I had only one other opportunity to visit a Caribbean casino (nice to see the places you collect), on the island of Nassau in the Bahamas. The rest of the family wanted to visit a beach that really didn't interest me, and I asked in advance if anyone cared if I took off on my own. I did my research and had to choose between Atlantis on Paradise Island, which is only a bridge away, or the Baha Mar in Cable Beach, accessible by cab ($25) or "bus" ($1.25). People recommended the bus and I thought that would be more authentic and more fun. I chose the Baha Mar, and away I went.

I could see the Atlantis from the Port:

The buses stop on the street parallel to the street which bordered the port, Bay Street. I asked a security guard at the port where my cross street was and she showed me the way. She was surprised I already knew about the price (which had been raised to $1.50) and the number of the bus I wanted, so she became very friendly and chatty. On my way to the intersection, I ran into what looked like a parade float. Hmm. Continuing I discovered bleachers all along both sides of Bay Street. Trying to figure out where I should stand, I noticed that the street was blocked off and a small number of people were walking on the street. Oh oh.

The next 45 minutes consisted of speaking to various police officers and other official types telling me where to stand and watching and waiting, see various buses, but not mine.

At this point I should point out that the "buses" were a type of van painted in all sorts of colors, but all with a large number on one side of the front (not always the same side) designating which route the bus drove. I was told to find the bus by the McDonalds, but the directions proved impossible to follow. After another false start, I was told again to go to the McDonalds, but here, the directions seemed simple enough. A 5 minute walk and finally I found the McDonalds, and there were two number 10 busses, my bus, waiting in front.

The bus went along the coast and the view was beautiful. Finally, I cold see the massive Baha Mar resort off to the right and the driver let me out along the road with a bit of a hike ahead of me. First, I was met with two signs at the entrance, one for the casino:

I wound around beautifully planned walkways figuring I would get there eventually.

Finally, I came to sign pointing the way:

In a rotunda area, up some escalators (why do casinos like to be up escalators?), and in the casino. It is very large. They say it's the largest in the Caribbean and I believe it. Table games are $25 minimum, even for craps. The casino is very airy and has a lot of natural light and has a real Caribbean feel:

I stopped at a blackjack table with two young guys playing at it. I bought in and asked for a players card:

I lost every hand, but had to wait to get my card. For some reason, the father of the two guys at the table, came, sat and played and glared at me the whole time (while I was losing all my chips) and even after while I had to wait for my card. No idea why. I don't think I spoke to anyone but the pit boss.

I walked around and finally decided the only game that made sense for me was blackjack and went to another table. It also had two young guys at it, one of whom clearly had no idea what he was doing, but his friend did. I bought it, now with my card, and we both helped the new player. Finally, he gave up and left, just a little down. I was about even at that time. Then, the father of the remaining player came buy and loudly told him he had to play two hands to change his luck. We didn't do well, but the shoe ended and the father sat down for the new deck. He pulled a wad (literally) of hundreds out of his pocket and placed them on the table for chips. When they counted it out ($1,200), he said, "that's good," obviously having no idea how much he threw on the table. He proceeded to also bet two hand, using black chips with some green as well. I felt a bit nervous that he was going to be difficult and intense again, but it turned out he was a ton of fun. Funny, goofy and very entertaining. The dealer proceeded to do quite a lot of busting. When the shoe ended, they both colored out and I decided to do the same. I made back my buy in from the other table and another $280 to boot. I went and had a bite to eat and made my way back to the bus.

Oh, the chips, they were the same they have had since they opened. In good shape, but I didn't need any, and I wasn't about to buy any $500 chips (which are strangely missing from the Chip Guide, but I saw them). They paid me in black chips or I would have taken a picture of one.

All in all, a great experience. I had a lot of fun. And now, whenever I look at one of those chips, I will have a memory of the day to go along with them.

Michael Siskin