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Since You Asked — Circa Sports Book

Since You Asked — Circa Sports Book

The Circa sportsbook is a sight to behold. With its three-story wall of video screens faced by stadium-style seating, this place is so huge that it has its own escalators.

The center section is by reservation only. Private booths in the back of the center section are pretty much for high rollers, but the front of the center section is a couple of rows of recliners. This is the place to be, in my opinion. While the prices for football weekends are insane, the cost for the recliners for midweek games, even Monday Night Football and the NBA Finals, is much more reasonable, in the $150-$200 range. Even better, that’s a minimum food/beverage spend, rather than a rental fee, so if you’re going to eat or drink more than the price, the seat is essentially free.

The recliners are very comfortable and the views from there are exceptional. You’re also steps away from the counter, so it’s easy to go up and back to make your bets. You can also use the Circa app and not have to go to the counter at all.

If you don’t want to spend that much money, the two side sections consist of first-come first-serve seating, though for a big event, you’ll likely have to line up hours ahead of time.

Now for the bad news.

While Circa has lots of food options, the only two that deliver to the sports book (and count toward your minimum) are Victory Burger and Project BBQ, neither of which I can recommend. I didn’t actually have a burger from VB, but the fries were too salty and the wings were pretty poor (granted, I’m a wings snob … so your mileage may vary).

Project BBQ was also disappointing. The sauce on the pulled-pork sandwich was too vinegary, the meat was too fatty, and the homemade chips weren’t as “chippy” as I like them. To each their own and maybe you’ll like the food better than I did, but unfortunately, despite the awesome atmosphere, this is enough to dissuade me from going back anytime soon. But every sports fan should check this place out at least once.

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Hockey Knights in Vegas Episode 65: The Kings, the EBUG, and the Winter Classic

Hockey Knights in Vegas: Episode 56

2024 got off to a miserable start, with the VGK blanked 3-0 by the Seattle Kraken. Eddie was in Seattle covering the game and shared his insights about the spectacle of the Winter Classic and the game itself.

But before that, Chris, and Eddie recap the strong end to 2023 with a convincing 3-2 over the Kings.

Eddie scores the interview of the year with the EBUG! Not sure what that even means? Give it a listen.

And what would Hockey Knights in Vegas be without some chat about the situation in goal?  You’ll hear some seriously HOT TAKES on what’s going on with Logan Thompson.

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A Lesson from Backgammon

Bob Dancer

Many of you know I played backgammon professionally for a long time — actually from 1974 to 1993. I became pretty good, but there were many players who played better. By the time I moved to Las Vegas in 1993, I had decided to give up the game simply because as hard as I tried, I could never make a living playing it. So, I gave the game up for more than 20 years.

Over the years on the podcast, we had several backgammon players: Bill Robertie, Kent Goulding, Bob Wachtel, Jim Pasko, and Kit Woolsey. If I left anyone out, I apologize. Usually, these experts would come on to talk about books they had recently written, and would send review copies of their books to Richard and me prior to the show.

I read these books and started to feel the old juices flowing again. After reading the 10 or so books I had been forwarded, I was a considerably better player than I had been a few years ago. 

I learned about XG, which is a downloadable app and is the latest and greatest backgammon computer program. Other programs are available, and some players prefer different ones. But XG is the one I heard was best and that’s the one I got. 

For any position, it ranks all the plays in order and tells you how much they are worth. Positions vary in the number of possible plays — from zero to several dozen. Practicing on the program for maybe 25 hours, I became a better player than I was when I quit the game. It was easy for me to see that continued practice would improve my game even more.

But this program is available to all players, and some players have been using computerized help for decades. I’m now in my late 70s and I have no illusions that I’m as sharp mentally as I was when I was younger. Having a good memory is a key part of being a good player, and my memory isn’t what it used to be. 

I might enter an intermediate-level tournament occasionally, primarily for entertainment purposes, but becoming a professional backgammon player isn’t in my future.

