Las Vegas Blog

Math is so easy in Vegas. You start with $100. You play some Three Card Poker. You cash out with a million bucks.

Don’t believe it? It happened! On Friday, May 11, 2012 a lucky player at Flamingo Las Vegas snagged the latest million dollar prize for a 6-Card Bonus at Three Card Poker.

We couldn’t resist swinging by and snagging a photo of the table where the player became the latest Vegas millionaire.

Karen didn't deal the million dollar hand, but she's still very nice.

Table #204 has some serious mojo, baby!

The big prize was won by Dennis Hart, a retiree from Palm Coast, Florida, who gave each of his three fellow players a $500 chip and generously tipped his dealer $20,000.

The 6-Card Bonus jackpot is exclusive to Caesars Entertainment (Total Rewards) casinos. The side bet pays off with a super royal flush (9,10,J,Q,K,A) in diamonds.

This is the actual sign at the actual winning table. Yes, this Las Vegas blog is a little obsessive about its Las Vegas.

The win at Flamingo follows on the heels of another million dollar jackpot at Paris Las Vegas in February, 2012. Take a look.

Time to update these signs!

For the record, this is the fourth time the 6-Card Bonus million dollar prize has been awarded, including two at Total Rewards casinos in Atlantic City.

What would you do with your million bucks? Aside from buying this blog a cocktail. Which goes without saying.

Total Rewards, the player loyalty program of Caesars Entertainment, is wrapping up its massive “Escape to Total Rewards” giveaway this weekend, May 18-20, 2012, with Grand Finale events in Las Vegas and across the country.

Whee!

If you have no idea what that light trail thingy is, find out here.

Thousands of prizes have already been given away in the Escape to Total Rewards promotion, now each Total Rewards casino will host giveaways featuring goodies like free gift cards, hotel stays and other exclusive “experiences,” a term this blog uses when it “doesn’t have time to research the specifics.” Let’s just say there are some awesome goodies up for grabs.

Find out more about the Grand Finale events near you.

Seriously, whee!

Bottom line: If you’re in Las Vegas during the giveaway, you’ll need to swipe (activate) your player’s card at the Paris Las Vegas Total Rewards desk at some point during the giveaway window (May 18-20). Then, no matter which Total Rewards casino you play in, your entries will be credited. (Entries earned before you swipe your card at Paris will also be credited, retroactively.) Winners will be announced each day, and you can find out if you’ve won in the Total Rewards Center of any Total Rewards casino in town.

A hefty $124,000 is up for grabs in Vegas alone. Why $124,000? We have no idea. We’ve learned not to ask too many questions when people are trying to give us free things. Get more details.

Have fun! If you get lucky and win, we’ll assume this blog’s usual finder’s fee will apply.

Two Vegas celebrities had winning segments on late night TV recently, and thanks to the miracle and/or curse that are the Interwebs, you can view them in the comfort of your own home, cubicle or butterfly enclosure. But probably one of those first two.

First up, it’s a clever “CSI: Miami” spoof on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” featuring Flamingo Las Vegas headliner Donny Osmond. Watch it here.

When we watched Donny Osmond's "CSI" spoof, we experienced an LOL.

The segment, “CSI: Provo Utah” is a send-up of actor David Caruso’s propensity for delivering his “CSI: Miami” lines while sunglass-donning. We could watch these for hours.

Also making the late night rounds is Chef Gordon Ramsay, who just opened his Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Las Vegas.

Ramsay appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” testing, as he does, the dexterity of the network censor’s bleeper finger. Watch it here.

Gordon Ramsay and his other favorite "F" word, "Fallon."

Gordon Ramsay has been keeping busy lately. He recently won this blog’s heart by signing a petition stating he’ll never serve shark fin in his restaurant. Read more from our friends at Eater.com. Here’s hoping other Las Vegas restaurants get onboard!

Also, the outspoken chef just snagged the cover of Vegas Seven Magazine.

Little-known Gordon Ramsay fact: He's also an expert mime. Note his playful use of a Slinky, above.

Read the story about Gordon Ramsay in Vegas Seven, or check out our 11 Annoying Questions With Chef Gordon Ramsay.

