Smart Baccarat

looking back.... Baccarat at the Sands.....

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 12:16:00 +0000

A little flashback, to the first Vegas property to introduce baccarat to the United States.

Oh, the power of the nine. The story of "The Temple of Gold Hair," was news to me.

"Classic" Big Baccarat

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:30:00 +0000

"Classic" Big Baccarat

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:24:00 +0000

my only comment...... the sweet taste of a player streak!

I'm back... again....

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 11:24:00 +0000

Last summer, I thought I would make my return with an overview of the gaming situation in Atlantic City.

It was an incredible trip, up until the point that my dear SO had to return to New England for business; and was involved in a horrible car accident.

"NATURL9" brought us much luck that day! Amazingly, the injuries (in what was a head on collision, where the other driver had passed out) were rather minor. My darling recovered fully, and went on to run her first half marathon (The Vegas Rock-n-Roll half) in December of 2009.

While I've tried to mostly stay focused on gaming topics (and particularly baccarat), I figured I would take a moment to muse about my own personal life philosophies (heck, it's my blog, so I can do whatever the fuck I want... LOL)

The card I chose after my Venetian Canyon Ranch Massage last week seems fitting :

"Behave
as if you see
the best
in the people
you love
all the time."

One of the strongest concepts in my life, is trying to find the positive (intent) in one's everyday actions.

If we take a few moments to focus more so on the good, it just makes life that much prettier. At the end of the day, we control the the direction of our lives; and how we choose to view others. Perhaps, just focusing on the fact that people really do yearn to 'do the right thing' is enough for us to set aside the 'little things' people do that bother us. And, if you can't find that positive; then, just maybe, that relationship isn't worth the effort.

Here is hoping to full, happy and positive life!

I shall return to gaming topics; possibly wrapping up 2009 and early 2010 in the next post.

Cheers! Michael

I'm back! off to the AC

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:36:00 +0000

Well, my pledge to take a Vegas hiatus during the summer is actually happening. While I booked trips for 31 July and also in August (for the Venetian Carnival of Cuisine), this year, I really do think I'm going to avoid the Vegas heat. (Well, at least for a few months).

Off to Atlantic City in a few days, staying at the casino that just turned 30 on 26 June 2009 (surprisingly, also my birthday).

If you still don't know which property it is, this picture will give it away :

Luckily, they have managed to update things 'just a bit' since 1979. A nice little article on Atlantic City's second casino, turning thirty. Amazing, still quite a few employees working at Caesars who have been there since the original opening.

I plan on focusing quite a bit of time this trip on finally doing a baccarat overview of all of the Atlantic City properties. I'm also going to share some of the Caesars Atlantic City history, since I find it fascinating. Maybe even get into a bit of discussion about the departed Playboy Casino, which I spoke about last year.

I also have a number of interesting observations and thoughts from my previous Vegas (April) and Atlantic City (May) trips that i'll try to summarize and share. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time (or desire) to write extensive trip reports, but most definitely have quite a few great tales.

A little more M

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:49:00 +0000

Not really a surprise, but it's nice to know that the casino management @ M-Resort is on the right page, with regard to how they treat mistakes and their customers. Nice story in The Bear Growls.

On its first full day of operation, the M Resort in Henderson had a single-line 25-cent video poker machine with a progressive starting at $10,000 instead of the undoubtedly intended $1,000. A patron hit the jackpot. Rather than hassle the winner or try to outright cheat him, as many casinos have done in similar situations, after a thirty-minute delay, the M Resort paid the patron the $10,009,

In other news, seems the first month of M-Resort, has proved to be a bit more popular than originally anticipated.

Overall, M was twice as busy as anticipated that first week. A total of 20,000 customers signed up for the iMagine rewards Club in the first few days of operation when the hotel set a goal for 25,000, total, for the entire month.

and a LINK to an M-Resort opening video.

I think my friend Rob put it best, in text message yesterday.

"Beautiful casino without the arrogance."

Diane was kind enough to share some of her great pics of M-Resort. [Thank you Diane!]

another great shot of the table

my favorite sink

the view from your bed in the morning, WOW -- those window are incredible

more seating, more view! love those windows

nice tub, in the master bath, of course, with a view of the strip

this shot really shows the absolute coolness of the wine bar area

I heart M Resort Las Vegas and cheating on Sheldon

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Yes, sometimes you just have to do it! After Foo convinced me to travel to The Vegas to spend some "quality" time with him for 24 hours, and help set him up @ Palazzo; I was a bit unconvinced that my mind and/or body could really deal with a one day trip to The Vegas.

