Gambling Tidbits One of the long time Las Vegas rumors is the Tropicana will be taken down to make room for a new Mega-Casino. But those are all just rumors, according to Aztar's executives, the Trop will stay open for atleast another 2 years. Rod Steward has been ordered by the U.S. district court to pay Harrahs over 3 million dollars for his canceled shows in 2000. $3.00 Blackjack is Back at the Sahara, 7 days a week. The Showboat then renamed to Castaways was sold to Station Casinos a little over a year ago but is now no more. It was imploded recently with no plans on the lots future. Rumor has it the Tropicana may finally be imploded later this year. We will see what happens. The long running show Scintas is leaving the Rio for the Sahara, replacing "Buck Wild". Scintas will leave the Rio by the end of March and open in May at its new home. According to Harrah's website now is the time to pre-register for the 2006 World Series of Poker. See Harrah's website for details. Southcoast has opened a new non-smoking poker room but according to the Las Vegas Insider it is not much help because you can light up about 5 feet away and the room is located in the middle of the casino. Not really a good idea for a non-smoking room if you ask me. The Aladdin that has been in the long process of changing over to the Planet Hollywood concept has finally taken a step to this end. The rotunda in the hotel has been redeveloped in the Planet Hollywood look. According to the hotel more is to come. But as slow as this has been we will see. Rita Rudner is also leaving the New York New York to make room for a new night club. Rita's 5 year run has sold more then 600,000 tickets and grossed $35 million. Recently I visited both Harrah's Las Vegas and Harrah's Reno both have closed the buffets to expand into a bigger and better buffet. If you must have a buffet during your visit check out Andreotti's. The Las Vegas Monorail had its worst month of ridership in Jan. I am unsure of why this is but I do know the past track record of the Monorail (closed often, and broke frequently) may be hurting the project. The Academy of Country Music will be moving its awards show from the Mandalay Bay to the MGM. If you are looking for a way to get to the Wynn resort try taking the monorail to the convention center and getting off there. Next cross the street and catch the Wynn shuttle (free ride and takes about 1 minute travel).

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	World Series of Poker   With the World Series of Poker wrapped up it is another record year. 5619 players (most ever) put up $10,000 for their share of a staggering $52,818,610. Play began on July 7th and lasted until July 16th when a new champion was crowned in Joseph Hachem from Melbourne Australia. This event with Hachem’s first ever WSOP event.   Official final results are as follows:   Joseph Hachem, Melbourne Australia, winning  7,500,000. Steve Dannenmann, Severn MD, 4,250,000. Tex Barch, McKinney TX, 2,500,000. Aaron Kanter, Elk Grove CA, 2,000,000. Andrew Black, Dublin Ireland, 1,750,000. Scott Lazar, Studio City CA, 1,500,000. Daniel Bergsdorf, Umea Sweden, 1,300,000. Brad Kondracki, Kingston PA, 1,150,000. Mike Matusow, Las Vegas NV, 1,000,000. Ayhan Alsancak, Goteborg Sweden, 600,000.   Other notables in the money:   Phil Ivey taking 20th for 304,680. Greg “Fossilman” Raymer finished in 25th taking home 304,680. Kenna James 44th received 235,590. Layne Flack came in 194th for 39,075.   Search: All ProductsApparel & AccessoriesBabyBeautyBooksDVDElectronicsHome & GardenGourmet FoodHealth & Personal CareJewelry & WatchesKitchen & HousewaresMagazine SubscriptionsMusical InstrumentsMusicComputersCamera & PhotoSoftwareSports & OutdoorsTools & HardwareToys & GamesVHSComputer & Video GamesCell Phones & Service Keywords:
	Vegas a love hate relationship       During my most recent trip to Vegas a few things happened to me both good and bad which made me want to write an article on the things I love about Las Vegas but also the things I hate. Vegas is a city that has lots of great things (warm weather, the best gaming in the world) but then some of the worst things as well (lots of homeless, one of the poorest traffic situations in the world, etc).   The Best:   The finest entertainment in the world can be found in Las Vegas. There is always something to see of do. Prices range from $30.00 dollars to $100 plus for some of the big names (Celine Dion, Elton John). If you want a free so go to the Bellagio and check out the fountains, the Volcano at the Mirage or the pirates at the TI (Treasure Island).   