When I stayed in The Villas, a Mirage butler of 31 years told me my favorite Vegas/casino business nugget that I knew I could never share until the night they closed.
Now here we are. 🧵 (1/6)
Amazed at the operation at Circa. Can’t believe this was my first stay here & it certainly won’t be my last. Dined at every restaurant, drank at every bar, cabana at Stadium Swim, and a casino executive team that truly values its players.
Old school Vegas in every positive way.
And ever since that stay, I never envied the six-figure-a-hand player again.
Well, except the part about getting picked up in a Gulfstream. Gimme that. (6/6)
Didn’t think I’d be doing a snob post but they put me in a renovated 2-bedroom suite at Bellagio, and well, I haven’t even seen pictures of these and it’s gorgeous af.
But trying to draw equivalencies with our bets, our credit lines, and our incomes never works. Why? Because the vast majority of us play at sustainable levels for far longer than 3-5 years.
At best, a whale has a gambling problem. And at worst, it's dirty money. (5/6)
I was stunned.
The implications here are outrageous. 19 years of reading and writing, specifically about luxury Vegas, a common thread among the community is to try to rationalize whale-level bets proportionately to one's own gambling budget. (4/6)
Here’s the renovated VIP Lounge at Mirage. It’s beautiful. My host tells me this is the direction the rest of the hotel is going to go if they ever get around to renovations.
I’ll probably have more extensive thoughts on my blog, but long story short, Fontainebleau is a grown-up Cosmo, a youthful Wynn, and a damn near perfect resort.
I remember commenting that with his tenure, he must've seen generations of families, perhaps even children of whales now themselves major players. His response was blunt. (2/6)
Who amongst my followers is a godless heathen spending the day of the birth of our Lord awash in sin in Las Vegas?
Shame on you and also maybe let's get drinks.
CityCenter opened almost 13 years ago. I find myself hanging out there at some point on over half my Vegas trips.
Cosmo opened almost 12 years ago. I've had just one trip since where I *didn't* step foot in it.
Resorts World opened last year. I have no urge to see it again.
This won't be a regularly updated thing. Regardless, it's been over two years since I've written anything substantial about Vegas & I promised myself that one day I'd write again when I find the inspiration.
I found that inspiration on Christmas. Enjoy!
I went to Vegas as a wallflower in a group accompanying Wynn’s biggest domestic player. Maybe I’ll Snob about it.
Preview: It was just as strange as it was luxurious.
Went to a wedding last night and got to thinking that if I ever got married (LOL), I’d name the tables at reception after Vegas resorts. Family at the Wynn table. Close friends Mirage. People I don’t really like Venetian.
Basically, they're all "HardRock[InsertCity]Reservations" dot com. But you see, the good folks of the Seminole Tribe forgot to lock in the Las Vegas version.
So I did. Introducing:
WHEN PEOPLE SAY THEY'RE GOING TO LAS VEGAS THEY'RE MOST LIKELY NOT ACTUALLY GOING TO LAS VEGAS. THE STRIP IS IN AN UNINCORPORATED TOWN CALLED PARADISE WITHIN CLARK COUNTY. THIS WAS MOSTLY BECAUSE BUILDING OUTSIDE THE CITY COULD HELP DEVELOPERS AVOID MUNICIPAL TAXES.
Being the good son that I am, I put my parents in the Sky Suites while I’m on the ghetto side of Aria. Their renovated standard room (it’s an attachment to a suite) is GORGEOUS.
An unbelievable trip. Skylofts, brunches on brunches at The Mansion, hot streaks where table *max* had to go into negotiation, The Vault, and an ultra rare, stolen Rolex.
Holy shit I might be inspired to post on Vegas Snob.
Sitting alone at my local bar in IRVINE California, someone randomly walked up, shook my hand, and said they appreciate the blog.
Duuuuuuude I’m fucking floating right now.
Imagine the dealer showing a 6, you get dealt two 8s so you split. Then another 8 and another 8. Split all of course. Then 2s and 3s hit all your hands so you double down. Then the dealer flips a 5.
Then dealer says they won’t draw another card until Thursday.
#Nevada
Each time I met up with
@ALfromSanDiego
, I was blown away by his passion and energy. And before the end of each night, he made sure I was right there with him. In 100+ trips, he was a huge part of some of the greatest Vegas nights of my life. Going to miss you dearly my friend.
Fontainebleau... 🧵
Cavernous casinos struggle with "vibe." As the day progressed and the floor got busier, the vibe improved. This'll be a fun place when LIV is popping, especially over summer (and to a lesser extent, the lame lanyard army of conventioneers will help, too). 1/5
“My host tells me” is probably more valuable than “a bartender told me” which is yet more valuable than “a cabbie told me.”
But anyway, my host tells me MGM will definitely build a new Mirage south of Mandalay Bay.
💦💦💦
Persian vlogger got the first scoop on the Lenahan remodel of Wynn's ultra villas.
Ho. Ly. Shit.
Don't think there'll be a nicer suite in Vegas in my lifetime (cued up at 40 minute mark).
Lots of tweets about live coverage so I'll take a crack at it.
Modest version: I'll be covering Circa's opening tomorrow.
Not modest version: bitch I'm VVIP and inside by 7pm.
You tear up the tables and have 7 vodka red bulls in the process, a few beers, and none of it seems to be working because you’re too hyped and about to appear in a speedo in front of 300 of your friends.
When the show was over... well... so was I.
#vegasnerds
Thank you all for the birthday wishes. I spent part of my day doing what any logical, well-adjusted 39-year-old would do. I locked in reservations for my 40th.
What are some of your quirky Vegas packing rituals? Here's a weird one I've got: I always pack one day's extra worth of underwear in case I win big and shit myself.
Local Vegas vlogger said Resorts World is doing a "new" thing where everything is overpriced to jack up the perceived comp value for high rollers. You know, that "new" thing Caesars Palace has always done.
#VegasLocalsDontKnowShit
Fontainebleau’s chips feel lighter, more hollow. Floor manager overheard us talking about it. Said because they have something (different than RFID?) that tracks average bet.
This is bad news for charming af players like me who schmooze an outrageous average from the floor.
A few months ago, only comp on F1 weekend thru MGM was Excal. Now Aria's showing comped & Bellagio is priced ok (probably only a matter of time).
No crystal balls here but we saw this pattern with Mayweather/Pacquiao which turned out to be somewhat of a dud.