$5

ANTHONY CURTIS’ December 2019 Vol. 36 LasVegasAdvisor Issue 12

THE FRONT YARD Ellis Island ups its game … pg. 4

BARGAINS ON ROOMS Travel portal cuts costs … pg. 1

VEGAS FOR THE HOLIDAYS get into the spirit … pg. 9

ELV 2020 Fab food guide has 17 new selections … pgs. 3, 4

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Stratosphere, Tropicana, Tuscany, Westgate, Wild Wild COUPONOMY West. by Anthony Curtis Under $40 Club: Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, Artisan, California, Downtown Grand, Four Queens, Gold Coast, Harrah’s, Hotel Apache, Orleans, Palace Station, Primm Travel Portal Enhances Valley, Sam’s Town, Santa Fe Station, Serene, Sunset Holiday Room Discounting Station, Whiskey Pete’s. High End: Hard Rock $41, TI $42, Palms $45, NY-NY $47, Aliante $47, Mandalay Bay $48, MGM Last month, the Las Vegas Convention and Visi- Grand $52, Golden Nugget $53, Mirage $55, Paris $56, tors Authority rolled out a new ad campaign aimed at Planet Hollywood $56, $57, Red Rock boosting visitation during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Resort $59, Delano $59, Park MGM $69, Green Valley Thanksgiving doesn’t need that much help, but the Ranch $72, Cromwell $85, MGM Signature $89, Caesars period between the end of the National Finals Rodeo Palace $94, M Resort $95, Hilton Lake Las Vegas $97, and Christmas always does. The campaign’s slogan Vdara $99, Cosmopolitan $103, Trump $109, Aria $119, is “Vegas Changes Everything” and it implies that dull JW Marriott $123, Palazzo $127, Venetian $127, Nobu holidays at home can be spiced up in Las Vegas. OK, $129, Bellagio $134, NoMad $134, $139, Encore maybe that resonates, but another message could eas- $169, Wynn $169, Waldorf Astoria $196, Four Seasons ily have been “Vegas Discounts Everything.” Of course, $200. that’s always been the case between the holidays and These are base rates, meaning they don’t include nowhere are the discounts more evident than in room resort fees. Add in the RFs and things can change rates. Every year in mid-December, rates hit their lowest drastically. For example, OYO (formerly Hooters) has a levels when visitation dwindles in the run-up to Christ- $15.40 base rate, but also a $41.95 resort fee, for a total mas. As we do every December, we’ve conducted the of $57.35. Still not bad for a room that’s just a stone’s AEOTYMRRRU—the “Annual End-Of-The-Year Monster throw from the Strip, but not as sweet as advertised. Room-Rate Round-Up” to illustrate that fact. Circus Circus’ $12.61 base rate gets bumped up to This year brings something new to the survey. Over $44.61 after RF and Golden Gate’s becomes $43. True the past few months, we’ve worked on setting up a new under-$40 rates come in at Texas ($19 base + $19.99 RF low-rate booking avenue that we call the LVA Travel Por- = $38.99) and El Cortez ($20 + $17.95 = $37.95). Good tal. I’ll tell you more about it and how it compared with old Four Queens beats ’em both by virtue of its no-resort other room-booking sources in a bit, but first let’s look at fee policy and a $35 base rate. And the Longhorn out the survey results. on Boulder Hwy. goes Four Queens 10¢ better to take This year’s total of 45 casinos quoting rates of less lowest-total-rate honors at $27 + $7.90 = $34.90. You’ll than $40 (47 if you count two casinos in Primm) is four find an up-to-date list of all resort fees at LasVegasAdvi- fewer than 2018. The total below $30 is 29, five more sor.com. than last year, and this year there were four casinos in This year’s study involved 94 , for which we the “Under $20 Club” (Circus Circus lowest at $12.61) canvassed multiple sources, including direct-to-casino compared to six last year. booking, third-party reselling websites, the LVA codes, Here’s the list. and the new LVA Travel Portal. All listed rates were avail- Under $20 Club: Circus Circus, Golden Gate, OYO, able at the time of our inquiries, but can change at any Texas Station. time—we can’t guarantee that you’ll get all of the listed Under $30 Club: Arizona Charlie’s Boulder, Bally’s, prices. This year’s Golden Week—the period between Boulder Station, the D, Eastside Cannery, El Cortez, the end of the National Finals Rodeo and Christmas— Ellis Island, Excalibur, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, runs December 15-24. This is when you’ll find the best Flamingo, Fremont, , LINQ, Longhorn, Luxor, deals. Opportunities will also be available during the first Main Street Station, Plaza, Rio, Sahara, Silver Sevens, continued on next page DECEMBER 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 1 Couponomy continued … The Travel Portal week of December before the rodeo begins. Our job is to find deals and we’re always on the As always, players club offers for gamblers will yield lookout for the next great play. One difficult area is the best results of all, so watch your mail and email. rooms, because the one consistent go-to place to get Scanning newspaper specials, surfing the Internet, and the best deal doesn’t exist and never has. Different com- monitoring various social media for last-minute deals are panies have different arrangements with different resell- also good strategies. Remember that this study was con- ers, so there are rarely absolutes. For the past several ducted in mid-November, so you can count on new bar- years, we’ve published discount codes at LasVegas gain rates popping up between now and Christmas. n Advisor.com that definitely yield the lowest prices in many instances, but we’re always looking for better, and better may have arrived. The new LVA Travel Portal has been developed in Rooms for NYE conjunction with a partner company that specializes in “distressed” inventory, meaning rooms that the hotels Out of 94 casinos called on Nov. 26, 88 had believe have a higher chance of going unsold. These rooms available for New Year’s Eve, compared to 79 room deals are not publicly available, nor accessible by out of 92 last year. The number of nights is the mini- OTAs like Expedia and Travelocity, which is why you mum required stay; the dollar amount is the total cost need a membership (of sorts) to use it. LVA members (resort fees are not included in the totals). have access automatically (your LVA login gets you into 1 night: Railroad Pass $100, Longhorn $138, the portal). Non-members can gain portal access by Royal Resort $159, Lucky Club $169, Arizona Char- signing up for our free-to-join “LVA Gold” club simply by lie’s Boulder $179, Cannery $180, Eastside Cannery providing a valid email address. The partner was willing $180, Silverton $189, Boulder Station $195, Gold to work with us, because it knows our audience travels Coast $205, Artisan $209, South Point $209, Arizona a lot. And here’s a big bonus, Las Vegas is well-repre- Charlie’s Decatur $219, Hilton Lake LV $239, Fiesta sented in its inventory, but so is every other city in the Rancho $246, Wild Wild West $249, Main Station world, and our agreement allows us to offer the portal $250, Palace Station $259, Westin Lake LV $259, JW for any destination, not just Vegas. Marriott $269, Westgate $269, Texas Station $270, So how did it fare in the survey? The portal offered Silver Sevens $280, Orleans $329, Tuscany $329, the best (or equal) rate in 27 instances. That’s almost California $350, El Cortez $358, Ellis Island $368, 30%, a reasonably good first-time performance. But OYO $391, Fremont $400, Sam’s Town $400, Sun- better yet was the magnitude of saving. The portal coast $400, GVR $470, Tropicana $493, Trump $499, turned up the $12.61 base rate at Circus Circus, which M Resort $535, Four Seasons $554, Waldorf Astoria was 21% below the next best rate. And bigger tickets $1,000. provide bigger savings. A $23.79 rate saved $9.21 per 2 nights: Fiesta Henderson $276, Serene $318, night at Flamingo; a $133.64 rate saved $15.36 per at Santa Fe $320, Hotel Apache $338, Excalibur $348, Bellagio; a $103.31 rate saved $19.69 per at Cosmo; and Aliante $357, Sahara $377, Golden Gate $378, Gold a $59.21 rate saved a remarkable $39.79 per night over Spike Oasis $378, Sunset Station $400, Four Queens the next best price at Delano, a 40% discount. Want $418, the D $433, Hard Rock $440, Palms $448, more? Our existing discount codes came up best in 37 Downtown Grand $458, Plaza $458, Rio $468, Palms comparisons, with only two overlapping with the portal. Place $483, Stratosphere $494, Flamingo $500, Cir- Hence, LVA booking options were best in 62 instances, cus Circus $505, Bally’s $528, Luxor $528, LINQ which is 66% of the time. $538, TI $546, Harrah’s $568, Planet Hollywood $618, Although we used it for this survey, the LVA Travel Paris $636, Golden Nugget $658, Park MGM $678, Portal isn’t live yet. We’re still running tests, incorpo- Red Rock $681, MGM Grand $708, Vdada $729, LAS VEGAS 3665 Procyon Street • Las Vegas, NV 89103 Mandalay Bay $738, Casino Royale $750, MGM (702) 252-0655 • (702) 252-0675 Fax Signature $798, Wynn $799, Palazzo $830, Venetian ADVISOR e-mail: [email protected] • Internet: LasVegasAdvisor.com $830, Delano $838, Encore $899, Cromwell $938, Publisher: Anthony Curtis Customer Service: Nicole Watchus Senior Editor: Deke Castleman Shipping & Receiving: Destin Watts Mirage $943, Cosmopolitan $1,015, Caesars Palace Accounting: John Leitner Contributing Writers: Jeffrey Compton, Bob $1,098, Platinum $1,149, Bellagio $1,158, Aria $1,255, Production Manager: Laurie Cabot Dancer, Stewart Ethier, Bob Fuss, Scot Krause, Web Manager: Tanya Maynard Bradley Peterson, Blair Rodman, Jean Scott Nobu $1,571. Research Assistant: Brenda Stewart Cover Image: Ellis Island Casino 3 nights: New York-New York $1,110. LAS VEGAS ADVISOR (ISSN 1064-167X USPS 008602) is published monthly and is available for $50 per year ($60 Canadian; $70 foreign purchasers) and $5 per single issue at 3665 Procyon St., Las Vegas, NV, 89103. POSTMASTER: Send address Sold Out: Buffalo Bill’s, Elara, Nomad, Primm, changes to Las Vegas Advisor, 3665 Procyon St., Las Vegas, NV 89103. All information is current at press time. Listed offerings Westin, Whiskey Pete’s. are subject to change at any time. Huntington Press ©2019