Well, turns out, that my first trip to Vegas for 2009 @ the beginning of February (AKA, the "Pimp Daddy Trip" -- need to post some stories 'bout that soon..) on a fare sale ($92+ tax $130'ish all-in) had me arriving in Vegas on Friday night @ 11PM and departing on Sunday morning at 6AM. I had meant to book the return for Monday, but alas, I didn't and I was unable to change the return flight; even though it was within the Delta 24 hour change window. (Turns out, all of the cheap fare buckets for Monday returns were long gone). I lamented about this, and in the end, was able to get a 25K mile Delta free (roundtrip) ticket (with no fees for last minute booking, since it was coming out of Ellen's Platinum Medallion Account). Of course, NOW, I had a one way ticket left to use that was only applicable to return me to Vegas (BOS-LAS). Oh, the dilemma.

All of this played perfectly into Foo's master plan of convincing me to come out to Vegas, as I already had a ticket TO VEGAS, and only need a return home. Lo and behold, I was able to pick-up a Southwest return ticket on the nonstop from Vegas to Manchester, NH (LAS-MHT) for a mere $137+tax.

The plans were in motion, but still wasn't convinced the body was ready for it.

Yep, it was going to be a 30 hour trip to THE VEGAS!

Departure was the 6.30AM BOS-SLC-LAS on Delta flight with a swift sub 40 minute connection. Timed everything perfectly with a pick-up from my house at 5AM from Dave. We like to punish each other with flight drop offs at very early hours. Used elite security (next to CLEAR) because of my Crown Room Membership (purchased as a companion off of Ellen's Platinum Delta Medallion Status). Arrived at the gate just in time for zone 1 boarding, which was great, as my exit row was zone 1. Flights were on time, and pretty perfect. Exit row coach seating was fine, and IFE was available on the DL 757 from BOS-SLC. Used my expired drink coupons to have two Woodford Reserves (yes, Woodford, and only on Delta) with a single rock for the flight, and watched the pilot and next two episodes of season 1 - Sopranos on my iphone; with a mophie attached to extend the battery. A very nice flight attendant (definitely in her 50's) was totally hitting on me, and making fun of my expired drink coupons. She kept saying "I knew they were expired......" -- but, I'm gonna let you get away with it... actually, I'm just gonna tear them up and give you the drinks... she stopped by later in the flight to offer me another cocktail, but two was more than enough; along with a few club sodas.

Arrival in Vegas was uneventful, and on time. Was happy to see that both trams from terminal D were operating, so there was no wait for the tram. Went to check-in at Encore, which was very red, just like everything else at Encore.

It was just about noon, and I was using a pretty decent offer from Encore, considering I haven't had any play at Wynn since the opening. It was a $129 room rate with $150 in FREEPLAY, so effectively a free room.

Of course, my requested smoking room wasn't available (this always seems to be the case), but the check-in agent felt bad about not getting me into my room immediately as this was a one day trip. To make up for the lack of a smoking room, she decided to "upgrade" me to the top floor, floor 63. Not really sure this is really an "upgrade" even though, she made of point of saying she wasn't even going to ask her supervisor. So, after waiting a few more moments (their computer servers were having issues), and then the check-in person having to go "manually" make my key, I was almost on the way.

Since this was my first stay @ Encore (or Wynn, for that matter), I asked the nice lady to have a 1L bottle of Pellegrino, ice, and limes sent up to my suite. She didn't flinch, and called in the request right away. So, I was on my way to floor 63 of the Encore Resort Tower.

The room (well, they call it a suite) was very nice, extremely well done.

It even came with a view of the Stardust, which was great at bringing back many incredible old memories......

Pellegrino arrived moments after I got to my suite/room, and after getting over the shock of the auto-gratuity and additional service charge, I thanked the very nice server. She did make a point of telling me that the gratuity was already charged. As if, I wouldn't have figured that out by the $18 total price on the check for a single 1L bottle of Pellegrino. Amazing thing, this is even more expensive than at Palazzo (by around $5) --- so, I guess they need to make $$ somewhere. Only complaint, if you want to call it that, is that they delivered lemon slices, not lime slices with the water. Personally, they should have delivered both.

While we're on the subject of Encore versus Palazzo comparisons, I'll mention a few.

Requested turn down before leaving my suite in the evening, and it was not performed. Also, did my late night chicken wing order (around 4AM), at which time I order DRY deep fried buffalo wings with the sauce on the side. I'm very specific about the sauce being on the side, and the order taker repeated the order back. Unfortunately, the wings arrived within a half hour, but drenched in hot sauce. A little annoying, since it took another 30 minutes for a replacement. Though, I must say, the presentation for the french fries was really nice.

Even with these very minor service setbacks, I must say, I totally love Encore. Why, it has a small casino feel, and the dice tables are right outside of the elevator bank to the resort tower. And, it works well. Nice functional suites. Lovely casino floor, lots of sunlight! Actually, that's it.. there is just so much light in Encore during the day, it's incredibly refreshing.

