7/6/2006
I’m taking a break from talking about our big tournament win at Caesars, although there are many more of your questions about it to answer. After I catch up on some miscellaneous items from my fat “For FF” file, I’ll go back and discuss the tax implications of a big win, how to figure tournament equity, and whether we’re frugal anymore!
I recently read a fascinating gambling novel called God Doesn’t Shoot Craps. Subtitled A Divine Comedy and based, loosely, on Dante’s Inferno, it’s the story of a junk-mail con man who, after selling fake gambling systems for years, discovers that his newest one actually works. Although you must remember this is fiction and the gambling system is very suspect, you’ll enjoy the realistic details as the hero chases — and is chased — around Atlantic City and Las Vegas.
You can read about the book’s author, Richard Armstrong, a gambler himself, at his Web Site, www.goddoesntshootcraps.com, and learn about a free download he offers on casino comps. Some of his information may be a bit outdated, but a lot of it is still very usable.
Want to play a good VP game at a classy bar and watch your favorite sports? Wynn has $1 9/6 Jack or Better at the Sportsbook Bar. Sorry, the lower denominations are very short pay.
Here’s a terrifically frugal birthday play from Scott Krause:
You say it’s your birthday? Santa Fe Station will give you a totally free $25 table-game bet if you stop in and play on your birthday. (Must show a valid I.D.) Not a matchplay … just a free $25 bet!
A new place to spend your Palms comp points is at the Playboy Store that just opened. It’s on the right, just before you get to the elevators for the new Fantasy Tower. There’s also a new jewelry store right across from it. You can swipe your card to pay in both of them.
In the What-Will-They-Think-Of-Next department. Here’s something all you gals (and maybe your significant other, too) have been waiting for: a class entitled “Stripper 101,” given at a striptease dance studio in the Desert Passage Mall at the Aladdin. Classes are held Thursday through Saturday 5-6 p.m. at the Stripper 101 studio above the V Theater.
I quote excerpts from their press release:
“Stripper 101 offers the ultimate Las Vegas experience for locals and tourists. The class covers more than 25 sexy floor moves. Actual exotic dance moves used in Las Vegas gentleman’s clubs are taught, as well as choreography with boas, chairs, and poles. During the class, each student will have the chance to master the Sin City stripper
pole. During all the fun, women won’t even notice they’re burning an average of 400 to 500 calories per hour.
“These classes are a great way for ladies to top off a wild bachelorette weekend and learn some moves to take back home. It’s also a fantastic chance for wives and girlfriends who want to impress their significant other. Stripper 101 is sure to add some spice to the bedroom. Most of all, it’s an enjoyable way to create a better body and increase self-confidence, all while becoming a ‘genuine Las Vegas stripper.’””
And at the end of the class, you get a certificate that documents it!
7/13/2006
For a long time I’ve been thinking about keeping a journal for this column, to show what daily life, for local gamblers who try to play with the best advantage at all times, is like. However, I never got around to doing it. Guess I was too busy doing it to write about it!
Then my granddaughter, Kaitlynn Starr, arrived. She’s staying with us most of the month of July. She’s a budding author, so I got the bright idea to turn the journal job over to her [with an occasional insertion, in brackets, from me].
Take it away, Kaitlynn.
July 2, 2006
Hi Frugal fans! I know I can’t take the place of my grandmother, but I’ll try my best. And I know Grandma and Deke will edit it and cut out all the stupid stuff and correct my grammar and punctuation mistakes. Thank goodness Grandma has SpellCheck on her computer.
Yesterday was very hectic. My family and I got up very early and left for the three-hour drive from Columbus, Georgia, to the Birmingham (AL) Airport. Since I’m eleven, I’m considered an unaccompanied minor, so my parents got a pass to take me through security and to the gate. I’ve been on a plane many times, because my dad is in the Army and we’ve lived all over the United States, but this is the first time I flew alone. The flight was unusually quiet. Most of the time it’s very loud, because the passengers are so excited about going to Las Vegas.
The flight was fifteen minutes early and Grandma and Poppy Brad weren’t there yet, so I had a short wait with a flight attendant who had to sign me off to my grandmother. She finally came and we were on our way to the coffee shop at Ellis Island. As we were eating, my grandmother noticed someone using the Las Vegas Advisor coupon book. Poppy Brad gave them one of Grandma’s business cards. The lady then asked for her autograph in the coupon book. I thought that was the coolest thing. We paid for our meal with free coupons the casino sends to Grandma and Poppy Brad every month. Then they had to pick up their monthly gift, which was a Christmas-in-July stocking, and their $25 bounce-back cash, which Grandma explained to me was a reward for their play in the past few months.
