This week Anthony and Andrew give a monthly Vegas update.
LAS VEGAS ADVISOR MONTHLY UPDATE – JUNE 2025
Life After Bally’s
PSST! Don’t tell Soo Kim but sugar daddy Gaming & Leisure Properties is making plans for a post-Bally’s Corp. era. Nor are they being secretive about it, spilling the beans to the invaluable Barry Jonas of Truist Securities. It had nothing to report on troubled Bally’s Chicago “though we think the development remains behind schedule. We also believe some of GLPI’s stock underperformance relates to BALY credit concerns,” which are very real. It’s what happens when you budget money you don’t have (and can’t borrow), expecting GLPI CEO Peter Carlino to pick up all the tabs.
Continue reading Life After Bally’sNaked Greed
Perhaps, in his more delusional moments, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg still thinks he can get $2 billion for the Flamingo on the open market. How else to explain the preposterous levy imposed on Flamingo guests who have the temerity to request an early check-in rather than cool their heels with their luggage in the lobby. The nerve of them! To show who’s boss, Reeg is slapping Flamingo guests with $60 early check-in fees.
Continue reading Naked GreedThe Empire Strips Back—A Burlesque Parody (Rio)
The Empire Strips Back is the new show at the Rio. ESB began as a small production in Sydney, Australia, and grew to a point where it has played in 40 cities, including London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and now Vegas.
While it’s based on the original Star Wars trilogy, it’s a jiggle show first and foremost, with nine female dancers, two males, and an emcee. Like all shows of this type, it’s one vignette after another and you have to marvel at where they get the ideas to make them different enough, but that’s where the Star Wars theme works, as the segments play off the oh-so-well-known characters — Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2, CYoda, Jabba the Hutt, Chewbacca, and on and on. Of course a strip show has to have familiar music and this one delivers, featuring licks by Run DMC, Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Guns N’ Roses, among many others.
Sexy Quotient
Make no mistake, the SQ (sexy quotient) is high, but there’s almost no nudity. Other than some flashing topless moments, the rest is pretty much everything butt. We have to admit, watching the Storm Troopers strip down to their Under Wars is titillating, but that doesn’t have a thing on the moment when it becomes clear that Darth Vader is a girl!
Speaking of girls, the ladies in the audience get their turn when Luke does his thing to “Smooth Criminal,” with a few more performances by the guys throughout (after all, this was the former Chippendales stage). The highlight of the show is a romp by Chewbacca, who, thankfully, doesn’t disrobe (in part because he doesn’t have any clothes to take off). The entire cast comes out to tie a bow on it in the cool finale.
Intermission
This is one of the only shows in town that has an intermission. It’s 20 minutes, which stretches the run time to almost two hours. Some like it, some don’t. We didn’t mind, if only for an easy bathroom break (see “Pro Tips”).
Pro Tips
Here are two. During the intermission, the closest restroom is mobbed. Go down the escalator and walk back toward the casino to access an easier bathroom play. And seating is tight, uncomfortably almost, especially if you want to move while the row is seated. The showroom is small, so there’s no sightline penalty for sitting in the back where it’s less cramped. If you’re not seated there to start, those seats open up after the intermission.
The Verdict
This is a good Vegas show. Whimsical, appropriately raunchy, definitely sexy, funny enough, and the dancing is impressive. The price is right (given today’s standards) starting at $76. Before and after the show there are ample good choices for dinner, then some 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker. As we’ve been pointing out since the Rio came under new ownership, it keeps getting better over there and this show is a worthy addition to the mix.
Le Café Central
Le Café Central has opened in Chinatown (3616 Spring Mountain Rd), specializing in “authentic French and European offerings.” It’s the third in the group, joining Le Café du Val in Henderson and Le Café du Sud in Summerlin. It’s interesting that Chinatown is adding a European flair, with Central joining the recent expansion of Partage across the street from Le Café Central that added the Champagne bar, Le Club by Partage. Central is a breakfast and lunch spot open from 7 am to 3 pm seven days a week. Order at the counter and seat yourself; your food is brought out to you. Serve yourself for water.
