Strip Club in Vegas ….. Almost …. Casino trumps strip club …. *Drool*

Hostel Casino Event , $5 for a tour around Vegas best gambling spots and $ 25 back guaranteed. That was the advertisement on the notice board when I got back from Grand Canyon. 

I was tormented between joining my new found friend to go explore a Strip Club in Vegas or to go gambling again. As I waited at the common lounge for the call from *Ola* I was touted by the Hostel Casino Guide Danny.

Dude its guaranteed money back plus more. If you don’t get back at lease $25, I’ll pay you myself he said.

Since Ola decided to take his sweet time I decided to join this hostel gambling tour only till he called I reminded myself and then I would ditch for strippers. Times up and the group of gambling newbie’s gathered in front of Danny paying him upfront the $5 for the tour. They were really newbie for I realized gamblers … wouldn’t need a tour in Vegas .. Before hitting the tables.

How to Get Free Gambling Money in Vegas

This could only work if you were a first time in Vegas. It requires you to register a new membership with the Casino and get your free gambling money which was about $5 which you cant cash out immediate. It must be played but Danny knew the slots to go to and usually you get back about $5 worth … unless you are lucky and you get more.

Not all casino memberships gives you this free gambling money thou. So out of the many many casino in Vegas Danny brought us to about 4 of them that did. I only remember two of em that still spams my email regularly till today. Wynn and Treasure Island

Gamble - Strip Club - Gamble - Strip Club - Gamble …… GAMBLE 

Night Club in Vegas

Ola finally decided to call when we were halfway through the tour. But by then the small amount of free money I was gambling was actually causing me to have an itch … an itch to gamble for real. I blew off Ola …. Saying I was on a gambling tour…. I still regret this till today … hence I have never seen the inside of a strip club in Vegas.

Danny ended the night gambling tour at a nightclub which looked like a strip club though with girls dancing on stages with poles ….. Only they weren’t stripping. Still close enough ….

Gamble in Old Town Vegas

By 3 am most of the girls were tired out and called it a night. Some tried to usher, send them back to the hostel with maybe some motive but I was really really hurting bad not being able to play any table games seriously.

Old Town Vegas

Do any of you guys want to do some serious gambling … not big money but serious like try to earn some money from the casino?? Danny asked.

It was me and Danny against the Houses that night. So Danny weekly Hostel Gambling Tour was to earn him his weekly gambling money. All the $5 that he collected which was about $50 was his capital for that night. I had about triple that capital so I went along with him all the way to Old Town Vegas.

According to Danny, the strip is where the minimum bets are higher, tables are more exclusive and newer touristy type. Old town Vegas was classic, where the locals goes to play or at lease the seasoned Gamblers loiter about due to its more reasonable limits and atmosphere.

I learned Crabs that night …. A little bit of card counting … had a blast drinking and making random conversation with people gambling at 5 am in the morning. We headed back to the Hostel at 9 am …. Super tired and also broke …. Danny lost all his earnings that day while I lost an additional $100

I had to leave Vegas …. ASAP … pronto … 

A Break From Gambling …. Hoover Dam & The Grand Canyon

Its been only 24 hours in Vegas and I had to get away already. This place was poison to me. Hence the daytrip I book was a nice relieved after just one night hitting the tables …. When friends ask why did I go to Vegas in the first place …. My answer was always to see the Grand Canyon J

There are plenty of people offering Grand Canyon tours and Hoover Dam Trips or both at the same time and Vegas is actually a good place to do a day trip from. Price for a day trip at $99 which includes pick up , drive to Hoover Dam , Lunch, drive to Grand Canyon and Entry Fee into the National Park and a Drive Home. The tour agency which I had no chance to scout and beat around touts was taken straight off the Hostel Reception trusting that Hostels people wont rip you off that badly since people who stay in hostel are normally broke. SweetTours was the name of the company. Not sure if it was the cheapest one there is out there but oh well.

