Most of you are probably busy with holiday celebrations right now and perhaps have temporarily set aside your interest in casinos and gambling in general. So maybe this is a good time to address a common query I hear from so many of my frugal friends: Do Brad and I miss Vegas and the casino life?
It may surprise you that we can answer that with a resounding “No!”
Perhaps I need to give you some background for this answer. Although for years we worked hard pursuing advantage plays, the fun factor was just as important as the profit goal. People asked us if we considered gambling our “job” – and I replied that we couldn’t call it that, because we were having so much fun! What wasn’t to like about making money while enjoying such an exciting life?
However, as the good plays were oh-so-quickly drying up, so was the fun factor. To be honest, for the last couple of years, I’d grown tired of what I called the “casino rat race.” We had to work twice as hard for half – or less – the financial return. But I was willing to do it as long as Brad was still enjoying our usual casino routine; doing things together was still my greatest joy in life. However, by mid-2019, I was noticing that Brad’s enthusiasm was also decreasing. He seemed happy when I announced that we didn’t have to go to casinos as often, given that there were fewer good playing opportunities. And when we did go, he often was the first to say that he was ready to quit and go home – a change from all those years when I was the one who got tired first.
And there was another factor, a sad one: I could see that Brad was making many strategy mistakes in his VP play. It was obvious that his physical health was deteriorating, as he was becoming very frail, but it was harder to recognize – and accept – something I’d suspected for some time – that he was also suffering serious cognitive decline.
I had to make a major decision.
We thought we’d live in Vegas the rest of our lives. But I knew we were looking at a lot of medical issues in the future. Brad had already needed one long emergency hospital stay. My family in Georgia was strongly urging us to move near them, so they could help us as needed.
It turned out to be not only the right decision, but also the right time to move. We’d just gotten settled in Georgia, down the road from my daughter Angela and son-in-law Steve’s house when the pandemic struck, and they were able to take care of all our needs while we had to shelter in place for months. Also, when I had to turn in the car keys, they helped us with the decision to move into the independent-living apartment at a senior center, choregraphing all the moving arrangements and doing all the heavy lifting of getting us settled. We couldn’t have done it without them! We’ve now been happily settled in our new home for two months.
Which brings us back to the question I introduced at the start, and the answer. No, we don’t miss Vegas, but we haven’t forgotten it. We couldn’t even if we wanted to. Most of the staff and many of the residents here are online and they’ve googled us. And you probably won’t be surprised that they all want to talk about our “exotic” life as gamblers. A few have visited Vegas, but to most, it’s a fairy-tale city they’ve only seen in movies. And now they wanted to get all the exciting details from new neighbors who’ve lived that life. We always have a string of visitors who want to come and see our “Vegas apartment” and take a pull on the antique slot machine in our “Vegas corner.”
And everyone, staff and fellow residents, was excited, though not surprised, when we gave each of them a little gift. Instead of Christmas cards, we passed out lottery scratch tickets!
Speaking of being surprised, myself most of all, one group activity that I’m enjoying here is playing a rummy-type card game called Phase 10. No money involved, just some fun trash talk.
The first 35 years of my life, as I’ve often written about, I was from a family of avid non-gambling gamers, from Chutes and Ladders to Scrabble. However, once I started playing for money, these social games no longer interested me. I guess you never lose your competitive spirit – you look for a challenge wherever you are!
Now for a Christmas game for all you readers. Here are 3 pictures, the last 2 taken 20 years after the first one. What is the one thing that hasn’t changed?
The answer in my next blog.
Warm holiday greetings to all of you from two happy seniors who live in Columbus, Georgia, on Queen Bee Drive.
Yes, that is our address. I couldn’t believe it myself!
Hi Jean, I have a climate question. Having lived in IN, NV and now GA, which do you prefer?
Hi Jean: I enjoy reading your posts to your blog. I can certainly appreciate and identify with this past posting. I too am a frequent gambler to Vegas. In fact, I still go about 16 times a year, and my wife joins me in those visits about five times a year. But as I get older, my enthusiasm for Vegas and gambling is starting to wane. I think my cognitive skills are still OK, but physically, my body can’t take it anymore. I cannot stand for those long hours at the craps table; I cannot sit for hours on end at the VP machines. And now that my health has stopped me from drinking, even that “past time” has been taken away from me. Now with Covid-19, even most of the restaurants are closed and I have to eat at the coffee shop most times. So maybe it is time for me to slow down my visits to Vegas too!
Jean,
Great update, love hearing from you.