As you may know, this blog’s not condoning something doesn’t mean we’re not going to share it.

This would be a case of that.

This photo caption also does not condone this sign.

We stumbled upon this sign at Binion’s, in downtown Las Vegas, at the classic casino’s new Whiskey Liquor bar. And trust us, we use the word “stumbled” carefully.

Hear more from our friends at VegasChatter.com.

Binion’s, of course, is known around the world as the birthplace of the World Series of Poker, which now takes place each year at Rio Las Vegas, birthplace of cocktails that arrive twice as quickly because of iPad technology.

Keep it sassy, downtown!

Joey Lawrence, who first won hearts around the world in the ’90s TV hit, “Blossom,” is all grown up and ready to bring his talents to the Chippendales stage at Rio Las Vegas for a limited-time guest-hosting gig, June 7-24, 2012.

Joey Lawrence should totally hang out with comedian George Wallace at Flamingo, because he, too, be thinkin'.

Lawrence is expected to sing, dance and host the popular male revue. Other recent guest hosts have included 98 Degrees singer Jeff Timmons and former “Bachelor” star, Jake Pavelka.

Yes, that Joey Lawrence.

Lawrence currently appears in the ABC Family series “Melissa & Joey,” co-starring Melissa Joan Hart. He also starred on Broadway as Billy Flynn in the hit musical “Chicago” and a number of feature films.

Bonus Chippendales trivia: On May 31, 2012, Chippendales will celebrate its 4,000th pec-fueled show at Rio Las Vegas.

Here’s an exclusive Pulse of Vegas peek inside the bedlam that is the Chippendales experience.

Chippendales performs nightly at 8:00 p.m., with additional shows on Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m. Joey Lawrence will perform Thursday through Sunday night performances only. Tickets run from $39.95 to $59.95.

Let us know how you think Joey Lawrence has blossomed. See what we did there?

You know that replica of Michelangelo’s David in the Appian Way Shops at Caesars Palace?

Yes, that Michelangelo's David in the Appian Way Shops at Caesars Palace.

The dude has really big feet.

Huge.

We’re just saying.

There’s always something new in Las Vegas, and that includes downtown. The historic area north of The Strip has been bustling with activity in recent months, and we’re not just saying it’s bustling as an excuse to type the word “bust” a couple of times. Probably.

During our last visit to the Golden Gate, the oldest operating casino in Vegas, we noted they’ve recently opened a high limit salon. And it’s precious.

Photos of the dancer-dealers is allowed, with their permission. Which we're 31% sure we were given. Hey, it's loud in there.

The “intimate” high limit room has two shoe blackjack tables and one double-deck game. We hear the room may add a baccarat table in the near future.

The room features plush, high-backed chairs, in case your feet get tired from all the, you know, sitting you’re doing while playing blackjack.

Comfy.

The new high limit room isn’t all that high limit when you compare it to The Strip, with two tables having a $25 minimum and another with $50.

The tables are manned, or rather, “personed,” by the casino’s popular go-go dealers. In fact, the only tables we saw personed by male dealers in the entire casino were at the craps tables. This blog does not generally have a problem with this trend, as long as the dancer-dealers know what the heck they’re doing.

Let us know if you spot anything new in downtown Las Vegas, and we’ll use it as an excuse to visit and snap some pics.

Las Vegas is very proud of its meat. In fact, we often show off our meat to friends and loved ones. Sometimes even on trolleys, like at the newly-opened Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris Vegas.

We don't make up the news, we just report it.

Now, Vegas has been paid the ultimate compliment (just go with it) by having a new cut of beef named after it: The Vegas Strip Steak.

The new steak was developed by “a meat scientist, a chef and a university,” at least according to the Vegas Strip Steak’s official site. Yes, steaks have Web sites. Doesn’t everybody?

Here’s the Vegas Strip Steak in action.

Thanks to the Vegas Strip Steak people for giving us permission to use this photo, probably.

The official site states, “The Vegas Strip Steak is often compared to the New York Strip Steak. But there can only one New York Strip Steak. So what city should this steak honor? Vegas, of course! It’s a great restaurant town that has earned its culinary reputation more recently. Vegas is a crowd-pleaser and so is this steak!”

