$5

ANTHONY CURTIS’ July 2019 Vol. 36 LasVegasAdvisor Issue 7

One Year Ago RAIDERS STADIUM One year to get to here … pg. 3

RENO CALLING Eldorado buys Caesars … pg. 1

GET A ROOM 60 under $50 … pg. 1

AYCE LOBSTER Get in line … pg. 4

JEOPARDY JAMES Did he make the right bet? … pg. 11

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rado of 2012 to be transplanted to the COUPONOMY is pie in the sky. After all, we’ve already witnessed a by Anthony Curtis Reno operator taking over a Strip property at SLS (soon to be Sahara). There, too, I thought that we’d see some northern Nevada-style hospitality on the north end of Reno Storms Vegas the Strip. But it’s been more than a year and not much has changed (an ongoing renovation and a supposed transformation notwithstanding). Perhaps it’s just a fact Reno-based Eldorado Resorts is acquiring Caesars of life that when Reno casinos come to Las Vegas, they Entertainment. That’s a heck of a story, if only for the become Vegas casinos. relative David-and-Goliath aspects of it. But it’s also a Of course, there’s always second-phase consider- development that’s likely to change the face of the Strip. ations. It’s likely that one or more Caesars properties will Of Caesars’ nine Las Vegas casinos, eight are located be sold to ease the financial burden of the big buy. That on the Strip (plus the Rio). That’s a big presence, so no opens the door for new companies to get into the mix and matter whether the ensuing changes are big or small, pierce what’s been a near stranglehold on the Strip by they will be impactful. high-enders CET, MRI, Sands, and Cosmo. Maybe we’ll What might change? I don’t know, but when I heard see something cool take place at Harrah’s or the Flamingo, about the sale, I was excited. Replace Caesars with or someone will realize that the Rio is still here. Regardless Eldorado? Sign me up! Then I started thinking about of how it plays out, it’s hard for me to imagine that things why I felt that way and traced it to my recollection of this will get worse. And crazy as it sounds, we might even wind passage I wrote in LVA: up sipping premium wine while playing 99% video poker. The bars at the Eldorado in Reno have NSU Deuces (See News for sale details.) n and 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe for quarters, and 9/6 JoB with a progressive RF for dollars. On top of the good schedules, they pour healthy servings of Siena Sangio- July Room Rates vese for players, as opposed to the bar red served in Vegas. NSU Deuces and premium wine on the Strip? Who In our annual July canvassing of room rates, our wouldn’t be jazzed by that? The problem is, I wrote that research located 60 casinos with base rates of $50 and after a trip to Reno in 2012 and that lovely image doesn’t below out of 94 surveyed. That’s seven more than last quite jibe with other things I’ve been reading of late. For year and nearly 20 more than 2017. Same as last year, example, here’s a tidbit from the Wall Street Journal: we think it’s the one-two punch of higher resort fees and Part of Eldorado’s success is its management’s abil- the continuing decrease in visitor counts that’s keeping ity to slim down on unnecessary guest inducements, base rates low. Regardless, summer is a good time to such as free drinks and hotel stays. Caesars has done get a bargain on a room. better recently in this regard, too, cutting its perks about Note that we found many of the best rates by going in half to roughly 14% of revenue since 2016. But Eldo- directly to casino websites. That and using our room rado is better: Its similar metric is around 10%. discount codes at LasVegasAdvisor.com produced the “Unnecessary guest inducements”? Uh oh. best results, far outperforming the common practice of Then there’s this from thepointsguy.com: relying on the big online travel agency (OTA) sites. Eldorado has a long history of decreasing promo- Following are this year’s findings. Note that these tions in order to cut operating costs and boost profits. rates were available when we checked, but can change Ugh. at any time—we can’t guarantee that you’ll get all of the I’ve looked at the video poker inventories at Eldo- listed prices. rado properties and I see good and bad, so who knows? $20 and under—Golden Gate, Oasis at . But expecting the Reno style I experienced at the Eldo- continued on next page

JULY 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 1 Couponomy continued … Note that along with the Four Queens, two other hotels don’t charge RFs: Lucky Club and the Mt. Charleston Lodge. The latter was reported by an LVA $30 and under— Bally’s, Boulder Station, Circus Cir- contributor who stayed on the mountain for $96 and cus, the D, Downtown Grand, Fiesta Rancho, Flamingo, says it was the perfect one-night summer getaway. Fremont, Harrah’s, Longhorn, Main Street Station, Plaza, Other Resort Fee changes: Polo Towers was $28, Silver Sevens, Texas Station, Tropicana, Tuscany, West- now $31.95; Plaza was $22, now $25; El Cortez was gate, Wild Wild West. $14.95, now $17.95; Longhorn was $5.99, now $7.90. $40 and under— Arizona Charlie’s Boulder, Buffalo And by the way, the Eldorado and Silver Legacy in Reno Bill’s, Eastside Cannery, El Cortez, Ellis Island, Excalibur, that are owned by Eldorado Resorts both have $37.05 Fiesta Henderson, Four Queens, Fremont, Hooters, The resort fees. n LINQ, Luxor, Orleans, Palace Station, Primm Valley, Rio, Serene, Santa Fe Station, , Sunset Station, Whiskey Pete’s. $50 and under—Artisan, Sam’s Town, Gold Coast, Royal Resort, Arizona Charlie’s Decatur, Gold Strike, NEWS Silverton, Lucky Club, Railroad Pass, Planet Hollywood. High End—Hard Rock $55, TI $56, SLS $57, Golden Nugget $59, NY-NY $59, Paris $59, Palms $65, MGM Caesars/Eldorado—Reno-based Eldorado Resorts Grand $69, M Resort $75, Park MGM $79, Mirage $79, is acquiring Caesars Entertainment in a deal worth $17.3 Palms Place $80, Cromwell $85, Green Valley Ranch billion in cash, stock, and debt. The deal will create the $92, Caesars Palace $93, Mandalay Bay $99, Signa- largest U.S. casino company, with 60 owned, operated, ture at MGM $99, Red Rock $104, Vdara $109, Trump and managed resorts across 16 states. After the merger, $111, Cosmopolitan $112, Palazzo $127, Venetian $127, Eldorado shareholders will own 51% of the combined Delano $129, Nobu $134, Aria $139, Elara $144, Encore outstanding stock and Eldorado’s management team will $152, Wynn $152, NoMad $169, Bellagio $169. be in charge of the new company, which will be head- The high-end rates are something of a mixed bag. quartered in Reno, operate under the Caesars name, While these are still good deals compared to other times and trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. The of the year, it’s about 50/50 in terms of rates having deal requires approval by gaming regulators in several gone up or down. The best reductions are at Palms ($34 states, the Federal Trade Commission, and sharehold- less than last year), Cosmopolitan ($28 less) Mirage ($20 ers, and is expected to close in the first half of 2020. less), Cromwell and Palms Place ($19 less), Wynn ($18 Eldorado Resorts dates back to the opening of the Eldo- less), Elara ($15 less), and Caesars Palace ($11 less). rado Casino on S. Virginia Street in Reno in 1973 and The crown for lowest rate of all after factoring in the company has expanded rapidly in recent years. The resort fees goes to the Longhorn on Boulder Hwy., at founding Carano family is still its largest shareholder. which a combined $27 base and a just-raised $7.90 RF Sahara—It’s official. SLS Las Vegas is changing its (see next) comes to a total of $34.90, taxes not included. name back to . The Sahara name was Right behind it is Four Queens, which, since it still in place from 1952 to 2011, when it became SLS. The doesn’t charge an RF, has a total price of $39. On the resort is in the midst of a $100 million renovation. Strip, the best combined rates are $59 at Circus Circus Circa Sports Books—The new sports books from and $64-$68 at Harrah’s, Tropicana, Flamingo, and The Circa Sports have opened at the Golden Gate and (and no parking fees at Circus and Trop). Or just D. The main book at the Golden Gate has undergone off the Strip, $48 at Silver Sevens and $59 at Tuscany. n a major expansion, while the “satellite” at the D has changed very little aside from expanding the viewing wall. While both venues are diminutive in comparison to Wynn Raises Resort Fees the major sports books on the Strip (including the bigger LAS VEGAS 3665 Procyon Street • Las Vegas, NV 89103 (702) 252-0655 • (702) 252-0675 Fax Wynn pulled back on parking, but pushed forward ADVISOR e-mail: [email protected] • Internet: LasVegasAdvisor.com on resort fees. The RFs at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Publisher: Anthony Curtis Customer Service: Nicole Watchus Senior Editor: Deke Castleman Shipping & Receiving: Scotch Henderson have been raised from $39 to $45 per night, making Accounting: John Leitner Contributing Writers: Jeffrey Compton, Bob them the highest in Las Vegas. Is it a dirty get-back for Production Manager: Laurie Cabot Dancer, Stewart Ethier, Bob Fuss, Scot Krause, Web Manager: Tanya Maynard Bradley Peterson, Blair Rodman, Jean Scott the parking concession? Not really. Paid parking took a Research Assistant: Brenda Stewart bite out of everyone, whereas the resort fee affects only 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 those going in with their eyes open and a desire to stay changes to Las Vegas Advisor, 3665 Procyon St., Las Vegas, NV 89103. All information is current at press time. Listed offerings at Wynn regardless of the cost. are subject to change at any time. Huntington Press ©2019

