Las Vegas on $1 a Day.

You know, I just laughed even writing that title.

Have you been there lately? The place is not exactly set up for person who doesn't have money to spend. Or lose.

I started going to Las Vegas back in the early 1990s. I remember when the Excalibur Hotel was the tail end of the strip, and there was not much else around it. Downtown had no Fremont Street experience, and it was advisable to be packing when you went down there. I also remember walking into Ceasar's Palace before they built the mall, and being quoted $45 for a night's stay. I also remember trying to decide if I wanted to splurge on that room, or if finding the Super 8 for $19.99 and saving those precious dollars for the $2 Blackjack table was a better idea.

One day some of the powers that be decided that Vegas could be "family friendly". They started building more and more giant themed resorts with world class amenities, things to occupy and satisfy all ages and lifestyles, and when people started coming, they started moving the prices up.

Today, though the Strip has gotten longer, the hotels have gotten even bigger, there are more rooms in Las Vegas than there are poker chips. They decided that Disneyworld is for the families, and have returned to their Sin City roots. On a Saturday night you can barely find a seat at a table, and if you find Blackjack for less than $15 a hand, you had better sneak a picture, because no one will believe you. And the only people who don't pay $250 a night on the weekend are the locals, and the whales.

For those who may not know, a whale is someone who gambles big, and is treated like royalty when they come to play. Comp'ed flights, limos, rooms, and more food and alcohol than the seven deadly sins advise. Whales are the stuff of legend for some people, but I happen to know two.

So this weekend I was treated to a bachelor party for a really nice guy, hosted by two whales. I lived a piece of their lives for 4 days, and in the process, may have ruined this city for myself by setting the bar for Las Vegas stays incomprehensibly high for a bluecollar fellow like me.

So I learned that you can't do Vegas for $1 a Day...I know, shocker. Maybe I should have titled this post "What you bring to Vegas Stays in Vegas".

Unless.........you win.

Interested to know how the whales roll? Tomorrow I'll give you a look at some of my trip highlights, wins, losses, and guppie mistakes. Including video. I smell a subpoena.



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