When I play against XG, I do win some games, of course. Each backgammon game contains both luck and skill components. But the program keeps track of my EV as we continue to play. Since the computer plays perfectly, I can never keep up. The difference between my score and the computer’s score inevitably keeps growing. The only way I can “catch up” is to reset the scores to zero.

I believe this also happens in video poker — only we can’t see it. Every mistake adds up. I know 9/6 Jacks or Better perfectly and the game returns 99.54%. But sometimes I make mistakes due to playing too fast, mis-keying, being distracted by something, having a senior moment, or maybe a sticky button. Each one of those mistakes costs me EV. 

You don’t spend EV directly, of course. You either win this session or you lose. But the mistakes add up. They are there for everybody. Practicing on a computer is useful, but it’s not the same as playing in a casino. The sources for errors in a casino are much more numerous than they are when you practice at home.

I’m not sure if I “learned” this lesson while practicing backgammon. Probably I already believed it and what I experienced with the backgammon program just reinforced what I already thought was true.

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Two Fs for Vegas; Adelson’s agenda

Congratulations, Las Vegas Grand Prix: You’re officially the Dud of 2023. Attendance for the (over)hyped event failed to raise visitation to Las Vegas, which was up less than a percentage point from 2022 … and substantially down from 2019. Such a lift as Sin City got appears to have come from conventions, which saw 2% higher attendance and 598,400 conventioneers. Occupancy was a pallid 82%. Jacked-up room prices did score for resort owners, who saw revenue per available room of $230, which was 38% higher than 2022, on rates that were 35% greater (and 86% above room prices in 2019). Weekend occupancy was 89%, down from the year previous, and midweek occupancy was up to 79%.

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Buffet Update – January 2024

Buffet Update - January 2024

Cosmopolitan – Wicked Spoon: Brunch prices went up by $2. Weekday Brunch, Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $47 and weekend Brunch, Sat & Sun, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. is now $54.

Excalibur – The Buffet at Excalibur: Brunch prices went by $1. Weekday Brunch, Mon-Thurs, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. is now $29.99 and weekend Brunch, Fri-Sun, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. is now $32.99.

Luxor – The Buffet at Luxor: Brunch prices went up by $2. Weekday Brunch, Wed & Thurs, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $30.99 and weekend Brunch, Fri-Sun, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $33.99.

Mandalay Bay – House of Blues Gospel Brunch: Brunch price went up by $6. Used to be $64.50 but is now $70.50. Only dates from January to April are currently available.

MGM Grand – MGM Grand Buffet: Brunch prices went up by $1. Weekday Brunch, Mon-Thurs, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $28.99 and weekend Brunch, Fri-Sun, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. is now $37.99.

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F1 boosts Strip, but no record

Had the pre-race hype not been so inebriated, the Las Vegas Grand Prix would be counted an unqualified financial success. On the Las Vegas Strip (in what is traditionally the slowest month of the year), it spurred a 22.5% leap in winnings, to $821 million—still short of the high-water $835 million recorded last July. (Thanks to Howard Stutz for the historical context.) Very impressive … but we were told to expect ‘record gaming revenues!’ thanks to F-U, er F1. What’s Jeremy Aguero‘s spin going to be? Perhaps next November will be better: Dramatically scaled-back prices for hotel rooms and race tickets will leave customers with more money in their pockets for gambling.

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At the Rainbow, a Pot of VP Gold

Giving Good Gamble

I was in town for my annual December Golden Week trip — though it was more dirty brown and dusty, as Golden Week follows the NFR when the 100,000 cowboys leave town. I was there for the last few days of cowboy hats and everything country.

In conversation with Jean Scott, I realized I’d completely forgotten to do all the Fremont matchplays using my Southwest ticket, but I’ll be back for Super Bowl in six weeks, so I’ll have another shot then. Can’t get enough matchplays!

It was a really great trip. Final tally: up more than $1,200 in cash, $200 in comps, some gifts, and free meals for five days. Winner winner steaks for dinner.

It was all about video poker. I won at the Four Queens and Rainbow, lost money at the Downtown Grand, and crashed and burned at the Thursday VP tournament there. I saw a royal flush and high 4-of-a-kind with a kicker — just not on my machine. This seems to be a theme, but I still love the DTG, now comping me a minimum of two free nights a month; my six-night stay there, including the last weekend of NFR, ran $240. Total. Parking is free and the Grand is super convenient.