2 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • JULY 2019 ones downtown), they’re really just starters for the main event planned for the Circa casino. Las Vegas’ Top Ten Values Ellis Island—Construction is in full swing on the long-awaited Front Yard dining and entertainment 1. Room Rates • Longhorn et al. • Daily • $35 and up expansion and has taken over the whole front (yard) of 2. Steak Dinner • Ellis Island • 24 hours • $7.99 Ellis Island. Steel framing has given the structure shape 3. Buffet • Palace Station • Daily • $9.99-$16.99 and it now looks like it’ll be a steady march to comple- 4. Mac King • Harrah’s • Tues.–Sat. • $14.98 tion sometime this year. 5. Hot Dog • South Point • Daily • $1.25 Raiders Stadium—In an effort to entice the NFL to 6. Beer • Stage Door • 24 hours • $1 bring the Super Bowl to Las Vegas, an estimated $40 7. Shrimp Cocktail • Skyline • Daily • $2.25 million is being added to the price of the stadium to build 8. Breakfast • Club Fortune • Daily • $1.99/$2.99 20 new suites, a 26,000-square-foot field-level club area, 9. $1 Blackjack • Hooters • 24 hours • $1.20 upgraded information technology and operations sys- 10. Lunch • Planet Hollywood • Daily • $4.99 tems, additional restrooms, and architectural improve- ments. The earliest a Super Bowl could be assigned to Room rates take the top spot in July when Las Vegas is 2025. It’s also been announced that the they’re at their second lowest levels of the year stadium will be managed by AEG, the company that (behind December). It’s hard to argue when 60 manages the T-Mobile Arena and several other sports properties check in with base rates of $50 or less. and entertainment venues around the world. See the Get your leads in the summary in Couponomy, then cover of this issue for a look at the stadium’s progress. go to work and lock in some deals. The Ellis Island Soccer Stadium—Sketchy plans have been floated complete steak dinner drops to #2, but only for this for a new 25,000-seat soccer stadium to replace down- month to make way for room rates. Served 24/7 in town’s Cashman Center. The plan figures to be contin- the Café, get the $7.99 price by playing at least $5 gent upon Las Vegas landing a Major League Soccer in any slot or video poker machine with your club franchise, a possibility that owner card inserted, then downloading the required dis- Bill Foley has expressed an interest in pursuing. count coupon from an EI kiosk. If you don’t want Lee Canyon—Work has begun on a new to play, you can get it for $9.99 ($3 off the listed 10,000-square-foot lodge at Lee Canyon, the ski price) just by downloading a coupon from the kiosk resort an hour northwest of Las Vegas near the top of that’s available to everyone with a club card. The the Spring Mountains. The two-story Hillside Lodge, Feast Buffet at Palace Station (#3) is our choice for designed to better accommodate the 100,000 annual Las Vegas’ best buffet when considering the com- visitors to the resort, will have a ski-in bar, a new res- bination of quality and price; get the listed prices taurant, a heated terrace, and event space for weddings by showing a Boarding Pass card. To get a sense and meetings. It’s expected to be completed in early of how well these buffets stack up, check out the December, in time for the winter ski season. It’s Lee price increases from the competition in Dining. Get Canyon’s largest construction project since the resort a ticket to the Mac King Comedy Magic Show and opened in 1964. a drink for $14.98 by asking at the players club Ivanpah Airport—Last October, it was estimated booth (#4). The hot dogs at South Point (#5) are that a new airport earmarked for Jean, Nev., about 30 sold from a cart in the sports book from 10 am until miles south of Las Vegas, could be operating as early as they close down the cart around 5 pm. Michelob, 2025. While the idea is still in play, a new timetable puts Michelob Light, or Bud Light in the bottle are $1 at the earliest opening at 2035, due to the extensive plan- the Stage Door slot house on Flamingo, just east ning and feasibility studies required. of the Strip (#6). The Skyline shrimp cocktail (#7) Massachusetts—Encore Boston Harbor opened is available 24/7 at the main bar. The Club Fortune to huge crowds on June 23. Located in Everett, MA, breakfast (#8) served in the Club Café is bacon or roughly five miles north of downtown Boston, the $2.6 sausage & eggs for $1.99 weekdays from 6 to 11 billion project is the second full-scale resort-casino in am and ham & eggs for $2.99 on weekends during Massachusetts following the MGM resort in Spring- the same hours. Hooters’ $1-minimum blackjack field. The 33-acre three-million-square-foot property game (#9) runs 24/7 in the pit; naturals pay even includes a 671-room hotel, 15 dining options, a night- money on bets of $1-$4. The $1.20 listed cost is club called Memoire, 50,000 square feet of meeting your expected loss for one hour of play at these space, upscale retail, and a six-acre waterfront park. stakes. Everything on the lunch menu is $4.99 at The 210,000-square-foot two-level casino (bigger than Ocean One (#10) in the at Planet the combined casinos at Las Vegas’ Wynn and Encore) Hollywood. Lunch hours are 11:30 am to 4 pm daily; features 3,158 slot machines, 143 table games, and an parking is free in the mall garage. continued on next page