With all of the video poker and table game filming on Youtube and other media sites. Do you feel like you would have embraced this type of promotion in your careers?
Kind Regards,
William
🙂
Jean,
Just so you know, if you’re going to be a true resident of the state that you just moved to, you’re going to have to learn how to say and spell it properly like the local residents do. It’s “Jowja” (first syllable rhyming with “cow”).
Happy New Year!
I am guessing those antlers has been a regular part of your holiday outfits, you were wearing them when we met in December 2019…. at the Orleans. My husband loved hearing Brad’s stories and of course I enjoyed meeting you both and talking VP and Vegas.
I am sure that I will think of both of you if we ever get back to LV and especially the hotdogs at the sports book (with the soft buns).
All of your readers are so glad that you decided to be closer and safer in GA when you did….. Stay safe
Mo
Dear Jean and Brad,
I just read another wonderful blog from you, Jean, and I thank you for that as well as the great photos of you and Brad and that of the antique slot machine in your new home. I’m sure your decision to transition from Nevada to Georgia was challenging on many levels but with loving and supportive family nearby now you have no regrets. I thought it was only fitting that the “Queen of Comps” should now reside on Queen Bee Drive! Love it!
Although we live 80 miles north of Vegas, we have been to Vegas only twice in the entire horrible year of 2020 and neither visit was for gambling fun per se. The COVID restrictions and the drastic loss of so many of our favorite and more lucrative games killed all the joy of Vegas visits basically. However, I am optimistic that Vegas will bounce back vigorously once there is wide-spread vaccine innoculation world-wide and the vaccine efficacy eradicates this horrendous pandemic so life can return to normal. I hope I am not just wishful thinking.
For now I want to wish you and Brad a relaxed, happy and healthy New Year 2021 in your new home and neighborhood. Thank you for teaching us your frugal-gambling philosophy through all your books as well as the couple of personal visits which we were able to have with you in Vegas over the years. We have become dedicated frugal but also much more rewarded gamblers thanks to your influence, Jean.
Sincerely,
Eva & George Mikutowicz, Mesquite, NV.
Best wishes to the two of you. And a thousand thanks for all you’v done for the rest us vpers.
What hasn’t changed is that the two of you are still joined at the hip!
Well, I see 2 that haven’t changed but won’t spoil the surprise. Phase 10, my wife and one of our granddaughters love playing it. They can play for hours and hours. About evenly matched and the wife cuts her no slack, being 13 years old and playing grandma just as hard as she can.
Wish you and Brad only the best. Thank you for all you have given us.
Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year to you both!! I have always loved your stories and greatly appreciated how you helped us all to be better “frugal gamblers.”
The queen still has her antlers! Love you two.
THANKS for all you’ve given us in joy and knowledge ….MERRY CHRISTMAS to both of you …..
P.S. My guess is the glasses and of course your charming smile
Always enjoy reading your blog. Thanks for sharing. Wishing you Brad and your family health and every happiness this holiday season and throughout the coming New Year!
Thanks for the update, Jean. As an ‘fyi’ only, and you are probably aware, so many restrictions now – even inside casinos that are open. Wearing a mask while playing can start to be irritating too (after a few hrs), so probably good you’ve moved on. And certainly takes more ‘work’ to find any worthwhile promotions, even for recreational players. (Having a good Las Vegas Advisor coupon or American Casino Guide book of coupons can help). But until this vaccine and virus are under control, know that Table Game mininums are set higher (Casinos ARE a business, lack of volume or limited numbers of players at various games forced that I think). I am glad to see you found some gaming neighbors- I also grew up playing boardgames and card games. That is also funny you are on Queen Bee Drive……..still the ‘Queen of Comps’ in my mind, and Bee reminds me of “Bee” playing cards (along with Bicycle) as a part of my early childhood cardgames life. I checked my collection of used decks of casino logo cards, and sure enough, a few are in “BEE” playing card boxes! LOL. Enjoy this tidbit of history on different card product lines, many from this manufacturer–who knew? US Playing Card Co. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Playing_Card_Company
Glad you are celebrating your new ‘change’ in life. Martin (not quite retired) in San Diego.
Merry Christmas! And a Happy New Year.
You’re fortunate to have such a loving family and as is so much of life, your timing is impeccable in moving cross country this year at your age. Happy all is working well.
Merry Christmas from Waterford, NY on Mallards Landing South. Although you are wearing glasses in all the pictures, I still have to go with your smiles. They show even through the masks.
Merry Christmas to you both! Glad that you are enjoying the slower pace of life with family and friends. Wishing you both a safe and healthy 2021!