Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

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CHAPTER 8 . ABOUT CASINO GAMBLING
Memories of a Longtime Dealer
Lou has been a part of the gaming industry for 40 years, the first 20 of
which he spent as a dealer in Las Vegas.
“My favorite places were The Flamingo, the Sands, and the Desert Inn.
That’s when the corporations weren’t there. That’s when the other folks
were in. The mob guys—I never knew it, but that’s what they were. I was
just a kid. Bugsy had just gotten killed when I went to work at The
Flamingo. The Sands was my very first favorite. That was the hotel of all
hotels. They had the very best management team. They took care of
their help. Their benefits were better than any union. It was the place.
“Years ago, you had great entertainment. You could go to a lounge
and catch better acts than in the showroom. Major stars were in the
lounges, or they would come in and sit in with the acts after the showroom
closed. Don Rickles: Sinatra would get up with him once in a while.
Sinatra gave me my first $100 tip. He was playing blackjack. Then he said,
‘Do you want to play it or keep it?’ I wanted to be polite, so I said, ‘Bet
it.’ And he lost. In those days when the star would appear on stage,
between shows they would come out into the casinos. Sinatra and
Sammy would deal. They would blow money, but the casinos didn’t care.
It was a fun, fun place.
“The casinos were run the way they were supposed to be run—for
the customer, not so corporate-minded. In those days, you could go to
Vegas, get your room very reasonable, your food was practically free,
your shows were practically free, you would spend $500 in the casino,
but you would come back and be happy because gaming was a form of
entertainment. When they ran the casinos, you would have a ball, come
home, and be happy. They were very happy if the restaurants and shows
lost money—you still lost that $500. Now it would cost you $100 to stay
level (thanks to an unusually high ceiling), it is a major case of sensory overload.
This may prove distracting. On the other hand, we won here, so we love it. And
in places, it is, if one can say this about anything in Vegas with a straight face,
quite beautiful—or at least dazzling. Serious gamblers understandably may sniff
at it all and prefer to take their business to a more seemly casino, but everyone
else should have about the most Vegasy time they can. NY–NY participates in
the MGM MIRAGE Player’s Club, also valid at sister properties like the MGM
Grand and The Mirage. 3790 Las Vegas Blvd. S. & 702/740-6969.
Orleans This is not a particularly special gambling space, though it does have
a low claustrophobia level. Another plus is that they sometimes play Cajun and
zydeco music over the sound system, so you can two-step while you gamble,
which can make losing somewhat less painful. It has all the needed tables—
blackjack, craps, and so forth—plus plenty of slots, including the popular Wheel
of Fortune machine, which works like those other roulette-wheel slots, but in
this case, actually plays the theme song from the TV show. It will even applaud
for you if you win. Since Orleans is popular with locals, there are lots of videopoker
options. And because it’s not on the Strip, you’ll find better odds for craps,
and cheaper table minimums. 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. & 702/365-7111.