JULY 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 3 News continued … billion), Mississippi ($269 million), Pennsylvania ($162 million), Delaware ($155 million), West Virginia ($110 million), and Rhode Island ($93 million). In New Mexico, 88-table poker room. The guest rooms range from 650 sports bets are allowed, but the state doesn’t report the to 5,800 square feet and are thus far going for $1 per numbers. square foot; yes, the smallest room is $650 per night. Follow the progress of legalization Alcohol is served to “active gamblers” until 4 am, two across the country and track developments as they hours later than the statewide closing time of 2 am, and occur via our blog and map at LasVegasAdvisor.com. n starts up again at 8 am six days a week and at 10 am on Sundays. Jeff Koons’ $28 million Popeye statue has been moved from Vegas to the new resort, which also features a 10-horse merry-go-round with 83,000 flowers and 11,000 jewels. DINING Statistics—Nevada’s statewide gambling win was down 1.8% in April compared to the same month last year. That makes four out of four monthly declines in The Silverton Lobster Buffet 2019. The Strip win was down 3.5%, while downtown bucked the trend again, up 2.1%. Sports betting was up 33%, despite competition from legal betting in other You have to wonder why more casinos don’t offer states. an all-you-can-eat lobster buffet as a marketing tool. The Visitation was down a scant .2%; however, it was Valley View Casino in Southern California has famously the second consecutive monthly decline. Visitor volume run one for years and others show up from time to time, year-to-date is up .5%. but they’re rare in Las Vegas. Silverton is running one Airline traffic was up 2.3% in April. Allegiant Air now on Fridays from 4 to 9 pm for $37.99, or $35.99 if began service to Los Angeles in June and Frontier you show a club card. Does it bring in customers? Heck Airlines has announced seven new non-stop routes yeah, it does! So many, in fact, that we haven’t faded the into McCarran International. The Frontier routes will fly lines to try it. But we’ve given it a good eyeballing. between Las Vegas and LA, Orange County, Phoenix, Here’s how it works. You queue up in a ferocious Miami, Portland, Seattle, and Reno. Service will begin on entry line, pay, get seated, then go to the end of a serv- a staggered schedule starting in September, with intro- ing line inside. When you reach the lobster, a server ductory base fares reportedly as low as $29 one way. doles out two tails per person. Not whole lobsters, just In its annual “State of the States” report, the Ameri- the tails, dripping in butter when they’re dropped onto can Gaming Association indicates that U.S. casinos had your plate. These are the real deal, good-sized full tails, a record year in 2018, with gaming revenue rising 3.5% not a half-measure like the slipper tails they used to over 2017 to $41.68 billion. It was the fourth consecutive serve at the now-defunct seafood buffet at the Rio. If year that revenues increased. n you want to go again, you get back into the serving line. The supporting dishes are a surprisingly good selection of fish, stuffed crab claws, clam strips, charbroiled oys- ters, shrimp, and sushi. These items are self-serve, but Sports Betting Scorecard you still have to wait in the line to help yourself. We call the lines “ferocious” for a reason. In front A federal judge rejected the U.S. Justice Depart- of the entrance are the snaking theme park-style rails. ment opinion, issued last November, that the 1961 Wire But the lines extend well beyond those, reaching back Act pertains to all gambling and not just sports betting. halfway through the casino to the entrance of the Twin The Obama administration’s Justice Department ruled Creeks restaurant. We didn’t time it, but it has to be at that the Wire Act pertained to sports betting only, which least an hour’s wait. If there’s ever been a value for hav- paved the way for online poker, lotteries, and other ing an elevated-tier players card (Diamond or Platinum) forms of gambling across state lines. New Hampshire with VIP-line privileges, this is it. sued in federal court and the judge reaffirmed that the Credit to Silverton: The 2-for-1 buffet offer in the Wire Act pertains only to gambling on sports. Member Rewards Book is happily accepted, so it’s just It’s been a year since the U.S. Supreme Court $20 each for two with the coupon. This is an excellent opened sports betting to states other than Nevada and deal if you don’t mind the wait. But if you want an easier the eight states that now allow it have booked more play for double lobster tails of similar quality, plus a steak, than $9 billion in legal sports wagers. Nevada remains O’Aces Bar & Grill (4955 S. Decatur) serves it up on Fri- the leader, with more than $5.2 billion wagered from days for $29.95. One dinner feeds two and it’s brought to May 2018 to April 2019, followed by New Jersey ($2.94 your table (or the bar) with nary a line in sight. n

4 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • JULY 2019 More Buffet Price Hikes dict, and steak and eggs, in the $8-$11 range. Stick with the Classic and without coffee, but with tax and a tip, you’re out of there for around $6 per person. It’s served The upward price spiral at Strip buffets is getting till 11 am. n ridiculous. Here’s a quick summary highlighting the most important changes. Bellagio is up $1-$4, with breakfast the biggest jump, now $29.99, and the Champagne brunch pushing through the $50 mark to $51.99. The Wynn’s dinner is up $6 to $49.99. The Paris dinner is up $3 to $32.99 (almost sounds like a bargain). Flamingo buffets are up $3-$6, with weekend brunch $6 more at $30.99. Even the lowly Circus Circus buffet continues to bump up slowly, tacking on another dollar for dinner at $24.99. The Caesars “Buffet of Buffets” pass is up Classic Breakfast at Rock Bar $5-$10 for retail customers, but you can beat that with a new club card discount: $69 without card and $59 with Sun.-Thurs. and $79.99/$69.99 Friday and Saturday. ¡ Salud! Authentic Street Tacos Due to ongoing property renovations, the Rampart Buffet has been temporarily moved to the Valencia Almost all the media attention has been focused on Room in the Convention Center. It will re-open sometime the renovation at the Palms, but Palace Station contin- in September. Meal prices remain the same (yee haw!). n ues to evolve in a good way. The latest addition is the little food court, which is a cut above even the one at the Palms (in its defense, that didn’t change in the re-do). Spaghetti Tells a Tale At Palace Station, Salud and Mumfresh share a space, the former serving street food from northern Mexico, the There are any number of ways to draw comparisons latter street food from Vietnam. Little Tony’s next door and highlight differences between the opulent Strip puts out pizza by the slice, but also a full Italian menu of casinos and the value-dependent locals joints, but this pastas, calzones, stromboli, antipasti, and salads. is one of the best we’ve seen. Jardine’s, one of the high- We tried Salud, an import from San Diego where it end restaurants at Encore, has a sign out front bragging has three locations; this is the first outside of California. about “Endless Spaghetti”—all-you-can-eat pasta for Soft-shell corn tacos are the specialty and they’re the $31. Meanwhile, on Sundays at Club Fortune on Boul- real deal: The tortillas are hand-pressed on the premises der Highway, all-you-can-eat spaghetti and meatballs is and the asada meat is charbroiled, not grilled. Most of $2.99 (and comes with French onion soup). You could the tacos are $3, including veggie, pollo asado, carnitas, feed 10 at CF for the price of one at Encore. Difference and birria (which is traditionally goat, but here beef); a noted! n fried shell is $3.50, shrimp $4.50, and breakfast $5. They also serve burritos, nachos, and ceviche ($10), small and giant quesadillas ($3/$8), and specials every day, from $3.50 for empanadas to $12 for menudo, which PBR Rock Bar Breakfast is served on weekends. We had veggie and al The best bargain breakfast on the Strip is available pastor tacos and the in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, also the ceviche. With beans, location of the best bargain lunch in all of Las Vegas five grilled vegetables, (see Top Ten). The Rock Bar, directly inside the south and avocado, the veggie entrance to the mall, opens at 8 am and serves the weighed a pound; the al Classic Breakfast of two eggs, bacon or sausage (two pastor was brimming with slices or links), home fries, and Texas toast for $4.95. charred pork. The cevi- Everything is as advertised, but the potatoes make this che was piled high with play: They come with grilled red and green peppers and citrus-marinated white onions. Best of all, there’s no coffee gouge; it’s only fish, tomatoes, onions, 99¢. But if you add anything else, you’ll pay Strip prices, and cilantro atop a big with iced tea, juices, and soft drinks at $4. The Rock Bar bowl of chips. Garnish serves sports bar breakfasts as well, such as waffles, with four kinds of salsas, Ceviche at ¡Salud! French toast, country scramble, Tex-Mex omelet, Bene- limes, and chile peppers continued on page 8