Would I stay here again? Absolutely! Do I like it more than Palazzo? Well, that's not completely fair, and I didn't get a chance to check out the gym or spa. But, I love the vibe and the aesthetic of the property. It just feels clean, open and LUCKY! (I can't believe I said that) --- more on the gambling action a bit later.

Went over to the Mirage, and to my wicked happy surprise, got in a cab (yeah, I was in a rush) where the driver was playing my favorite opera, Turandot. I noticed it immediately, and it turned out that it was a recording with Sutherland and Pavorati.

Got to Mirage to meet Lion, but it turned out, that I was supposed to be meeting him at M. This was a total senior moment on my part. I saw the text with "M", and just translated that into Mirage, as I knew he was checking into Mirage that day.

Well, killed some time watching the dice tables, playing a bit of $1/$2 Top Dollar; and Lion, being the gentleman that he is, arrived to pick me up and wisk me off to M.

I was very excited to be going over to M Resort. The newest hotel/resort/casino in Las Vegas. Being a Vegas history buff, I've always been fascinated about the old, pre-Harrah's RIO that was open by the Marnell's (who are opening M). At the time, the RIO was cutting edge, and was considered way off strip. Something that was never tried before. Well, M is even further off strip --- and opening at a rather difficult time for Vegas; but being that this is a small Marnell property, I have high hopes.

First impressions, wow, I just love the scale. Very well done, and not too big. Place just has an incredible vibe. (Between Encore and M, I felt like I was in VIBE HEAVEN!) Employees are terrific, including the cocktail servers on the casino floor. Great classy details, such as proper glassware (including funky martini glasses) on the casino floor. Hosts very available and very focused on customer service (as was everyone we interacted with). An example was a slot tech who was in the process of unlocking a machine after a jackpot overhearing one of us (not me) lamenting over not being able to get a particular single malt scotch. He immediately took the initiative to call for a supervisor, and bingo, scotch problem solved.

The Loft Suites are incredible. Really lovely interiors, just the right amount of furniture bordering on slightly minimalist. In the late afternoon light pours into the duplex suite, really lovely. This is most definitely a suite for entertaining. Also, if I recall correctly, Bulgari bath accessories! Nice!

the downstairs living room of the suite

stairs to level 2

awesome marble table, with Lion and Foo

love this Loft Suite powder room sink

view from upstairs, the amount of sunlight is amazing

Veloce is the fine dining restaurant on the top floor (16th floor) of M. What an incredible setup. Sweeping view of the strip in the distance from all seating in the dining room. And, the "automat" automated wine service machines in the bar (these are also in another wine bar in the hotel). Basically, tons of glasses on top of the machines, and then you use a "debit" type card to "self-dispense" your wine (in three different pour sizes starting with 1oz). Another feature is that they comp wine debit cards, so you can have easy access to wine currency. There are also cocktail waitresses in the bar, but it's great to be able to pour your own win (and no gratuity).

Love the wine "auto-mat"

Speciality drinks (such as "I'll have what she is having") are great and totally underpriced for a place of this level. $8.50 per specialty drink.

Only problem, is that we had a wait a while for our table, even though we had a reservation, but we loved hanging in the bar. (and Chandler our cocktail server was a hoot, to say the least! I Chandler!) Dinner was terrific. They have an awesome sushi bar, and we started with sushi/sashimi (including uni), bluepoint oysters, kobe beef sliders, and gourmet popcorn shrimp. All around entrees were terrific, I had the pepper filet; and it was incredible. Also tasted the veal chop and rack of lamb, both excellent.

Wine service was excellent, with a great sommelier. They have great glassware, and were constantly on top of making sure we had the proper glasses for our cold sake (appetizers) and red wine. Wine was decanted flawlessly, into a lovely crystal decanter. For the life of me, I can't recall the red we were drinking that evening, but it will eventually come to me. Waiters always knew who was drinking sparkling water (Pellegrino) and still water (Panna); and never made any mistakes.

Service was very polished for a brand new restaurant. (actually, amazingly so... if it wasn't for the wait, it probably could be considered very close to perfect)

Desserts were interesting, though we only sampled the coconut "lolipops" --- once again, great drink list to go with dessert. They have a "homemade" Limoncello, as well as a Limoncello cocktail. Both were very good, with the cocktail being a bit too sweet. I keep picturing an old Italian man in the basement, making the house Limoncello.

Pricing was incredible for a restaurant of this caliber. In addition, they don't rape you on cocktails or wine. Really nice! --- great to see your comp dollars going twice as far as they do on the strip. Value, beauty and service! It's a winning combination!

amazing view from our dinner table, with the strip in the distance.

I can't wait to go back... oh, and the topper! $5 dice! (and $5 3/2 blackjack)! (and I swear they had a $10 2 deck pitch game that was 3/2 --- but I "might" be mistaken, as I don't really pay too much attention to BJ)

The pre-Harrah's RIO VIBE IS BACK! Long live M Resort!

