Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

October 28, 2006 1:23 AM Posted by Mike E

The song gets more ridiculous and changes keys with each show.

"Five Star, Diamond, Asterisk..." LOL!

October 28, 2006 2:36 AM Posted by mike_ch

I've fallen behind on Podcasts. I'm just listening to #6 right now and downloading #7. Two! Two! Two feedbacks in one!

Some quick #6 impressions if I may:

Marijuana: This is known as Question 7 on the ballot and yes, it decriminalizes pot use and increases the penalties for being stoned in dangerous situations like driving. I don't vote (politics here are more of an amusing spectator sport and both "sides" have strong libertarian bends that make them mostly mirror images of each other), but the argument for is pretty much the same as any such proposal: "Let's get stuff out of the hands of dealers and into places we can tax, and then we can improve our schools!" A similar initiative was defeated here about four years ago or so.

Macau: You know, as I looked through your photo section I noticed something unusual: A shot of the Sands Macau casino. It's obstructed, but it's there nonetheless. I've never been able to find anything other than outside shots, and even the LV business press never seems to have a picture of just how big a Macau casino can be, so hats off to the photographer. I've spoken on Cotai already.

Le Reve: Personally, I feel that I've seen better art in Disney cartoons, but I guess one man's trash... AFAIK (so correct me if I'm wrong,) Le Reve is more known for it's one-of-a-kind backstory and subject than being some sort of influential masterpiece in the art world. Also remember that while Wynn does take a big loss on Le Reve, the value of Picassos, including Wynn's other paintings, will go up as a result of there being one less pristine Picasso in the world.

#7 isn't showing up in iTunes at the moment. I had to download it from Odeo and add it to my player myself. Now listening...

I'm immortalized in podcast form! Depending on weather and other activities, I'm going to try and hit the town on Tuesday both to see how many hours I can be away from the house on Halloween and to see what things look like on the Stardust's final day.

Your friend sounds like the kind of guy who would be running his own podcast.

I guess I should add something from my Phantom viewing in August to RateVegas. Maybe later, but I'll just say for now that if they can get butts in seats (our 11PM performance had quite a few emtpy sections, which is probably why they axed 11PM performances) there's a pretty good ROI there. The theater costs, IIRC from the press releases, about 25% of what MGM Grand spent on KA's, and yet the tickets are just as high. The show itself, I found it mostly solid with some issues, but Phantom is one of those shows that can be really difficult even with a great production and cast.

October 28, 2006 8:06 AM Posted by Mike P.

Since my wife and I have been trying to turn ourselves into poker players this year I'll comment a little bit on that segment.

If you're new to live poker just about every poker room on the strip has one or more daily no limit hold-em tournaments with buyins ranging from 40 bucks or so up to $500 or more. The advantage of a tournament is you can only lose what you buy in for, and at the lower buy ins you'll be playing mostly with fellow tourists. The luck factor is higher in a tournament than a cash game, and the way some of the tournaments are structured winning is almost entirely a matter of luck.

As far as annoying more experienced players goes, good poker players love to see newbies and online players. Smart ones will do everything possible to make you feel welcome and have a good time while they take your money. It is a good idea to know something about table etiquette before you sit down, of course.

My wife says the food is good at Caesars and the Venetian -- neither of us has tried it elsewhere. Drink service at most of the places we've played is at least as good as on the main casino floor. Don't expect a lot of comps other than drinks unless you're playing cash games at fairly high stakes.

Mike P.

October 28, 2006 1:25 PM Posted by Hunter

Regarding the song, my guest, Phil, did the mid-point segue and the outro, where he takes some liberties with the key. :-)

October 28, 2006 4:45 PM Posted by Dr. Phil Bertz

Recording the show was really a lot of fun - thanks again, Hanz! Perhaps I can form some more coherent thoughts in the future, expanding my, ahem, 'limited,' wisdom. I've got some ideas for additional thematic and segue musicality... And nice work with 'obligatorily.'

October 29, 2006 1:26 PM Posted by mike_ch

Er, has this site been hacked or something? First the long-running Le Reve thread seems to stop taking posts, then the Post a Comment title now reads "Post a Comment (Owned By The Poster)"

Not sure what's going on here.

October 29, 2006 1:31 PM Posted by Hunter

No hackage, all is well.

The comment posting line has been there for months - it's not new...

I closed the other thread from accepting new comments in an effort to get back on topic. If y'all disagree and want it re-opened, then leave a comment here.

October 29, 2006 1:38 PM Posted by Hunter

Michael,

Did you get the email I sent you yesterday?

Hunter

October 29, 2006 1:39 PM Posted by mike_ch

Hunter, I'll check that email address. Thank you for the notification.