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

JULY 7/17 • Toots & The Maytals 7/27 • Sunset Rockfest 7/2–7/9 • Aerosmith Brooklyn Bowl • $31/$36 Sunset Station • $29–$49 Park MGM • $215–$688 7/18 • Frankie Moreno 7/27 • Throwback Sizzling Jam 7/3–7/6 • Reba, Brooks & Dunn South Point • $20–$30 Orleans • $49–$139 Caesars Palace • $55–$189 7/19 • The Babys 7/27 • WNBA All–Star • MBay • $30–$62 7/3–7/6 • Robbie Williams Golden Nugget • $29–$99 7/27–7/28 • Bowling For Soup & Reel Big Wynn LV • $59.50–$250 7/19 • Beck and Cage the Elephant Fish • Brooklyn Bowl • $45–$85 7/4 • Mystic Roots • MBay • $20 Park MGM • $80–$152 7/28 • Frankie Scinta • South Point • $20 7/5 • FireHouse 7/19 • Brian McKnight 7/28 • Streetlight Manifesto Golden Nugget • $29–$109 Wynn LV • $49–$115 Brooklyn Bowl • $27.50–$40 7/5 • Godsmack 7/19 • Seal • Palms • $45–$229 7/31 • The Drums Hard Rock • $49.50–$174 7/19–7/21 • Abbacadabra Brooklyn Bowl • $22/$25 7/5 • Joe Rogan • Mirage • $90/$100 South Point • $30–$40 AUGUST 7/5 • Sinbad 7/20 • Berlin w/Terri Nunn 8/1 • Elvis Costello & The Imposters Green Valley Ranch • $25–$45 Sunset Station • $30 and Blondie • Palms • $73–$120 7/5 • Steven Wright • TI • $43/$71 7/20 • Bret Michaels 8/1 • Miss May I w/The Word Alive 7/5 • UFC Hall of Fame Induction Red Rock Resort • $25/$50 Hard Rock • $20 Ceremony • Palms • $20–$53 7/20 • J Boog • Brooklyn Bowl • $25–$45 8/1–8/4 • Terry Bradshaw • Luxor • $71–$217 7/5–7/7 • It Takes Two: Stewart & Turner 7/20 • Masters of Puppets: Metalica 8/2 • Ambrosia Tribute • South Point • $20–$30 Tribute • Cannery • $19.95/$22.94 Golden Nugget • $24–$99 7/5–7/26 • Gwen Stefani 7/20 • Ozzy Osbourne 8/2 • Born of Osiris • Hard Rock • $20 Planet Hollywood • $54–$230 MGM Grand • $84–$381 8/2 • The Green • Hard Rock • $25 7/6 • 2019 NPC Patriots Challenge 7/20 • Pacquiao vs. Thurman 8/2 • Third Eye Blind & Jimmy Eat World Orleans • $45/$50 MGM Grand • $300–$1,500 Palms • $50–$165 7/6 • Anuel • Orleans • $47–$233 7/20 • Peace Frog • Suncoast • $19/$23 8/2–8/3 • Jim Jeffries • Mirage • $54/$76 7/6 • Iliza • Mirage • $33–$55 7/20 • Why Don’t We 8/2–8/3 • Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo 7/6 • Jon Bellion Park MGM • $49–$73 Wynn LV • $45.50–$129.50 MBay • $49.50–$69.50 7/21 • Gladius the Show 8/2–8/17 • Janet Jackson 7/6 • Justin Shandor South Point • $25/$45 Park MGM • $72–$559 M Resort • $22–$42 7/21 • Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night 8/3 • Bacon Brothers 7/6 • Ocean Alley • Rio • $18 Sweats • Brooklyn Bowl • Red Rock Resort • $43–$63 7/6 • Pentatonix $35.50–$60.50 8/3 • Lion Fight 57 Full Rules Muay MBay • $29.50–$129.50 7/23 • Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven Thai • Hard Rock • $50/$90 7/6 • UFC 239 • T-Mobile • $210–$850 Brooklyn Bowl • $30/$35 8/3 • Martina McBride 7/6 • Ultimate Elvis Tribute 7/24–7/31 • Janet Jackson M Resort • $22–$42 M Resort • $22–$42 Park MGM • $72–$559 8/4–9/1 • Matt Goss • Mirage • $18–$88 7/6 • Vince Neil • Cannery • $29–$99 7/25 • Shane Smith & the Saints 8/4–9/7 • Def Leppard 7/9 • Los Campesinos! Hard Rock • $15/$28 Planet Hollywood • $48–$249 Brooklyn Bowl • $22/$25 7/26 • Jay Leno • Mirage • $65–$87 8/9 • Leonid & Friends 7/12 • Celeste Barber 7/26 • Kenny Cetera Orleans • $19–$34 Cannery • $19–$32 Green Valley Ranch • $35–$181 8/9 • Rick Derringer 7/12 • Hammer’s House Party 7/26 • YES • Hard Rock • $32–$128 Golden Nugget • $29–$99 Palms • $45–$220 7/26–7/27 • The Fab Four • Orleans • $34.95 8/9 • Wanted: Bon Jovi Tribute 7/12 • Leilani Wolfgramm 7/26–7/28 • Herman’s Hermit Green Valley Ranch • $19 Hard Rock • $12/$20 South Point • $40–$50 8/9–8/10 • Lionel Richie 7/12 • Melissa Etheridge 7/26–8/16 • Grass Roots Wynn LV • $69.50–$356.50 Wynn LV • $49.50–$150 Golden Nugget • $39–$129 8/9–8/11 • Tony Orlando 7/12 • Steven Adler of Guns N’ Roses 7/26–9/27 • Shin Lim • Mirage • $50.99–$70.99 South Point • $50–$60 Golden Nugget • $29–$99 7/27 • Candlebox 8/10 • AFAN’s 33rd Annual Black & 7/13 • Celeste Barber Aliante Casino • $35–$60 White Party • Hard Rock • Orleans • $19–$32 7/27 • Cedric the Entertainer $35–$1,000 7/13 • Gary Owen Hard Rock • $55 8/10 • Billy Bob Thornton w/Boxmasters Palms • $39.95–$89.95 7/27 • Eclipse • Green Valley Ranch • $19 Red Rock Resort • $39–$63 7/13 • Howard Jones 7/27 • Gipsy Kings 8/10 • JoJo Siwa D.R.E.A.M. Cannery • $24–$184 Red Rock Resort • $89 MBay • $39.50–$69.50 7/13 • Hugh Jackman 7/27 • Heart of Rock & Roll: Huey 8/10 • Lonestar MGM Grand • $29.50–$225 Lewis and The News Tribute • Sunset Station • $20–$40 7/13 • Mick Adams and the Stones Suncoast • $19/$22 8/10 • Long Run: Eagles Tribute Suncoast • $19/$22 7/27 • Rick Springfield w/Eddie Money Suncoast • $19.95/$22.94 7/13 • Reckless In Vegas and Tommy Tutone 8/10 • Moby Dicks: Led Zeppelin Trib- Aliante Casino • $20 Palms • $45–$459 ute • Cannery • $19.95/$22.94

