Well, I am recovering from my latest Vegas Vacation, and only now am I able to drag myself to the keyboard to make this report.

First, I have to relate my usual LV habits. I usually fly out on a Wednesday and fly back the following Tuesday night. I fly Midwest Express because they have much better service and the extra cost seems worth it. I don't shop around for airfare as I also concentrate my Frequent Flyer miles. (I've already used one free ticket to LV.) I take off 5 days at work (Thur-Wed) and use the Wednesday I'm back (I get back at 3-5AM Wednesday morning) to rest up. I usually take 500-600 bucks to gamble with/live on but rarely go under down $300 in my gambling without cutting back. I used to do mostly blackjack, but now I play at least 40% video poker (quarters) with a bit of craps, roulette and Carribean Stud Poker thrown in for a change of pace. Just enough gambling to enjoy while I get my money's worth of fun!

This trip I flew out on a 9:50PM flight from Milwaukee on Friday the 30th and planned to come back on a flight leaving Vegas the following Friday near midnight. Why the change? Well the Wed-Thur flights were booked up and I was shooting to be in town during the LV Chippers meeting on Tuesday the 3rd. I was staying at th Santa Fe the first three nights (cheapest rates for Fri-Sat, a free night offer for the Mon) and downtown the next four. I had planned to stay at Lady Luck Tues-Thur, but I got a great three-day free room deal from the Plaza. (3 days free, extendable at $25 a night for the last one) I enjoy downtown as it fits best my gambling style. I like to play a a place for an hour or two at the most, moving on if I am losing or even if I'm winning I want to move on before my "luck" changes. (It doesn't have to make sense - I am GAMBLING here!)

My aims this trip were to get some chips I didn't have, make the meeting, see new stuff (Bellagio) and have fun. I did ok on all counts, pretty much.

I went to the meeting and met a number of the LV crowd. Jim Perlowski, Gene Trimble and the O'Neals I was especially glad to get together with, and there were other folks who chatted with me who I probably should mention but their names slipped out of the leaky rowboat I call my memory. Most of the people there were only interested in Nevada material, and the handful that looked at the Midwest chips I had explained that they had nothing to trade to me. (Even though I warned people on this BBS I was gonna be there. Sigh.) I did sell a few for face and I traded a $5 Wisconsin chip for a $5 Saddle West from Pahrump even though I don't collect $5 chips just to get something out of the meeting beside a entertaining evening.

In wandering around to get chips, I got the new $1 versions at Bellagio, Fiesta, Boardwalk, Mirage and Barbary Coast, some of which I forgot to get when I was out there in June. Heard at the meeting about the Nevada Palace special chips for the weekend before hand, and got some of those. Stumbled across and got the WinChips at Sunset Station and Lady Luck, which, since they were worth $1 each on the tables, I add to my collection. I got a chip from Barcelona and since I had a chip from Wild Wild West, I went there to see how they changed it, and got a $1 token as I liked its appearance. Also got a token at the Harley Davidson Cafe, as Milwaukeeans (like me) have a special love for Harleys. Put a buck in the machine, hit payout, and got a Mirage token. Did it again and got a Bellagio token. Complained at the bar and was able to get back a buck and the HD token, as he explained the outfit that takes care of the machines puts in it whatever they want. (?) I also went to Caesar's Palace as the website for "Current Nevada Chips" shows a $1 chip I wanted to find. But in walking around the casino, all the table games used $1 tokens, no $1 chips. I finally got a chip off the Roule--- Oops, well I got a chip.

In my gambling, I lost money on Saturday. Then on Sunday morning, on a Lucky Draw quad-line quarter poker machine I hit a royal for a grand! Then nearly everything I tried I lost at. The worst part is I was gambling more than my usual amounts due to the euphoria in my post-royal mindset. It was Wednesday I gave up on gambling and spent most of my time just gathering slot cards at some places. I gambled again a little on Thursday, but my luck was still bad, and it was Friday before I finally won more than I lost, while I spent more time sightseeing than gambling. Overall I lost more than half of the royal money, but I brought back a profit and had a good time. I think the long losing streak got me out of sorts on Wednesday and later, and I started to not have fun. It happens and I just had to accept it.

Interesting points I saw that the LV people don't mention (they don't know we like to know about it...) The new pit area at Palace Station is due to open November 13th. Loved their billboards -- "the New Pit Opening soon" "Lightning Strikes Twice!" "No More Floating Craps Games!"
Thumbs up for the Horseshoe - the $2 BJ tables are back. Thumbs down for the Horseshoe - the picture with a Million is now $1.25.
And the best fact of all -- Vegas is still a place where you never really want to quit for the night. There is always one more place to see, one more game to play, and one more meal you wish you had room to eat. Oh, Las Vegas, I will be back!