2 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • DECEMBER 2019 rating best practices (like making sure resort fees are transparent in pricing), and perfecting the interface—this Las Vegas’ Top Ten Values presentation is extremely easy to navigate. We expect to launch before the end of the year. n 1. Room Rates • Four Queens et al • $35 and up 2. Steak Dinner • Ellis Island • 24 hours • $7.99 3. Buffet • Palace Station • Daily • $9.99-$16.99 ELV 2020 4. Mac King • Harrah’s • Tues.–Sat. • $14.98 5. Hot Dog • South Point • Daily • $1.25 6. Beer • Stage Door • 24 hours • $1 The 2020 edition of Eating Las Vegas—The 52 7. Shrimp Cocktail • Skyline • Daily • $2.25 Essential Restaurants by John Curtas will be back from 8. Breakfast • Arizona Charlie’s • Daily • $5.99 the printer any day now. Unlike last year’s book that 9. $1 Blackjack • OYO • 24 hours • $1.20 was essentially a detailed update of 2018, this new edi- tion is completely redone. Seventeen new restaurants 10. Football Contest • Boyd Casinos • Weekly • Free have been added to the “Essential 52” and many that were taken out are in a new section called “Close, but Room rates are #1 this month due to the tradi- No Cigar”; the back-of-the-book has dozens of new rec- tional deep discounting in December. This year’s tally ommendations as well. John has also included a pithy checks in with 47 casinos offering rooms for less than essay on “The Future of Las Vegas Dining,” along with $40 (base rate). Check out the results in Couponomy new sections on lunch and downtown restaurants, and and read about the new LVA Travel Portal that contrib- his “Bottom 10” will have you rolling. uted to several of the best finds. The Ellis Island steak It makes a heck of a stocking stuffer for frequent dinner (#2) is served 24/7 in the Café, get the $7.99 (and even infrequent) Vegas visitors and locals. Read an price by playing at least $5 in any slot machine with excerpt in Dining and check out the wrap for more details your club card inserted, then downloading the required about ELV 2020 and our publisher’s discount. n discount coupon from an EI kiosk. If you don’t want to play, you can get it for $9.99 ($3 off the listed price) just by downloading a coupon from the kiosk that’s available to everyone with a club card. Check out the Holiday Catalog new Front Yard entertainment venue while you’re there (see News). The Feast Buffet at Palace Station (#3) is Our holiday catalog is posted at LasVegasAdvisor. our choice for Las Vegas’ best buffet when consider- com, with lots of choices for holiday gifts and stocking ing the combination of quality and price; get the listed stuffers to help alleviate some of your gift-giving chal- prices by showing a Boarding Pass card. Get a ticket lenges. As always, many of our products are available to the Mac King Comedy Magic Show and a drink for less than you’ll find from other sources. Order early for $14.98 by asking at the players club booth (#4). to get your items by Christmas. The hot dogs at South Point (#5) are sold from a cart Here’s wishing everyone a fantastic holiday. n in the sports book from 10 am until they close down the cart around 5 pm. Michelob and Michelob Light are $1 at the Stage Door slot house on Flamingo, just east of the Strip (#6); a ¼-pound hot dog and a Michelob is $3. The Skyline shrimp cocktail (#7) is NEWS available 24/7 at the main bar. The steak or ham & eggs at either Arizona Charlie’s (#8) is served in the Sourdough Cafés for $5.99 when you show your club Resorts World—The grand opening of Resorts card, available 24 hours at Decatur and 6 am-mid. World Las Vegas has been pushed back from late 2020 weekdays and 24 hours weekends at Boulder. OYO’s to summer 2021. In addition, the price tag for the 3,500- $1-minimum blackjack game (#9) runs 24/7 in the pit; room megaresort has increased by $300 million to $4.3 naturals pay even money on bets of $1-$4. The $1.20 billion. Along with the delay comes changes in concept. listed cost is your expected loss for one hour of play Previously focal, the Asian theming will now be minimal, at these stakes. You have one more month to play the manifesting as a “luxury experience with Asian-inspired free “Pick the Pros” football contest (#10). Swipe your touches.” The resort will include a 5,000-seat theater B Connected players card on a kiosk at Gold Coast, for residencies and events, a 75,000-square-foot night- Suncoast, Orleans, Sam’s Town, Aliante, Fremont, club and dayclub, and a 220,000-square-foot pool area. California, or Main Street Station for a shot at $30,000 Ample unused space in the 88-acre property will be every week. Must submit picks before the kick-off of available for future expansion. the week’s first Sunday game. continued on next page

