A:
Thanks for posting the first edition of LVA. What a great time capsule. Reading the shows in town, I forgot there were two shows a night, dinner and late. In the early '70’s I took my Kansas farmer in-laws to back-to-back midnight shows to see the Hacienda topless ice skater revue and then Wayne Newton. Farmer Paul fell asleep to Wayne. When were the two shows a night discontinued?
The whole show scene has changed since the '70s, of course; dinner and midnight shows are definitely a thing of the past. Tournament of Kings at Excalibur remains the only true dinner show, while Delilah at the Wynn and Mayfair Supper Club at Bellagio have put a modern-day spin on the old banquet-room and big-band staple. But two shows a night were never discontinued; many shows still do two.
A quick look at our show listings turn up Absinthe, Atomic Saloon, Awakening, David Copperfield (also a third show on Saturdays), Jabbawockeez, Magic Mike Live, the comedy clubs, and more doing two shows a night. They're much earlier these days, usually starting around 7-8 and 9-10. The latest show we saw was Thunder from Down Under with a third show at 11 p.m. on Saturdays.
Would I be likely to be asked to leave the casino if I stood behind a player at a 6-5 BJ table and suggested that they move to a 3-2 table at the same bet level?
Do you know the player? If, for example, you arrive together, then realize it's a 6-5 table, it wouldn't be at all out of bounds to suggest to your partner that you go find a 3-2 table. If you don't know the player, even such well-intentioned advice might be construed by the pit and security to be harassment of a sort. The dealer or pit supervisor would probably say something like, "Please don't disturb the players at the table," especially if your stranger complained. But unless you continued to insist on offering unsolicited advice at that table and/or others, we doubt you'd be 86'd from the casino.
Are there any oyster bars on the Strip?
We can't think of any. All the ones we know of are in off-Strip casinos or not in casinos at all. Palace Station has the oldest and best-known in a casino; you'll also find oyster bars at the Orleans, South Point, Suncoast, and Santa Fe Station. Others around town include, but aren't limited to Legends Oyster Bar and Grill on S. Durango and Shucks Tavern and Oyster Bars on W. Flamingo and N. Durango.
I have been visiting Las Vegas for more than 30 years and there is a ritual I don’t understand. When they change blackjack dealers, the current dealer claps his/her hands and extends them over the table. Does this have a certain meaning?
It certainly does. It's called "clearing the hands" and it's done to show everyone, meaning the players and surveillance cameras, that dealers have nothing in their hands or up their sleeves. This includes chips, cash, and cards. First, the dealers turn up their hands, showing the world that nothing is concealed. Then they clap, which is supposed to force anything that might be up their sleeves to fall out.
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