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

8/10 • Theo Von • Mirage • $50–$70 8/24 • Deon Cole • Orleans • $34–$44 SHOW NOTES 8/11 • PRETTYMUCH: FOMO Tour 8/24 • Hot August Nights: Rob Garrett’s Palms • $31–$250 Tribute • Suncoast • $19/$24 • Hans Klok: The World’s Fastest Magician 8/13–8/17 • Paula Abdul 8/24 • Iration w/Pepper and Katastro opens at Excalibur July 29; tickets are Flamingo LV • $69–$199 MBay • $37/$82 $57.60/$79.40/$101.20/$123. 8/14–8/24 • Diana Ross 8/25 • Harlem Globetrotters Wynn LV • $60.50–$301 Orleans • $20–$98 • Naked Magicians has closed at MGM 8/14–8/31 • Def Leppard 8/28 • Morgan Heritage Grand. Planet Hollywood • $48–$249 Brooklyn Bowl • $22/$25 • Little Miss Nasty has closed at Hooters. 8/15–8/29 • Frankie Moreno 8/30 • Brian Setzer South Point • $20–$30 Green Valley Ranch • $35–$65 8/16 • Fortunate Son & Evil Waze 8/30 • Danny Duncan • Hard Rock • $27 Cannery • $19/$24 8/30 • Lita Ford 8/16 • Lynyrd Skynyrd Golden Nugget • $29–$109 T-Mobile • $39.50–$250 8/30–8/31 • George Lopez • Mirage • $65–$87 8/16 • Young the Giant / Fitz and the 8/30–8/31 • Rebelution • MBay • $36–$122 Tantrums • Downtown LV Events 8/30–9/1 • Air Supply • Orleans • $41–$61 Center • $22–$63 8/30–9/1 • Bob Anderson 8/16–8/17 • James Darren South Point • $25–$35 South Point • $20–$30 8/31 • Brian Wilson and The Zombies • 8/16–8/17 • Mary J. Blige Hard Rock • $39.50–$195 Hard Rock • $41–$225 8/31 • MJ Deja Vu: Michael Jaskson 8/16–8/17 • Ron White • Mirage • $68–$88 Tribute • Cannery • $19/$26 8/16–8/18 • PSYCHO LV • MBay • $99–$499 8/31 • Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers 8/17 • Chris Young Brooklyn Bowl • $30/$35 MGM Grand • $45–$159 8/31–9/1 • Ali Wong 8/17 • CSN Express & Kelly Sheehan Wynn LV • $59.50–$149.50 Cannery • $19/$24 SEPTEMBER 8/17 • December 63: Frankie Valli & the 9/1 • Claudia Oshry Four Seasons Tribute Mirage • $29.99–$105 Suncoast • $16–$24 9/1 • Katchafire 8/17 • Vegas McGraw: Tim McGraw Brooklyn Bowl • $25/$27 Tribute • Aliante Casino • $20/$25 9/1 • Papa Roach • Downtown LV 8/18 • George Clinton & Parliament Events Center • $129–$299 Funkadelic • Brooklyn Bowl • 9/1 • Russell Peters • Palms • $36–$128 $49.50–$69 9/3–9/14 • Bruno Mars 8/20 • Kacey Musgraves Park MGM • $171–$1,100 Cosmo • $115–$250 9/5–9/19 • Frankie Moreno 8/21 • Pure Noise • Hard Rock • $20/$38 South Point • $20–$30 8/21–8/24 • Jackson Browne 9/6 • Bill Burr • Cosmo • $49–$169 Venetian • $63–$326 9/6 • Buckinghams 8/21–9/1 • Classic Cher Golden Nugget • $29–$99 Park MGM • $90–$362 9/6 • Farruko • Palms • $36–$118 8/23 • Ballyhoo! & Passafire w/Kash’d 9/6 • Richard Cheese & Lounge Out • Brooklyn Bowl • $15/$18 Against the Machine 8/23 • BJ Thomas Red Rock Resort • $35–$60 Golden Nugget • $29–$109 9/6 • Scott Stapp of Creed 8/23 • Laughing All The Way Brooklyn Bowl • $30/$35 Orleans • $71/$89 9/6–9/7 • Elton John 8/23–8/24 • Folk Legacy Trio T-Mobile • $59.50–$249.50 South Point • $20–$30 9/6–9/8 • Letterman • South Point • $35–$45 8/23–8/31 • Lady Antebellum 9/6–10/12 • Bill Maher • Mirage • $65–$104 Palms • $32–$275 9/7 • Arch Allies 8/23–12/7 • George Strait Aliante Casino • $25–$35 T-Mobile • $50–$550 9/7 • Blackberry Smoke 8/24 • Bella Donna and Petty & The Brooklyn Bowl • $27/$30 Heartshakers • Cannery • $19/$25 9/7 • Lost 80’s Live • Downtown LV 8/24 • Boz Scaggs Events Center • $23–$145 Green Valley Ranch • $39–$137 9/7 • Manhattans • Orleans • $19–$39 8/24 • Chris D’Ella 9/7 • Whispers w/The Emotions See inside wrap for “Weather,” Mirage • $43.59/$54.49 Cannery • $29–$79 “Room Rates,” and “Key Dates.”

