Author: Bobby Vegas

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Bobby Vegas — Why I Came To Hate AI and Luv the Hack

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

“Hi, you’ve reached Orwellian Enterprises. Press six to be lost in an endless maze, seven if this drives you crazy.”

Used to be (in the good ol’ dayz), when I wound up in some company’s maddening phone tree, I could just keep hitting 0, eventually defaulting to a live, you know, human. But they figured it out and eliminated that option. Want proof? Try calling Verizon.

I also manage a number of websites that include BobbyVegas and KeepRaleighSquirrrely, etc., so I deal with web companies — a lot.

When Blue Domino eliminated live customer service, I eliminated Blue Domino and switched to GoDaddy. Go! Daddy!

Recently I encountered this worrying trend at two of my favorite places, the Plaza and Rio. And here’s another shoutout to Jonathan Jossel, president of the Plaza. Yo! JJ! Thank you! You dumped the AI girl on your phone system! My man! Back to old school is cool. Where humans rule!

Meanwhile, at the Rio, a very cheerful voice answers, “Hi! I’m Stacey! How can I help you?”

Being an OWG (Old White Guy) and an easy mark for the female persuasion, I hear a friendly voice, I assume it’s a human. Alas, after one or two questions, it’s clear Stacey is actually a GoogleBot.

When asked for a less-than-direct answer like, “I need to make a reservation using my LVA coupon, but I don’t have my Rewards number,” Stacey responds ever so cheerfully,
“Okay! I can help you with that!” then proceeds to do just the opposite.

My problem? I always have a question. AI’s problem? My query rarely fits auto response.

I recently read a critique of AI that it’s not “intelligent.” It’s just a ginormous database, scouring matching words like auto spell check … which also drives me crazy.

A friend recently used AI for a VP strategy query and literally got the wrong answer.
People, AI doesn’t THINK. It repeats what it finds. Right or wrong.

So I keep asking for a Rio AGENT and lo and behold … a human!

A note about using the LVA MRB coupon for an amazing 30% off the best rate and NRF (NO Resort Fee) saving $57 a night at the Rio: BE PATIENT. They always go, “Wow. Great rate. Let me check with my supervisor.”

Just chill. It’s worth the wait.

My five-night stay — Sunday through Thursday, king bed, Masquerade Tower (my fave, old school, great view of the Strip, and a tub!) was … Oh wait. In my last blog I claimed $135 for four nights. I lied. It was $122 for five nights. Oops. My bad.

I haven’t seen rates like that since the Stardust back in the day ($17 with $10 back and a $5 buffet coupon.)

Oh and one other thing. Why is it always Stacy or Tracy?

Why not KinkyRiotGrrl or UsedToBeASpearmintRhinoStripper? If you’re going to do Vegas AI, I mean, be Vegas. OK?

Better yet … delete!

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Bobby Vegas — Gift Cards, Points, and Straddles Oh My

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Who knew giving away a dozen free cookies a day would be so hard. Help me. Please. My blood sugar begs you. Or planning an almost free trip to Vegas.

With the launch of the Frugal Video Poker Strategy Guide ebook, the $10 discount offered to LVA subscribers (SUBSCRIBE ) or previous purchasers of FVPSG’s hard copy (HARDCOPY), I threw in a dozen free Tiffs Treats cookies (COOKIE) for pickup through End of July, making the whole package if not free ($48 in value for $9.88), at least a fantastic value play.

You get the FVPSG, my “Best VP on the Strip” booklet, and a dozen warm cookies (good till all cookies are sold). Go to my previous blog for details.

As for gift cards, I love gift card deals. If a retailer wants to give me 25% off on something I buy regularly, I’m in. Here’s the problem. People lose their cards. Or forget about them. Me too. Big time. It’s like TITO tickets at Caesars.

Example: I bought a discounted Alamo Drafthouse e-gift card and lost it recently. Then the excellent live customer service person located my card and noticed I had several in my account. Checking the balances, I had over $200 worth dating back four years ! Holy buttered popcorn, Batman! Would AI have found that? No way. That’s one reason I solicit companies with live customer service — and why so many companies are eliminating them.

Next, our local custard place, Goodberry’s, sells discounted gift cards as gifts for friends and well, me. While decluttering, I found four $25 cards I’d lost. It pays to declutter, at least at my house.

As for points and credits, I’m a big fan of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. I charge everything I can, then pay off the balance and accrue enough points for my Vegas flights. My card gives a 25% bonus using their points on their 24/7 live travel portal. $400 plane flight? Only $300. nice.

