Curtis on nationwide sports betting

Posted on March 24, 2009 by admin

Anthony Curtis is quoted in an Associated Press story today. It concerns a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey lawmaker that seeks to roll back the federal prohibition on sports betting, because it exempts four states (including Nevada) and is therefore discriminatory. Should the federal law be overturned, Curtis sees little threat to Las Vegas. "If anything, it would probably be positive. I wouldn’t sweat it," he says.

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Curtis, direct to your iPod

Posted on March 23, 2009 by admin

Anthony Curtis‘ Friday appearance on KNPR-FM‘s State of Nevada is now available online, either in streaming audio (requires Quicktime) or as an MP3 download. Curtis discusses how the recession has affected slot and video poker paytables. A hint: It’s not "for the better."

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Zender on casino (in)security

Posted on March 23, 2009 by admin

Casino-ology author Bill Zender was quoted in a Sunday Las Vegas Review-Journal story on casino security measures. The piece, by Benjamin Spillman, dealt with the legal penumbra which clouds the issue of whether casino patrons are allowed to take photographs on the casino floor. The impetus of the feature was the forcible detention of a soft-spoken poker player after he snapped a photo of a mural at Cannery Casino, in North Las Vegas. Taking that one picture got him banned from the property. Zender, recalling his tenure as one of the owners of the old Aladdin (1992-7), said, "I like people taking pictures of my casino so they can show their friends. It is free advertising."

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“High-end foreclosure inventory shrinking”

Posted on March 23, 2009 by admin

LVA real estate blogger Robin Camacho was quoted at length in the Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s "Business Matters" blog last Friday. She says the inventory of foreclosed homes is drying up … at least in the $1 million-plus range. Even at 70 cents on the dollar, they’re harder to find. It’s the opposite case for homes in the $250K-$300K range, which are being foreclosed faster than they’re being sold. And when they’re resold, it’s often at 30 cents on the dollar. At those prices, bankers are disinclined to discount further, except in the case of cash purchases and older, distressed homes.

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Big Las Vegas Deal Hits the Skids

Posted on March 18, 2009 by admin

 

The big $1.75 million deal that was to put Las Vegas’ Cannery and Eastside Cannery casinos in the hands of Australian media king James Packer has been scuttled, though it’s not necessarily finished. Packer’s Crown Ltd. didn’t meet specified conditions of the deal, but has indicated it may still go through with the acquisition on an extended timetable (up to two years). Crown also had plans fall through earlier this year for a 1,064-foot tower and casino on the Strip. Meanwhile, the “Can” and “ECan” will continue to operate as they have since opening, which is a good thing for consumers—these are two of the best value-oriented operations in Las Vegas.
 
Fabulous Fator: The critics are raving about the new Terry Fator show at the Mirage, and rightfully so. Fator is reminiscent of impressionist Danny Gans, when Gans burst onto the scene more than a decade ago. Ticket prices are $59-$125.
 
Comedy Stopped: After 18 years, the Tropicana has declined to renew its contract with the "Comedy Stop." The club will reportedly relocate.
 
Madness: The annual March Madness frenzy is on. While last week’s opening rounds of the NCAA basketball tournament drew the biggest crowds, the next couple weeks through to the Final Four and Final will also be big in the casinos, with sports books televising all the games and supporting them with promotions and food and drink specials. Three casinos that hold big March Madness parties are the Las Vegas Hilton, the Orleans, and South Point.
 
Question: Is it warm enough to get in the pool? When does the big pool season start?

Answer: With temperatures in the 70s, it’s warm enough to swim now (plus many of the big pools are heated). Las Vegas’ vaunted “Daylife” pool scene officially begins its season on Memorial Day weekend, but several of the bigger operations have already opened, including the Hard Rock Beach Club, MGM Grand’s Wet Republic, and Mandalay Bay’s Moorea Pool (weekends only). Check out our “Cool Pools” feature for updates all season long.

Anthony Curtis’ column is syndicated weekly to all the above publications

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More Progress in Downtown Las Vegas

Posted on March 13, 2009 by admin

 

Despite tough times, downtown Las Vegas continues on a steady pace of casino upgrades. As mentioned a few weeks ago in this column, the formerly dilapidated Gold Spike casino has a whole new look and improvements are ongoing. Up the street at the Golden Nugget, it’s been announced that a $150 million 500-room tower will be completed on schedule and open in December; the 25-story tower will give the Nugget a total of 2,400 rooms. And a 47-story 1,000-room hotel and casino has been proposed for a 6.4-acre corner of the Union Park development, right behind the Plaza. If it’s built, it will be called Union Park. 