I can't help but think, that the M Resort executives are peering at all of the soon to be bankrupt hotels on the strip in the distance, and laughing.

Actually, and stay with me on this for a moment,

But, peering out the window at the strip in the distance, during dinner, I couldn't help but think of Star Wars and Death Star.

The Death Star was the code name of an unspeakably powerful and horrific weapon developed by the Empire. The immense space station carried a weapon capable of destroying entire planets.

Well, after seeing the City Center monstrosity, all I could think of was DEATH STAR!

MAYBE, the Jedi warriors are being launched from M-Resort to destroy MGM-Mirage and Harrah's and allow for us to regain the OLD VEGAS! or, just a more gambler friendly Vegas....

Finished up the evening with a bit of fun gambling at M-Resort, and then called it a night, being dropped off by AK and Andrew at Encore. I wandered around a bit, but realized that I needed to get some rest (it was after 3AM, and I had been up for over 24 hours at this point).

Went back to my Encore suite, ordered a bit of room service, and watched some mindless TV to end a wonderful whirlwind of a day.

Of course, I was up just a few hours later and was ready to hit the casino floor. Got my $150 FREEPLAY loaded very quickly at the Red Card desk, and immediately play some 3-play $1 STP short pay video poker. I was hoping for some good CHI, but the machine was just sucking $100 bills, and sucking... and sucking.. so, after 2 glasses of champagne and a few sparkling waters, I decided I needed to hit the dice tables.

$10 dice, with standard 3X/4X/5X strip odds. Great, and I do mean great dealers. (even greater after another glass of Champagne) It was up and down for a bit, and then it started to go up very nicely. My rolls were pretty decent, as well as this one other lady shooter, and this other dude who would hunch over (stick left) and always knock over my odds (I was stick right). Once I was up a few, I knew I should leave, but I really wanted to make a score (I really should know better). Needless to say, that didn't happen, and it was a losing session. At which point, I did what every proper degenerate gambler would do..... take a final shot at the $25 Top Dollar machines ($50 per spin). Hit the bonus at the second spin, and really thought I was in the money. Heck, all I need was like a 100 unit bonus to really make some cash. Instead, I wound up with a 35 unit bonus ($875), played it to around $750, and immediately cashed out. Thankfully, I had recovered my dice loses. What a way to end a whirlwind (3+ hour gambling session).

Went to the Encore Resort Store to pick up some presents, including something sexy for Ellen and a shirt for Joe (my trainer). I'm always promising Joe a present from Vegas, so I figured a nice Encore shirt would do the trick.

Back up to the room, and quickly arranged my limited stuff (it was only a 30 hour trip), and re-packed my backpack. Called down to speak to a host to see if my action warranted anything. Turns out, my 2+ hours of dice was worth $100 in food and beverage credits. Though, I only had around $50 on my room folio (Pellegrino and chicken wings). Luckily, the host said she would carry the $50 forward to my next visit, and gave me her name and email to contact her for my next reservation. Very nice! Impressive, Wynn really does like table players (well, at least a little bit!). Called down to the front desk to check-out, and was on my way to Burger Bar @ Mandalay Place. In addition, requesting a 1PM check-out was no issue (though, this was a midweek stay).

Was very glad to have a final lunch @ Burger Bar with Lion, Foo, AK, and Andrew. It was a great relaxed time (like the entire stay), and I had more than enough time to enjoy lunch before my flight. I had an angus burger topped with Foie Gras, super yum and highly recommended. I also had cole slaw and a side of sweet potato fries!

Lion wisked me off to the MaCarran, and after a stopping by the kiosk to print out my Southwest boarding pass (of which, I checked in online on my iphone); I was off to the gate and a rather quick (due to nice winds) slightly over 4 hour nonstop from Vegas to Manchester, NH!

Wow, what a trip! Too short, but most definitely worth it!

Neglecting the blog, and the beauty of baccarat plaques

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:53:00 +0000

So, I've been neglecting the blog lately.

But, can you really blame me? Well, maybe... but, the ice storm of December 2008 set me back a bit, and now I'm super behind on my stories. Yes, it was a pretty great run at the end of the year. Some of the highlights I promise to talk about further :

- The Caesar's baccarat curse of 2006 is broken, and broken in style. It was destined to happen, and I must happily report that it did happen in the lovely Palace Court at Caesar's Atlantic City. The triple tie at the end of the first shoe was definitely a sign; but I was unstoppable (for a bit) while dealing from very close to the top of my second shoe. Harv witnessed it all, and I predicted that I'd be betting purples! It was amazing, but... you'll have to wait for some details.

Actually, my inspiration to finally get my lazy ass going, and actually post something was a text from Rob C. this evening, from the lovely Eldorado Casino in Reno, Nevada. Seems, that the Eldorado didn't get the memo that it is currently 2009; and that baccarat plaques haven't been used in mainstream casinos (in lower than $5,000 denominations) since the lovely 1980's.