Next, casino offers and coupons, oh my. I have two comp nights a month at Downtown Grand where they let me straddle. After stacking, I love straddles. I’ll have four nights over Labor Day weekend — two in August, two in September — for free.

Straddling months also works on casino free-play offers like Four Queens. You get two offers on one trip.

Finally, using my Rio no-resort-fee LVA MRB coupon Sunday thru Friday will cost me $127 total for five nights, saving the $285 in resort fees.

I’ll be in Vegas for nine nights and 10 days, free flight on points. Total hotel cost $135.

I still have to pay for my car. Working on that next. Even paying for that, my out-of-pocket trip cost will be under $500. For nine nights. And there were other very good deals at Plaza and the Grand with no resort fee, free parking and daily food comps I didn’t use.

It’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it.

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Bobby Vegas — Free cookies AND a Video Poker Strategy Guide for $9.88 ? Heaven

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Talk about stacking. My “Video Poker Strategy Guide” e-book deal just got, much sweeter. Literally!

Using Tiffs Treats Summer Pass mentioned in my previous blog, I’m giving LVA subscribers a dozen FREE made-to-order warm cookies with the purchase of the mobile “Frugal Video Poker Strategy Guide” e-book and my “Best Video Poker on the Strip” booklet, for $9.88. I’m giving away one dozen every day this month until gone.

They’re packaged in one or two blue-ribbon-wrapped boxes (option for a personal message). You can also gift your cookies.

The cookies would cost $24/dozen. That’s $44 in value for under $10 and that’s a sweet value play.

You just have to pick up your cookies at one of 150 locations. Where? You can find them here.

There are four locations in Las Vegas (Henderson, downtown, Boca Park, and Arroyo), 100 (!) in Texas, 15 in So Cal and Georgia, 6 in Florida, 4 each in Arizona, Colorado, and Kansas and 8 each in North Carolina and Tennessee.

How it works:

1) Find a location you can pick up your dozen free cookies at.

2) Go to BobbyVegas.com. Order your Mobile “Frugal Video Poker Strategy Guide” e-book and “Best Video Poker on the Strip” booklet using code COOKIE for $9.88.

3) Once your VP Strategy Guide and Best VP Booklet are downloaded, go to the CookieDelivery website and choose up to two types of cookies (or order a mixed box), 6 each or 12. I’m into Double Chocolate Chip (I also like Double Bonus Poker) and Banana Nut.

Send an email to [email protected] with your name, email, the name you’ll pick up under, and your (preferred) date, time, and location for pickup.

If the location list doesn’t show the EXACT address, it’s in a Jason’s Deli.

4) Your warm cookies will be waiting for you.

Upon order confirm, we send you the address.

Limitations

LVA Subscribers only.

I have only one dozen free per day to give away, so once that day is claimed, we’ll suggest the next day available for you to confirm.

Pickups from 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. 7 days a week.

Best to order and then request delivery the next day.

Once all days are claimed, the promotion is over and we’ll announce it on LVA.

Most pick up locations are Jason’s Deli. Some are Tiff’s Treats.

Multiple orders? Yes. You can order as many days as you want ( until all days are claimed) @ $9.88 each.

If you want to get or give 6 or 12 cookies to friends, associates, or family, have at it; $10 for 12 cookies is a very good deal alone. You still get the VP Guides.

Once over, the “Frugal Video Poker Guide” and “Best Video Poker on the Strip” will still be $9.88 for subscribers (SUBSCRIBE) … just no cookies.

Enjoy!

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Bobby Vegas—Frugal Video Poker Strategy Guide Mobile E-Book!

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Imagine you have all the info to find and play the best video poker games and pay schedules, where the games are located in any casino, with free practice games and strategy cards … all on your phone.

Impossible? Not at all!

Introducing, for the first time, Jean Scott’s fantastic “Frugal Video Poker Strategy Guide” mobile e-book — brought to you by Las Vegas Advisor and me, Bobby Vegas.

I used the hard copy of FVPSG for many years and to great success, winning thousands from the information in the handy little booklet. It led me to Downtown Grand’s Furnace Bar Double Double Bonus progressive (now downgraded, but ongoing) and White Hot Aces royal Progressive at Rainbow Henderson (still active), to name just two.

All along, I’ve wanted a mobile version for convenience and up-to-the-minute information. So we created and produced it! And it’s now available.

Want to find the best video poker pay schedule in any casino? It’s on your phone.

Want to find exactly where the best machines are in any casino? We show you.

Want to know if that progressive is breakeven? That too is on your “Frugal Video Poker Strategy Guide” mobile e-book.

In the package is also my “Best Video Poker on the Strip” booklet, including the best video poker on and around the Strip, what games to play, where to locate the best video poker in almost every U.S. casino, and links to free practice video poker games and strategy cards.