DECEMBER 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 3 News continued … up 6.8% in September compared to the same month last year. The Strip win was up 7.0%, while downtown logged a big 19.9% increase. It was the fourth consecu- The Drew—If you’re looking for confirmation that tive month of increases for the state and after starting The Drew (formerly Fontainebleau) is for real, you may the year with five consecutive declines, the year-to-date have it in the naming of Bobby Baldwin as CEO. The number is back in positive territory at +1.4%. long-time Las Vegas casino executive and former World Visitor volume was up .5%, making four consecu- Series of Poker Main Event Champion is emerging from tive months of increases. Convention traffic remained a a short retirement to oversee the completion of the proj- strong contributor, up 4.9%. ect. The announcement of Baldwin’s appointment was Airline traffic was up 6.8% for a 12th straight month accompanied by a new completion date for the Drew, of increases. The year-to-date count is +3.4%. n which is now scheduled to open in 2022. (See Entertain- ment for more on Baldwin.) Ellis Island—Announced in July 2017, the Front Sports Betting Scorecard Yard at Ellis Island will finally open on December 6. The two-story indoor-outdoor beer garden and restaurant th fill the entire “front yard” of the casino; it’s temperature- Colorado has become the 19 state to legal- controlled, with big picture windows overlooking the ize sports betting, resulting from a surprisingly close Strip from the upper level (retractable shades can block 51%-49% vote. Beginning in May 2020, Colorado’s 33 the sun and heat); a bar with video poker and another casinos will be allowed to offer in-person and online just for drinking; numerous TV screens, including one wagering. that’s 18 feet wide; and a display of constantly chang- Last month saw action toward legalization in two key ing exterior colors. It has its own kitchen for sports bar states: Florida and California. A bill was filed by a state food and the beer will be served direct from Ellis Island’s senator in Florida, while 18 California Native American microbrewery. Get a gander on this issue’s cover. tribes endorsed a statewide ballot referendum to legalize Palms—KAOS, the nightclub/dayclub that opened in betting at casinos and racetracks. Both states figure to March as part of the nearly $700 million renovation and be a ways away from the finish line, but it’s a start. upgrading of the Palms, closed unexpectedly in early Follow the progress of sports betting legalization November. Palms management says it will “reassess the across the country and track developments as they n programming and use of the pool area,” where KAOS occur via our blog and map at LasVegasAdvisor.com. was located. Virgin/Hard Rock—The conversion from the Hard Rock to Virgin Las Vegas has begun with the demolition of the Hard Rock Café, which opened in 1990 and has DINING stood in front of the Hard Rock casino since it debuted in 1995. The café has been closed since 2016. Viva Vision—Downtown’s Viva Vision canopy has Eating Las Vegas completed the $32 million upgrade it began six months ago, installing the new LED panels that will make the screen seven times brighter, with four times more reso- Hatsumi lution, than the old screen. The new high-res graphics will be unveiled on New Year’s Eve. Editor’s Note: This review comes from Eating Las Indiana—Horseshoe Southern Indiana will change Vegas 2020. Hatsumi is one of 17 restaurants new to the its name to Caesars Southern Indiana when it opens its list of the “52 Essential Restaurants.” new land-based casino this month after a $90 million renovation. It originally opened as a riverboat casino in You’ll notice three things about Hatsumi as you ap- 1998. proach it: 1) the strange slightly forbidding neighborhood; Washington—The $370 million Emerald Queen 2) the walled-off fortress that encases it; and 3) its nonde- Casino is scheduled to open this month near Tacoma. It script entrance. None of these gives you a clue that a sensa- will be one of Washington’s largest casino resorts, with a tional robatayaki/yakitori restaurant (operated by a bunch 310,000-square-foot casino, a 2,000-seat events center, of gaijin, no less) lies within. Take the plunge, pilgrim, be- and a hotel in the works. The original Emerald Queen cause excellent eats beckon at Ferguson’s Motel—the Down- was a riverboat in Mississippi that was purchased by the town Project’s latest uber-cool real estate venture—courtesy Puyallup Tribe in 1996 and sailed to Washington where it of Dan Krohmer, one of our most successful local chefs. operated until 2004. Once you enter the restaurant, things start to make Statistics—Nevada’s statewide gambling win was sense. The skinny room is situated sideways, with the open

4 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • DECEMBER 2019 kitchen and bar a couple of steps from the doorway. To the Late-Night Buffet Folds left and right are comfortable booths, and what at first seems odd quickly becomes surprisingly comfy and welcoming. Krohmer’s other restaurant, Other Mama, is all about Another graveyard buffet has bitten the dust. It seafood and he’s received much local acclaim for his lasted a year, but Palace Station’s Late-Night Feast was unique spin on sushi, crudo, and all things swimming. With discontinued last month, once again leaving Las Vegas Hatsumi, he’s ditched the fish yanagi (knife) for a barnyard without a 24-hour buffet option. Why don’t these all- yaki (grill) in order to marinate, skewer, and quickly cook a night buffets stick? One reason is that many potential host of bite-size Japanese delicacies, the sort of quickly con- late-night diners are out on the Strip, having spent the sumed food you find underneath train tracks all over Tokyo. night partying in the clubs, and making their way to an Before you get to those skewers, however, you should off-Strip location isn’t convenient. At the same time, first head straight to the okonomiyaki, a savory cabbage locals have plenty of options in Chinatown restaurants pancake spiked with shrimp and bacon that pushes all the and bars with 24-hour kitchens that are closer to home. right umami buttons. Then proceed to the breaded and In other buffet news the price of the all-day pass for deep-fried eggplant katsu, which will have even eggplant ’ Medley Buffet has been raised by $1 to $34 haters reflexively grabbing for second bites. Both of these ($38 on Fridays). The price of the Wynn Las Vegas din- come under the “Plates” section of the menu and are meant ner buffet has been lowered by $5 to $44.99. n to be shared, as are the gyoza (underneath the crispy lat- ticework cover that’s all the rage), beef tataki salad (swim- ming in ponzu), and lomi lomi (ocean trout, also swimming Original Lotus Returns in the chili-enhanced citrus-soy sauce). Less acidic, but equally satisfying, are the poached chicken salad, nicely dressed with mild miso vinaigrette and full of big chunks of Lotus of Siam says it will reopen its original loca- cashews, and asparagus chawanmushi, a baked, grainy, tion in Commercial Center on East Sahara this month. white tofu custard that tastes better than it looks. If it’s avail- That restaurant closed in September 2017 after heavy able, get the crispy quail breast stuffed with ground pork rains collapsed the roof and a new location opened and flecked with veggies. Unless you’re a tofu lover, skip three months later on E. Flamingo. The original Lotus will the house-made stuff—the bland leading the bland. You’re serve lunch and dinner on weekdays and dinner only on better off with the pickled vegetables; they’re a lot tastier weekends. The Flamingo location will remain open, and and a treat unto themselves. a third Lotus is planned for a new strip mall, the Bend, The skewers, lots of them, are grilled carefully over at W. Sunset and Durango; no opening date has been n binchotan charcoal and glazed with sweet soy. The perfect announced for that location. bar food. For all of its Asian food bona fides, Las Vegas hasn’t had a pure yakitori restaurant (specializing in grilling chicken parts) until now. Heart, liver, thigh, skin, meatball, Serrano Lunch Special you name it, if it’s edible, they’ll thread it on a skewer and deliver a compact package of succulent morsels to your table, on point and perfect. Similar to the lunch special in Estiatorio Milos at Krohmer’s menu is striking in its insistence on hewing the neighboring Cosmopolitan, Julian Serrano Tapas closely to the izakaya template. How he carefully articulates at Aria has its own power-lunch offering. The Serrano the flavors of Japan, without compromise, is something to deal is $29 for a 29-minute three-course experience, behold. What you wash it all down with will involve either meaning that all three dishes will be served in less than a cocktail, beer, or sake. (The wine list is practically non-ex- a half-hour. There are three choices for each course: istent, just like in Japan.) The selection of sakes is impressive chicken croquetas, gazpacho andaluz, or ensalada mixta and priced for all budgets. Bottles are offered in both 300 ml for the first course; black rice risotto, tuna cones, or and 720 ml sizes, making light imbibing a breeze if you’re a tostada manchega for the second; and gambas (sautéed party of one or two. Nothing goes better with this food. shrimp), Cuban sandwich (Kurobuta pork, ham, and As for dessert, Japanese restaurants are to sweets what Swiss cheese), or albondigas (prime rib meatballs) for French restaurants are to sushi. Skip it and have another the third. If you’re still hungry (you probably won’t be), sake. you can add a dessert for $6. Our party of four got a Get This—Gyoza; beef tataki; lomi lomi; crispy quail; good sampling, with favorites being the salad (with arti- eggplant katsu; okonomiyaki; asparagus chawanmushi; choke and egg), the risotto (with calamari and shrimp), pork belly with turnip kimchi; skewers, skewers and more the Cuban, and the albondigas meatballs. skewers, especially: miso chicken breast, skin, heart, meat- The room is beautiful and the service is as fast as ball, thigh, and liver; pork belly, beef tongue; veal sweet- advertised. Fast enough, in fact, that you might be able n to get back to your car within Aria’s one-hour free-park- breads, lamb leg, beef filet, okra, eggplant, quail. continued on page 8