But, plaques are alive and well at the Eldorado in denominations of $100 and up. Rob sent me a text message about the oddity, and was able to snap some pics.

These are used instead of chips for wagers at the Eldorado baccarat tables. The $500 is a little difficult to see, as the color is pink. Rob will have to chime in about the other denominations available at the tables. Pretty sure this was at a mini-baccarat game, which makes it even more odd.

So, now that I've finally posted something,
what I have in store for my upcoming blog posts :

- The epic November baccarat and dice trip to Atlantic City, and a step back into yesterday with dinner at Bacchanal.
- The early December Vegas Palazzo trip, with the most amazing dinner of 2008 at Alex (Wynn) thanks to a most awesome friend
- The final Atlantic City trip of 2008, and also the rush to re-qualify for harrah's diamond. 2+ days, 21+ hours of rated play -- it was a whirlwind
- Back to Vegas again, the first trip of 2009, and the "Pimp-Daddy Suite" sans disco ball

and... well, next week, the super crazy one day trip to Vegas (don't ask!)

POWER IS BACK!

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 19:00:00 +0000

POWER IS BACK!

as of approximately 2PM this afternoon!

Photos of the Ice Storm "ADVENTURE!"

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:31:00 +0000

some photos of the ice storm 2008 adventure...

[pics via a public album on facebook]

UPDATE 20th December, Saturday 11AM

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:10:00 +0000

STILL NO POWER!

Not much more to say..... But, we are making the best of this adventure!

Saturday, December 20, 2008
5:00 a.m.

Find more information at psnhnews.com, including town-by-town outage listings, and a link to follow PSNH updates on Twitter.com/psnh.

Nearly 93 percent of PSNH customers affected by the ice storm have been restored since outages peaked on Friday evening at 322,000.
Today, PSNH’s restoration fleet will grow to its largest count yet, with about 1080 line and tree-trimming crews working to restore power to the nearly 23,500 PSNH customers still without electric service.

Snow or No, Work Continued Around the Clock
Snow fell over many parts of New Hampshire yesterday, and more is predicted for the Sunday. Despite the inclement weather, line and tree crews continued to press on to restore power to affected customers. While the pace of restoration was affected to some degree due to travel and visibility issues with the heavier snowfall that materialized yesterday, progress on major backbone circuits was made, and a number of individual services were restored. No matter what the weather brings, crews will continue to work around the clock to restore power.

UPDATE 16th December 5AM

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 +0000

STILL NO POWER for us, our town has approximately 2,800+ homes of 4,000+ with no power....

and snow is on the way.... but hopefully only around 6"..... hopefully....

Latest News

Tuesday 12/16 5:00 a.m. Update

Service has been restored to about 223,000 PSNH customers since 9 p.m. on Friday evening, as line crews continue to repair damage inflicted by the worst ice storm in New Hampshire history. As of 4:30 a.m. today, about 96,000 PSNH customers remain without power.
More than 550 tree and line crews pushed hard yesterday to restore power to as many PSNH customers as possible, knowing that the “wintery mix” of rain and snow predicted for much of New Hampshire could challenge restoration efforts today and tomorrow.

This morning, over 400 crews will be fully rested and work to restore power to customers during extremely long shifts. This will be another important day for our customers, crews, call center employees and management team. Every employee is focused on restoring power to our customers. They certainly understand what our customers are going through. Most of our employees and their families have been affected as well during this monumental storm event. Many still do not have power at their own homes.
Outages More Extensive in the Southern and Western Areas of the State

The great progress so far has been made in the North Country and Seacoast areas of the state. The Western, Southern, and Central regions of the state still require more work. Crews in these regions have experienced more extensive damage and widespread outages—particularly in the greater Monadnock area, and the communities of Nashua, Derry, and Hudson.

Efforts Monday focused on restoring major and secondary circuits, as well as clearing wires and electrical equipment off roadways, and reconnecting school facilities throughout the state. Given the sheer magnitude of damage, we continue to believe it will take several more days for power to be restored to all of our customers. Customers without power are encouraged to continue to make alternate arrangements for shelter.
Install Generators Correctly to Avoid Potentially Fatal Hazards

One person has been killed and several others injured due to carbon monoxide exposure related to improper generator installation in New Hampshire during the ice storm and its aftermath. PSNH reminds customers that it is critical for their safety and the safety of line workers repairing the electrical system that portable generators be installed correctly. Generators must be properly ventilated to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

To protect line workers, a generator should only attach to the house wiring isolated from the utility supply. Without isolation, power that is being generated through the home could also feed into the PSNH electrical system and possibly electrocute a utility worker. Please take care when installing a portable generator. For more generator safety tips, visit www.psnh.com/Residential/SafetyCenter/Generators.asp.

