An astute reader pointed out that, having been "spotlit" by LVA for this weekend, it wasn't the smartest move on my part to go on semi-hiatus. I plead extenuating circumstances, having spent part of Sunday and all of Monday at the Cutting-Edge Table Games Conference, presented by Raving Consulting at Mandalay Bay.

Not only did the Significant Other and I get to suss out some new table games (including attempts to wed baccarat and poker or poker and blackjack), I was also invited to speak as part of a panel on the unionization of table games dealers, along with former Harrah's Cherokee GM Jerry Egelus. Both Jerry and I were, however, in the considerable and eloquent shadow cast by Wynn Las Vegas roulette dealer Jesse Guest. He spoke from the heart about the demoralizing effect Steve Wynn's tip-confiscation policy had, not only on him but on the entire dealing force.

Yet, being exceptionally well-read and wise for someone so young, he was able to appreciate both sides of the issue and offer a balanced analysis of the controversy. Jesse had hoped to make a career in the casino industry but now he just wants to get out as soon as he can afford it. He's the sort of highly motivated individual that a casino like Wynn Las Vegas ought to be fighting to retain; apparently it feels otherwise. That's a loss for it and the industry as a whole.

Guest's also up on his labor-movement history, which enabled him to rout some rote union-bashing that reared its head. Jesse says he doesn't watch TV and it's obviously done him a world of good.

Jerry, too, was also a breath of fresh air, having experienced the issue both as a pro-union dealer in the wayback, and as a veteran of the Harrah's executive ladder. In particular, he questioned whether table games departments weren't operating from an archaic business model, one that's been handed down from Prohibition-era speakeasies pretty much without question.

Newshounds, rejoice! Another source for out-of-town newspapers has been uncovered. If you're on the Strip, you owe it to yourself to check out The Reading Room at Mandalay Place. It features a catholic selection of non-Vegas newspapers. It's also one of the Strip's few nods to the life of the mind and deserves one's patronage for several reasons, not least to help stave off M'Bay's occasional efforts to run it out in favor of yet another shiny-bauble emporium targeted toward empty-noggined trust-fund babies and those who aspire to emulate them.

(Similar things might be said of M'Bay's indecent haste to run Mamma Mia! off the premises ... but I'll let that sleeping dog lie.)