The Food
Breakfast selections include granola bowls, croissant sandwiches, French toast (sweet and savory), galettes of all sorts (artichoke, florentine, lobster), lox dishes, crepes (caramel, berries, Nutella banana), and Benedicts. Interestingly, no quiche or omelets. Everything is $8.99 to $18.99. Lunch choices are varied, but mostly awesome sandwiches and salads. There were three of us and we all had baguette sandwiches—Paris ham with Swiss and prosciutto with Brie (both $15.99) and the French dip ($18.99). Fabuleux!
Coffees (and more)
Espresso, café au lait, red eye, fresh brew, cold brew, Americano, cappuccino, latte ($3.99-$5.99)—would you expect anything less in the coffee department? There’s also an impressive dessert selection if you want to pair the two.
The Verdict
This place is outstanding. You could go back 20 times and want to try something different on each visit. It was busy when we went, but there wasn’t a line. The bare-bones seating and service actually add to the charm and probably help keep prices down. We’ll be back, maybe 19 times.
Pisces Bar & Seafare (Wynn Las Vegas)
Pisces is the latest super-fancy restaurant at the Wynn. It’s in the spot that was formerly Lakeside, which was supposed to be taken over by Fiola Mare out of Washington D.C., but that didn’t happen.
The Food
The cuisine is primarily seafood with fish flown in daily from the Mediterranean. Good. Expensive. Loup de mer (wolffish) is $180 and Dover sole is $120. Seafood platters are $225-$1,000. On the lower end, king salmon and halibut are $60. The seafood paella for two comes with a lobster tail for $155. Our party of four had the paella, the halibut, and a selection of appetizers.
Paella with appetizers and a less-expensive fish is probably the way to go to get out for $100-$125 per person. Our food was excellent, though nothing really stood out. One thing that might have is a dessert called If Wishes Were Fishes that’s described as a “fish skeleton” in all the Pisces reviews. We didn’t try it, but it sure looks cool.
Dinner and a Show
An added bonus here is the “show” that comes with dinner. The dining room looks onto Wynn’s Lake of Dreams, which lights up with a different presentation every 30 minutes. During dinner, you’ll get to see three or four of them.
The Verdict
This is a classic Wynn Las Vegas dining experience, with the emphasis on the “experience.” If you have three bills to spend on dinner for two, you won’t be disappointed (especially if you get that fish dessert). Everyone gets three hours free parking, which is enough time to get out without the extra tariff.
I Don’t Have Enough Time to Eat!
On Wednesday April 30, I ate the breakfast buffet at South Point. I had a $15 coupon which expired that day, so it was ‘use it or lose it.’ The breakfast buffet costs $15.95 if you have a player card, so the meal basically cost a dollar, plus a two-dollar tip. The meal was easily worth more than that.
The April promotion at the South Point was, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, play $3,000 coin-in on video poker and spin the wheel. Most of my wheel spins were for $50, $75, or $100 free play — which is an excellent return for a $3,000 investment on an even game. You could get some food offers, which expired May 4 or so, but I didn’t receive any of those. I was planning on playing $3,000+ on both my card and Bonnie’s after breakfast.
On my way towards the exit of the buffet, I noticed two men I’ve been friendly with for 20 years or so, “Al” and “Bo.” They were in the middle of their meal and, after receiving indications that I’d be welcome to join them for a bit, I pulled out a chair and sat down. We chatted for a while about this and that, as old men are wont to do, and then Al told me he wasn’t sure he was going to play the promotion that day.
“Why,” I asked. “It’s a nice promo plus you’re already here. Unless you are on a really tight schedule, it makes sense to play.”
Al told me that he already had two remaining breakfast or lunch coupons from this drawing, and they are only good Monday through Friday. If he got another one, he wouldn’t have the chance to use it.
Among the three of us, about 75% of the prizes had been for cash, averaging about $75.
I asked him if he’d play if he knew he’d get $50?
“Of course.”
Well, if 75% of the time you’re getting $75, that’s worth more than $50 in EV. He was used to such calculations, but not when there was food involved. He conceded that he couldn’t fault my logic.
“Plus,” I added, “if you do get another two buffets, you can use more than two in a day. You could invite Bonnie and me on Friday, and I’ll leave the tip! That’s got to be worth something to you, isn’t it?”
I left soon thereafter. I didn’t hear about his score that day, nor what he got with the wheel spin. I do know that Bonnie and I ate breakfast at home that Friday.