For the record, Las Vegas is not only fond of its meat, but also exclamation points, so the Vegas Strip Steak seems a perfect fit for Sin City! Read more.

Apparently, cuts of meat are the intellectual property of whomever “invents” them, so there’s licensing involved in serving the cut in a restaurant. We’ll let you know if they turn up in Vegas. Or, rather, when. That one’s kind of a no-brainer.

As we were browsing through one of our favorite local magazines recently, Las Vegas Weekly, we caught a great Q&A with Brian “Paco” Alvarez. He’s the curator of the Las Vegas News Bureau Photo and Film Archives, as well as being a fanatic about Las Vegas history.

In the article, he mentions that at one time, for about 10 years, Las Vegas was called “Los Vegas.” Who knew?

This blog is not an expert in Spanish, but that doesn't sound right.

Alvarez writes, “At the time that the railroad had arrived in Southern Nevada, Las Vegas was known as ‘LOS’ Vegas at the local post office. Apparently in the late 19th century the Postmaster General of the United States changed the name of the Las Vegas Rancho to Los Vegas, spelled with an “o,” because of concerns regarding confusion with Las Vegas New Mexico. On December 31, 1903 the name ‘Los’ Vegas was officially changed back to ‘Las’ Vegas, in a deliberate move to fix a glaring mistake.”

We found more great information in Alvarez’s Las Vegas Arts & Culture blog. Yes, Las Vegas has arts and culture, and we resent your question. Which you didn’t actually ask. Probably.

Get more scoop about Las Vegas history at the UNLV Special Collections site, whence the above image originally came.

PBR Rock Bar & Grill inside The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood is mounting the mechanical bull of Vegas nightlife and riding it for all it’s worth. Which, this blog realizes, might be the worst metaphor in recorded history. Let’s not allow that to deter us from the matter at hand.

The popular PBR Rock Bar restaurant has already added a DJ booth (the paint was still fresh when we snagged the pic below), and plans are in place to divide the restaurant into two parts as the evening progresses (with a sound-proof wall, so diners won’t be disturbed), providing a mix of laid-back dining and the Vegas nightclub experience.

Tip: Tilting your camera makes things seem even cooler.

Additions are still being made to the decor, but the area pictured below will serve as a dance floor for night owls seeking to shake their badonkadonks off, whatever those might actually be.

This is where this blog will be exhibiting its mad badonkadonk skilz.

The area is expected to feature high-top furniture for party animals to keep their dogs from barking too much as the night wears on.

The club portion of PBR Rock Bar will even have its own entrance, directly across from the popular Earl of Sandwich restaurant.

It's a photo of a door! Hey, not everything can be front page news.

Bonus, the more adventurous can still make their way from the dance area to take on PBR Rock Bar’s hydraulic mechanical bull. This would seem an opportune time to share our video of bull-riding maven Karie, who we took no enjoyment in taping, believe us.

Visit the official PBR Rock Bar site, where you’ll find all the latest news as well as a healthy supply of scantily-clad rodeo clowns. We try not to ask.

PH Towers Westgate, the timeshare resort next to Planet Hollywood resort and The Miracle Mile Shops, changed hands back in November 2011, but we haven’t blogged about that until now because this blog has been busy researching a variety of “frozen cocktails” and “sure-fire craps betting systems.”

This would be the "before" photo.

The resort formerly known as PH Towers Westgate is now called Hilton Grand Vacations, at least according to the new sign.

The "After" photo. Or the "Now" photo, whichever you prefer.

We read somewhere that the full, official name of the place is “Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club.” Technically, Hilton refers to it as “Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Hotel Center Strip.” Which kind of just rolls off the tongue, don’t you think?

There are several Hilton-run places to stay in Las Vegas, the names of which elude us mainly because the Pulse of Vegas blog is the official blog of several Las Vegas hotels that would appreciate your business much more than some timeshare with an identity crisis.

Or something.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this blog loves casinos: The eye-popping carpeting, the slang, the clicking of gaming chips, the whole nine yards. This blog also happens to love dogs.

So, we were especially thrilled to discover the Dog Casino.

