For complete information about this fun and informative event go to ZorkFest. There you can scroll down and find schedules, pictures and bios of the speakers, preliminary session subjects, host hotel rates, and registration details.  Of course, I want to tell you about all the ways you can reduce the cost of this educational and entertaining event – talking about how to get more bang for your buck is what I do!

First, remember this valuable code:  zorklva.  This will give you discounts for many parts of the registration fees.  And second, remember this still-wise cliché – the early bird gets the worm.  The Super Early Discount rate available if you register before March 20, coupled with the LVA code, will be the best bargain.  But there are other discounts for add-ons and combo offers.

Then there are special LVA promotions. Use the code zorklvaroller for $25 off the High-Roller ticket, offer good until April 30.    And here is one Brad and I are excited about because we love to chat with our fans:

ZorkFest will provide three (3) Friday VIP dinner tickets to raffle off for LVA members. Potential winners will be any LVA member who buys a Zorkfest conference ticket (with the LVA code). Those three winners will sit with Anthony Curtis or Jean and Brad Scott at dinner Friday night.  If the winner of the LVA contest for dinner already has purchased a dinner (or High-Roller ticket which includes dinner) they will get a $100 Treasure Island Casino chip, at registration.  Those who purchase the dinner (or High Roller Ticket which includes dinner) will also get a chance to sit with AC or Jean and Brad Scott, on a first- come- first basis.

I am really enthusiastic about this event because it covers such a large range of subjects of interest to people who work at being thrifty.  Of course, my niche is frugal gambling, but we spent a lot of time over the years making our travel budget smaller – think of those many airplane bumps we chased –  so we would have a bigger bankroll when we got to the casino.   And we are really looking forward to chatting with many of our frugal readers, some we have met in person in the past but many have wished for such an opportunity as this May event will bring.  Hope to see you there!

New Casino Offerings

Casinos are always looking for new ways to attract a younger generation of potential casino visitors.  Many of them would not interest me or most of the people of my age group.  Take the new free-roaming virtual reality arena in the MGM’s Level Up gaming lounge.  Fighting zombies is just not on my bucket list.

However some of the new concepts, particularly the new electronic versions of the old standard table games, do interest me.  I’ve been reading about the new “stadium-type” format for traditional casino games and have seen some smaller electronic versions of these, but really didn’t know many of the details.

Therefore, I was glad to see a very comprehensive discussion of stadium-blackjack, written by fellow gaming author Henry Tamburin, at the 888 Casino website.   This piece includes pictures, description of the set-up and how it is played, and explanation of the rules.

The Westin

Max Casino at this casino is closing June 30.  Scot Krause’s article in “Gaming Today” gives all the details.

TUSCANY

The 20% senior discount moves to the Pub e65 for the whole month of July.

RAMPART

They are advertising that their newly-named senior “50 Plus PARTY Tuesdays” is “new and improved, offering more benefits.” See the details here.

SOUTH POINT

From a press release: Beginning Monday, July 3, South Point Hotel will introduce “Prime Time Mondays” for our Casino Club Card holders age 50 and older. Prime Time Mondays will offer a $5,000 Free Slot Tournament from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tournament’s first place winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize and additional places will be rewarded with free play.  In addition, guests who pay with their points will receive half point dining all day at all restaurants (Primarily Prime Rib & Baja Miguel’s are closed on Monday) and half point bingo all day. Movies will also be offered at a discounted rate of just $4 all day (additional fee for 3D & XD). This promotion is not valid on holidays or during special bingo events.

PALMS

The last day for their buffet before they close it for major changes is July 30. The new 24-hour coffee shop, the Lucky Penny, will open to the public on Saturday morning, July 1. I saw it today as it was practicing a soft opening with invited guests. Fancy-dancy!

Watch for machines to disappear or be moved around as they continue to replace carpeting. Hopefully our favorite ones will re-appear and intact.

New parking passes are available at the players club. The old ones expired on June 30.

No plans to put in the check-cashing program available at other Station casinos until after the cage area is renovated. Proposed time for that to start is late summer.

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If you get to missing my gambling chatter here while we are on vacation, you can listen to me talk about gambling and casinos in a couple recent interviews:

1. A podcast from the “House of Cards” radio show

2. An American Casino Guide YouTube video

And if you want to read a funny little story about Brad, it is buried in the middle of a recent long Review-Journal article about casino chairs.  

1.  A new American Casino Guide video made by Steve Bourie and his son, Matt.  On this video I cover the basics of getting comps. 

Steve has made many podcasts on gambling subjects and interviewing a wide variety of many well-known personalities in the gambling field.  These and an abundant amount of casino information can be found on his Web site.

2.  A radio show hosted by Frank Kneeland and Bob Dancer every Thursday evening, covering a wide variety of  unusual gambling subjects.  Listen live at 7:00 PM on KLAV AM 1230 in Vegas or online.  It is also archived at  Frank’s Web site  and Bob’s site. 

To call in LIVE during the show for the giveaways, the numbers are:
(702) 731-1230 & 1-(866) 820-5528.

This week’s show (Feb. 24th) has  interviews with Michael Konik , author of Sharp Money, and Beth Raymer, author of Lay the Favorite.  Both are funny, sexy sports betting memoirs.

Naw  – no one would buy it –  and the title would be too long anyway.

But I talked about this subject on a recent podcast with Steve Bourie. You can find it on his American Casino Guide Web site.