JULY 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 7 Dining continued … Our go-to for Chinese take-out is Shang Artisan Noodle (4983 W. Flamingo). This place is always full, but they put out to-go orders promptly. Our favorites are from the counter. It was a load of food for $17.32 with spicy wonton ($5.99), beef pancake ($6.49), and Yang tax. This isn’t, to be sure, your average street-corner Zhou fried rice ($8.49). The wonton and pancake are taquería and we’ll be back for more (and to try Mum- essentially the same dishes as the two pastries at China fresh). n Mama, similar in quality and significantly less expen- sive. The rice is a good mix with shrimp. Several noodle soups are under $10. Shang is open till 10 pm daily. n China Mama Gaucho’s Sacred Flavors When China Mama opened in 2010, it was all the rage. But after a combination of ownership changes and increased competition, it fell out of favor with some A new restaurant called Gaucho’s Sacred Flavors influential food critics. Not us—we’ve always made it has opened at the Bunkhouse Saloon downtown (124 S. a top recommendation, both for the food quality and a 11th Street). A testament to operational creativity, Gau- less-intimidating ambience than some of the other good cho’s is about as unattached as a place can be while Asian eateries in Chinatown. Now, after reopening fol- sharing a space. It’s located in the same building as lowing a makeover, the restaurant is getting praise again the Bunkhouse, but you have to order from a window (it’s slated to be one of the “52 Essential Restaurants” in outside. If you come for lunch when the bar is closed, the 2020 edition of Eating Las Vegas). the only tables are outdoors. If the bar is open, you still The menu is vast, so there’s a lot to choose from, have to walk around to order, but you can bring your but three of our favorites remain: wonton in Szechwan food inside with you. Funky for sure, but the menu that pepper sauce ($8.99), steamed juicy pork buns ($12.99), includes empanadas, aguachiles, ceviches, and other and sizzling rice soup ($15.99). The pork buns were intriguing items brought us down to give it a whirl. formerly on the Ceviche fiends that we are, the sea bass was a menu as xiao long must. Yikes, a swing and a miss. The tiny serving is bao—dumplings that more like porridge than fish and costs $12. If this is the squirt warm juice way they make it in Argentina (it is), we’ll hold out for when you bite into Peru. OK, our bad: Everyone knows that gauchos are them. The sizzling all about meat and potatoes, so we went back for the rice soup is more carne. The steak sandwich is fabulous—loaded with expensive and has steak and greens and marinated with spices that do a little less seafood the eatery’s name proud. It’s one heck of a combo. The than it did previ- same ingredients (chimichurri, tomato aioli, black-bean ously, but this dish spread) can be combined with other meats and served doesn’t show up on Sizzling rice soup at China Mama in a salad, in a quinoa bowl, on a pizza, or straight up on many menus and it’s a plate ($9-$14). Another good dish is crispy potatoes still the best we’ve had in town. In fact, all of the prices with goat cheese ($6). We haven’t tried the street tacos, are higher, but for $40 this trio easily feeds two. Located but they’re $3 each for beef, chicken, carnitas, or cau- in the restaurant-rich Mountain View Plaza (3420 S. liflower. Jones), hours are 11:30 am-9:30 pm. n Lunch starts at 11 am Two More Chinese on week- days, or you Along with China Mama outside of the casinos, our can wait standard recommendation for Chinese in a casino is for the Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast. Similar to Mama, the bar to food here scales in authenticity and the restaurant pro- open at vides a somewhat more Americanized atmosphere. We 5 and eat Steak sandwich at Gaucho’s recently had two good entrées at PPP—a crusted sea inside bass for $24.95 that was excellent and a seafood hot pot (though you might have to fade a mike check for one of for $22.95 that was even better. the Bunkhouse’s many band nights). n

8 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • JULY 2019 Dining Notes and 400 for her “Celine” residency that followed, starting in 2011. She appeared in front of more than four million fans over the past 16 years, grossing more than $700 AYCE Korean BBQ—Best Friend at Park MGM has million in ticket sales. n all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ on Mondays for $65. Bagels and Fries—An Einstein Bros. Bagels has opened in the food court at Excalibur. Frites, an all French fries restaurant, has also opened in the food Sports Bars at the D court. Kids Eat Free—Kids eat free in July at the House If you like watching sports at a bar, you’d be hard of Blues Restaurant & Bar. Daily from 11:30 am to 4 pm, pressed to find a better choice in one spot than the first- get one selection from the kids menu with each regular or second-floor bars at the D. Downstairs, the Long Bar entrée purchased. has 15 high-def TVs tuned to every game the satellites Half-Price Pizza—On Mondays at Boulevard Bar provide. The variety rivals any sports book and owner & Grille, cheese pizzas are half-price ($6/$7.50). No and his wife Nicole are often there, just discount on added toppings. This is a Cleveland bar hanging out and fraternizing with the guests. n located across S. Las Vegas Blvd. from South Point. If you want to be closer to the sports book and play a better video poker game, then set up at the Vue Bar upstairs. The recent renovation added more TVs over Openings/Closings the bar and you almost can’t beat the video poker at the quarter level (see Gambling). n The Italian restaurant Terra Rossa will replace Masso Osteria at Red Rock. It’s the second go-round for Terra Rossa, which opened with the resort and operated there A CH3 HH until 2015. Ada’s, a new restaurant from the chef/owner of The Crazy Horse III gentlemen’s club runs a happy Esther’s Kitchen, has opened on the west side in the hour on Fridays from 3 to 6 pm with free beer and well shopping district. It’s the first of several drinks and $5 appetizers. It’s supposed to be part of new eateries announced for Tivoli this summer, including a remote broadcast of a local sports talk-radio show, a second El Dorado Cantina, a Hop Nuts Brewery, and but the broadcast is pretty much an afterthought inside Kuya’s, described as an oysters-and-martinis restaurant where it’s full-on strip-club action. Translation: Be pre- out of Hawaii. pared to be targeted by the girls if you’re there as a sin- Opa! of Greece has opened on the third floor of the gle male. There’s some relief if you can land a seat at the . bar, but you’ll have to get there before the HH begins to Le Pho has closed downtown. get one. Of course, if you’re an expert at navigating this Mingo Kitchen has closed in the Arts District. scene, this three-hour free-drinks deal is the nuts. n Bandito Latin Kitchen & Cantina has closed on E. Flamingo. n Fireworks on the 4th

It’s been somewhat subdued with regard to ENTERTAINMENT announcements of Independence Day fireworks, but the Vegas sky will light up as always on the 4th. So far shows are planned for Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, Caesars Palace, Mandalay Bay, Plaza, M Resort, and assorted Celine Ends Epic Run parks around town. All are scheduled for around 9 pm, so simply stop what you’re doing and look up. n The run is over for the most successful star resi- dency in Las Vegas history. Celine Dion played her last show in the Colosseum at Caesars Palace (“the Bars and Happy Hours house that Celine built)” in June. Credited with reviv- ing a moribund Las Vegas entertainment scene when she launched her “A New Day” residency in 2003, Dion Eataly at Park MGM has instituted several new happy hours, almost all running daily from 4 to 6 pm in performed a total of 1,100 shows, 700 for “A New Day” continued on next page