Why should humans have all the fun?

We quickly whipped out our wallet, stuffed with Blazing Sevens winnings from the night before, and acquired the Dog Casino to share it with you. We also thought it would make a great Mother’s Day present, but that’s beside the point.

While we didn’t immediately see the casino tie-in to this “fun interactive game,” we were comforted by a blurb on the box that said the game is slobber-proof.

Even the most modern human casinos in Las Vegas aren't especially slobber-proof.

The Dog Casino, it turns out, is like a puzzle for your pooch. The box gives fair warning that it’s challenging. Along with photos of dogs in hats. The international symbol for skill level in dog casinos.

Don't let these cloned dogs in graduation hats intimidate you.

So, here’s the “casino.” It’s a set of bones that rest on the top of a game board thingy.

Irrelevant Vegas trivia: Craps dice are often called "bones."

Doggie treats are placed in small drawers along the edges of the game, and they can only be opened when the corresponding bone is removed.

Remove the correct bone, and dogs get the equivalent of a slot machine jackpot, but without the irksome tax obligations.

Forget this ticket-in ticket-out business. It's treat time.

If all this seems a little complicated, don’t worry, there’s a training manual for pet owners included (as well as a CD we didn’t actually use).

Yes, there's some reading involved. People still do that, you know.

We found the Dog Casino game in a local store here in Vegas for a hefty $64.99, but it sells for much less online (in the $40 range). Our local store split the difference.

While the similarities to a real casino are a tad tenuous, we still think this is a fun way to see just how clever your dog is. Like the box says, it’s challenging, and our test subject, Bonnie (below), seemed to prefer receiving her treats the old-fashioned way.

Mom loved her Mother's Day present, by the way. The jury's still out for Bonnie.

If you dig dogs, too, you might want to read up on the dog-friendly PetStay program available at a number of Las Vegas hotels. Yes, treats are included. Delivered the old-fashioned way.

These days, it’s not uncommon to see police officers on the Las Vegas Strip being tailed by a camera crew. Typically, those officers are being taped for future episodes of “Vegas Strip” on the truTV network.

We caught a couple of burgeoning TV stars being shadowed in front of Planet Hollywood on a recent afternoon.

One guy does the camera. One guy does the sound. Two guys keep the peace.

If you haven’t seen “Vegas Strip” yet, here’s a synopsis of every episode so far: Somebody does something stupid. Police officers intervene. Repeat.

Hey, if it’s set in Vegas, it can’t not be entertaining, right?

Find out more about Vegas Strip on the official site.

There are a couple of things this blog highly recommends during a Las Vegas visit. The first involves chatting with an exotic dancer about how college is going.

This blog also recommends enjoying a cocktail at the elegant bar inside the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at Paris Las Vegas, and riding to the top of the Eiffel Tower for a view that will simply knock your g-string off.

You can now do those last two things we mentioned (you’re on your own with the exotic dancer), with a few bucks knocked off in the process.

You owe this blog so very, very much.

Here’s the deal. When you visit the Eiffel Tower Restaurant, order the “Top of the Tower” specialty cocktail. In addition to your cocktail, you’ll also get a ticket for a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower (usually $15.50). The cost for both is $28, which results in a $5.50 savings.

Oh, and did we mention how completely, mind-numbingly awesome this cocktail is? We do leave out important details from time to time. You’ll live.

Here’s the recipe if you’d foolishly like to try making this at home: Sky Vodka (2 oz.), Domaine de Canton (ginger liquor, 1/2 oz.), Ginger Beer (1/2 oz.), Sweet and Sour (1/4 oz.), grated Star Anise and a garnish of an orange slice, candied ginger and mint leaf. Trust us, it’s better when the Eiffel Tower Restaurant bartender makes it.

Don't you make us show another photo of this drink with a red menu as a background.

So, have a sip, then take a 46-story elevator ride to one of the best views in Vegas. Oh, and bring some additional sets of eyes to fully take in that heart-stopping view. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Caesar’s in a chef’s hat and apron in honor of Vegas Uncork’d.

Confirmed: Roman emperors liked to spoon.

See more about Vegas Uncork’d here.