haha we're so playing next time. How about this? I know you guys are going to Japan, but want to plan a Vegas trip near December? (By that time you should have recovered a little bit...) I think there's a marathon going on near the beginning of December which is why I was thinking about going.
But that roulette thing... don't you get paid 2-1 for winning? So it'd actually look like this:
A B C
A +4 +2 +2
B +2 -2 -2
C +2 -2 -2
Edit:
Never mind, I get it... I'm an idiot. I'll just leave that diagram for stupidity's sake.
Feb 22, 2008
Feb 21, 2008
Why you should not play Roulette
BRIAN... No... Not you too?! Steve once said he had "a system" for roulette that seemed to work. Such claims make logic- and math-minded people cringe, and on darker days, cry. It's true that it's the 0 and 00 slots on the wheel that throw the odds in the house's favor. But even without them, there is NEVER a player edge. A fair gamble has even odds, so the casinos start there and tweak the games in their favor. Observe...
Say all the numbers fall into rows A, B, and C, or columns 1, 2, and 3. You bet $1 on row A and $1 on column 1. In the long run each number, and therefore each row-column combination, should come up with the same frequency.
Without the 0 and 00 slots you would break even. Remember, when you only win one bet you lose the other, so most of the time you either win one or lose two.
Why you SHOULD play roulette
All that nerdspeak being said, I must admit roulette has become one of my favorite casino games. This is because:
(a) You can make lots of bets. Red/black and odd/even are boring. Rows and columns aren't much better. But in this game you can scatter chips all around the felt, which is fun. Until they all miss and you see the dealer wipe a whole table, spotted with a pastel rainbow of chips, clean. Hey, no game is perfect.
(b) You can play hunches without risking a major mistake. All the bets are equally valid... or close enough. Feel like betting your birthday? Your lucky number? Go ahead. You can bet all your surrounding friends' lucky numbers and then if their number hits... it's hi-five time.*
(c) Your money doesn't disappear crazy fast. They give you enough time to pick your numbers, and there's the suspense as the ball spins around the wheel. (It'd be really exciting if instead of real time you saw a slo-mo zoomed-in view of the ball when it's about to stop somewhere. I think I'd love that.) And then they put that crystal salt shaker down, hopefully near some bets. In contrast, some of those blackjack dealers must be really eager to see pissed off faces. $10 in 10 seconds sounds about right. Entertainment value: ZERO. You're down $50 before you even see a waitress.
(d) It's gambling for dummies. I know, this doesn't really appeal to my personality type, but it makes the game easy for a whole group to play and enjoy. There's no thinking required and no important decisions to make. No stress unless you're betting your bus-ride-home money.
*If you got excited there you failed the test. It's NEVER hi-five time.
BRIAN... No... Not you too?! Steve once said he had "a system" for roulette that seemed to work. Such claims make logic- and math-minded people cringe, and on darker days, cry. It's true that it's the 0 and 00 slots on the wheel that throw the odds in the house's favor. But even without them, there is NEVER a player edge. A fair gamble has even odds, so the casinos start there and tweak the games in their favor. Observe...
Say all the numbers fall into rows A, B, and C, or columns 1, 2, and 3. You bet $1 on row A and $1 on column 1. In the long run each number, and therefore each row-column combination, should come up with the same frequency.
1 2 3
A +$4 +$1 +$1
B +$1 -$2 -$2
C +$1 -$2 -$2
Without the 0 and 00 slots you would break even. Remember, when you only win one bet you lose the other, so most of the time you either win one or lose two.
Why you SHOULD play roulette
All that nerdspeak being said, I must admit roulette has become one of my favorite casino games. This is because:
(a) You can make lots of bets. Red/black and odd/even are boring. Rows and columns aren't much better. But in this game you can scatter chips all around the felt, which is fun. Until they all miss and you see the dealer wipe a whole table, spotted with a pastel rainbow of chips, clean. Hey, no game is perfect.