DECEMBER 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 5 ADVANCE PLANNER—HEADLINERS AND EVENTS

DECEMBER 12/12 • Ray Wylie Hubbard 12/30–12/31 • Maroon 5 • MBay • $79–$230 12/1 • Jeff Dunham Golden Nugget • $29–$109 12/31 • Absolute • Suncoast • $34–$59 Caesars Palace • $46–$83 12/13 • Chad Prather 12/31 • ConFunkShun 12/1–12/4 • Aerosmith Treasure Island • $39/$54 Orleans • $50/$70 Park MGM • $68–$821 12/13 • Jamey Johnson 12/31 • Doug Stanhope • Plaza • $99 12/4–12/5 • Old Dominion Golden Nugget • $79–$229 12/31 • DSB • Cannery • $35–$75 Hard Rock • $29.50 12/13 • Koe Wetzel • Hard Rock • $20/$35 12/31 • Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano 12/4–12/14 • Dwight Yoakam 12/13–12/14 • Anders Osborne Park MGM • $307–$505 Wynn LV • $59.50–$175 Brooklyn Bowl • $20 12/31 • Rhythm Nation & DJ Twin 12/4–12/14 • Reba Brooks & Dunn 12/14 • Carpenter’s Christmas Aliante • $35–$85 Caesars Palace • $55–$189 Suncoast • $19–$32 12/31 • Stick Figure 12/5 • Jim Gaffigan 12/14 • Dan Band Holiday Show Brooklyn Bowl • $50.50–$80 Wynn LV • $59.50–$129.50 MBay • $15–$50 12/31 • Third Eye Blind 12/5 • Terri Clark • GN • $39–$99 12/14 • Kiefer Sutherland MBay • $157–$475 12/5–12/14 • National Finals Rodeo Red Rock Resort • $49/$79 JANUARY T&M • $73 12/14 • Kip Moore and Midland 1/1–1/4 • Paula Abdul 12/5–12/14 • Rodney Carrington Cosmo • $49/$59 Flamingo LV • $69–$199 MGM Grand • $59.99–$89.99 12/14 • Led Zepagain • Cannery • $19/$22 1/3 • Jack Russell’s Great White 12/6 • Bill Engvall • TI • $65/$81 12/14 • UFC 245 Golden Nugget • $29–$99 12/6 • Clay Walker • GN • $69–$179 T-Mobile • $125–$650 1/3 • Kenny Cetera’s Chicago 12/6 • Wade Bowen & Am. Aquarium 12/15 • Ariana Grande Experience • GVR • $19 Brooklyn Bowl • $24/$29 MGM Grand • $59.95–$279.95 1/4 • Queen Nation: Queen Tribute 12/6 • Not So Silent Night 12/15 • Carpenter’s Christmas GVR • $19 Cosmo • $29–$79 Orleans • $20–$33 1/8–1/11 • David Lee Roth 12/6 • Tanya Tucker • GN • $59–$149 12/15 • Thievery Corporation MBay • $63–$129 12/6–12/7 • Gary Allan Brooklyn Bowl • $35–$55 1/9–1/11 • Tim Meadows • Plaza • $25/$50 Hard Rock • $39.50–$110 12/17–12/31 • Paula Abdul 1/10 • Gary Puckett and The Union Gap 12/6–12/7 • George Strait Flamingo LV • $69–$199 Golden Nugget • $39–$129 T-Mobile • $50–$550 12/19–12/22 • Tony Orlando’s Christmas Show 1/10–1/12 • My Mother’s Italian … 12/6–12/7 • Intersect Music Festival • MGM South Point • $50–$60 South Point • $30–$40 Festival Grounds • $259–$849 12/20 • Dizzy Wright & Rittz 1/10–1/18 • Keith Urban 12/6–12/8 • Jason Aldean Brooklyn Bowl • $22/$25 Caesars Palace • $79–$249 Park MGM • $115–$295 12/20 • The Grass Roots 1/11 • Joyce Manor • Hard Rock • $21 12/6–12/14 • Ron White • Mirage • $68–$88 Golden Nugget • $39–$129 1/11 • King James Brown 12/6–12/18 • Shania Twain 12/20–12/21 • Chris Isaak Cannery • $19.95/$24.95 Planet Hollywood • $70–$289 Wynn LV • $49.50–$125 1/11 • Petty & The Heartshakers: 12/6–12/22 • Shin Lim • Mirage • $70–$240 12/20–12/21 • Peter White Christmas Tribute • Suncoast • $19–$24 12/7 • Albumpalooza Aliante • $40–$75 1/14 • Rex Orange County Santa Fe Station • $19 12/21 • Bill Burr • Cosmo • $49–$159 Brooklyn Bowl • $35/$40 12/7 • Andrea Bocelli 12/21 • Bleachers • MBay • $30–$60 1/16–1/31 • Dionne Warwick MGM Grand • $82–$418.25 12/21 • December 63 Caesars Palace • $125–$150 12/7 • John Michael Montgomery Cannery • $25/$35 1/17 • Ambrosia • GN • $29–$109 Golden Nugget • $49–$139 12/21 • Martin Nievera and Pops 1/17–1/18 • Frankie Moreno 12/7 • Peace Frog: Doors Tribute Fernandez • M Resort • $33–$108 South Point • $20–$30 Cannery • $19/$22 12/21 • Wanted • GVR • $19 1/17–1/18 • Ray Romano & David Spade 12/7 • The HU • Brooklyn Bowl • $20/$25 12/27 • Night Ranger • GN • $59–$169 Mirage • $87–$126 12/8 • Charlie Daniels Band 12/27–12/29 • Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds 1/17–1/19 • Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds Golden Nugget • $59–$179 Mirage • $40–$61 Mirage • $40–$61 12/8 • Gregory Alan Isakov 12/27–12/31 • Christina Aguilera 1/18 • Little River Band Brooklyn Bowl • $31/$36 Planet Hollywood • $60–$226 Orleans • $50–$60 12/9 • Mark Shunock • Palms • $20 12/27–12/31 • Journey 1/18 • The 5th Dimension 12/9 • Ronnie Milsap Caesars Palace • $91–$550 Cannery • $29.95/$39.95 Golden Nugget • $39–$129 12/28 • Bee Gees Gold: Tribute 1/18 • The Long Run: Eagles Tribute 12/10 • Tracy Lawrence Suncoast • $19/$22 Suncoast • $19–$24 Golden Nugget • $59–$179 12/28 • Big Bad Voodoo Daddy 1/18 • Tiffany Haddish 12/11 • Modest Mouse Orleans • $30–$50 Park MGM • $45–$137 Brooklyn Bowl • $58.75–$89.75 12/28 • Jay Leno • Mirage • $65–$87 1/18 • Will Downing 12/11 • Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan 12/28–12/30 • Brian Newman Santa Fe Station • $36–$56 Golden Nugget • $49–$139 NoMad LV • $63–$127 1/19 • Chris Tucker 12/12 • Cody Johnson 12/28–12/30 • Lady Gaga Enigma Wynn LV • $59.95–$139.95 Hard Rock • $25–$100 Park MGM • $230–$900 1/19 • Styx • Palms • $45–$229