JULY 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 9 Entertainment continued … ously accessible only by VIP ticket holders. Hours are noon to 3 pm on Aerosmith show days; tickets can be purchased at aerosmith.com/vip. the various specialty areas. Most are Italian drink spe- Station Grabs Apex—Similar to MRI’s takeover cials, e.g., $11 Aperol Spritz at L’Aperitivo bar or select of several entertainment venues from Hakkasan, Sta- rosés at Enoteca. On Thursdays only, oysters are $1 tion Casinos is taking control of Apex Social Club at the each at La Pescheria and polenta fritta is $1 at Il Fritto. Palms, formerly run by Clique Hospitality. It’s the sec- In Tuscany Gardens at Tuscany, bottles of wine are ond such development at the Palms, where Station also 30% off on Sundays. assumed management of the pool complex that was Any coffee or tea is 50% off in Urth Caffé at Wynn originally to be run by Tao. Las Vegas on Mondays from 7 to 11 am. Summer League—The NBA Summer League runs Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has a happy July 5-15, with all 30 NBA teams participating. Games hour in the bar Mon.-Fri. from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, with will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox drink and appetizer discounts. The items are pricey, run- Pavilion; single-game tickets start at $35. ning from $13.50 to $24, but it’s high-end fare, including Vegas Rollers—Las Vegas’ first professional cheesesteak eggrolls, corndog-battered lobster tails, team, the Vegas Rollers, will open their season July 20. and king crab cocktail. Residencies/Added Dates—Willie Nelson will play “Taco Tuesdays” is ongoing at the Leatherneck Club six dates at the Venetian beginning October 18; tickets (4360 Spring Mountain). Buy a drink and get two free start at $59.95 base. Shania Twain will return for her tacos. Ice cold Bud in the bottle is $3. Make your own second Las Vegas residency, this time at The- tacos from a cart. Good all day. ater at Planet Hollywood, with 23 performances begin- Tuesday is Ladies Night at Michael T’s (7325 W. ning December 6; tickets start at $159 base. Warm Springs). From 6 to 10 pm, drinks and food are Lady Gaga has added two dates for her “Enigma” half-price for the girls. Lots to choose from. We got a big-band show and one for the more intimate “Jazz & good guacamole plate for $4. Piano” at Park MGM: Dec. 28 and 30 for “Enigma” and Cat’s Meow karaoke club has opened at . a special “Jazz & Piano” for New Year’s Eve. Additional Trustworthy Brewing Co. is scheduled to open this dates have also been announced that will extend both month in the Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. With the shows into the spring, with “Enigma” scheduled for April closing of the Brewpub at Monte Carlo and Big Dogs 30 and May 2, 9, 13, 15, “Jazz & Piano” May 3, 7, 10, 16. years before it, Trustworthy will be the only craft brewery Tickets start around $250 base. on the Strip. The brewery will also have a restaurant and See the Advance Planner for dates, prices, and addi- a game room with skeeball and shuffleboard tables. tional show updates. n Bastille on 3rd has closed. The downtown bar that opened as Snick’s in 1976 was said to be the longest- running LGBT bar in Las Vegas. At the Bunkhouse, a margarita is $9 and a Bud is $5. At Crazy Horse III, a Glenlivet 12-year is $9. At Sand Dol- GAMBLING lar, a Jameson is $8. In Trago Lounge at the Tropicana, a Bud is $7. In the main bar at Silverton, a Bud is $5.41. At Caffe Restaurant Prince, an Amstel is $5.41. WSOP in Progress At Giuseppe’s, a Peroni is $5. In Del Mar Bar at South Point, a Blue Moon is $4.50. At Village Pub Rainbow, an EI Amber is $4. At Leatherneck Club, an Angry Orchard While the boom is over and interest in poker is wan- cider is $3. ing, the WSOP continues to post big numbers. At the Notes: That’s a pretty good price for a shot of Glen- halfway point of the meet, there were more than 96,000 livet at a strip club. It was during the HH, but call brands entries, a big 31% increase over last year. Given that this th aren’t discounted, so it should be the standard price. n is the milestone 50 , you might expect that there’d be a lot of media coverage, which, in turn, would stimulate participation. Not so—again this Entertainment Notes year, press has been sparse. Rather, it seems that the numbers are being driven (inflated?) by the addition of more low-buy-in events, although direct comparisons of Aerosmith Museum—The temporary museum of events are generally favorable. Aerosmith artifacts backstage at the Park Theater at As an example of the effect of a lower buy-in, the Park MGM is now open to the public. There’s a hefty inaugural $500-entry-fee BIG 50 No-Limit Hold ’Em tour- $49 admission fee, but the museum space was previ- nament had 28,371 entrants (including rebuys), nearly

10 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • JULY 2019 a third of the total to date in just one event. It crushed the former live-event record of 22,374 that was set in Bankroll Bet Final Total 2015 for the inaugural Colossus. Numbers haven’t been Emma $26,600 $20,201 $46,801 reported yet for this year’s Colossus; however, the James $23,400 $1,399 $24,799 $1,500-buy-in Millionaire Maker drew a whopping 8,809 Jay $11,000 $6,000 $17,000 players, a 20% increase over last year’s 7,361, and the Seniors event drew 5,916, a mere two players fewer than last year’s record. On the negative side, entries in the James made the assumption that Emma would $50,000-buy-in Poker Players Championship declined to “cover him high,” meaning she’d bet enough to cover just 74, down from 87 last year (-15%). him doubling up and that’s what she did. Had James Stephen Chidwick won the PLO High Roller and its bet his entire $23,400, he could have gone to $46,800. $1.6 million first prize, John Gorsuch won the Millionaire Emma’s bet would take her to $46,801. Hence, James Maker and $1.3 million, Femi Fashakin won the BIG 50 opted to make a bet that “locked out” Jay—if James lost and $1.1 million, and Howard Mash won the Seniors for $1,399 and Jay doubled up to $22,000, James would $663,000. beat Jay by $1 (but Emma would also have to lose for Big-name bracelet winners thus far are John Hen- him to win). It was a good bet, but was it the best? Not nigan, who became the 16th player to win six or more necessarily. bracelets; , who won his fifth; , There’s a good case to be made against $1,399, who won his fourth; and , who won his sec- as that bet makes it possible for James to be locked ond. Bechtel was the Main Event champion in 1993 and out by Emma. Had she chosen to bet small ($1,800 or his win this year establishes a new mark for the longest less), she’d have been in a can’t-lose position. “But span between WSOP bracelet victories: 26 years. Loren she wouldn’t bet small,” you say. We disagree. There Klein became the third player ever to win events in four are two reasons she might. The first is it’s her first time consecutive years, joining Bill Boyd and . on the show and she’s in a high-pressure spot. Maybe There’ve been no multiple winners so far. High finishes she doesn’t come up with the lock-out play or thinks have also been notched by , Shaun it’s correct to bet the difference between herself and Deeb, David Bach, and David “ODB” Baker (second); James. Second, in a he-knows-that-I-know-that-he- Robert Mizrachi and Chris Klodnicki (third); Robert Miz- knows scenario, she could purposely bet small, figuring rachi also had a fourth. The only sighting that James will make the bet that gives her the lock. has been a 5th, but it came, impressively, in a tourna- James can avoid this by betting something like $10,000. ment with 2,825 players. was leading late in This introduces the slight chance of a win/lose with Jay, the Poker Players Championship as this issue went to but James wins for sure if he answers correctly and press. Emma doesn’t and it gives him a chance even if all three The Main Event begins July 3 and runs through July miss. 16. n It’s complicated stuff, the sort of thing high-level tournament players calculate on final hands. Given James’ high confidence in his prediction of Emma’s bet, Final Jeopardy there can be little argument with his strategy. What really cost him was failing to have the lead going into the final hand. Take a lesson: When playing in a tournament, When James Holzhauer finally lost to Emma being in the lead on the final hand is hugely important. Boettcher on “Jeopardy!”, conspiracy theorists quickly And taking into account the high probability of these pointed to his “abnormal” bet on the Final Jeopardy players answering the Final Jeopardy question correctly, question. Holzhauer had tended to bet big on the last in this contest it becomes paramount. Had James been question of each game, so his bet of only $1,399 raised in position, he’d still be playing. red flags and led to speculation that he’d thrown the As for the final tally, James Holzhauer won 32 games game, perhaps to keep from breaking the all-time win and $2,464,216. Both fell short of Ken Jennings’ totals, record from which he was less than $100,000 away. but he set just about every other record in the book: the However, “Jeopardy!” betting involves strategies similar three highest winning amounts, the 16 most prolific per- to a gambling tournament, especially Final Jeopardy, formances in the show’s 35 seasons and 23 of the top so tournament experts knew that the dissenters had it 27 overall with an average of $77,000 in winnings, and wrong. answering correctly 97% of the time. He’s now nation- While James’ bet looked odd, it was a good play ally known and a superstar in Vegas, where his every given the circumstances. Here are the particulars engagement, including playing in two WSOP events (“Bankroll” is the scores going into Final Jeopardy; the (with staked entries) is news. And as for “back-end”— third player was Jay Sexton). continued on next page