Today was also a magical day for it was 29 February 2012. Leap Year Day. So a visit to one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World  was in order. *grin*

Woke up really really early almost 530 am after crashing in bed for 12 hours straight due to Casino overdose. It was freezing and never would I thought Vegas would be cold but that day … it was cold … must be the desert

Hoover Dam

Standard stuff in the morning shuffle where we went from one place to place picking up people plus just gathering and changing drivers but finally we were on our way to Hoover Dam and with sweet tours driven by Harold. Joyride on the tour bus seeing Vegas Boulder city which were the first community to settle down due to the construction of Hoover Dam. It was a nice comical town with a height restriction in the middle of the dessert. Even the McDonald signage was short about 1 storey only. I assume just to keep the historical town nice and petite since all the old building were small and cute

That Damm View

Hoover dam was a spectacular view, although we did drove on top of it the driver did not give a chance for the walking on it thou. He did however gave us a detour and show us a spectacular view of lake mead which was the lake formed by the dam. Salt lines of the dam showed that the water level was receding every year. After that was a three hours drive to grand canyon while we just watch wild hogs movie on the bus

The Grand Canyon

The grand canyon was a magnificent beauty that cannot be captured by pictures. It is just massively huge and stunning. One of the best part was that there was about six inch of snow from the previous night and it was really chilly, walking around the small path on a tiny portion of the canyon top we only walked about 3km. This of course all the while together with a Brazilian guy *Ola* whom I met in the bus and just kept each other company. Interesting enough thou he was below 21 years old and he came to Vegas hence there was many things he could not do like gamble and drink alcohol

Grand Canyon

At first I thought what a good thing as then there would be no temptation since he is underage to try anything anyway. He still manage to find a form of vice in Vegas thou. There is always something for everyone in Vegas …

Ola was kinda addicted to the strip club which allowed people over 18 but served no alcohol drinks. He was on a work and travel program from his university and Vegas was his last stop before going back. He almost convince me to join him that night we came back from Grand canyon but the hostel had a signboard showing the weekly casino event which captured my soul as per usual.

So continues the 2nd round of Hitting the tables …. and I shall carry home no stories of strip club in Vegas

Part Three - Sin City - Las Vegas - Hitting The Tables …. The Nightwalkers

Vegas Strip : The Morning

After 10pm is where the gambling crowd really reels in. Tuck in the children, hide them so they don’t see grown ups turn into goblins. But how the tide turn quickly by 2pm … I notice quite a few thing gambling from sundown to sun-up

The Alcoholic

Now if there was one place where its is the best place to be a alcoholic, that would be Vegas. Never would I have expected those cute sexy waitress who prance around the casino carrying drinks was actually serving them out free. I though people were actually ordering the drinks and paying for it.

It sure do looked like it for the usual;

Step 1. Call the waitress
Step 2. Tell her what you want …. anything from juice to whisky
Step 3. Get your drink ; and pay her a TIP ….

It was a tip of merely $1 and if you don’t feel like it … no tips are actually required … thou getting the girls to serve you a second round is going to be tricky. I could already imagine the abuse that would happen if this were back in Asia …

Planet Hollywood

Now this casino was burn into my memory for a few reason such as I actually won back money from here. Not enough to get me out of the red zone but it happily put me back to only down $400 bucks for gambling nearly 8 hours …. Not bad not bad

I was attracted to the in house entertainment that looked like a strip club more than a casino. Did I exit the casino and wander into a strip club ??? Hmmm wait but there was still black jacks and poker tables and roulette … plus the girls although were like down to their last two pieces never took it off …. Hmmm

Sexy as they come, plus the free flow of alcohol, and the beautifully manned blackjack table and poker table and most of all … I was winning. So I stayed and enjoyed and the music started playing …. Now I really thought I was in a strip club for there were scantily clad girls pole dancing on the high-tops tables behind the gambling table ….

“Are you ready For This”, the dance remix pause dramatically ….

and came the wiggle wiggle wiggle …. YEAH

Imagine me playing a from of Casino Poker and suddenly just pause looking up eyes glued unable to tear off from the wiggling of the cute asses. Painfully I peeled my eyes off feeling that I might be dragging the game and wouldn’t want to be chided off by other players but guess what … everyone was also eyes glued to the wiggling …. Mouth open … a slight drool forming …. I went back to lala land watching …

Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle …. YEAH

PFFT #### PFT  @@@@ PFT &&&&

The sound of the whistle blown loudly by the sexy croupier in skimpy bikini brought us back to earth.