From Ellis Island, we had to go to the Tuscany Casino, since it was a pick-your-own-free-gift day there. As one of Grandma’s bright ideas, we walked from Ellis Island to Tuscany. It was nearly 114 degrees, but Grandma and Poppy Brad have been taking my brother and me on “death marches” in Vegas since I was in a stroller. They’re big on everyone getting more exercise.
There was a pretty decent selection of mystery gifts. I chose a beach backpack that would be good to take to the camp I’m going to next week. They chose an American flag, which will probably just be another addition to their garage full of free gifts they can’t use. Then we went to the gift shop. There were many things I could have gotten, but most things were too expensive. There’s a difference between things we need and things we want. [Hmmm. Do I hear an echo of words I taught her mother long ago that she’s now teaching her daughter?] Most of the stuff we probably didn’t need, so we ended up getting nothing. We left the casino for the hot walk back to the car at Ellis Island and were all thankful it had good air conditioning. Even Grandma admitted that she’d suggested a bad idea.
When we finally got to the condo, we rested and I unpacked. Then we went to Wal-Mart to get groceries. We used gift cards that Grandma and Poppy Brad had earned at a casino, but we still looked for things that had the lowest prices. When we got back home, Poppy Brad had to run over to the Palms and collect their bounce-back money and Grandma and I waited for him to come back so we could all go swimming. We exercised first in the exercise room, then got in the pool. It started to thunder and lightning, so we had to get out, but it was fun and cooling while it lasted. Since Georgia is three hours difference from Vegas, I was really tired and je”
7/20/2006
Here’s the second and final installment of the Las Vegas journal being kept by my granddaughter Kaitlynn, during her visit with us.
July 4, 2006
Another day in “the city of the free.”” You know my Grandma as the “”Queen of Comps”” and you could say that she’s really owned up to that name ever since I got here. I had to laugh on the Southwest plane to Las Vegas when a flight attendant said, “”Welcome to Lost Wages.”” Grandma said that term has been a cliché for decades, but it’s funny to me, because she and Poppy Brad haven’t lost their wages, they’ve lost the need to pay for anything with real money!!
At the Palms, we ordered Ben & Jerry’s ice cream treats and Poppy Brad swiped his players card to use his points to pay the bill, which was $11.05 for the three of us.
Grandma and Poppy Brad take a lot of vitamins, so they go to Vitamin World at the Outlet Mall every few months to restock. Today they spent a total of $324.57 and paid the whole thing with gift certificates they earned at the Cannery.
Grandma wanted me to buy some things for me, so we stopped at Claires Boutique where there was a sale on earrings. You could buy 2 cards and get one free. We spent a total of $13.13 and got 15 pair of earrings. Of course, we used gift certificates.
Same thing at the Izod store. I needed new shirts for school and we found some very cute and sturdy ones on sale. Plus we had several coupons to boot: $38.78 for 3 shirts paid for with mall gift certificates.
We were getting hungry, so we went to go eat at the Terrace Pointe Café at the Wynn Las Vegas. We ate outside and had a very good view of the pool. The food was amazing! Again, it was all comped.
We continued shopping because there were so many Fourth of July sales at the Boulevard Mall. I got a pair of pajamas, a couple of shirts, and a lot of bright-colored socks. We spent a total of $62.58 and it was all paid in gift cards that my grandparents had earned at a casino. After the mall, we went back to the Palms food court to get a bite to eat. Poppy Brad and I ordered something from Panda Express, which is one of my favorite fast-food restaurants. That was $16 comped. All Grandma wanted was her favorite comped Coffee Bean drink, a Sunrise. We weren’t into fireworks, so we didn’t do anything special for the patriotic holiday. All we did was swim while watching some faraway fireworks above the palm trees.
July 5, 2006
The next day, the comps were for entertainment and food. Grandma was going to work on her computer while Poppy Brad and I went to see Garfield 2 at the Palms theater. I liked the movie, but Poppy Brad snoozed most of the time. Comps and coupons covered the $16.25 for the movie tickets and $25 for pigging out on popcorn, drinks, and hot dogs. We brought a hot dog home for Grandma, because they were so good. She was still at her computer. She says she spends too much time there.