JULY 2019 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • 11 Gambling continued … paying 99.20%. The fancy Trago Lounge at the Tropicana goes against convention with its 6/5 Bonus Poker (96.87%) the term for the benefits that accrue to winners of pres- being the worst option for quarters. The best is 9/5 Dou- tigious contests—he’s a professional sports bettor at a ble Double Bonus (97.87%). time when sports betting is front and center. You haven’t We don’t have all the details on this one, but both heard the last of him. n Crown & Anchor bars are instituting a “Gaming Happy Hour” with some type of video poker bonus. It sounds like it will be a play-$200-get-$20. Not a monster, but Gambling Notes a positive play and these are fun bars to hang in. We’ll provide full details next month. Reports from Encore Boston Harbor indicate that the Jackpots—A Wheel of Fortune slot was hit for $1.88 best game is 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.54%), but it’s avail- million at the Venetian. A Buffalo Grand slot was hit for able only in denoms from $5 to $100. $1.8 million at The STRAT. A Wheel of Fortune slot was It’s true what they say about the machines at hit for $954,263 at South Point. A $1.1 million jackpot McCarran Airport. Quarter games range from 8/5/4 DB was paid for a dealt natural royal flush in diamonds on (94.19%) to 7/5 DDB (95.71%)—worse than standard the Ultimate Texas Hold ’em Millionaire Progressive at bar games (unless you’re in New Orleans). Palazzo. A $1.6 million jackpot was paid for a seven- The most common schedule we found in the bars card straight flush on the Pai Gow Poker linked-progres- on a stop in New Orleans was a tricky DDB game that sive at Paris. appears to be 9/6, but pays only 40 for quad 5-Ks and a Wild Wild West—All live table games have been dastardly 2 for 3-of-a-kind. There’s some get-back with removed; they’ve been replaced with multi-player elec- 800 for quad aces with a kicker, but it’s far from enough, tronic games (from Interblock) for blackjack, craps, and making the return a miserable 92.66%. roulette. Currently, no Bob Dancer video poker classes are Women’s World Cup Line—Going into the quar- scheduled. They will resume at South Point September terfinals of the women’s soccer World Cup, USA is the 3. In the interim, be sure to check out Bob’s weekly favorite at +150, followed by France at +350, and Ger- Tuesday blog and the Thursday “Gambling With an many at +500. Edge” podcast, with Bob and Richard Munchkin, both at Virtual NBA—Not only has the NBA embraced LasVegasAdvisor.com. n sports betting, now it wants to allow it even when there’s no game being played. The league says that it’s creating “NBA Last 90,” a game that splices random highlights from real NBA games to produce a virtual outcome that can be bet on. This is more of a slot machine than it is FAST TRACK sports betting, but it’s legal. “Vegas Dave” Barred—A decidedly less severe penalty (Black Book members are disallowed from Bellagio Conservatory—Bellagio’s Conservatory entering casinos for life) was assessed controversial and Botanical Garden’s summer display features a rep- gambler David “Vegas Dave” Oancea, who was barred lica of , riders on horseback, large plates, from entering sports books for three years. Oancea was cups, and an oversized bottle, foliage-covered arches, charged with using other people’s Social Security num- and of course thousands of flowers. The summer display bers to open multiple betting accounts. n will be in place until September 7. New Ad Slogan—The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is rolling out a new ad campaign that Video Poker Lost and Found highlights entertainment and one-of-a-kind experiences. The “Vegas Changes Everything” ads will initially be in rotation in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix. Vue Bar at the D reopened with the same good Raiders on ‘Hard Knocks’—The Oakland Raid- 8/5 Bonus Poker progressives for quarters. When we ers have been selected as the featured team for this checked, the return was 101.16%. season’s Hard Knocks series. The hit show that follows The online database vpFREE2 reports a casino- one NFL team through training camp each year tends to wide downgrade at the Westgate, with the removal focus on drama and dysfunction, which seems to make of most schedules with returns above 99%. The best the Raiders the perfect choice. While the team hasn’t yet remaining game for quarters is 9/7/5 Double Bonus moved, Las Vegas figures to get plenty of attention in (99.11%) and the best for dollars is Loose Deuces Wild front of the big HBO audience. n

12 • LAS VEGAS ADVISOR • JULY 2019 SEPTEMBERSEPTEMBER AUGUST 8–11 Int’l Baking Industry—22,000 WEEKDAY WEEKEND 10–12 IMEX America—13,000 Four Queens • $39 El Cortez • $87 13–14 Mr. Olympia—45,000 El Cortez • $40 AZ C Decatur • $98 19–21 Int’l Vision Expo—12,500 Plaza • $54 Four Queens • $99 23–25 Packaging Machinery (PMMI)—45,000 Golden Nugget • $49 Circus Circus • $91 Downtown Grand • $52 Downtown Grand • $93 OCTOBER Circus Circus • $54 Golden Nugget • $99 10–12 Mecum Collector Car Auctions—15,000 Hard Rock • $86 Hard Rock • $141 15–17 G2E—26,000 Paris • $102 Paris • $156 15–19 Supply West Trade Show—16,000 Palms • $104 Mirage • $176 22–24 Nat’l Business Aviation Association—25,000 SEPTEMBER KEY NOVEMBER WEEKDAY WEEKEND 2-5 Tableau Software Conference—21,000 Four Queens • $42 California • $117 19-21 Autodesk—12,000 Wild Wild West • $51 Fremont • $117 19-21 ISSA Show—17,000 Plaza • $54 Main Street Station • $127 22-24 Live Design Int’l —14,000 DATES Downtown Grand • $52 Circus Circus • $111 Circus Circus • $54 Silverton • $128 JULY Silverton • $58 Tuscany • $130 Mean 90° Avg. Max. 105° Avg. Min. 73° Pools: Open Hard Rock • $81 Green Valley Ranch • $196 Dry, sauna-like heat. Sun worshipers enjoy 85% sunny days. Palms • $98 Red Rock Resort • $199 Paris • $102 Hard Rock • $206 Attire: The skimpier the better. It it’s not mandatory, don’t wear it. OCTOBER

AUGUST ROOM WEEKDAY WEEKEND Mean 88° Avg. Max. 102° Avg. Min. 73° Pools: Open Four Queens • $49 Fremont • $117 A very hot and wet month. Desert electrical storms are Wild Wild West • $51 AZ C. Decatur • $122 spectacular but can cause dangerous floods on and around El Cortez • $53 Main Street Station • $127 the Strip. Downtown Grand • $52 Hooters • $121 Attire: Summer cool, bathing suits. Circus Circus • $54 Tuscany • $126 Hooters • $63 Luxor • $138 SEPTEMBER Hard Rock • $96 Hard Rock • $171 Mean 80° Avg. Max. 95° Avg. Min. 65° Pools: Open Palms • $119 Mirage • $196 Warm sunny days, mild evenings. It doesn’t get any better RATES Mirage • $136 Paris • $196 than this.

WEATHER Best rates at press time from sample of 54 Las Vegas casinos. Rates NOT guaranteed, subject to Attire: No need for jackets or sweaters. change without notice, and do not include tax. Lower prices may be available online.

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