Then I rented a car, as I practically lived out at Rainbow, eating for free there and winning, winning, and winning. I started asking myself, how long can this go on? More on that.

The car cost $250, including with gas. Since I left with more than five times that, most won at the Rainbow, it was well worth it.

I was on a free Southwest flight on points. I used my Southwest card for an A1-15 upgrade and was reimbursed. I love getting that seat in the emergency row with no seat in front of me, what I call Southwest first class.

Then I found a progressive that I analyzed it using my handy-dandy Frugal VP Scouting Guide. When I reviewed the return, plus the value of the progressive, it was at 100%! I played it exclusively during the 25x-point periods, adding 2.5%, earning me oodles of comps and some gifts; I was eating so much at the Triple B diner, I got chummy with the waitresses. Hi, Janelle.

All that said … sigh … It seems my lot in life is to rarely hit a royal. I really tried, at one point investing $800 of my winnings (applying the Kelly Criterion and using 50% of my bank). Still, though I’m bereft of the royals, man! I seem to be king of 4-of-a-kind, hitting two for $600, two at $250, two more at the Four Queens, and a straight flush for way over $2,200 in winnings. Between my “investing” $800 and some of the inevitable bleed, I still left up $1,200-plus in cash.

And that’s what I call a good trip.

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Rachel’s Kitchen Hits the Spot

Rachel's Kitchen Hits the Sport

The first Rachel’s Kitchen opened in Las Vegas in 2006 at Town Center in Summerlin. Its formula was an order-at-the-counter café serving fresh, wholesome, high-quality breakfast and lunch food, plus juices and smoothies, “with a gourmet touch” at affordable prices.

It was such a successful concept that today, Rachel’s (named for the owner’s daughter) has eight locations around Las Vegas. It’s won a number of Best of Vegas awards: for juice bar/smoothies, chain restaurant, downtown restaurant, power lunches, and catering. The company is also expanding out of state; the first franchise is opening soon in Frisco, Texas, in the Star District, the entertainment, shopping, and dining center around the headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys.

When we heard about the Lone Star expansion, we figured it was about time to try the place — after 17 years of watching it grow. We went to the location at Town Square (Las Vegas Blvd. and Sunset), closest to our office.
It’s an airy, bright, and welcoming space; you order, pay, and pick up at the counter and you can eat inside or out. The tables in front of the cafe look over at the central common, with greenery and sizable palm trees. Parking in a nearby garage or surface lot is easy and free.

The menu consists of breakfast burritos and wraps, bacon and eggs, omelets and scrambles, and huevos rancheros ($10-$12.50), plus oatmeal, pancakes, and French toast ($6-$9). Ten salads, from Cobb and Caesars to Chinese and curry chicken, come with a choice of six dressings ($10-$15). Such sandwiches and wraps as smoked turkey and avocado, grilled cheese, chicken salad, and vegetarian come on a choice of four breads with lettuce; soup of the day is $6 or $14 accompanied by half-salad or half-sandwich. Six pastas with marinara, pesto, or alfredo are $12-$15.50. Fresh vegetables juices and fruit smoothies are $5.50-$9. Everything is made to order and you can specify gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.

We went for the grilled vegetable salad and chicken ($15) and a berry-mania smoothie ($8) and we can say that the formula works: Both the food and drink were wholesome, tasty, and not too dear. The tab after tax came to just under $25 and though we finished the smoothie on the spot, we got two meals out of the salad.

It’s no accident that this brand has been around for nearly two decades, has expanded throughout the valley, and is about to spread some interstate wings.

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Toca Madera — Dinner at Happy-Hour Prices

Toca Madera — Dinner at Happy-Hour Prices


Inspired by our experience at La Popular at the Palms, we checked out the happy hour at Toca Madera (literally “Touch Wood,” the Spanish way of saying “knock on wood”) at the Shops at Crystals. The original Toca opened in West Hollywood in 2015 and quickly made a name for itself for dishing up food from the “highest quality, sustainable, and organic ingredients.” A second location opened in Scottsdale; this one in Vegas dates back to late last year.

