What happens in Vegas...

Well, kids...I'm back from my excursion to Las Vegas. I've discovered that the ad line used in the commercials is true, for the most part anyway. You know the one I'm talking about, where they say, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!"? It's at least the truth when it comes to money laid on a bet!

I arrived at the airport to be met by my sister, who had arrived about 3 hours before me. We headed to the Excalibur Hotel and checked in, and then immediately headed to the casino. Games of choice? For me it was slots. For my sister, it was roulette. I know, I know...two of the worst odds to play. But we were there to have fun, right? Each of us went with the idea that we were bound to lose $100 a day. More on the results later. Most of Saturday was spent in the casino.

On Sunday we had a buffet breakfast and had the only real disagreement the entire weekend (albeit a small one). I paid, and asked for smoking...but the room was a little too smoky for my sis, so she convinced me to move. My little huff aside, we gambled most of the day, saw a magic show, and gambled more (and drank quite a bit). Then it was off to Bellagio to watch "O", the Cirque du Soleil show done with water. Sis treated, as she had been wanting to see it from the outset of the trip. Can I say "fabulous" enough? It truly was spectacular. The contortionists boggled the mind, the high dives into a narrow pool were breathtaking, and the guys weren't bad to look at either.

Monday morning we spent recovering from Sunday night. We then did a walking tour of most of the hotels, with a goal to gamble a little at each one we hit and have at least one drink while there. The drink part failed miserably, particularly before the end of the day...when we were starting to feel the effects of such a walk. We hit Luxor, Mandalay Bay, New York New York, MGM, Aladdin, Paris Las Vegas, Caesar's Palace, and Monte Carlo before arriving back at the hotel to freshen up before seeing "Thunder From Down Under". That is the Australian Male Revue. I gotta admit those "straight Aussies" were gorgeous. The first dancer came into the audience and walked right over to our table. He asked both of us if one of us wanted to go up on stage! Seeing as how I was only one of four guys there (including the manager and two guys with their girlfriends), I pointed at my sister, who was escorted up on the stage for a "private" dance. It was SIDESPLITTING! I haven't cheered, yelled, and laughed that much in quite a while. Sis was gracious about it...even flushed! Afterwards, we got a picture of us with the troupe...Sis on one guy's lap, I on another guy's lap. The look in the picture of the face of the guy supporting me was priceless...he looked like he was scared sh*tless! The crowd got a big kick out of it.

Tuesday was back to the casino for more. This time I still played slots, and Sis still played roulette. However, I decided to try my hand at craps, and did fairly well. Over 3-4 hours I won about $170! We ended the day with a wonderful Italian dinner, and then spent the evening divided between gaming and watching the election results unfold. HOW DEPRESSING! Sis then caught her shuttle at 9:15 p.m. Las Vegas time, and I was by myself. I should've seen some of the "gay" nightlife, but I was too exhausted, and fell asleep by 11:30 p.m.

Wednesday morning I checked out...and, while waiting for the shuttle, gambled a little more. Lost $50 on the craps table (they must've wanted their money back). Then I walked up to a slot machine I wanted to play. It was playing music. I sat down, and realized that someone had been playing it and left it ON THE BONUS ROUND. I waited and waited, but no one showed up. So, I played the bonus round which paid off $15. I waited around another 5-10 minutes, but still no one to claim the money...so an unexpected bonus.

Our results? Sis did as expected, losing $100 a day (plus $100 extra that she had taken "just in case"). As for me, the hotel "comp"ed my room, food, and the show. I returned home with only $100 less than I had taken. When you include in that airport parking, shuttles and their tips, tips for the servers, and $30 for the pics at the "Thunder" show (buying a pic for each of us), I'd say that the net on the gambling was about even.

I still have $300 in "comp" dollars left for my next trip there. You can "bet" that the next time I go, I'll spend more time at the craps tables and enjoying the male scenery!