Las Vegas Advisor

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Dave Kamsler — 4 Comments

Since You Asked — Wings Over Vegas

I’m a wings aficionado. It’s my favorite food by far. I once flew from New York City to Buffalo and back in one day, just to go to the Anchor Bar and have wings for lunch. Then I married a girl from Buffalo! Even before I did, I spent plenty of time there, so if you’re from Buffalo, I submit the following to establish my street cred:

My favorite wings are Big Tree Inn, Buffalo Brew Pub, and Amherst Pizza and Ale House.
I prefer Anchor Bar to Duff’s.
Bleu cheese. Period. Don’t even mention ranch.
Wings shouldn’t be breaded or baked. Those might be wings, and they might be chicken, but they’re not wings.

In Buffalo, NY, they have their priorities straight.

Las Vegas has lots of great food, but sometimes you’re just looking for good wings. They’re there, but you have to know where to find them. Here are my reviews and recommendations.

Best Wings on the Strip

Posted on August 4, 2020August 24, 2023 by Bob Dancer — 8 Comments

A Somewhat Closer Look at Gambler’s Bonus

In my last two blogs, I mentioned the Gambler’s Bonus system that was attached to games I played long ago. I received a lengthy post (which you may find in the comments to the July 21 post on www.gamblingwithanedge.com ) asking me lots of specifics about that particular slot club system.

I’ll respond where I can. I don’t have inside information on how it worked, and it’s been a long time since I played it, but I’ll tell you what I remember. It’s possible that the system has changed some since I actively played it.

Posted on July 28, 2020August 24, 2023 by Bob Dancer — 4 Comments

Gambler’s Bonus Reminiscences – Part II of II

Last week I wrote about a juicy game that lasted for several years in 15-machine pubs in greater Las Vegas. If you read that article first, this one will make more sense.

Near the end of the time when this game was available, the manager of one of these pubs asked if I could meet him for lunch away from the pub. Sure. No problem. He had been to some of my classes and we were friendly.

Posted on July 22, 2020 by Dave Kamsler — 1 Comment

Since You Asked — Hot-Air Balloons

Several different schools of thought come to mind on how to spend your precious time in Las Vegas.

One camp says, “I’m on vacation. There’s no way in hell I’d ever set an alarm to get up early in Vegas.”

Posted on July 21, 2020August 24, 2023 by Bob Dancer — 9 Comments

Gambler’s Bonus Reminiscences – Part I of II

For a five-year period ending about a decade ago, I played a lot at certain 15-machine pubs in the southeastern section of the Las Vegas valley. Places such as Village Pub, Raye’s, Doc Holliday’s, and Franklin’s. Most of these places have changed owners and names since then. All have removed the game I played.

My game of choice was a version of Deuces Bonus in the Gambler’s Bonus system called Deuces Plus. Today, the best IGT version of this game pays 45-20-20 for straight flushes, quads, and full houses with a return of 99.45%. The version at the pubs paid 50-20-20 with the royal returning 1,000-for-1 rather than 800-for-1. This made it a 100.35% game. Plus slot club. Plus bonuses. And all these places had the game for ten-coin $5 — meaning $50 hand.

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Dave Kamsler — 7 Comments

Since You Asked — Pinball Hall of Fame

Chances are you’ve heard of the Pinball Hall of Fame, but you might not know exactly what it is. A Hall of Fame for pinball? Is it the silver-ball version of Cooperstown?

Not really.

Posted on July 14, 2020August 24, 2023 by Bob Dancer — 4 Comments

Two Simple Applications of the Binomial Distribution

A month or so ago I answered the Question of the Day for the Las Vegas Advisor and I answered it in terms of the Binomial Distribution. There were some comments posted after that QOD indicating that people wanted to know more about it. This is a lightly edited version of a 2012 article that I published should be sufficient to respond to those questions.

I receive a lot of mail asking such questions as, “If I am dealt four cards to the royal flush (such as A♥ K♥ Q♥ T♥) and I am playing Fifty Play, how many royals will I usually end up getting?” or, “I played more than 200,000 hands of Jacks or Better and only received three royal flushes. How unlucky was this?”

Posted on July 7, 2020August 24, 2023 by Bob Dancer — 1 Comment

Two Sucker Bets

“S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!” sixty people shouted as my wife Bonnie entered her sister’s house. Her 75^th birthday party was off to a noisy beginning.

I sighed in relief. We had pulled it off. All the invitations and such had been sent out and responses received with Bonnie having no clue. I had ordered a cake from BabyCakes, the bakery within the M Resort, where I had a large number of comps.

Posted on July 3, 2020 by James Grosjean — 9 Comments

In the Wild

In this ongoing series I’m going to share anecdotes and observations from the casinos, usually for entertainment purposes only. I’m limited in what I can share in real time, so I might expand the column to guest contributors or non-casino material in the future. If you leave a comment, please reference the post number.

#2. [Posted 20200703]. Three years ago at a Midwest casino, I saw the worst-played hand ever. In Mississippi Stud, the guy had pocket JJ with a $10 bet on the Ante. On 3rd Street, he called $10. On 4th Street, he called $10. On 5th Street [go ahead and guess!] … he folded. I just shrugged my shoulders. You can’t save everyone.

Posted on June 30, 2020August 24, 2023 by Bob Dancer — 7 Comments

Are You Still Up to Snuff?

In Las Vegas, there was a 70-day break for the pandemic, assuming you played in the casinos on March 17 and returned on June 4. If you socially distanced before March 17, or didn’t rush back as soon as the casinos reopened, the break was longer.

Certain casino venues elsewhere in the country opened earlier or later than June 4, but for now, let’s assume we all had a 2¼ -month break, minimum. It’s close enough for today’s purposes.

Best Wings on the Strip

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