Lots to share... but, I'm currently a refugee in Boston

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 15:58:00 +0000

Well,

Had a "historic" trip to Atlantic City a few weeks ago (at both dice and big baccarat @ the palace court casino @ Caesar's AC)... had an INCREDIBLE trip to Vegas last week...

But, you're going to have to wait just a "bit" longer for all the stories...

Since, I'm currently a refugee @ the Omni Parker House in Boston, due to the largest ice storm in the history of New Hampshire.

Some details HERE :

Federal State Of Emergency Declared For New Hampshire
Lynch: Expect Prolonged Outages, Seek Warm Shelter

So... spending a few days (and hopefully only a few more) in Boston, making lemonade out of lemons... and of course, enjoying this wonderful city.

The 8AM update this morning from Public Service New Hampshire :

Sunday 08:00 a.m.
As of 8:00 a.m., PSNH reports that about 191,000 customers are without power.

Crews working overnight were able to restore power to approximately 30,000 PSNH Customers. As of 8:00 a.m., PSNH reports that about 191,000 customers are without power, a significant decrease from the 322,000 customers reported at 5 p.m. Friday.

Public Safety – A Top Priority
As the restoration effort is underway, public safety continues to be a top priority. For your safety, customers are warned to refrain from cutting trees and branches that are on top of or touching power lines. Always assume that these wires are energized and can be extremely dangerous. If a downed wire is found, notify PSNH of its location immediately. Please remind children who go outside, to avoid any wire that is on the ground or hanging near the ground, and to notify an adult if a downed or loose wire is seen. Additionally, please recognize that the work being performed by line and tree crew requires strict attention to detail. To help assure the safety of these crews, we ask that you refrain from milling around the employees and their equipment while work is in progress.

Power Restoration – Progress is Steady
The company’s power restoration workforce will be enhanced further today with over 120 additional crews from Maryland, Ohio, and Canada, who arrived throughout Saturday evening and early morning hours on Sunday. In total, there will be 335 line crews on the PSNH system working to restore power. With clear weather expected today, it is anticipated that considerable progress can be made during the day.

Understandably, customers who have been without power are anxious to know when it will be restored. At this time, we are unable to provide precise answers to individual locations, given the magnitude of the damage and debris that must be removed before wires and equipment can be reconnected or replaced. We continue to expect that it will take several more days before power to all customers is restored, and we strongly encourage customers without power to make alternative arrangements for shelter.

The strangest casino in the world... Can you guess?

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:58:00 +0000

It was conceived as a classy casino center boardwalk in Atlantic City. A bit too classy for American Gaming tastes. It was casino number seven in New Jersey. It was constructed on a very tiny piece of land on Florida Avenue and the boardwalk. The unique three-level casino with the minimum 500-room hotel opened on April 14, 1981.

From the Elsinore company history profile "In 1980, Playboy/Elsinore Associates began construction on a $159 million hotel and casino in Atlantic City. The Playboy Hotel and Casino offered 500 hotel rooms and suites, 52,000 square feet of gaming space, 25,000 square feet of convention and meeting facilities, and a 1,000-seat entertainment lounge, the Playboy Cabaret. Elsinore and Playboy sought to attract the international, high roller market with a design modeled on European casinos and Playboy casinos in England. Spread over three floors in small rooms the Playboy provided an intimate setting for gaming, including European favorites such as European Single O Roulette, American Double O Roulette, and Chemin de Fer, a game similar to baccarat. The Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City opened on April 14, 1981."

doorman photo used with permission of Michael Price Photography

The Casino Connection Article, Bunny on the Boardwalk provides some insight on the original design for the hotel.

"The casino ran into obstacles before it was off the drawing board. The Federal Aviation Administration blocked Playboy from building a 33-story hotel tower on its Convention Hall-adjacent plot, claiming it would impede air traffic at Bader Field.

In response, the building’s height was reduced to 22 stories. Las Vegas architect Martin Stern, Jr., who built the Las Vegas Hilton and MGM Grand, designed a green glass tower with a three-level casino and a Playboy Key Club, among other amenities."

On the right and below, are initial artistic renderings of the property.

"After the 1976 referendum allowing casinos in Atlantic City, Playboy shifted gears, since gaming was limited to Atlantic City and not all of New Jersey. In ’77, Playboy Clubs International President Victor Lownes testified at a public hearing that his company was prepared to spend $32 million on a casino project. He further urged that the “English system” be adopted—casinos would be limited to 16 hours and barred from offering players drinks at tables. Casinos would be forbidden from offering live entertainment, and credit would be tightly restricted.
Luckily, Lownes didn’t carry the day—Atlantic City’s casino laws, though stricter than those of Nevada, were decidedly more liberal than Britain’s. But his attitude foreshadowed future problems the Playboy casino would have."

The actual completed Playboy Casino tower, which was quite a bit shorter than originally anticipated.