Because play requirements and bounce-back cash usually have specific dates, Grandma and Poppy Brad left me home for a couple of hours last night while they went to play a little video poker and pick up some bounce-back cash. That was fine with me. I’m old enough now to stay at home by myself. I can read or watch TV to keep myself from getting bored.
July 8, 2006
Thursday was a fun-filled day at the Palms. Grandma and I went to the salon to get a pedicure and manicure, while Poppy Brad was playing video poker. He also went to go get gas for the “Frugal Plum” with gas cards they earned by playing at Terribles. The Salon was a very relaxing experience for me. I got my fingernails and toenails painted the coolest color while Grandma got a fill for her acrylic nails. When everything was all done, I was shocked at the price. The total was $200, but Grandma didn’t use money. She used coupons and slot club points.
We ate an early dinner at the Palms Buffet. The cool thing about it was that Poppy Brad got a 75% discount because he has the highest-level slot card called
7/27/2006
First, Kaitlynn and I want to thank everyone who wrote to us and said nice things about the columns she wrote. This input has been a great boost to her desire to follow in Grandma’s footsteps!
Several people wondered if Kaitlynn’s journal was heavily edited because it sounded more “grown-up” than from an 11-year-old. Yes, I edited it, but mostly just in English-teacher ways, getting rid of dangling participles, awkward sentence construction, and split infinitives. If some of her ideas seemed like something I’d say, that would be true. I always explain to her everything we do, including all the frugal details of our gambling techniques, and she “parrots” that constantly. She seems to have been born with a thrifty nature, so she’s a sponge for frugal information. In fact, she’s so much like me that sometimes it’s scary (including the heavy use of exclamation !!!!!!’s!). But what’s really scary is that some of the phrases she spouts I haven’t used since I was raising her mother Angela, 20-30 years ago. We parents don’t realize how far our words and actions may go!
While Kaitlynn was with us this month, she went to two overnight camps. She was going to write about them for a Frugal Friday’s column, but her parents and brother are here this week and she’s busy sightseeing with them. So I’ll give you her report. I thought these camps, which I found only this year, might be a good option for parents or grandparents who want to come to Vegas, but need ideas for entertaining kids besides the short-term child-care centers in casinos, like Kids Quest. There’s especially a need for ideas to keep pre-teens and teenagers occupied.
Clark County Parks and Recreation offers four different six-day summer resident camps at Camp Lee Canyon located in the Spring Mountains, 45 miles north of Las Vegas. One is a traditional camping experience –- hiking, climbing, outdoor skills –- for active teens 13-15. Another is for adults 18 and above with developmental disabilities.
Kaitlynn went to both of the camps for ages 8-12. One was the Omni Science Camp, with hands-on sessions in subjects such as geology, ecology, chemistry, biology, and physics, as well as the traditional camp activities like hiking, sing-a-longs, and campfires. Kaitlynn enjoyed the science camp, but her favorite was the arts camp, where they had a varied schedule of classes in visual art, drama, music, and dance. The camp has rustic facilities: The kids sleep in cabins with bunks and the bathrooms are in a separate building. I was really impressed with the staff, mature but fun-loving caring counselors and a high caliber of teachers for the specialized subjects. Kaitlynn can’t wait to go back next summer.
This camp location is a nice break from the heat of a Vegas July. In fact, in just about an hour we could watch our car thermometer go from a blistering 110 degrees (or higher) to the cool and comfortable mid-60’s! In the 21 years we’ve been coming to Las Vegas, the last six years living here, we’d always heard about the beautiful Mt. Charleston area, but had never been there. For one thing, it would be no thrill for us to play in the snow in the winter; we had enough of that back in Indiana to last us a lifetime. But it’s a wonderful place for an escape from the summer heat to picnic or hike or just enjoy the scenery. I particularly recommend the scenic drive on Highway 158 between Mt. Charleston and the Lee Canyon area. You can turn off I-95 onto either 157 or 156 and “make a square” to get back to I-95, traveling through beautiful mountain scenery.
For more information about Camp Lee Canyon, go to
http://www.accessclarkcounty.com/parks/PDF/CampLeeCanyon03.pdf.