6 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • DECEMBER 2019 ADVANCE PLANNER—HEADLINERS AND EVENTS

1/22–1/31 • Carlos Santana 2/19–2/29 • Classic Cher SHOW NOTES MBay • $99–$373 Park MGM • $55–$362 1/24 • Dia Nacional De La Banda 2/20 • Dweezil Zappa • Ticket prices for Chippendales at the T-Mobile • $39–$439 Brooklyn Bowl • $35–$75 Rio have been decreased from $73.15- 1/24 • Raphael Saadiq 2/21–2/22 • Tim Allen • Mirage • $65–$87 $185.61 to $66.70-$185.61. Brooklyn Bowl • $35–$175 2/21–2/23 • Peter Noone 1/24 • The Cowsills • GN • $29–$99 South Point • $45–$55 • Ticket prices for Hans Klok: The World’s 1/24–1/25 • Ron White • Mirage • $68–$88 2/26–2/29 • Christina Aguilera Fastest Magician at Excalibur have been 1/24–1/26 • Rob Schneider Planet Hollywood • $60–$226 decreased from $73.56-$142.67 to South Point • $30–$40 2/27 • Thrice • Brooklyn Bowl • $28/$32 $57.60-$123. 1/24–2/1 • Foreigner • Venetian • $45–$256 2/28 • Joey Diaz • TI • $30–$54 • Aussie Heat has closed at the V Theater. 1/25 • Arch Allies • Cannery • $20–$33 2/28–2/29 • Chicago • Venetian • $45–$275 1/25 • Calibash • T-Mobile • $80–$577 2/28–2/29 • Ray Romano & David Spade 1/25 • Heart of Rock & Roll: Huey Lewis Mirage • $87–$126 Tribute • Suncoast • $19–$24 2/28–3/1 • Capitol Steps 1/25 • Tyler Henry South Point • $25–$35 Palms • $39.95–$249.95 MARCH 1/29–1/31 • Aerosmith • Park MGM • $68–$821 3/1 • Shin Lim • Mirage • $43–$250 1/30 • The Marcus King Band 3/4–3/6 • Christina Aguilera Brooklyn Bowl • $27.50–$77.50 Planet Hollywood • $60–$226 1/31 • Shin Lim • Mirage • $43–$250 3/4–3/7 • Dwight Yoakam 1/31 • Van Morrison Wynn LV • $59.50–$175 Caesars Palace • $70–$329 3/4–3/14 • Chicago • Venetian • $45–$275 1/31–2/1 • George Strait • T-Mobile • $75–$499 3/5 • Donavon Frankenreiter FEBRUARY Brooklyn Bowl • $25/$27 2/1 • Carlos Santana • MBay • $99–$373 3/5–3/8 • Women’s Basketball Tournament 2/1 • Periphery IV Hail Stan MBay • $105–$360 Brooklyn Bowl • $27.50 3/5–3/28 • Barry Manilow 2/1–2/8 • Van Morrison Westgate LV • $49–$350 Caesars Palace • $70–$329 3/6 • Richard Cheese 2/1–2/29 • Dionne Warwick Red Rock Resort • $44–$69 Caesars Palace • $125/$150 3/6–3/7 • Tom Segura • Mirage • $65–$87 2/1–2/29 • Shin Lim • Mirage • $43–$250 3/6–3/14 • Billy Idol • Palms • $39.50–$159.95 2/3–2/15 • Aerosmith • Park MGM • $68–$821 3/6–3/21 • Rod Stewart 2/6 • Nikki Glaser • Mirage • $40–$150 Caesars Palace • $49–$239 2/7–2/8 • Dermot Kennedy 3/11–3/13 • 311 Day 2020 Palms • $32–$73 Park MGM • $184 2/7–2/8 • Iliza • Mirage • $43–$174 3/11–3/13 • The Ultimate 311 2/7–2/22 • Gwen Stefani Park MGM • $199.50–$299.50 Planet Hollywood • $40–$250 3/11–3/14 • Lionel Richie 2/7–2/22 • The Doobie Brothers Wynn LV • $69.50–$350 Venetian • $62.95–$325.95 3/13 • Dance Gavin Dance 2/8 • Brian McKnight Brooklyn Bowl • $29.50–$40 Encore • $49.50–$115 3/13–3/14 • Bill Maher • Mirage • $65–$104 2/13–2/22 • Barry Manilow 3/13–3/15 • ToyCon Westgate LV • $49–$350 Eastside Cannery • $10–$25 2/14 • Shaun Cassidy • GVR • $29–$59 3/13–3/28 • Shania Twain 2/14–2/15 • Dierks Bentley Planet Hollywood • $70–$289 Cosmo • $40–$275 3/15 • IL Volo • Palms • $45–$275 2/14–2/29 • Mariah Carey 3/15 • Jeff Dunham Caesars Palace • $55–$250 Caesars Palace • $46–$83 2/15 • Bobby Caldwell 3/15 • Rebel Souljahz Santa Fe Station • $24–$44 Brooklyn Bowl • $27.50/$30 2/15 • Box Tops • Suncoast • $19–$34 3/18–3/28 • David Lee Roth 2/15 • Edwin McCain MBay • $63–$129 Sunset Station • $36.50 3/19–3/22 • Ween • Brooklyn Bowl • $178 2/15 • Los Temerarios • MBay • $49–$245 3/20 • André Rieu • T-Mobile • $74–$144 2/16 • Jeff Dunham 3/20–3/21 • Daniel Tosh • Mirage • $65–$106 Caesars Palace • $46–$83 3/21 • Ana Gabriel • MBay • $49–$119 2/19–2/22 • Sarah McLachlan 3/24–4/4 • Robbie Williams See inside wrap for “Weather,” Wynn LV • $59.50–$179.50 Wynn LV • $69.50–$325 “Room Rates,” and “Key Dates.”

DECEMBER 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 7 Dining continued … is a place where you can grab a beer and just graze till you’re full. We hit it hard and before drinks the bill for two was $86, but most of the skewers are $3-$5, so get- ing grace period. It makes more sense, however, to park ting out for half that is easily done. for free in the Miracle Mile parking garage across the John mentions the “slightly forbidding neighbor- street and walk over (the same advice we gave for the hood,” the “walled-off fortress,” and the “nondescript Milos lunch). We rate the Milos experience the better of entrance,” so let’s take a closer look. These things the two, but Serrano is the play if you’re in a hurry. You actually have a lot to do with Hatsumi’s charm (they won’t be disappointed by either. The Serrano special convey the feeling that you must be in the know or you runs daily from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. n wouldn’t be here in the first place). The neighborhood is East Fremont, so you could call it forbidding, not so much because it feels dangerous, but that it’s just an older less-traveled part of town. That “fortress” is made up of the outer walls and structures that came with Fer- guson’s Motel complex (including La Monja, the Mexican restaurant from the same owner that we reviewed last month) and the security presence at the entrance gate keeps (clockwise from left) Chicken croquetas, albondigas meatballs, and tostada manchega at Julian Serrano’s everything in check. When you walk through the gate, look for the restaurant door Jackpot Super Platter on the left—those hidden venues that are all the rage on the Strip don’t have During televised NFL and anything on Hatsumi. games, Jackpot Bar & Grill sells the super platter, a bar- There are no TVs food junkie’s wet dream made up of four sliders, chicken inside and the bathrooms are outside. Also outside is wings, chicken fingers, fries, and nachos, with all the the grassy commons, where a free concert might be in necessary dips and toppings. The super platter easily progress, as it was when we were there, adding to the feeds four and it’s just $15.99. You have to see this one evening’s experience. We’re not sure if there’s a set n to believe it (so take a look). schedule for the music, but you can learn more about plans for the place at fergusonsdowntown.com. n