A number of interior photos show off the classy "English style" casino that Victor Lownes conceived. But, as most know, Atlantic City up until quite recently, has always been driven by the daily (bus-crowd) visitors. Not having a casino level that opened to the boardwalk, as well as an entrance difficult to locate were not going to help this ill-conceived property. In addition, it had the smallest amount of gaming space (split into three levels) of all the Atlantic City properties.

The lovely baccarat pit, which I assume was on the third floor looks like it was an incredible sight.

Of course, this brings up the very interesting topic of Baccarat versus Chemin de Fer play in the state of New Jersey. As far as I know, Chemin de Fer is still authorized by the gaming commission (in New Jersey) as a legitimate casino game.

In my never ending quest for knowledge about Baccarat -- I happened upon the website with the Official Rules of the Games in New Jersey

I was stunned when I saw two entries for Baccarat :

Subchapter 3. Baccarat - Punto Banco
and
Subchapter 4. Baccarat - Chemin De Fer

Now, the first is really just what we would refer to as "American Baccarat" --- but, the "Chemin De Fer" version really surprised me. Now, I know there were some experiments with Chemin De Fer in Vegas (Stardust et al) in the early 70's but it never really caught on. In "shimmy" you actually have a choice, if the [player] card total is a 5 --- you do not disclose the cards, but instead (based on the cards) advise if you will be drawing a 3rd card. The bank hand (with respect to the 3rd card draw) then proceeds by the regular rules.

Per the NJ gaming commission :

19:47-4.9 Procedure for dealing of additional cards
(a) After the initial four cards have been dealt, the Dominant Player shall look at the two cards dealt to the "Player's Hand" without disclosing them to the Banker. If the Point Count of the "Player's Hand" is:
1. A zero, one, two, three or four, the Dominant Player shall request one additional card by announcing "Card";
2. A five, the Dominant Player shall exercise the option of requesting one additional card by announcing "Card" or not requesting one additional card by announcing "Stay";
3. A six or seven, the Dominant Player shall not draw an additional card and shall announce "Stay";
4. An eight or nine, the Dominant Player shall announce "Natural" and all cards in both hands shall be turned immediately face upwards with no additional cards being dealt to either hand.

So, does anyone actually recall playing Chemin De Fer in Atlantic City? It was most definitely listed as one of the games offered at the opening of the Playboy Atlantic City casino. Also, upon further examination, this does seem to be the game that James Bond was playing in the original Casino Royale book.

And, one cannot emphasize enough how amazing it was that the casino floor and public spaces looked out onto the beach and Atlantic Ocean

There has only been discussion very recently, of re-engineering some of the beach zone casinos to actually have windows that look out onto the beach. Casino design for the last 30 years has often focused on no distractions to the outside world, instead creating casino environments that are totally self contained, without clocks or windows. It was great to see Caesars and Ballys open up new Diamond Lounges with incredible views of the ocean and beach.

And, we can't have a "real casino" without a great dice pit. Though, as much of this property was, this gaming area was probably way too upscale for the New Jersey gaming market in the 1980's

"In the end, the CCC issued a license to Elsinore but denied one to Playboy. Playboy then agreed to sell its share in the casino to Elsinore, which re-named the resort the Atlantis—a poor choice, when one thinks about the original fate of the Lost Continent. By the summer of 1984, Playboy Bunnies were out, the giant bunny logo on the crest of the building replaced by a seashell, and the age of Atlantis had begun.

Almost from the start, the casino took on water. In November 1985, it filed for bankruptcy, and continued to struggle for nearly five more years. In the spring of 1989, Donald Trump bought the Atlantis for a mere $63 million. Trump closed the casino and operated the property as the hotel-only Trump Regency.
In May 1996, after a regulatory change allowed him to own four casinos, Trump reopened the property as Trump’s World Fair at Trump Plaza. But this world’s fair was no cash cow; three years later, Trump closed the casino, citing its failure to turn a profit, and demolished it, promising to build a newer, more fantastic resort in its place."

A pretty amazing story, when you consider the classiest and most unique casino to be designed and built on the boardwalk was also the first casino to go bankrupt in Atlantic City. But, also a testament, to the overall corrupt nature of the New Jersey CCC with regard to licensing requirements. The denial of Hefner's license due to a liquor license dispute (in New York City - 20 years earlier) and the controversy over the London Playboy Casino violations would be minor in comparison to the future junk bond financing and suspect financial activities (all considered legal, of course) of the Trump (and Merv Griffin - Resorts) organization over the next few years.

Baccarat for the iphone

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:37:00 +0000

Yes, the wait is over.

There is now an iphone application for baccarat.

The Baccarat Pro interface is pretty snazzy.

The application provides easy access to the rules of the game, as well as a scorecard, and history.