It’s a little hard to find, one of the reasons that the previous restaurant in this space, Eva Longoria’s Beso (renamed SHe by Morton’s), lasted less than two years. It’s located “at” the Shops at Crystals, but you have to exit through the back door on the way to Aria; from Aria, you also have to go out a side door. Then the sign is unobtrusive and the unmarked front door gives you pause. But once you’ve found your way inside, it’s a whole other world.

The interior is as classy and understated as the food is top-notch. The regular menu prices range from $18 for guacamole and $28 for ceviche to $48 for a truffle burger and $325 for a 40-ounce tomahawk with bone marrow. That’s why happy hours are the best way, hands down, to try these ultra-exclusive Strip restaurants.

The HH menu is much more manageable. Guacamole is $10, three short rib tostaditas $12, Caesar salad and sea bass tacos $14 each, and ceviche $18. Mexican bottled beer is $5, house wine $8, and margaritas $13. We weren’t drinking, so we had a pineapple juice for $5.

The quality of food was noticeable as soon as we dipped a chip into the salsa, just diced tomatoes and cilantro, but impeccable.

The sea bass tacos were so good, we almost couldn’t believe what we were tasting. And the short rib tostaditas were so plentiful and rich, we couldn’t finish them. The bill, with tax before tip, came to $33, not a bargain, but not bad either for what turned out to be dinner at the highest-end Mexican steakhouse in town.

The Toca Madera happy hour is Mon.-Fri. 4-6 p.m. It was wide open when we got there at 5, but pretty crowded by the time we left around six, with people filling up the bar stools and tables. And that was on a Tuesday evening. We’d bet that this place will make it in one of Vegas’ least accessible Strip locations.

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Yacht Club — Something about it

Yacht Club — Something about it


We’ve always liked Treasure Island.

Back in January 2018 after spending a weekend there, we wrote, “Though it’s often overlooked and under-reviewed, the TI is a fine place to stay and play and relatively inexpensive for a Steve Wynn-built hotel-casino right in the heart of the action.”

It’s still true, especially considering that parking is, and always has been, free. So when we heard that a new seafood restaurant opened there, we looked into it. And something about it — not exactly sure what; call it the vibe, maybe — intrigued us, so we gave it a try.

We’re glad we did.

Called the Yacht Club, it occupies the space that used to be the Seafood Shack. When we got there, we still couldn’t figure out what we saw in the place. It’s easy to find, right off the parking garage escalator and past the sports book on the way to the food court, but the entrance is marked by a couple of oversized bathtub-toy-type boats.

Inside, there’s not much atmosphere; trophy fish on the wall are about it.

The prices are reasonable, not notably expensive like most Strip seafood eateries, but not a bargain either. Appetizers start at $20 for crispy calamari and the mussels and go up to $25-$26 for crab cakes, tuna poke, Littleneck clams, and ceviche. Pastas run from $30 for linguine and clams to $41 for lobster mac ’n’ cheese. Chilled oysters, shrimp, crab, scallops, and lobster are market price; the seafood tower is $80/small, $130/large. Pan roasts are $53, the clam bake for two $95, fish and chips $27, salmon and snapper $45, chicken $29, and steaks $55. Catches of the day, specialty entrees (cioppino, seafood risotto, shrimp and grits), burgers, and sandwiches round out the menu. Sides, such as carrots, broccolini, fries, and potatoes, are $13.

When the food started coming, we finally realized why we were there. We tried an oyster shooter, Littleneck clams, cioppino, grilled trout, and broccolini and everything was excellent. The clams were plentiful and fresh.

The trout was moist and grilled perfectly and the cioppino chock full of big chunks of fish with a broth among the best we’ve ever tasted. We got happier with each bite.

The bill came to $??? and we didn’t feel gouged.

Best of all, we got in the car and drove away — no ticket, no gate, no credit-card charge. The free and easy feeling of that on the Strip cannot be overstated.