Super platter at Jackpot

Hatsumi A concert in the Ferguson’s commons

We don’t have much to add to the food recom- mendations in the ELV review of Hatsumi. The eggplant Dining Notes katsu and lomi lomi are excellent starters, then, as John says, you can tear into the skewers. Offal lovers can go Vegan Market—Veg-In-Out, the first all-vegan gro- to town, with heart, liver, tongue, and sweetbreads on cery store in the city, has opened at 2301 E. Sunset Rd. the menu. Or steer clear of the innards with Kobe beef, at Eastern. The store features boxed, canned, refriger- lamb leg, quail, shrimp, shishito peppers, and more. This ated, and frozen products, including vegan ice cream

8 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • DECEMBER 2019 and candy bars, though no produce (Veg-In-Out might Las Vegas, b.B.d.’s has closed abruptly at Palace Sta- expand into fruits and vegetables at a later date). A por- tion. A press release indicates that the restaurant plans tion of the net proceeds are donated to a different ani- to move to a new location. A replacement for the Palace mal nonprofit each month. Station space has not been named. Chowder correction—In last month’s review of the Mandalay Bay’s Red Square Russian restaurant that clam chowder at the Crown & Anchor bars, we identi- opened with the resort in 1999 has closed. The restau- fied it as “Manhattan (white).” The white part was right, rant was famous for its statue of a headless Vladimir but as several readers pointed out, the white chowder is Lenin, which stood in front of the restaurant. New England. Naked Pizza has closed at the El Cortez. n Chicken update—The price of the whole rotisserie chicken at Peru Chicken (LVA 11/14) has gone up $1 to $18.95. Rum Runner Burger—Rum Runner Tropicana’s build-a- burger deal that was $3.75 plus 30¢-75¢ for add-ons when ENTERTAINMENT we wrote about it in 2009 is now $5.99 and 50¢-$1.25. It’s still a good burger play (prices tend to be higher when you haven’t checked them in a decade). See Entertainment for Holidays more on the Rum Runner. n

The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) comes to town Openings/Closings Dec. 5-14. During this period, several casinos host country & western acts in their lounges and showrooms (see the Advance Planner). Many run special parties and Celebrity chef David Chang’s Majordomo Meat promotions to draw rodeo business, but those that tradi- & Fish is scheduled to open Dec. 12 at Palazzo. It’s tionally promote vigorously, often airing telecasts of the Chang’s second Las Vegas restaurant along with Momo- events, include Gold Coast, Orleans, Sam’s Town, Hard fuku at the Cosmopolitan. Rock, the D, South Point, TI, OYO, and Silverton. Aria has announced that Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese Vegas is highly underrated for its holiday efforts, and restaurant chain known for its xiao long bao (a Shang- as always, lots of spots will be sponsoring free festivi- hainese-style steamed bun), will open next year in the ties, including The Park at NY-NY (“Holiday Experience space formerly occupied by the Aria Café. Din Tai Fung at the Park”), Promenade (nightly snow), Cos- launched its first U.S. location in 2000 in Arcadia, CA; it mopolitan (“Little Winter” digital displays), Aria lobby now has seven locations in southern California, one in (gingerbread house), Sam’s Town’s Mystic Falls (holiday northern California, one in Oregon, and four in Washing- laser show and “Cowboy Santa”), Silverton (“Underwa- ton. This will be its first Las Vegas restaurant. ter Santa”), Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, Gordon Ramsay is opening a sixth Las Vegas res- Venetian/Palazzo atrium, Wynn Las Vegas atrium, Ethel taurant—an Asian-influenced eatery called Lucky Cat, M Cactus Garden, Fremont Street Experience/Container which Ramsay also operates in London. The location of Park, (“hologram holiday experi- the Las Vegas version, expected to debut next year, was ence”), the and shopping not divulged. districts, Wet ‘n’ Wild (“Las Vegas Christmas Town”), According to a sign on a building in the Windmill Cowabunga Bay (“Christmas Town”), and Downtown (retail) Plaza on the west side of town, Harold’s Chicken Summerlin. Shack, originally opened in 1950 in Chicago, is return- So far, the Fremont Street Experience boasts the ing to Las Vegas. A Harold’s operated for a couple years tallest-announced Christmas tree at 50 feet. Only the here, but closed in 2012. The sign says only that the Cosmopolitan ($25), Rock Rink in Summerlin ($15), and restaurant is “coming soon.” City National Arena ($13) have announced ice-skating Carnegie Deli at will close in February. rinks open to the public, but others seem to pop up The closing continues an exodus of kosher-style delis every year. Similarly, additional holiday events show up on the Strip—the Stage Deli at MGM Grand closed two in early December. For a complete list of everything we years ago and Canter’s Deli at Treasure Island closed hear about, check our holiday-events blog at LasVegas in 2012, then reopened and closed at The LINQ Prom- Advisor.com. enade. Greenberg’s Deli in the food court at New York- Admission to “America’s Party Downtown” is $35 New York is the only one left. Carnegie will be replaced (plus taxes & fees). Details about the NYE Strip fireworks with a “new fast-casual concept.” display aren’t announced till mid-December, but another After only about a year in operation and lots of good elaborate “America’s Party” show is expected. reviews (it was even one of the “52 Essential” in Eating continued on next page