How do you get the FVPSG e-book for less than $10?

If you’re an LVA subscriber, go to BobbyVegas.com and use coupon code SUBSCRIBE. And anyone who purchased the original pocket-size hard copy can use the code HARDCOPY. Both get $10 off. Your cost, $9.88 — $10 saved just for reading this post. article.

You’ll have all you need to:

  • Assess 37 of the most popular video poker games and 184 pay schedules
  • Find the best games in any casino
  • Learn the correct strategies with free practice games and strategy cards.

Hard copies are available from LVA/Huntington Press for $24.99 or buy the e-book at BobbyVegas.com for $9.88.

There’s a lot of treasure out there for you to win when you know where to look and when, how and which games to play. So grab your copy and cash in!

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Bobby Vegas — Welcome to NoResortFeeNation

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Ya know what I love about Vegas? Casino competition. When they sweat, we win.

A couple corporate casino number crunchers are sitting around at the bar, cooking up short con schemes, and wondering, “So! How can we squeeze another couple of bucks — No, wait! How can we really hose these yahoos out of as many of their hard-earned scheckels as (in)humanly possible? Let’s add a resort fee and charge ’em for things they’re already getting! And a parking fee! And raise prices on everything, even coffee, and make it real hard to cash TITOs, and even charge for plates and tableware on room-service deliveries. And while we’re at it, let’s keep laying off employees to save on the expense side.”

Well, that worked like a charm, to the tune of a billion smackolas a month for a few years and you’re all fat and happy. But you know what? The regulars aren’t just grumbling, but are finally downright PISSED. “Vegas ain’t what it used ta be. Where’s value gone? I’m bein’ hosed six ways thru Sunday.”

A lot of them got their revenge. How? They stopped coming.

Empty rooms. Shows closing. Gross gaming revenue down 10 months in a row. International tourism down 20%. Corporate shills sweating. What to do? Sober up? Fuggedabouddit.

Lightbulb moment. “Let’s drop resort fees!” Brilliant.

Now, I don’t hate to say I told you so. I’m glad I said, “The trickle of No Resort Fees this spring is gonna turn into a river.”

I reported many no resort fee deals (call it NRF), like Treasure Island and Fontainebleau. And just last month Golden Nugget and just this week Resorts World. Ka-ching. Next!

Oh, and a shout out to Four Queens and Binion’s, which are always NRF (plus great video poker and points promos).

I’ve already written about the awesome $125-a-day package at the Plaza: 2 nights, 2 meals a day, unlimited drinks, NRF, and free parking. (Or try their bingo deal.)

Now Downtown Grand is running to catch up: two weekend nights, $100 food an beverage credit, 4 drink tix, upgraded room, free parking (that’s a given) NRF for (drumroll) 250 smackers. Add the food-bev credits, toss in the $50 matchplay at checkin, and you’re talking a Hilton-quality room for $50 a night. On the weekend.
(Use code SMRWEMD. During the week SMRWDAY.)

This is the Vegas I love. Great quality, low cost, gamble till dawn.

And here are a couple of other cool your ***off freebies. $2 ice cream cones at Baskin Robbins right now and my new favorite, at Tiffs Treats, 45 days of a dozen cookies delivered to you or a friend for $99! A $1,000 value. Yummy! And no Red Robin burger debacle either; I already bought it, but Summer Passes are limited, so if you have the munchies or just a sweet tooth, as David Lee Roth sings, JUMP!

Special Announcement: My next, and hopefully last, surgery is Wednesday July 2. Please say a prayer. Whether you believe or not, it helps. Well wishes, sacrificial goats, vestal virgins, it’s all good. Except what exactly is a vestal virgin anyway?

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Bobby Vegas—Stacking

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Maximizing offers and coupons by “stacking” is a treasure hunt. Played right, you’ll maximize value through smart sourcing, combining offers and coupons. It almost always results in stretching your gambling, food, entertainment, and hotel dollars, reducing expenses to very low, free, or even cash back.

Playing on their dime on their time tilts the advantage, turning the edge in your favor. That’s what stacking is for — helping you win.

Ever heard the grocery store coupon stories about folks getting hundreds of dollars in free groceries or having rooms full of free food and housewares? Stacking is the key.

For example, you take coupons and one chain offers 2x, 3x, 5x or more on certain days or in certain categories or age groups. In the weekly circular, they list all their discounts and BOGOs. I add Senior Day discounts too. You stack them for maximum value.

On a recent grocery trip, I bought crab legs at $9/lb, jumbo shrimp, etc., on sale totaling $150. I paid $100. Stacking.