(b) You can play hunches without risking a major mistake. All the bets are equally valid... or close enough. Feel like betting your birthday? Your lucky number? Go ahead. You can bet all your surrounding friends' lucky numbers and then if their number hits... it's hi-five time.*
(c) Your money doesn't disappear crazy fast. They give you enough time to pick your numbers, and there's the suspense as the ball spins around the wheel. (It'd be really exciting if instead of real time you saw a slo-mo zoomed-in view of the ball when it's about to stop somewhere. I think I'd love that.) And then they put that crystal salt shaker down, hopefully near some bets. In contrast, some of those blackjack dealers must be really eager to see pissed off faces. $10 in 10 seconds sounds about right. Entertainment value: ZERO. You're down $50 before you even see a waitress.
(d) It's gambling for dummies. I know, this doesn't really appeal to my personality type, but it makes the game easy for a whole group to play and enjoy. There's no thinking required and no important decisions to make. No stress unless you're betting your bus-ride-home money.
*If you got excited there you failed the test. It's NEVER hi-five time.
Feb 20, 2008
Well, it sounds like you love vegas for the same reasons that I do. Of course, I like getting liquored up and going to lounges and clubs too, but that's just me.
circus circus. I have to admit that I've never stayed there before. It's a little too far down the strip, and when I think of that hotel, i think of fun games where you win prizes. I don't want prizes. I want money. Plus I'm a spoiled brat who wants to stay in nicer places even though they can't afford it and it costs way more than it should. But you've confirmed one thing i've heard about it...the food is god fucking awful. But if you're paying less, who cares! As long as you're on the strip, you can cab/walk it to places with better grub.
Next time you go to vegas, since you love buffets, I would suggest going to the Bellagio buffet, the Spice Market buffet in Planet Hollywood, and the Paris buffet for breakfast or lunch. I also heard that the Wynn buffet is pretty good..comparable to the Bellagio buffet. Do NOT go to the excalibur buffet, or the MGM buffet. Both are ass, and for that price, I expect good stuff.
Man, that's awesome that the whole slipping them a 20 thing worked! Do you think that the reason she didn't do anything at first was simply because she didn't see the 20 that you put in there? Or was it more because you were going to take it away? Man, I hella want to try that at the next hotel I go to in vegas!
As for gambling, there this monopoly slot machine that's pretty fucking cool. I forget the name of it, but it's in my latest vegas trip myspace pics. Basically with the bonus round you have to make a choice between two chance cards, one of them is a good thing (increase bonus values, give you more bonus spins) and one of them ends the bonus round. It's pretty fun.
A couple trips ago, I saw a guy playing roulette with 50 grand in chips in front of him. He was dressed like a bum. wtf.
Next time you go to vegas, I saw you splurge and stay at one of the fantasy suites at the Palms. Go take a look at the prices for ONE night in those suites. You'll probably throw up.
circus circus. I have to admit that I've never stayed there before. It's a little too far down the strip, and when I think of that hotel, i think of fun games where you win prizes. I don't want prizes. I want money. Plus I'm a spoiled brat who wants to stay in nicer places even though they can't afford it and it costs way more than it should. But you've confirmed one thing i've heard about it...the food is god fucking awful. But if you're paying less, who cares! As long as you're on the strip, you can cab/walk it to places with better grub.
Next time you go to vegas, since you love buffets, I would suggest going to the Bellagio buffet, the Spice Market buffet in Planet Hollywood, and the Paris buffet for breakfast or lunch. I also heard that the Wynn buffet is pretty good..comparable to the Bellagio buffet. Do NOT go to the excalibur buffet, or the MGM buffet. Both are ass, and for that price, I expect good stuff.
Man, that's awesome that the whole slipping them a 20 thing worked! Do you think that the reason she didn't do anything at first was simply because she didn't see the 20 that you put in there? Or was it more because you were going to take it away? Man, I hella want to try that at the next hotel I go to in vegas!
As for gambling, there this monopoly slot machine that's pretty fucking cool. I forget the name of it, but it's in my latest vegas trip myspace pics. Basically with the bonus round you have to make a choice between two chance cards, one of them is a good thing (increase bonus values, give you more bonus spins) and one of them ends the bonus round. It's pretty fun.
A couple trips ago, I saw a guy playing roulette with 50 grand in chips in front of him. He was dressed like a bum. wtf.
Next time you go to vegas, I saw you splurge and stay at one of the fantasy suites at the Palms. Go take a look at the prices for ONE night in those suites. You'll probably throw up.