DECEMBER 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 9 Entertainment continued … pool game and proceeded to run the stake up to $17 million before blowing it all back. The pool tables are still there, as is one of the city’s longest-tenured playable Many productions are on hiatus this month. Follow- foosball tables. The attached Badger Café features a ing is a list of dark days (no performances) for the major build-your-own hamburger (see Dining) and it’s a gather- shows. All dates are in December and most shows are ing place for watching Wisconsin Badgers and Green dark Dec. 31: Bally’s Potted Potter 25; Xavier Mortimer’s Bay Packers games. There are two other Rum Runners Magical Dream 1-4; Bellagio O 2-16; Binion’s Ghost in town, but the one on Trop, about three miles east of Hunt 7, 14, 28; Talking Paranormal 7, 14, 28; Hypnosis the Strip, is the original. Drop in for a beer and some Unleashed 20-24; Caesars Palace Wayne Newton 16-18, nostalgia. n 23-25; Cosmopolitan Opium 2, 9, 16, 25; Downtown Grand Delirious Comedy Show 7; Hypnomania Comedy Show 7; Presto! Magic and Mystery 7; Excalibur Hans Bars and Happy Hours Klok: The World’s Fastest Magician 23; Thunder From Down Under 24, 25; Flamingo X Burlesque 17; Hard Rock Raiding the Rock Vault 2-20, 31; Harrah’s Elvis For the 17th straight year, Ellis Island is serving its Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel in Concert 15-16; Mac King homemade egg nog (contains alcohol). Get it at the bar: Comedy Magic 25; Mad Cap Comedy 18-23, 25-26; $7 per glass and $35 per bottle. Ellis Island also has a Righteous Brothers 3-5, 10-12, 17-19, 24-25; Tape shot of Jack Daniels and a beer for $6 beginning two Face 18-22; LINQ Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club 17, hours before all Vegas Golden Knights home games. 20, 24; Mat Franco 2-3, 6-10, 16; The Bronx Wanderers Wear a VGK shirt and get your first beer for $1. 7, 14, 24, 30; Luxor Blue Man Group 4, 24-30; Carrot Best Friend at Park MGM runs a “Happy HAPPY Top 20-25; MGM Grand “Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club” Hour” Sun.-Thurs. from 5 to 7 pm, with 20-ounce well 25; David Copperfield 5-15; Mirage Beatles LOVE 1-15; drinks for $10, two tallboy beers for $14, and $10 small Terry Fator 9; NY-NY Zumanity 6-10; OYO The Hilarious plates. 7 24; Motown Extreme 25; Paris Anthony Cools 9-15; Bella Bistro at the Sahara has 50%-off bottles of Planet Hollywood Crazy Girls 19-24; Criss Angel MINDF- wine on Mondays from 5 pm to close. REAK Live 4-8, 11-15, 25; Plaza “Comedy Works” 1-30; Yama Sushi Spring Mtn. has 2-for-1 hot sake on Rio Chippendales 24-25; Penn & Teller 9-20; WOW–The Mondays and 2-for-1 draft beer on Wednesdays. Vegas Spectacular! 3-4, 17; Sahara Eddie Griffin Expe- Kura Revolving Sushi Bar has a happy hour daily rience 23-25, 30; Little Miss Nasty 28; STRAT Celes- from 9 pm to close, with 50%-off all drinks. tia 18-22; the D Laughternoon 21-23; FRIENDS! The Through the end of the year, buy a $25 gift card Musical Parody 24; “Jokesters Comedy Club” 24-25; at either Lucky’s Lounge (7345 S. Jones Blvd. or 8025 Tropicana “Laugh Factory” 25; Legends in Concert Farm Rd.) that will be donated to a children’s charity and 16-21, 25; Murray: Celebrity Magician 2-19; Purple Reign get a large cheese pizza and either a pitcher of beer or 1-25; Rich Little Live 8-11, 25; Tuscany Rat Pack is Back two cocktails. 30; V Theater Beatleshow 3-4, 10-11, 17; “Las Vegas The Mob Museum’s corn-mash moonshine is now Live Comedy Club 31”; Marc Savard–Comedy Hypnosis being sold on store shelves. Formerly available only at 4-5, 7, 10-12, 17; Nathan Burton Comedy Magic 2, 4, 6, the museum, the whiskey is now sold at Lee’s Discount 9, 11, 13, 16; Popovich Comedy Pet Theater 1-17; Vene- Liquor stores; a 750-milliliter jar is $24.99 and a smaller tian Human Nature Jukebox Dec. 1-16, 24-30; Westgate sample jar is $4.99. George Wallace 10-14, 17-21, 24-28; The Magic of Jen The sports betting network VSiN has partnered with Kramer 11-14, 18-21, 25-28. n the Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. to create BookMaker Blonde Ale. The beer is currently available at South Point, the D, and the Golden Gate. Rum Runner Hits 40 The Petrossian Bar at Bellagio has reopened after a makeover. In Andiamo at the D, a Manhattan is $19.48, a glass Last month, the Rum Runner on Tropicana cel- of Louis Martini Cab is $11.90, and a Peroni is $9.78. ebrated its 40th anniversary. We don’t usually make a At Hatsumi, a Loverboy is $14.07 and a draft Asahi is thing out of local-bar milestones, but the Rum Runner $7.57. At Lawry’s, a glass a house Cab is $11.90 and is one of those places that’s been here through thick a Heineken is $7.57. At Hennessey’s, an Irish coffee is and thin. Plenty of stories have come out of the joint, $10.82 and a bloody Mary is $7.84. In the West Expan- but it might be most famous for launching the epic run sion bar at the Palms, a Leinenkugels beer is $8. At Club of Archie Karas, when the gambling hustler beat poker- Platinum, a Kahlua is $8 and a Bud is $6. At Yama Sushi champion-cum-casino-executive Bobby Baldwin in a Spring Mtn., a large hot sake is $7.58. In Palace Bar at

10 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • DECEMBER 2019 the Four Queens, a Heineken is $6.25. At Millers Ale books at the Tropicana, Venetian/Palazzo, Cosmopoli- House, a Heineken if $5.69. At Jackpot Bar and Grill, a tan, Palms, and Silverton. The new books will bring Will well vodka is $5. At the Italian American Club, a Peroni is Hill’s total number in Nevada to 118; it also has race and $5. At Rum Runner E. Tropicana, a draft Bud is $3.75. sports books in 10 of the 13 states where sports betting Notes: Club Platinum is a Gentlemen’s Club next is legal. to Tuscany. The prices of the Heineken at Lawry’s and Some analysts feel this is a first step toward a big the Peroni at the IAC haven’t changed since we last consolidation in the sports betting industry, but we’re checked them in 2015. n not sold. CG Technologies has had a rough go in Nevada. After coming in with guns blazing as Cantor Gaming in 2009, CGT has had problem after problem, Entertainment Notes resulting in the payment of $9 million in disciplinary fines to Nevada regulators, plus $22.5 million in a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over money-laun- Donny and Marie Depart—Long-time Flamingo dering charges. They were also the only book to deal headliners Donny and Marie Osmond performed the final with the dodgy entity groups that showed up acting like shows of their 11-year run last week. The brother-sister sports betting hedge funds—another misstep. CGT was duo opened in 2008 for a six-week engagement, but probably looking for a way out and Will Hill provided were such a success that the Flamingo extended their one. And speaking of “outs” (places to bet), there are still contract several times and renamed the showroom after a lot of options in Nevada and more are showing up in them in 2013. the states that have legalized sports betting, so the loss Showroom Closes—The D is closing its showroom of one book doesn’t move the needle much for either the in order to expand the second-floor sports book in time industry or the players. n for the NCAA basketball tournament in March. The 20-year-old Marriage Can Be Murder, the 10-year-old Defending the Caveman, Friends a Musical Parody, and New Book at the Plaza Laughternoon, will all go dark as of January 5. Civillico Closes—After a 10-year run as a Strip headliner, Jeff Civillico has announced that he’ll play his In more William Hill news, the oldest continuously last show at Paris on December 18 in favor of concen- operating sports book in Las Vegas, running since it trating on corporate performing. was the first to be housed in a casino in 1975, has been Miller’s Update—Last month, we suggested that completely remodeled. Will Hill has operated the Plaza Miller’s Ale House at Town Square is a good place to sports book since 2012 and brings it back into play with catch PPV sports events, with a $10 charge and an this investment. The new book boasts downtown’s big- option to watch from the bar area for free. A subsequent gest seamless high-definition video wall: five feet tall visit offered neither option, and everyone entering was by 16-1/2 feet wide, with a viewing area of more than charged a $20 admission. So it’s a moving policy, but 80 square feet. It will likely hold that “biggest” distinc- $20 is likely the highest you’ll pay and we still rate this a tion only until Circa’s monster book goes live across solid play for viewing boxing and UFC contests. the street late next year, but it’s also now positioned to See the Advance Planner for dates, prices, and addi- welcome the Circa defectors who go seeking greener tional show updates. n (luckier) pastures. n

