Journal Pii's Journal: By this time tomorrow... 3
Score!
We're staying at the new tower at Mandalay for 4 nights.
Last time I was in Vegas, I vowed that I'd never stay at another Hotel/Casino that didn't have it's own Poker Room. You just never know when you're going to need to find a Hold 'Em game at 3:24am, and by taxi, you're always $12 from everywhere else in Vegas.
Mandalay has it's own Poker room, so I'm hooked up.
This is my wife's first trip to Vegas. Last weekend, while in Ashville, NC, for Thanksgiving with my family, I took her to the Harrah's at the Cherokee Indian Reservation. It was the first Casino she had ever set foot in, other than what you find on a Cruise Ship. I didn't want her to be totally caught off guard when we went out West this weekend, although Harrah's at Cherokee is diminutive casino compared to anything on the Strip.
I had her playing Video Poker, and she even won a little. I convinced her that it was time to play Blackjack, so she followed me over to the table, where I proceeded to lose 4 consecutive hands at the $25 table (Not due to bad play, simply due to bad cards). I explained to her that sometimes that's just the way it goes, and that if she let it affect her too much, that we wouldn't have a very good time when we were out doing the real thing.
She tried to come to terms with that, and we ended up playing more Video Poker for another 90 minutes.
When she was ready to leave, I said "I know you're kind of shell shocked about the last trip to the Blackjack tables, but I have to go play it again before we head out." She was cool with that.
This time, there was an open seat at one of the $15 tables. I took $30 in chips, and ripped off 6 consecutive wins, including 2 Blackjacks. I got up and handed her my stack of chips, and said:
"Here's your $100 back."
She's replied "That was much more fun than the first time you played."
The difference between gambling and most other forms of entertainment is that while you put your money down on the gaming table, there's a chance you'll have it or maybe even more, when you get up. With everything else, once you lay it down, it's gone for good.
I played poker at Binion's last summer for 9 straight hours, and it only cost me $10. That's pretty cheap entertainment, a about $1/hr. I played for another 3 hours at the Luxor, and left up over $200. I should have sat longer. I was making $66/hr.
Go out there with some strict daily loss limits, and you can lose every day, and still have it cost no more than any other good vacation destination.
At any rate, I can't wait.
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Re:How many kids will you be without? (Score:2)
Your "entertainment expense" perspective is *exactly* how I view it, and how I'm selling it to my wife (Which she totally gets at a conceptual level, but hasn't had a chance to test at a practical level). I'd be blowing h
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