Feb 18, 2008
Vegas Trip
I love Vegas, but I suspect for different reasons than most of you guys. I'm kind of a fan of the people watching, those touristy things that people do in Vegas, the buffets and of course the gambling.
Spur of the moment, Alycia and I decided to take a trip to Vegas on Presidents day weekend. We just wanted to get away for a weekend, and since it was last minute, we booked through Expedia. I think the total cost was ~650.00, which seemed cheap enough. The price we paid was that we left Oakland at 11:30 PM, and came back Monday 6:00 AM. We were also assigned to a manor room in Circus Circus, but more on that later.
The Hotel
So when I booked at Circus Circus, I failed to do my research on the place. I just figured it's sort of on the strip and it's cheap! Why not? I missed a few key facts...
So we got to the hotel at around 2:30AM on Saturday. The check in line was surprisingly long for that early in the morning. Alycia had overheard another clerk tell a guest that all upgraded rooms had been booked.
When we were called, I put the 20 between the drivers license and the credit card and asked about an upgrade before giving her the cards. She gave me the same response without checking the computer; that all rooms were booked. I apologized, and I tried to palm the 20 back into my pocket. I guess she noticed what I was doing and saw the money... She started typing on her keyboard, and in a few minutes kind of whispered that she could get me into one of the newer, remodeled rooms. I tucked the twenty under the agreement I had to sign and thanked her profusely. She ended up giving us a 2 for 1 at their buffet and $25 in free slot play. I'm not sure if that usually comes with the check in, but free is free!
When we got to the room, I was pretty impressed. It was on the 28th floor overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard. It was definitely remodeled; there was a comfortable bed, really soft pillows and a Plasma TV (but no cable...) You don't know how relieved I was to not have to stay in a motel type environment!
Checking the web site, the difference between a manor and a reg room for 3 nights is only about 20 dollars, but the intangibles such as not having to walk very far to the room (you should see how far the people in the other tower and outside need to walk), the high floor/far distance from the elevator (less noise), having one of the remodeled rooms and the strip view was awesome and worth the money. I might have to try it at a different hotel next time... Some say that you can get upgraded to a suite if you talk to the right people...
The Food
I'm a buffet junkie when it comes to Vegas. I love the variety that comes with the territory. Unfortunately, I'm not the most patient of people, and will usually go to the cheaper places if I know there isn't a line.
This time around, for breakfast we went to Circus Circus (2 for 1!) and Riviera. Both do not get a thumbs up. But we knew going into it the food wouldn't be that great. They are both below standard - only Riviera had a small one person omelet station and the variety was just the typical. The food was way too greasy and the eggs too standard.
For dinner, we actually ended up going to only one; Caeser's Palace: Cafe Lago. I loved it, but I know it's not for everyone. For starters it does not have a salad bar... But then again, who wants to be healthy or waste money eating this? The buffet is a little on the small side, and both times we went, had a variety of foods (3 - 4 Italian choices, 3-4 Asian dishes, 3 American dishes, 2 soups). For a nice but overrated touch, they offered sushi. Of course, buffet sushi is never great, or even good... Anyway the main reason why I loved it was for their Prime Rib (Very moist, and flavorful), Crab legs (Small, but I'm a sucker for crab) and shrimp (again, standard but great!). I know I can get these things at most other buffets, but I kind of like the smaller buffet. The reason is that it seems like the overall quality is usually better. The waiters were a little slow, but the room was very classy. The reason we went a second time was because the line for the Bellagio's buffet was way too long. We were able to get in to Cafe Lago both times without waiting. (Huge thumbs up in my book!)
On a side note, we stopped at the Tropicana for a quick snack at the Garden Cafe. They have the best onion rings I've ever tasted. It's breaded nicely so you get a nice outside crunch but the inner sweetness before getting to the onion itself. Yum...
Gambling (Stupid casino games)
I've developed a scary penchant toward the more stupid betting games in Vegas. For instance, this time around I played a slot machine connected to "The Big Event." It's 5 slot machines combined sharing a big gaudy screen in the middle. The hook is that you're playing a regular slot machine, but at random someone will trigger "The Big Event," where all players who were betting X amount get to participate in 1 of 6 monopoly-esque games. You don't do a thing, but it builds a sort of team spirit among players. Obviously, the more players the better the odds (or so we like to think.) It was an interesting way to spend an hour or so to say the least...