In Vegas combine birthday, sign-up, and come-back bonuses, LVA MRB coupons, etc., for a Fremont run. You’ll earn $20 an hour or more to visit casinos. How?

1) Use offers from casinos online and always sign up. Check the Plaza deals.

2) Learn to utilize your LVA MRB coupons. I get $500 a year minimum. That’s 10-to-1. At the Rio, I stayed four nights with no resort fee, saving $228.

3) Check LVA announcements for special offers like free parking, no resort fee, veteran or birthday specials. (See my post on these subjects and coupon runs as well.)

4) Do you have other coupon sources? Share your discoveries here in the comments.

I like the Las Vegas magazine newsletter, currently showing no resort fee at Treasure Island ($79/night) and the ongoing Westgate Sports Book play $100 get $100 (better for locals). Just saved you another $125 easy.

5) Plan a trip with a coupon/promo/BOGO or birthday run to maximize value and fun. I love stacking runs, like playing 9/6 JoB at Rainbow during a high-points earning period (50x, 75x, even 100x!), then using points and an LVA coupon to have a meal at 50% off or a 2-for-1 on points! That’s stacking. When I used to do this at Ellis Island, I called it “Free Steaks Forever.”

Another important way to maximize value is do the offers in order. Take come-back and LVA coupon free play offers. Play them first, concentrating on full-pay VP. Then use that money for matchplays. You’re using their money to place a 50/50 bet that pays 2-1. And that’s as good as it gets. Get matchplays from the LVA MRB, signups, monthly offers, and downtown using your Southwest ticket. Some offer it for other airlines or mentioning an influencer.

When things slow down and many signs indicate that they’re starting to, the opportunities will increase and … the adventure continues. Stack!

Note that many offers state, “Not allowed to be combined with any other offer.” You know what? I’ve never encountered a problem. And doing offers “in order” is impossible to track.

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Bobby Vegas: Living Well Anywhere Anytime

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

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.

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Bobby Vegas: Points on Points

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Want $1,000 for your next Vegas trip? It starts at home with the two of the five P’s — proper planning.

A recent Chase credit card promo for 100,000 points that was featured in LVA just ended. If you caught this, it’s a real winner. Those points are worth $1,000 or more. If you missed it, many promos throughout the year are worth grabbing.

I’m a big fan of Chase rewards points, along with a Chase Southwest card. Together they’ve provided me free flights, rental cars with free insurance, and more. Yeah, rentals are my big splurge, but they’ve paid off many times over. Case in point, I get to drive out to Rainbow and Emerald Island in Henderson, where good values abound.

The Chase promo required $5,000 in charges in three months. Paying food, gas, utilities, and other expenses got me there. Of course, it’s important to pay off your card every month to avoid the vicious interest rates, but if you’re charging basics, like food, gas, utilities, and other routine expenses, it should be easy.

When you book through the Chase travel portal, you get a 25% bonus. Let’s say your flight is $400. You use $300 in points. Nice.

I work the systems to get my one week trip to Vegas, complete with air, car, and hotel, for around $600. Yes, for the whole week. At that point, I’m $1,000 ahead even before I’ve landed.

Some folks like the comp route and if that works for you, fine. As for me, I don’t want to be obligated to a casino for playing several hours a day for comped RFB. I live by “stay where I want to stay and play where I want to play.”

I may stay at the Downtown Grand and play some, but will play more at Four Queens, Plaza, and out to Rainbow or somewhere else where the video poker is richer and the points promos are sweeter.

Downtown, your Southwest boarding pass is worth free matchplays at The D and El Cortez. Southwest has nonstops from my Raleigh airport several times a week and no baggage fee when using your Southwest Chase card.

I often do a one way on points to Vegas (Southwest) and a red eye back on another airline, which I prefer, as I don’t like wasting the whole day in the air. And leaving late gives me that whole last day.

If you missed the Chase $1,000 deal, there are still great offers. I find sites like Points Guy excellent resources to keep up on them.

At least once a year, Southwest has card deals where you can easily qualify for a free companion pass for a year. This amazing bonus can easily run $750 to $1,000 in value and that’s on top of your free points. I used to fly on points and my wife on a free companion pass. Again, we saved $750 to $1,000 before we landed.

So work the systems, folks.

You can create a bankroll from savings with proper planning. It’s a great feeling to be ahead $1,000 before you land.

Enjoy!

