Three Unwise Monkeys go to Vegas

[the sicilian]

Most of the strips mega hotels have casinos that are just open plan landscapes of table games of such varying degrees that half of them I had never even heard of. Variations of Blackjack and 3 card poker were just some of the less exotic on offer.

I had always prided myself on my ability not to get caught by casino tables games back home. Sensible enough to know that long term I couldn't possibly win. I had perhaps played table games less than 10 times total in my life... but in Vegas my head was turned.

It started innocently enough. A newly met Claypole ( for those old enough, why do I always think Rentaghost ) introduced us to Pai Gow. A slow moving poker game that often led to draws and was only really good for garnering as many free drinks from the house as possible. Sort of Alcoholics dream game. I found it strangely addictive and over the next few nights felt myself drawn to it on a regular basis. Fortunately after incurring a modest overall loss of around $500 total the aforementioned Mr Claypole introduced me to Craps.

Now I had often been curious about this raucous game of dice played within a bathtub table. Outwardly it looked complicated and random but after initiation I discovered it was as simple as Forest Gump.

I watched for a while..entranced by the roll of the dice and the blur that were the pit dealers hands as they scooped and placed chips at high speed. The guys were winning...easy money slid to them over approving roars of the table delinquents.
Everybody was having fun, a real community experience existed as each new shooter held the dice for the first time and prepared to roll everyone richer.
 I decided to dip my toe..just a $100.
It was gobbled up quickly to the tune of a disheartened ooooh as an ugly seven was rolled. Another crisp hundred dollar bill found its way from my pocket to the tables pillar box slot. Then another..and another...nine times that table gobbled my Benjamin's... A mere ten minutes had elapsed. I mused momentarily about Willie Tann,AKA the dice man... and suddenly realised how he had got his name and his empty pockets. One last shot I told myself... A thousand dollars was definitely it...

The shooter was a rather dour looking middle aged American clad in a brown Polyester shirt. As shining heroes go he didn't really fit the Bill.. but that boy rolled for twenty five minutes..hitting the point on a regular basis and running me back to even..

I cashed in my regained fortune double quick but knew in my heart it would not be the last time I visited this game. My main shooting partner was Gavin and we run good in various places that included Binions,Caesars and the Aria...Total profit I'd say was around $6K between us which sweetened our ineptness at the poker tables.

I just pray Luton G never gets a craps table..my soul and my fortune may be severely tested....

[GreekStein]

Wal to win at craps

[the sicilian]

One thing I forgot to mention I found quite poignant and a huge indicator between ourselves and the Americans...

Sitting in a Binions tournament, next to me is a young American guy no more than mid twenties. In his own way his a little obnoxious, not overly but enough to get under your skin. Suddenly he announce he was a an ex marine..

older guy pipes up, ' Iraq ? '
' no Afghanistan '

Suddenly all the Americans at the table start thanking this dude..

' I really appreciate what you did for us son '
' I'd like to thank you for what you did over there '

were some of the comments..

I must admit being a little taken aback at the love for the previously observed knob jockey.

I don't know..maybe a culture thing..maybe a wake up call....

[millidonk]

One thing I forgot to mention I found quite poignant and a huge indicator between ourselves and the Americans...

Sitting in a Binions tournament, next to me is a young American guy no more than mid twenties. In his own way his a little obnoxious, not overly but enough to get under your skin. Suddenly he announce he was a an ex marine..

older guy pipes up, ' Iraq ? '
' no Afghanistan '

Suddenly all the Americans at the table start thanking this dude..

' I really appreciate what you did for us son '
' I'd like to thank you for what you did over there '

were some of the comments..

I must admit being a little taken aback at the love for the previously observed knob jockey.

I don't know..maybe a culture thing..maybe a wake up call....

It's amazing over there. I was in the RAF and I worked out in Augusta.

For being in the Military I got:

Numerous Free drinks
Queue Jump at check in and passport control
Cheap cinema tickets
Women offering favours..
Went to a rodeo and they asked all serviceman and women both USA and British to stand up, then everyone gave us a round of applause. Was told this is common place in resorts such as Disney etc.
They also have tv channels which send messages of love and support to forces people out on tour.

Really is humbling and very touching.

Recently it has got better over here but still pretty bad. Once i was in Bedford in uniform and i got called a baby killer by a man resembling Pakistani origin, I shrugged it off, mate of mine said i should have said "yea, but only terrorist babies"... better to not cause a scene.

In Vegas you get discounts on loads of stuff with forces id, abso immense, including strip clubs and the adidas store at premium outlets.

AMERICA RULES.

Now i work in IT i get exactly what i deserve. NOTHING.

[celtic]

Was that the guy that schooled you twice?

[redarmi]

I have really mixed feelings about the way in which the military are treated in the States.  It is good that the people appreciate the risks taken by the military on their behalf and the way in which they look after their veterans is impeccable but I abhor the unthinking "thanks for what you did for us out there" kind of view.  On so many occasions at the tables I have had to stop myself from getting into a heated debate about what, exactly, the ex soldier at the table had "done" for the average American in Iraq.  

[AndrewT]

I think it's because of a couple of things.

1) The US military is far bigger, proportionally, than ours, so there's a much bigger chance that people will personally know/have family serving, which provides a connection.
2) Because of Vietnam, there are far more older guys who have first hand experience of war, and so have an idea of what those currently serving are going through.

I found it a bit strange at first when I was out in Vegas, how everyone got a hard-on for someone in uniform, but it is mostly done in a genuinely touching way, with real affection. People genuinely believe that their armed forces are protecting them and are mostly unable to separate what individual soldiers do abroad from the wider question of why so many of them are poking about in foreign countries in the first place and what they are actually achieving.

[redarmi]

I think it's because of a couple of things.

1) The US military is far bigger, proportionally, than ours, so there's a much bigger chance that people will personally know/have family serving, which provides a connection.
2) Because of Vietnam, there are far more older guys who have first hand experience of war, and so have an idea of what those currently serving are going through.

I found it a bit strange at first when I was out in Vegas, how everyone got a hard-on for someone in uniform, but it is mostly done in a genuinely touching way, with real affection. People genuinely believe that their armed forces are protecting them and are mostly unable to separate what individual soldiers do abroad from the wider question of why so many of them are poking about in foreign countries in the first place and what they are actually achieving.

Yeah - good post.  I wasn't that happy with the way my other post sounded but I think what I was trying to get across was that whilst I think we should be genuinely grateful for the fact that the military are willing to put their lives on the line for their country it shouldn't neccesarily be the case that that goes hand in hand with a support for any military action that the country decides to get involved in yet in the States that seems to pretty much always be the case.

[millidonk]

Its the politicians in their offices with their cigars and suits who pull all the strings. The soldiers/airmen on the ground are just trying to earn a crust. When you see all these people protesting against the guys coming back who have been away from their families and loved ones for however long it is pretty tilting. Especially for them, the Americans do 18 month tours to our 6 monthers. Pretty sick. Think the yanks understand this, either that or they just give it no thought at all. WOOOYEAH. AMERICA RULES.

[the sicilian]

Was that the guy that schooled got outrageously luck on you twice?

Nope, he'd only just taken out his dummy

[Longy]

Yeah the love for the US military is a thing that really struck me on my visits to the US. I actually quite admire them for it, which is ironic given I think polictically the yanks are completely bonkers. It does make me think that the military in the UK don't get the respect they deserve after all it isn't their decision which wars to fight.