In Vegas now

Day 1: I flew via Delta into McCarran on Saturday. No problems at all. Checked bag belts are easy to find and there are plenty of signs to point you toward your choice of transportation. I took a taxi to my rented apartment that is 3-4 blocks east of the strip. It is supposedly not a great area of town but I've walked it at all times of day and the evening without any issues. I bought a 30 day bus pass from Walgreens for $65. One bus ride will cost you $2. So if you plan to stay for longer than a weekend I recommend buying a multiple day pass for the bus. I am within walking distance to grocery stores, walgreens, Target, Best Buy and several other stores and restaurants. The first day, I rode the bus to the strip and got off at Bally's and Bellagio. There are a lot of high end stores, all very fancy and pricey. If that's your thing then it's cool. But I came for the sportsbook. I headed toward Bellagio first. The book is huge with 4 gigantic cinema sized screens and several smaller screens all around the place. Place a bet, keep your ticket on you, and you will be served complimentary drinks all day/night. If beer is your thing then it's a great deal. If cran and vodka or some other alcoholic beverage is your thing then you're not getting much alcohol in these drinks. But it's nice to wet the throat if you're cheering your team to victory. You can also purchase drinks at the nearby bar. The seating is incredibly comfortable and this leads me to...

Day 2 Super Bowl Sunday: The entire book area seating was on a paid reservation only type of situation. So I ended up standing in the crowds to watch the Super Bowl. And there was quite a crowd. As far as food, there are some high end restaurants but I went to the nearby "Snacks" cafe that serves soup, sandwiches, breakfast items, parfaits, drinks and more. It will cost you $10-15 for a meal but it's a decent option. I got the lentil soup and french fries for $11 but I didn't have to eat again until I was back at the apartment. Earlier on this same day I stopped at Terrible's Casino on Flamingo. A much smaller book, buffet upstairs, not sure about comp drinks and here's the kicker...their computers crashed at about 315pm just before the start of the Super Bowl. So the dozens of people in the line were unable to place a wager on the game. 

Day 3: I ventured down the strip a little. I stopped at Encore. They have a book so to speak but it was closed when I went through there at about noon. I didn't see any special seating or anything. So I'm guessing they don't cater to the sports minded folks. Then I went to the Wynn. Nice sized book but not nearly as big as the Bellagio. Again comfy seating, nearby bar area and cafe. I got a turkey reuben sandwich that was quite large and well should be considering it was $14. I did get a comp drink card when I placed my wager and apparently if you ask you can get more than one card. That's what I was told, I'll find out today. I like the Wynn but if you want the easy comp drinks the Bellagio has them beat. Wynn has game and half lines. No quarters but that's not my thing so it wasn't a big deal. 

Day 4: Dropped off my laundry at 24 Hour Laundry on Maryland Pkwy this morning. I will be headed to the Wynn to collect my winnings from last nights late game. Across LV Blvd from the Wynn there is what appears to be an outdoor/indoor mall/shopping area. I plan to check it out today. But after that I'm headed back to the Bellagio. I will also check on some other books just so I know what else is out there. 

Good luck on your wagers today! Have rules and obey them!

Keep us updated man

Yesterday I set out to end up at Mandalay Bay because of all the good things I had heard about the place. Like most the other places, there is a cafe near the book serving the typical $10-15 sandwiches and food items. I had the California grilled chicken sandwich and fries. Big sandwich and lots of fries $14. There are plenty of seats, 2 cinema sized screens that end up being quartered into 4 screens each once the games kick off. And then at least 8-10 other screens (smaller scale) showing the less wagered games. It appears that money wagered dictates which games get the better screens and that makes sense. Two things that I did not like about Mandalay: 1. the seats are not comfy at all (butt is still sore) and 2. no comp drinks. For those reasons alone I will not return here. There are too many better options. 

I did pass through a couple other books on my way to Mandalay. I will probably end up at one of those today. 

Good luck with your plays today. And remember, have rules and follow them. 

I also stopped by New York New York. You walk in the front door from The Strip sidewalk and you basically step directly into the sportsbook. It's very small with 8 relatively small screens and the seating is so close that you have to crook your neck at such a wicked angle that I don't see how anyone would want to stay there to watch an entire game. The mens room is nearby and the Sporting House Bar & Grill is right there as well. I didn't place a wager but instead walked to the window and asked about comp drinks. She promptly wrote me a voucher and said I would normally have to place a wager but that she would give me this one. So I took it, had me a nice cocktail (definitely more vodka than the other comp drinks I've had) and then went on my way. The cocktail waitress was very kind and even offered to bring me another one but I needed to get going in order to place my wager on the 4pm (pacific time) game. This is a book that I most likely will not return to just because I want to watch the games in comfort. Everything else was grade A. 

As far as sharing my plays, I'd rather not do that in this section. I am 4-4 and down a little money so far. I have rules and I'm trying to follow them. I am hoping that my experiences here in Vegas will help me to be more disciplined when I get back home and go back to using my online book. Good luck!  

Anyway, headed out again today, not sure where I'll end up. I'll try to update tonight. 

Good luck with your plays. I'm an IU fan so it's hurt to say that I'm thinking about taking the 7 and Illinois. This could be a bad spot for the Hoosiers.

This place is just off the strip but you can catch the SDX (strip-downtown express) bus to the strip after the games. If you're an east coast person like me, it will seem strange that the games end so early. On some nights the games are over by 9pm or so. So there's plenty of time afterward to do whatever else you may desire. Mi novia es colombiana, así que volver al apartamento temprano, así que puedo hablar con ella antes de irse a la cama. So no late night strip parties for me. 

I love IU but we crapped the bed tonight. The winnings do help sooth the pain of losing the #1 spot again this season. When you can get that many points for a Big 10 home team, it's almost always a winner. (that's just a guess though, don't quote me on it)

Good luck with your plays!!!      

And I'm going to beat this horse to death...

have rules and obey them!!!     

Skydiving got cancelled today because of high winds. I did visit the Hoover Dam and I must say I was quite surprised by how much I did not know about the place. If you are in the area for more than a weekend, I highly recommend that you take the 30 minute drive down to Boulder City and Hoover Dam. It will be well worth it. Oh and pay the $30 and take the full tour of the dam. The view of the mountains and Lake Mead driving on Hwy 93 toward the dam is the most beautiful scenery I've seen in my life. 

Headed to MGM tomorrow and then to the UNLV game. 

Good luck with your plays!!!