I also tried the pong slot machine. That was actually kind of entertaining. I didn't play for very long since we needed to keep going, but a luck/skill combo was a welcome break to just sitting around and pressing buttons.
I gave the casino some of my money in roulette again. I know the house always has an upper edge but maybe one of the math people can help me out... Hopefully you've looked at/studied the board before or you may not understand what I'm saying. Say you lay down two bets, one on a random group (first 12, middle 12, last 12) and one on a column. Your chance of losing is (without counting the 0), should be 4/9, correct? (You can break up the board into 9 segments evenly...) But the chance of winning one bet is 4/9 as well. However, there is a small chance - 1/9 that you will hit both. Odds in the casino run 2:1 for winning on a row or group. So if you discount the 0 or the 00 on live tables, you'd end up positive in the long run, right? I know my experiment didn't really work, but that's because I only played with 20 dollars :)
I tried a 3-6 poker session on Saturday night at Circus Circus. It was disappointing to say the least... I think I played from 11:30-5:00 AM, but was up only about 30 dollars. (I guess that is right, aren't we supposed to be playing for one big bet per hour?) I really wanted to be up so much more, but I wasn't getting the cards to play. There were 4-6 players seeing almost every flop and I could count the number of players obviously better than me on one hand the entire night. I wish I had better command of the game because I know if any one of you guys were at the table you would have cleaned house, good cards or not...
All in all it was a good trip. We ended up at the bodies exhibit at the tropicana, not quite worth the 35 dollars, but still entertaining. Saw some crazy high limit blackjack bets at Bellagio (How are these people getting that much money to begin with?), walked probably 10 miles, and saw the "new" hotel; Planet Hollywood.
Do you guys have any tips to share while in Vegas?
I love Vegas, but I suspect for different reasons than most of you guys. I'm kind of a fan of the people watching, those touristy things that people do in Vegas, the buffets and of course the gambling.
Spur of the moment, Alycia and I decided to take a trip to Vegas on Presidents day weekend. We just wanted to get away for a weekend, and since it was last minute, we booked through Expedia. I think the total cost was ~650.00, which seemed cheap enough. The price we paid was that we left Oakland at 11:30 PM, and came back Monday 6:00 AM. We were also assigned to a manor room in Circus Circus, but more on that later.
The Hotel
So when I booked at Circus Circus, I failed to do my research on the place. I just figured it's sort of on the strip and it's cheap! Why not? I missed a few key facts...
- Manor rooms at CC are really rooms apart from the main hotel. Its like a motel attached to the place. It's noisy, walls are thin, it's quite a walk to get there, and the quality is severely lacking (According to pre-trip, post-booking research.)
- This should have been obvious, but the fact that there are so many fricken little kids running around is annoying.
- Also obvious, but the food in a word is gross.
- It's actually quite a walk from the hotel to the rest of the strip, and even to the monorail.
So we got to the hotel at around 2:30AM on Saturday. The check in line was surprisingly long for that early in the morning. Alycia had overheard another clerk tell a guest that all upgraded rooms had been booked.
When we were called, I put the 20 between the drivers license and the credit card and asked about an upgrade before giving her the cards. She gave me the same response without checking the computer; that all rooms were booked. I apologized, and I tried to palm the 20 back into my pocket. I guess she noticed what I was doing and saw the money... She started typing on her keyboard, and in a few minutes kind of whispered that she could get me into one of the newer, remodeled rooms. I tucked the twenty under the agreement I had to sign and thanked her profusely. She ended up giving us a 2 for 1 at their buffet and $25 in free slot play. I'm not sure if that usually comes with the check in, but free is free!
When we got to the room, I was pretty impressed. It was on the 28th floor overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard. It was definitely remodeled; there was a comfortable bed, really soft pillows and a Plasma TV (but no cable...) You don't know how relieved I was to not have to stay in a motel type environment!