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Bobby Vegas: Give ‘Em Good Gamble

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

Not too long ago, I was feted by a “mid- to high roller” who took me to dinner at Le Cirque at Bellagio. Though we weren’t next to the window with a direct view of the Fountains, it was a very nice corner table. The waiters, sommeliers, and staff all fawned over us. We chose the basic four-course meal and each had one drink. My buddy told me the folks at the next able were drinking a Champagne that was $180 per glass.

The meal was fine—elegant and tasteful. I thought they were a bit stingy on the bread, which wasn’t warm. My guy had a $500 comp and the bill came to more than $750.

Was this better than a meal at Rainbow’s Triple B Diner where just about everything is homemade, entrees are under $12, and I paid with points at half-price using an LVA MRB coupon?

Well, not $740 better, not for me, no. And frankly, I’m a bit uncomfortable with all the fawning and obsequiousness. I’d rather “rock the block” on Fremont, play FP VP and stop in for a slice at Pizza Rock. Or a great prime rib.

Look, it’s Vegas. You can have any fantasy you want. ANY FANTASY — if you’re willing to pay. My fantasy is the one where I pay as little as possible. As my Carolina friends would say, “I got no truck with you doing what you do. It just ain’t what I want to do.” You want to live the high life? It’s your money. For my money, I’d rather stay at the Rio for four nights for $107 total. Walk right into the Pinky Ring. Get a smokin’ bingo deal at the Plaza.

As Jack Black said in School of Rock: “ Stickin’ it to the man.” THAT’S what I love.

Writing this blog today, I’ve had an epiphany. More than an advantage player, I’m a value player. While the casinos work to extract everything they can from us, I work to extract as much as I can from them. Smart. Legal. Well thought out. And then I get to share it with you, what Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point calls an “information maven.”

And maybe now, as the hold on the Strip continues to drop, they’re starting to reconsider hosing everybody on resort fees, parking fees, etc. fees, etc. Okay, maybe not Caesars or MGM at least right away, but I believe we are starting to see cracks in their greed.

Most of us will be coming back and most of us understand it ain’t for free. Exactly like taxes, I’m willing to pay, but I want to pay as little as is legally allowed. And if we give our hard earned shekels to the Plazas, Downtown Grands, Four Queens, and others giving us good gamble, then the give-good-gamble houses will prosper. We “give-us-good-gamble gamblers” will keep coming back again and again.

So if dropping $750 on dinner rocks your world, go for it. As for us, we do our best to have a good time, get a good deal, and as Benny Binion would say, get a good gamble.

Because we love Vegas.

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Bobby Vegas: A Break in the Blog Dam

Bobby Vegas: Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Triple-Zero Roulette

I’ve been having severe medical problems over the last 9 months. After six trips to the ER/Triage, three surgeries and one under emergency conditions, and two months of catheters, I’ve lost 38 pounds. At several points in the process, my crew was very very concerned. So was I.

But I’m a tough old bird (it takes a lot to kill me), and though I’m not exactly bouncing back, I am up and grumbling.

I haven’t been publishing my blog every couple of weeks, which is another indication of how severe it’s all been. Writing this blog is an honor and a joy for this unrepentant old Vegas scuffler.

And now … sigh … my issues are exacerbated by flying, so I won’t be back in Vegas for at least another three months. I’ve got plenty to write about, but I’ll be pining for video poker, the dance floor at the Pinky Ring, comped meals, and scoping out the latest “shews,” as Ed Sullivan used to say.

I can’t get to Vegas unless I drive. And I live in North Carolina. Before you ask, no, Harrah’s Cherokee just doesn’t do it for me.

In short, life has slowed me down in a way I’ve not seen in nearly seven decades.

Please bear with me. I apologize that I may be slow in responding to comments on my blog. Our system doesn’t alert me when a comment posts, so unless I sign in I don’t see them, some time for weeks. You can also reach me at bobbyvegas.com

Luckily, I still have plenty to write about. I continue to see deals getting better (eternal optimist that I am). I get offers from over a dozen casinos, including juicy mailers from the Rainbow. Treasure Island, Fontainebleau, and Plaza are sending creative deals, such as no resort fee, free parking, and in the case of the Plaza, all-inclusive packages starting at $125 night that come with two meals a day (Hash House a Go Go included) , unlimited drinks, and access to all the resort-fee amenities including free parking, pool, exercise access, and more. The Bingo deal is even better.

Is this a sign of prices stabilizing and deals getting better? Are you seeing good deals? If so, tell us about them, please.

Finally, last year I cut a deal with Anthony to create a downloadable-app phone version of Jean Scott’s fantastic Video Poker Scouting Guide, which I’ve cheered on in my blogs as it’s led me to literally thousands of dollars in video poker wins. We expect it to be up and running in May. Stay tuned.

And please, keep me in your thoughts and prayers.