor laws --- so, it was just coffee, orange juice, and sparkling water.

We got to the gate (which was pretty close to the Crown Room) in time for Zone 1 (First Class) boarding, and used the Delta Breezeway to board immediately. Once on the plane, I had my usual sparkling water and lime for pre-departure drink.

after we were airborne, I ordered a mama-mia martini; the flight attendant searched the entire first class galley for the new premium tequila --- but, alas, there was none to be found (and also none in the economy section).

Delta's description of this new drink :

Margarita
The thought of a top-shelf
margarita—served at your seat—
available only on a Delta flight . . .
kinda leaves you speechless. With
Tequila Herradura Silver–100% de
Agave and Midnight Bar Collection
Margarita Mixer

instead, I ordered a pomegranate martini per Delta's menu :

Pomegranate Martini
One of the hottest flavors going
today, this Pomegranate Martini
is fabulous.

at first, they brought it in one of the funky party glasses that Delta uses for specialty drinks when sold in economy.



of course, I quickly asked the lovely flight attendant (and she was very nice) if she could swap that out for a proper REAL FIRST CLASS glass.




For breakfast (pic to the right and below), I pre-ordered an Asian Vegetarian meal. It was actually pretty good, though I think I would have preferred the breakfast cheese quesidilla with spicy sausage. I continued drinking vodka (with just a splash of the juice) as well as sparkling water with lime (hydration is key when flying).






After lunch and my few beverages, I was able to catch around 2+ hours of sleep, which was awesome -- as I went to sleep the night before around 11PM only to wake up at 4AM. I'd been super busy over the past week (work, OpenSkies trip to Paris) -- so, I really did need to get a bit of rest on this flight. Can't remember what the movie was, but I had no interest. Just sleep and listening to some tunes on my ipod.





OH, and I almost forgot..
Guess who was in row 6 of the First Class cabin on this flight from BOS-SLC,
CELTICS #0 Leon Powe. And, what an exteme gentleman. I was originally in row 6 (next to Powe), but switched to row #1 so he could sit next to his SO and child. And, what a cute little boy, especially when he was sleeping on Powe's chest. I really wanted to snap a pic, but that would be bad form. I chatted with Powe for a few moments when I woke up from my nap, and he gladly signed BOTH of my Delta boarding passes... ahhh... an autographed boarding pass to Vegas --- that really rocks (in my opinion).




What a nice person he was... I was so impressed, and was glad to tell him that I was in the garden on that first Sunday of the finals. GO CELTICS! YOU ROCK!

We arrived in SLC with 20 minutes to make our connection from SLC-LAS --- Merf needed a smoke (real bad), so we obliged and stopped in the smoking chamber on our way to the next gate (and of course, she was impressed when I pull out my lighter to light her Camel Red Lights --- I really am trying to turn her into a Dunhill Red Girl). We arrive at the gate while they were in the middle of boarding, but were able to cut the boarding line (hey, we're in First Class --- and I'm a Medallion) using the Delta Breezeway.

Got situated in our seats, and immediately asked the flight attendant if they had any tequila. I didn't want a repeat performance of no tequila, like the BOS-SLC flight. Of course, she had some, but this flight was only 1 hour --- so, I'd have to get ready to really drink heavy, to catch up on my initial loss of margariatas... No worries, since I was now well rested --- and consumed by tobacco smoke after a few moments in the smoking lounge.

This flight attendant from Puerto Rico was a real blast....

ahhh....... I finally get my margariatas! (notice I splased in Amaretto, since Delta no longer stocks Grand Marnier on domestic flights --- BOO!)




1 hour later, and well, just a few margaritas later.... we touch down in THE VEGAS.....

With flights like this, you can just imagine what's in store for the trip........ You'll never guess.... well, maybe you will.....

Labels: baccarat_king, celtics, delta, first class, las vegas, leon powe, palazzo, venetian