 
Wicked Numbers: More evidence of the above-referenced tough times came with reports that the January casino win on the Strip plummeted by 15%, compared to the same month last year. It was the 13th consecutive year-over-year decline. Additionally, following a decline in visitors in 2008, January visitation dropped a whopping 12%. The upside? The casinos have to discount and room rates are down 20% and more.
 
Enviable: The non-casino Envy Steakhouse, inside the Renaissance Hotel on Paradise Ave., has debuted a new Sunday brunch called “Mimosas & Music.” The brunch comes with unlimited mimosas, sparkling wine, and build-your-own Bloody Marys. It’s served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $25 and live music accompanies. This compares favorably in price with two other high-end brunches that debuted recently—Springs Preserve ($29) and Simon Brunch at Palms Place ($45).
 
Question: What’s the play for St. Paddy’s Day?

Answer: You’ve got plenty of options at several Irish-themed pubs in town. Here’s the list. The casino pubs include Jack’s (Palace Station), Brendan’s (Orleans), JC Wooloughan (Rampart), McFadden’s (Rio), Quinn’s (Green Valley Ranch), and Nine Fine Irishmen (NY-NY). Prominent non-casino pubs are Fado, McMullen’s, Three Angry Wives, and Hennessey’s. And the theme is casino-wide at Fitzgeralds downtown and at O’Shea’s on the Strip. For the full picture, check out the Special Events section at LasVegasAdvisor.com.

 

Anthony Curtis column is syndicated weekly to all the above publications.

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Im Paradies, Untergeschoss (rough transl., “Paradise’s Basement”)

Posted on March 10, 2009 by admin

 

 

Huntington Press author Matt O’Brien’s Beneath the Neon is garnering international attention, with a big feature in this week’s issue of German publication Der Spiegel, one of Europe’s largest magazines with a circulation of more than one million per week. For German readers, here’s a link to the article (the rest of us must be content to enjoy the photo of Matt in a tunnel).

 

The story is apparently generating a lot of interest across the Pond and has already spawned at least one TV feature, with a crew from Germany heading over to investigate Las Vegas’ storm drains and their secret inhabitants with Matt next month. We’ll keep you posted.

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In Las Vegas, a Break in the Real Estate Action

Posted on March 6, 2009 by admin

 

 

February 5, 2009

 

“I hear from a lot of people who are only familiar with the Strip, who think they want to live a few blocks off the Strip,” said Robin Camacho, a real estate agent who writes the House Advantage blog for the Las Vegas Advisor, a Web site aimed at visitors. Ms. Camacho, whose 27 sales in 2008 put her among the top sellers in the region, said all were foreclosed properties. “You’ve got to have an awful lot of money to not think twice to put down $1 million on a condo near the Strip,” she said, “and it also might not be worth it.”

 

 

(LasVegasAdvisor.com blogger Robin Camacho is quoted today by writer Steve Friess in his New York Times feature on the current state of the Las Vegas Real Estate market. To read the full article, click here. And check out Robin’s unique guide to the Current Top 10 Las Vegas Real Estate Values.)

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New Las Vegas Resort Draws Raves

Posted on March 5, 2009 by admin

 

 
M-azing is the consensus on Las Vegas’ latest casino, M Resort, which has proven an instant hit with early visitors for its design, layout, views, and even loose video poker schedules. But what stands out is affordability in the restaurants, including the spectacular Studio B Show Kitchen Buffet, priced $7.95 for breakfast, $10.95 for lunch, and $17.95 for dinner (with $2 off any meal if you have an M players card). Other M notables (“Motables”?) include the 32 Degrees Draft Bar with 96 beers on tap and the Hostile Grape wine cellar, with 120 wines served by the glass. M Resort is located off I-15 about nine miles south of the start of the Las Vegas Strip.
 
Prime Rib Poll: The results of LasVegasAdvisor.com’s survey of the best prime rib deal in Las Vegas are in. After almost 1,200 votes, the winner was the 24-hour king cut that comes with a draft micro-brew for $12.99 at Ellis Island (17% of the vote). Coming in second with 12% was the downtown California’s prime rib that comes with salad bar and cherries jubilee for $7.25. See all the results at the website.
 