Kim Complains, Goldstein Gets Real
Poor Soo Kim. The Bally’s Corp. chairman is finding rough sledding in the Bronx, where his quest for a megaresort is colliding with political reality. Fortunately for him, Kim has gotten the ear of the media, which has been regurgitating uncritically his claim that his project is languishing because of a trail of gold-plated breadcrumbs that lead all the way to the White House. In case you missed it, the fine print on Kim’s $60 million purchase of the former Trump Links in the borough included the codicil that—should a casino be approved on the site—it would be retroactively revalued at $175 million. (Bet you wish you could get that sort of sweetheart deal when you sell your house.)
Continue reading Kim Complains, Goldstein Gets RealBuffet Update – June 2025
Circus Circus – Circus Buffet: This week breakfast is Sat & Sun, 7 a.m.-10 a.m. for $29.95 and dinner’s Fri-Sun, 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m. for $39.95.
Main Street Station – Garden Court Buffet: All buffet prices went up $1. Weekday Brunch is Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. for $24.99, Weekend Brunch is 8 a.m.-2 p.m. for $27.99, and Dinner’s Fri & Sat, 4 p.m.-9 p.m. for $33.99.
MGM Grand – MGM Grand Buffet: Weekday Brunch is now Mon & Tues instead of Mon-Thurs. Price and time remain the same (8 a.m.-2 p.m. for $32.99).
Bobby Vegas: Living Well Anywhere Anytime
I’m a stone cold Vegas nut and I actually live on Dare Street in Raleigh, North Carolina. Raleigh has been in the top five places to live for the past 25 years. I’ve lived here 23 years and still love it.
We have incredible tree cover (The City of Oaks) and on New Years we drop a giant acorn designed by my artist buddy Dave from Third Place Coffee. My yard is full of birds and squirrels. We have long springs (it’s cool and wet today), long gorgeous falls, and in summer we’re a few hours to some of the best beaches anywhere — Outer Banks, Crystal Coast, and Wrightsville — and the mountains to the west. Our 400-acre Dix park is one of the largest city parks in the USA and right behind it, the State farmers market runs seven days a week.
This holiday I was at the NC State Fairgrounds’ weekly flea market, hunting vintage vinyl (and bought a silver money clip; now THAT’S old school, my friends). I picked up 25 albums for $1 each, such classics as Nat King Cole Live at the Sands, Jackie Wilson Live at the Copa, Diana Ross, Herbert Mann, Dionne Warwick, and many more. Score!
The nearest casino is in Danville, Virginia, 90 minutes away (Caesars … yawwwnn). Which is one of the many reasons I love Las Vegas. We have easy access to an international airport (RDU) with a Wright Bros.-inspired design. Southwest flies nonstops to Vegas, along with American and Delta.
Yes, things are getting pricey there and everywhere. So? Watcha gonna do about it? Complain? Raise backyard chickens? (In Raleigh, you can.)
Or … Myself, I subscribe to “triangle on the cheap.”
Eggs are cheapest at Trader Joes. Yes, we have Aldi, Lidl, and Costco. At Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Tuesday’s are $6 movies. I’m going to see Mission Impossible today. It’s $13 at the Regal.
Besides our original real Southern diners, Watkins Grill and Pam’s Farmhouse restaurant, we have Snoopy’s, where on Tuesdays it’s 2-for-1 hot dogs. Cook Out (our In n Out”) has them every day, with 50 flavors of milkshakes. And how about Fresh Market’s Thursday $5 sushi, $5 shrimp cocktail, and $6 roast chickens?
To top it all off, there’s the amazing $2 half-pound Monday burger deal just 5 blocks from my house and next to our historic 5 Points Raleigh Rialto Theatre, home of Indy movies, comedy, great music, and one of the longest running Rocky Horror Picture Show’s in the U.S., having played at least once a month for decades. It’s been there so long, the children and grandchildren of folks who used to go now go see it. Yeah, we’re that hip … or crazy .. or both.
What local bargain-hunter resources do you enjoy? It would be interesting to have folks comment on their favorite local value play. Tell us about your favorite local deals
Because while you’re waiting on your next Vegas jaunt, ya gotta have a good time, right? And keep your scuffling chops sharp.