The monorail is definitely the best new thing in Vegas. I am from the Seattle area and we have had a monorail for over 30 years but boy could we learn from Las Vegas. The monorail runs from the MGM all the way up the strip to the Sahara, prices range from $3.00 to $10.00 for an all day pass.   Some of the best food in world is here. You can eat a different style of cuisine every day with prices ranging from a .99-cent hot dog at the Westward Ho to a 5 Star restaurant at one of the major casinos. One of my favorites is the unadvertised special at the Golden Gate, a 16oz porter house steak with all the fixings for $7.77   Some of the best room values around. You can pick a room up for as little as $35.00 at the Sahara or sometimes less downtown, check the Las Vegas Club for some of the best deals. If you want something a little nicer call the casinos direct or try their websites for specials. Some of the best deals can be found in package deals. I recommend America West Vacations or Alaska Airlines Vacations for some of the best deals.   Lastly but not least, the best gambling in the world can be found in Vegas. Whether you want penny slots or no limit poker you can find it all there.   The worst:   Cab drivers that try to rip you off. A driver tried this with me recently. I got in his cab and about 2 blocks down the road he started hitting his meter and acting as if it did not work. He commented that he was having problems with it. What the cabby didn’t realize is I saw him turn off the meter as he hit it. When I arrived at my casino he tried to charge me $15.00 dollars for the same ride that cost me $10.00 dollars on the way down. I proceeded to give me $10.00 and told him he was lucking I didn’t call the taxi authority for his scam.   All the people handing out flyers for call girls. There is very little worst then walking down the strip and having 30 people every block trying to hand you flyers. This is something the city of Las Vegas should look at and control. I believe many visitors feel the same way as me and would love to see this practice ended. As a side not this last trip I did see fewer outside some of the nicer casinos, so maybe this is a good sign that the casinos are getting a clue.   Not being able to get a beer or drink at the casino. There is nothing worse then losing your shirt at a casino and never seeing a cocktail waitress to get a drink. Even worse then that is when you order a drink while playing a machine and lose your money so you are switching machines or looking for something new to play and the waitress will not give you your drink because you are not playing. I believe the best casinos to receive good drink service in is the Bellagio, Harrah’s, and Paris.
	Can Barrick Gaming create a Plaza to remember? Jackie Gaughan’s Plaza has a new owner and hopefully a new face. Barrick Gaming recently purchased the Plaza as well as many other downtown Las Vegas casinos. The Plaza was built on the site of the first railroad station (1 Main Street) in Vegas and was a hot spot in the 40’s and 50’s then rebuilt in 1971. Since 71 the Plaza has seen a steady decline in both the customers (due to the Strip) and the general appearance. The carpet is old and run down, rooms have furniture that does not match and it has just been a neglected piece of property. The Plaza has over 1000 rooms in 2 towers, tennis courts, a jogging track and a pool (rare for downtown casinos) all overlooking downtown. Most gaming is offered here including, video poker, new and hot slot machines, a variety of table games starting at $2.00, keno, sports book, poker room (recently revamped) and a bingo hall (one of the few in Las Vegas). What the future has for Barrick’s Plaza I do not know but according to official releases Barrick says “you will see renovations, classic entertainment, dining, and high-paced action return to the Plaza, where legends were born”. I have seen a few changes already including a new poker room, logo change and rumor has it Barrick has been courting the city for the downtown stop of the future monorail for the Plaza. Downtown and the Plaza will be seeing many changes in the near future with a 3 billion dollar renovation project funded by both public and private money. I have always loved downtown and really hate to see the steady decline of the Plaza once a jewel in Vegas. I really hope that Barrick Gaming in committed to improving and changing the Plaza to bring back its luster.

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