All-Day Buffet: You can eat the buffet at Excalibur as often as you like in a day for $25. It would be a saving of $20 if you were to pay for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
 
VP Royalty: If you’re in town on March 13, you can meet the world’s premier video poker expert at the Eastside Cannery. Bob Dancer will be signing his new book, Video Poker for the Intelligent Beginner, in ECan’s new 16th-floor nightclub One Six from 5 to 8 pm. The event is free to the public.
 
Question: I watched the poker star Annie Duke on “Celebrity Apprentice” and she was impressive. How do you rate her chances?
Answer: Very high. Annie is a game-playing expert and “Apprentice” is a game. Plus, she has the right skill set to impress Donald Trump—she’s logical, analytical, and assertive (and she can muster a mean streak when necessary).

 

Anthony Curtis’ weekly column is syndicated to all the above media outlets.
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Las Vegas on Travel Channel

Posted on February 27, 2009 by admin

 

Saturday February 28, 2009

 

It’s another Vegas marathon on Travel Channel this Saturday, including shows featuring our own Anthony Curtis, plus other LVA friends and associates. Here are the (local) times these old favorites will air:

 

"Vegas Revealed," 12 p.m.

"Las Vegas: Sucker Bets," 1 p.m.

"Las Vegas: Cheaters Beware!," 2 p.m.

"Vegas Cheaters Exposed," 3 p.m.

 

For complete listings of all the week’s Las Vegas- and gambling-related TV shows and movies, don’t forget to check out our unique customized Vegas TV feature.

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M Resort Opens in Las Vegas

Posted on February 26, 2009 by admin

 

February 25, 2009
 
The billion-dollar 93-acre 390-room M Resort opens today (at 10 p.m.). With a 90,000-square-foot casino, nine restaurants, a 20,000-square-foot spa, and a two-acre pool area, M will serve the 500,000 people living within 10 miles of it, as well as the base of tourists willing to stay about four miles south of the south end of the Strip. Room rates will run $85-$200. Glass is the name of the design game at M, with picture windows and glass ceilings common to the lobby, porte cochere, restaurants, and rooms. Plans for a 1.3-million-square-foot shopping mall, a 14-plex movie theater, and a couple thousand more hotel rooms are on hold.
 
Hachi Hour: The Red Rock Japanese restaurant, Hachi, has unveiled a “38 under $8” menu. Several soups, skewers, hot dishes, tempura, sushi, and sashimi choices are available from $3 to $8 apiece (a must-try is the taste-explosive fluke tiradito for $4). And if you hook it up with “Hachi Hour,” Mon.-Fri. from 5 to 7 p.m., you can get Japanese beers for $2.50 and sake for $4.50.
 
King Delayed: After announcing a debut date of April 22, The Lion King at Mandalay Bay has pushed its opening back to May 5. A 10-day preview period will lead up to the official opening on May 15. Ticket go on sale March 14; they’ve been announced at $53-$168.50.
 
Poker Dates: The dates for this year’s World Series of Poker have been announced. The 40th WSOP will convene at the Rio on May 27, with the World Championship set to begin on July 3. Similar to last year, the main event will play down to nine, then reconvene the final table November 7-10.
 
Question: Can you tell me about the iPhone program that counts cards?
Answer: It had to happen. An iPhone app that counts cards at blackjack has been developed. But don’t get too excited. The necessity to input the dealt cards as they’re played makes the app’s use at the tables nearly impossible from a practical point of view. And while card counting isn’t illegal, using a “device” to count cards is, so don’t. (For more on Anthony’s expert take on this, click here to read the LasVegasAdvisor.com "Spotlight" feature on this controversy.)
 

Anthony Curtis’ weekly column is syndicated to all the above media outlets.

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In video poker, you’ve got to know what to hold

Posted on February 26, 2009 by admin

 

 

 

February 24, 2009

 

"In the fine poker novel “Shut Up and Deal,” author Jesse May describes a fictional writer of instructional books named Larry Sandtrap, who appears as a disembodied voice in the mind of the main character, Mickey…

 

"I’ve long considered Bob Dancer, the Las Vegas author and high-stakes professional gambler, a sort of Larry Sandtrap of the video poker world."

 

Click here to read the complete article.

 

(Huntington Press author Bob Dancer’s new book, Video Poker for the Intelligent Beginner, is profiled by Las Vegas Sun columnist Jeff Haney.)

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