Nickel Keno Progressive GAMBLING Word tends to get around when there’s a big jackpot opportunity and it did last month when the progressive Will Hill Buys CGT nickel video keno jackpot for a 10-spot at Palace Station surpassed $100,000. It takes four coins to qualify, so that’s just 20¢ a rattle to win more than a hundred Gs. The U.S. division of London-based William Hill Plc, It sounds juicy, but as we’ve pointed out many times, considered the world’s largest bookmaker, will acquire keno progressives have to climb high before they yield a the race and sports book assets of CG Technology in player advantage, due to the big house edge at reset. Nevada and the Bahamas. No terms were disclosed; When we got there, the jackpot was at $103,333 and regulatory approval in both jurisdictions is required and rising quickly, due to all the action at the 10-machine expected to be granted. William Hill will take over the continued on next page

DECEMBER 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 11 Gambling continued … three weeks of operation. Jeopardy Line—If you haven’t heard by now, “Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time” tournament will be bank. Players like the potential for big paydays, but the aired beginning January 7. The tournament will match return at $103k-plus is only 95.48%—this keno pro- James Holzhauer, Ken Jenkins, and Brad Rutter, the gressive doesn’t reach breakeven until the jackpot hits show’s three biggest winners ever. Holzhauer opened as $184,000. n the +125 favorite at the Westgate sports book; Jennings is +175 and Rutter is +300. No SBNC II—Not so fast on Draft Kings’ second Free Parking for Locals Sports Betting National Championship, which we wrote last month would be held Dec. 5-8. That was the infor- mation we had, but it’s not happening and we’ve seen This one’s interesting. Las Vegans who are Gold tier no updates on a later date. n Caesars Rewards members (the lowest level of the play- ers club) can get a free upgrade to Platinum (the second level) by bringing their players card and ID to a CET Video Poker Lost and Found club booth. Being at level allows free park- ing and brings some other perks, and the promo lasts through January 31. We’re relaying this straight from a We bring it up a lot, but one of the best games for press release, so we don’t have all the details (e.g., is quarters continues to be the Vue Bar at the D. Last the offer for Las Vegas residents only or all Nevadans?), month, we stumbled onto the 8/5 Bonus Poker pro- but it sounds like an easy play for any local with a Cae- gressive with the royal flush at $2,365. That’s a cool sars Rewards card (even if it has zero points on it) who 102.35% return, but it’s not the best of it. While the royal may have been avoiding Caesars because of the parking flush was rising, the smaller progressives were high fees. We’ll update at LasVegasAdvisor.com when we get enough that at one point the overall return was 111.3%. the deets. n That’s crazy out of line and it’s not easy to make those assessments on the fly, but the point is, this game is almost always good. Gambling Notes If you’re short-bankrolled, you might pass on the Vue Bar for either of the main-floor Four Queens bars, where they’ll comp drinks for 50¢ coin-in per play. While Jackpots—A Hawaiian guest won $1.1 million at you can still weasel a drink for short-coin play in most the Fremont on a Wheel of Fortune slot. A player at Paris places, official policies almost always require $1.25 per won $2.3 million by drawing a seven-card straight flush play. The best game there is usually the 9/6 Double in diamonds on the Face Up Pai Gow Poker progressive Double Bonus progressive for quarters, which returns jackpot game. It was a record jackpot for the linked Face 98.98% at reset and is always above 99%. Up Pai Gow system. You can get your parking comped for earning 25 Roulette Winner—Last month’s ceremonial first bet points at the Downtown Grand. The game to play there on the Plaza’s single-zero roulette table was placed on is the quarter 10/6 DDB progressive at the bar. red by Ashley Revell, the player who negotiated and won The online database vpFREE reports that Eureka a $135,300 bet at the Plaza 15 years ago. The stakes in Mesquite deals 10/7 Double Bonus (100.17%) and were lower this time, but Revell’s $7,000 wager won 10/6 DDB (100.07%) in denoms from 25¢ to $1, along again when the ball landed on red 36. (How does he do with several other high-return schedules, including NSU that?) Deuces (99.73%) and 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.54%) from VGK Bingo—Arizona Charlie’s Decatur is running a 1¢ (on Hundred Play) up to $2 and $5, respectively. Vegas Golden Knights bingo night at 7 pm on December Though Jackpot Bar & Grill continues its play-$500- 19. It’s a $10-minimum buy-in and there’ll be lots of VGK get-$25 bonus good all day on Mondays, Wednesdays, giveaways (hint: wear VGK apparel to up your chances and Fridays, there’s talk of a replacement deal. Even for the goodies). if they change, history suggests that the promo will be PA Poker Online—Live online poker debuted in worth playing for some casual positive EV and drinks. Pennsylvania last month when PokerStars opened No Bob Dancer video poker classes are currently in partnership with Mount Airy Casino and Fox Bet. scheduled. They are expected to resume in January. In Pennsylvania joins Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware the meantime, be sure to check out Bob’s weekly Tues- in offering live poker online and is off to a fast start, day blog and the Thursday “Gambling With an Edge” according to PokerScout.com, which ranked PokerStars podcast, with Bob and Richard Munchkin, both at th PA the 16 most active poker site in the world after only LasVegasAdvisor.com. n

12 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • DECEMBER 2019 SEPTEMBERFEBRUARY JANUARY 2–5 Off-Price Specialist 2020—11,500 WEEKDAY WEEKEND 4–7 World of Concrete 2020—60,000 Wild Wild West • $45 Main Street Station • $57 5–7 MAGIC Marketplace Spring 2020—78,000 El Cortez • $48 Fremont • $62 15–17 Nat’l Automobile Dealers Winter ’20—30,000 Four Queens • $49 Wild Wild West • $65 16–19 Western Veterinary Annual Conf.—15,000 23–27 Wedding & Portrait Photographers—10,000 Circus Circus • $48 Circus Circus • $57 Tuscany • $55 Westgate Las Vegas • $65 Downtown Grand • $56 Tuscany • $70 MARCH Hard Rock • $81 Hard Rock • $91 10–14 ConExpo—129,000 Palms • $98 Paris • $112 17–20 Int’l Security Conference 2020—29,000 Paris • $102 Palms • $128 22–25 ASD Market Week Spring 2020—46,000 31–4/1 Nightclub & Bar Show 2020—39,000 31–4/2 Int’l Pizza Expo 2020—12,000 FEBRUARY KEY WEEKDAY WEEKEND Four Queens • $49 California • $97 APRIL Silver Sevens • $54 Fremont • $97 1–2 Int’l Wireless Communications 2020—12,000 California • $57 Main Street Station • $97 19–22 Nat’l Assoc. of Broadcasters 2020—103,000 DATES Circus Circus • $48 Downtown Grand • $79 Downtown Grand • $53 Circus Circus • $86 DECEMBER Tuscany • $55 OYO • $98 Mean 46° Avg. Max. 58° Avg. Min. 33° Pools: Closed Paris • $106 Palms • $148 Evening temperatures dip into the 30s and even into the 20s. Mirage • $116 Mirage • $166 The sun makes an occasional appearance. Palms • $124 Paris • $186 Attire: Desert or not, it’s wintertime and it’s cold. Dress warmly. MARCH WEEKEND ROOM WEEKDAY Silver Sevens • $54 California • $97 JANUARY California • $57 Fremont • $97 El Cortez • $57 Main Street Station • $97 Mean 45° Avg. Max. 57° Avg. Min. 32° Pools: Closed Cool and dry. Days are crisp, but pleasant. Cold evenings. Circus Circus • $48 Downtown Grand • $103 Circus Circus • $108 Attire: Sweater and jacket—desert winters are cold. Downtown Grand • $53 Excalibur • $57 Sam’s Town • $122 Paris • $106 Palms • $189 FEBRUARY Palms • $124 Cromwell • $196 Palazzo • $202 Mean 50° Avg. Max. 62° Avg. Min. 37° Pools: Closed RATES Cromwell • $126 Days begin to warm, evenings still cool

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