Checking the web site, the difference between a manor and a reg room for 3 nights is only about 20 dollars, but the intangibles such as not having to walk very far to the room (you should see how far the people in the other tower and outside need to walk), the high floor/far distance from the elevator (less noise), having one of the remodeled rooms and the strip view was awesome and worth the money. I might have to try it at a different hotel next time... Some say that you can get upgraded to a suite if you talk to the right people...
The Food
I'm a buffet junkie when it comes to Vegas. I love the variety that comes with the territory. Unfortunately, I'm not the most patient of people, and will usually go to the cheaper places if I know there isn't a line.
This time around, for breakfast we went to Circus Circus (2 for 1!) and Riviera. Both do not get a thumbs up. But we knew going into it the food wouldn't be that great. They are both below standard - only Riviera had a small one person omelet station and the variety was just the typical. The food was way too greasy and the eggs too standard.
For dinner, we actually ended up going to only one; Caeser's Palace: Cafe Lago. I loved it, but I know it's not for everyone. For starters it does not have a salad bar... But then again, who wants to be healthy or waste money eating this? The buffet is a little on the small side, and both times we went, had a variety of foods (3 - 4 Italian choices, 3-4 Asian dishes, 3 American dishes, 2 soups). For a nice but overrated touch, they offered sushi. Of course, buffet sushi is never great, or even good... Anyway the main reason why I loved it was for their Prime Rib (Very moist, and flavorful), Crab legs (Small, but I'm a sucker for crab) and shrimp (again, standard but great!). I know I can get these things at most other buffets, but I kind of like the smaller buffet. The reason is that it seems like the overall quality is usually better. The waiters were a little slow, but the room was very classy. The reason we went a second time was because the line for the Bellagio's buffet was way too long. We were able to get in to Cafe Lago both times without waiting. (Huge thumbs up in my book!)
On a side note, we stopped at the Tropicana for a quick snack at the Garden Cafe. They have the best onion rings I've ever tasted. It's breaded nicely so you get a nice outside crunch but the inner sweetness before getting to the onion itself. Yum...
Gambling (Stupid casino games)
I've developed a scary penchant toward the more stupid betting games in Vegas. For instance, this time around I played a slot machine connected to "The Big Event." It's 5 slot machines combined sharing a big gaudy screen in the middle. The hook is that you're playing a regular slot machine, but at random someone will trigger "The Big Event," where all players who were betting X amount get to participate in 1 of 6 monopoly-esque games. You don't do a thing, but it builds a sort of team spirit among players. Obviously, the more players the better the odds (or so we like to think.) It was an interesting way to spend an hour or so to say the least...
I also tried the pong slot machine. That was actually kind of entertaining. I didn't play for very long since we needed to keep going, but a luck/skill combo was a welcome break to just sitting around and pressing buttons.
I gave the casino some of my money in roulette again. I know the house always has an upper edge but maybe one of the math people can help me out... Hopefully you've looked at/studied the board before or you may not understand what I'm saying. Say you lay down two bets, one on a random group (first 12, middle 12, last 12) and one on a column. Your chance of losing is (without counting the 0), should be 4/9, correct? (You can break up the board into 9 segments evenly...) But the chance of winning one bet is 4/9 as well. However, there is a small chance - 1/9 that you will hit both. Odds in the casino run 2:1 for winning on a row or group. So if you discount the 0 or the 00 on live tables, you'd end up positive in the long run, right? I know my experiment didn't really work, but that's because I only played with 20 dollars :)
I tried a 3-6 poker session on Saturday night at Circus Circus. It was disappointing to say the least... I think I played from 11:30-5:00 AM, but was up only about 30 dollars. (I guess that is right, aren't we supposed to be playing for one big bet per hour?) I really wanted to be up so much more, but I wasn't getting the cards to play. There were 4-6 players seeing almost every flop and I could count the number of players obviously better than me on one hand the entire night. I wish I had better command of the game because I know if any one of you guys were at the table you would have cleaned house, good cards or not...
All in all it was a good trip. We ended up at the bodies exhibit at the tropicana, not quite worth the 35 dollars, but still entertaining. Saw some crazy high limit blackjack bets at Bellagio (How are these people getting that much money to begin with?), walked probably 10 miles, and saw the "new" hotel; Planet Hollywood.
Do you guys have any tips to share while in Vegas?
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