You can keep track of high scores on the leader board. I especially like the card burn feature at the beginning of the shoe, though you are not shown the burn cards. The only odd, or unnatural thing about the game interface is that it sets aside the commission for bank bets when they are placed. This is to prevent you burning through your bankroll and still owing commission. In real life, the casinos know you are on the hook for the commission, and you would just have to dig in your pockets for the balance, if you didn't have it in chips.

A detailed review can be found at the iphone games network website.

Now, one can practice their baccarat strategies all day long!

Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal dead at 79

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:07:00 +0000

On the evening of Oct. 4, 1982, Lefty Rosenthal, the talented professional gambler and gangster-when-necessary who had brought sports betting to casinos in Las Vegas and illicitly run an empire of four hotel casinos, walked out of Tony Roma’s on East Sahara Avenue with an order of takeout ribs. He had just finished dinner with some fellow handicappers, and he was bringing the food home for his two children. When he got into his car, it blew up.

Mr. Rosenthal survived the explosion — later he could not remember whether he had turned the ignition key — but the attempt on his life, for which no one was ever prosecuted, ended his career as one of the most powerful men in Las Vegas. He left the city early the next year and on Monday, at home in Miami Beach, he died. He was 79 and had lived in Florida since the late 1980s.

more details HERE

NY Times obituary is HERE

Rosenthal interview with the Miami Herald in 2008

A nice NPR tribute, Man Behind "Casino" Dies

The Stardust was my absolute favorite Vegas property for many years.

I was friendly with a few baccarat supervisors who worked directly for "Lefty." --- the stories were awesome, one of the many reasons I loved playing big baccarat at the 'dust.

I played the final day-shift big baccarat game at the 'dust back in 2006.

and, I'll never forget the great times I had talking to Shirley in the baccarat room --- the "first" female baccarat dealer in Vegas, trained by "Lefty." Lefty helped train Shirley to be a baccarat dealer, back in the day.

Oh, yes, and they had a great Loyalty Program @ the 'Dust. Chairman and Gold Level were ripe with lots of discretionary perks. ;)

Lefty was one of the last of the true Vegas legends.

ACY

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:18:00 +0000

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Bye Bye Atlantic City

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:04:00 +0000

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Harrah's Waterfront Tower Suite Living Room

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 15:06:00 +0000

This is the living room and dining area for the new one bedroom suites at the Harrah's Waterfront Tower. These suites are located at the end of the halls, and have sweeping views. The suite can connect to the adjacent room, to make a two bedroom configuration.

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I especially like the funky furniture "divider" that separates the dining area from the living room.

and, of course, no suite is ever complete, without the wet bar!

Pool Cabana

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:48:00 +0000

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Harrah's Indoor Pool

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:42:00 +0000

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Three in the row Banco... trying to make it four!

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 04:35:00 +0000

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If you look closely, "Os" on the scorecard represent bankers, there were just 3 Banks followed by a TIE (represented by a --).

I always bet the "repeat TIE" (yes, I know it's a sucker bet, but TIEs often repeat... LOL....)

Also decided to use this opportunity to throw out a bet for the dealer,
so you can see my bet (two black chips $200) with a bet for the dealer (on TOP of my bet) --- and the TIE bet (above the Banker bet).

Dealer is pulling the cards from the shoe, and about to hand over the "Player hand" to the highest bet "Player" to face those cards ("Player" cards are always faced before the "Bank" hand)

Baccarat and Harrah's Atlantic City

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 03:58:00 +0000

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This is a MIDI-Baccarat game @ Harrah's Atlantic City. $25 is the minimum bet, which is great for a table where you can "handle" the cards. Notice how crumpled the PLAYER (hand on the left side) cards are.

While my favorite Baccarat game is Big Baccarat, I can deal with a MIDI game, since you at least get a chance to face the cards. Only big difference from the Big Baccarat game is that the players don't deal (and the shoe doesn't travel around the table).

Players at this table were spreading from approximately $25 to $800, with one woman sitting next to me who was wild with her consistent $75 tie bets (and $25 to $50 Dragon Bonus bets).

Yes, this table has the additional sucker bet, the Dragon Bonus. For more details on the Dragon Bonus, please refer to the Wizard of Odds tables.

From the ShuffleMaster web site :

Dragon Bonus is the industry’s most popular baccarat side bet, and doesn't corrupt the drawing rules or commission structure of baccarat.

To play the Dragon Bonus side bet for baccarat, players must make the Dragon Bonus wager before the dealer reveals any cards. The dealer will then deal and reconcile the traditional baccarat hands according to house procedures.

Natural winners pay even-money on the Dragon Bonus wager and in the event of a natural that ties, the Dragon Bonus wager pushes. Non-natural winners that win by at least four points pay even-money, and the larger the margin of victory, the larger the payout.

Sand Castle

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:09:00 +0000

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ROYAL !!!!

noreply@blogger.com (baccarat_guy) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:26:00 +0000

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