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Ask the Mad Professor A few days later a letter arrived
from their mother. "Mario," she wrote, "the mansion you built is so huge,
only I live in one room, but I have to clean the whole house." "Johnnie," she wrote, "I am too old
to travel. I stay at home most of the time so I rarely use the Mercedes. And that driver - hes a pain in the
rear." "But Joey," she wrote,
"the chicken was delicious!" The e-mails keep pouring in. The questions are great, and I appreciate your interest.
I receive numerous notes of thanks from the workers themselves and also from their supervisors. Ive had housekeepers who have left Welcome Back notes in my suite before Ive even slept in the bed. In recognizing my name on the hotels room-cleaning manifest, they start out on the right foot in anticipation of being rewarded for another job well-done. I believe in compensation that is tied directly to performance. Maybe thats why I like Precision-Shooting so much.
A normal "session" might last 20
to 60 minutes. If I generate $100 to $300 from each of those sessions, I am also VERY
happy. For the sake of clarity, I have to use
generalizations in my articles. To say that each "session" lasts for 48.2
minutes, generates $257.33, and contains 2.4 hands, each with 27.7 rolls of the dice is
overly pedantic. If I switch casinos, I start a new
"session". If I am "grazing" at a number of tables for quick
shooting opportunities, I will usually only record the results of the overall
"session". For example, if I am at the Horseshoe, I have the choice of 14
or so tables, in two casinos. I will step up to a table, shoot one
My win goal is $1,000 each day. I usually
exceed that by a decent margin. Once I reach that win-goal, I NEVER lose back
anything under that level. I am satisfied to play with the excess over the win-goal.
When I reach another win-plateau, I lock-in those winnings, and refuse to lose back
anything under that new benchmark. Very conservative money-management is how small
wins make for CONSISTENT profit.
As an aside, I'll tell you this. If I was
directing other players bankrolls, and they had to stop a session when I
told them to, most of them would probably say, "Hey, we just got started, I want to
turn this meager profit into something REALLY BIG". That's the difference
between playing smart and playing for entertainment. Out of 20 sessions, 19 are usually profitable. Sometimes, NOTHING works, and I end up losing money
during one of those sessions. Hey, we're in a CASINO, what did you expect, right?
I have come to realize that not every session will be a winning one.
But since you
asked for MY opinion, here are some of our favorites in no particular order:
Ø Lon Bronson at the
Rivieras Le Bistro Lounge. His
incredible horn section provides some of the tightest arrangements this side of Tower of
Power, Average White Band, and the old Chicago hits.
They only play on Saturday nights. The
other six nights of the week, his band backs up whatever current project or concert that
David Cassidy is working on.
Ø The Sunspots play downtown at the Plaza in the
Omaha Lounge. The Plaza is old
Vegas and so is this group. Its
cheesy, its worn, its VERY entertaining, and its free
thats
VERY old Vegas. The lounge is packed every
night, and has been for the past fourteen years that these guys have been playing at the
Plaza.
Ø If you are into blues; then Kari
and Jerry Shurtleff at the Suncoast are great. They
just released a new CD and its pretty good.
Ø Cook E. Jar is at
Harrahs for the midnight show on the weekends.
He has a cult following that is huge and boisterous.
If you are not prepared to enjoy yourself, then dont go.
Ø Art Vargas plays in the
Venetians Venus Bar. Whether you want
to hear his perfect renditions of Bobby Darins Mack the Knife, or you
have a particular taste for some obscure single-malt scotch, then this fashionable bar has
it all. Try to dress well so that they
dont make you wait in line.
Ø Three new guaranteed-to-be-hot spots
are at the new Palms Hotel-Casino. There is
the Ghost Bar with its clear-glass floor on the 55th level, and
its outdoor adult-sized swing-set. There
is Rain in the Desert which opened with Macy Gray, and a lounge called, N9NE,
which is attached to the famous Chicago steakhouse of the same name. I went to the pre-opening party and the
Grand-Opening parties at the first two. I
havent been into the latter one. It
looks like the collagen-injected, silicone-enhanced, shiny-fabric set will win out over
the fanny-pack set in these three places. So
far it has the same feel as the Hard Rock Casinos main bar, but without the hookers. The music is very hip.
Ø I really like Area 51, who
regularly play the Casbar Lounge at the Sahara.
Ø For more real-Vegas
acts, you have to see The Checkmates with Sonny Charles and Sweet Louie. They ALWAYS play the Naughty Ladies Saloon at
Arizona Charlies East and West, and these two guys have been packin them in
for the twenty or so years that theyve called Vegas their home.
Ø Dueling Pianos at the Times Square Bar in NYNY is
entertaining, especially if you bring a crowd. There
may be a $10.00 cover-charge, but if you show your gold Slot Exchange card, it will
guarantee entry even when they arent allowing any more patrons in.
Ø Fahrenheit plays both the
Rios Voodoo Lounge and the LV Hiltons Nightclub. If you are at the Rio, check out their top-floor
patio.
Ø Ghalib Gallab plays Caesars
Terrazza Lounge. Hes been around for
at least fifteen years, and has a huge following.
Ø If you are into country music Jerry
Tiffe plays the Boulder Stations Railhead Lounge on a nightly basis.
Ø Jimmy Hopper is VERY popular at the Fontana Bar
in Bellagio. You may want to catch him before they move him into a major showroom as
happened with Clint Holmes. Drinks are on the
pricey-side, but his show is great.
Ø If you are still young-at-heart and
enjoy a relaxed, but swinging tempo, then the Kinda Dixie Jazz Band plays the Gold
Coast practically every weekday night.
As an aside, way back when the Maxim Hotel
was open (just behind the Flamingo, and across from Ballys rear-most parking lot), a
large 10-piece band crowded onto the small stage in their tiny 80-seat lounge to play some
of the hottest Latin-flavored music my ears had heard on THIS continent. They went on to record a few hits. You may have heard of them. They were called Gloria Estefan and the Miami
Sound Machine. Las Vegas lounge acts are
usually excellent, and provide a much-needed break away from the tables. Thanks again for all of the great questions. Good Luck & Good Skill at the Tables
and in
Life. The Mad Professor
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