Luck- and Time- Running Out

Las Vegas is an interesting place, of course there's what you see and then what you don't. Of course there's the lights, the sounds, the people. It's during the week, so the traffic was actually reasonable, not the monster downtown crawl I heard about.

Anyway, the sun was still up when I got here, and I decided to take a shower and a nap before running around. It is Vegas, after all- the city that never sleeps!- and I thought nothing lost by doing this. I needed the rest if I was to walk again, and the strip is nearly two miles!

The first thing I noticed were the people handing out the flyers for hookers and phone sex lines. Funny because prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas (specifically, cities in Nevada with populations of 100,000 or more). But they were EVERYWHERE. You couldn't take a step without them approaching you.

The second thing I noticed were the stores. They too were everywhere, and they had everything from Gucci to Walgreens. Not kidding, there's a Walgreens on the strip. I also noticed the most police activity in that part of the strip, so I moved on.

The third thing I noticed and more realized is that you can tell which casinos have been there a few years pretty easily. The Tropicana still has a sign with letters like a movie theater, where the MGM Grand across the street has two jumbotrons. Inside, they're pretty much all the same, although the older ones have less video slots and more actual slot machines.

My problem was, I was hungry. So I ate at the Tropicana. I saw an interesting picture of it when it was the only thing in the desert at that location in 1954. It's still the same building, only they built up. Anyway, food was big, good, and cheap.


"The Meadows," in all of it's nighttime glory.

I say my hunger was a problem because it took me to past midnight. Las Vegas, at least on the weekdays, changes considerably at exactly 12 AM. How?

1) The Fremont Street Light Show stops at midnight.
2) So does the Bellagio fountain show.
3) All those guys handing out flyers go home. The street is actually enjoyable to walk.
4) Any theme people (like at Caesar's Palace) go home.

The casinos are still going, and the alcohol still flows of course. Stopped in the Bellagio and watched a woman take the dice and shoot for this group of guys she was with and quadrupled their money. Established point, then toyed around a few times before hitting it, then rolled off 14 straight 7s and 11s, then rolled a point and hit it, and so on. This goes further to prove a theory I have...

I returned back to the Mirage, and played War. Yes, they have a table on a casino floor that you bet on War. Now the odds in that are virtually straight up (50-50), and a casino doesn't carry a game unless it turns a profit. It makes money on ties. You remember War, right? You flip a card, and your opponent flips a card, and the higher card wins. In real war, the winner keeps both cards. In this version, you keep money. If you tie, then you draw three cards each and then a fourth to break the tie. The house allows you to "surrender" (lose half of your money) or play (double your bet, which the house meets). So on a tie you can either lose half your bet or risk losing double for the same payout. That's how I went from doubling my money to zero in 10 minutes.

My theory is, of course, that I'm not a good gambler, but that my presence near a table (craps, roulette, and so on) raises the luck of those involved. I don't gamble enough to know when to walk away. So I inevitably lose my money. Examples? On my second play at a one-penny slot I hit a big payout- went from 80 cents to $5.40. I walked away with zero. You read about the War table. Yet the Bellagio craps table I watched easily took over $5,000 away from the house that night when I watched.

If you're not familiar with the language I'm using, don't worry- I barely understand it myself and I still don't know how to play craps. Maybe there's a freeware craps game somewhere online.

Anyway, it's morning and I am melancholy because I eventually have to end this road trip. The thing is, I'm not bitter. It's time. I need to be home now, and I know it. I've been suffering Crohn's attacks for a few days now, and that's starting to drain me physically. Money is low, clothes are low, energy is low. And I know I'll be back here at some point, so it's not one of those "I'll never see it again" things like Four Corners or the World's Biggest Fire Hydrant. The fountains and the tigers and the Light Show will all be here next time.

One more session of driving and I can relax.