“HEY !!! Eyes On Me !!! ON ME !!!” The dealer said

No looking at other girls she said while she carefully tuck back the whistle back between her two petite boobs heavily push up and carefully squeeze by her elbow … back to gambling ….

I naturally left when the entertainment ceased …. and naturally lost back everything I earned …

The Bachelor Party

Yep I saw one of those group when I got down the bus and I saw them again late that night about 5am all panda eyes with a free drink in their hand but without their soul. They had on matching print on T-Shirts that said

“ Simon’s Bachelor Party Vegas 2012”

Hooters Casino

I guess things did not turn out as legendar

As the sun rises slowly at 6am I was tired like hell and was daydreaming of the wonderful girls in Planet Hollywood … checked the map and I saw Hooters just nearby to where I was ….

I decided to take a last stop to check out the place before heading back …

It was just a regular casino ….

Getting Back to The Hostel

I have no recollection of how I got back to the hostel … I was more intoxicated by not having any sleep than alcohol hence all I remember was I got back at about 5 pm booked my next day trip to grand canyon … took a long overdue shower and head straight to the bunkers …

As I fell asleep .. I hear other newcomers saying how there were going to hit the tables tonight … I wished them luck while I started to dream of a come back 777 and a suite in Vegas and …..

The legendary comeback …

Part Two - Sin City - Las Vegas - Hitting The Tables ….

Stratosphere

Sunset is a beautiful thing in Vegas … its where the goblins comes out to play.

I started my adventure in Vegas by visiting the Stratosphere at the edge of the Vegas Strip. Why ?? Well it was the nearest casino to the hostel … about 15 minutes walk. I was in a good mood smiling and snickering all the way. Although I had set a limit loss of $100 per casino I was actually aiming to win $100 per casino. All this I know now was the euphoria talking. Thing was … I actually manage to win $100 at the first casino Stratosphere … but then the challenge begins …. 

The Challenge

The thing about casino is not about know how to cut your losses. How to stop - has two meaning to it. How to stop when you are down a couple hundred bucks and how to stop when you are down a couple thousand has no relation whatsoever but somehow somehow … when you are in Vegas the logic will go like this ( at lease for me )

When down $100 - Its only $100 … whats another …
When down $1000 - holy crap … I cant leave here down $1000 … better cough up another $100 to try and win it all back.

Then the hardest challenge of all would be how to stop when you are winning …. So I was Up $100 in The Stratosphere … my stupid brain said

*Heck this might be your lucky streak … don’t stop now … you’ll lose that ten grand if you stop now and go away*, continue on says the goblin with a devilish grin …

So I lost my winnings of $100 and decided to move on to the next casino

Casino after Casino

So I went from Stratosphere to Circus Circus then on to Rivera to Encore to Wynn to …. I really did not remember … It became a donation of sorts …. I shall pay my $100 tribute to every casino in Vegas I would enter and if by any chance I manage to won any money from any casino the rules of the Challenge would apply and continue to donate back all the winning plus $100 and sometimes more …

Thou I did remember some prominent stories along the way …

Circus Circus

One was a chatter between the dealers and the players … a nice couple that were actually dealers themselves in Atlantic city which came all the way to Vegas just to gamble. For some reason they could not gamble where they work.

How do you Stay away from the temptation working in this city ?
That was one question I would have love to know the answer. Or rather all the curious people around the table was shifting their eyes quickly but keeping their ears gleam for that magic advice as well. All the dealer said was … You’ll get used to it.

Huh ??? You’ll get used to it ??? I was thinking how do you get used to it fast enough before you loose everything …. Soul included … but that was all he was willing to contribute … looking into his eyes … his soul may have already been consumed by the goblins …

So onwards my journey continues, never once distracted by the strip club, nor the magic shows, the world class performance, Maria Carrie show , David Copperfield, travel excursions, I was on drugs …. A Gambling drugs addiction …. At lease I was moving … good thing I set that $100 limit and it was somehow working but by now it was biting hard into my pockets … nearly 1am in the morning.

I was close to that $1000 down

To be continue …