I have been to Vegas many times in the past. I have done the solo trips, wife trips, best friend trips, with the boys’ trips. However, I have never done a couples trip until this time. The wife and I meet up with our good friends from Orlando and Santa Barbara for a quick weekend in Vegas. We had plans to stay at Paris Las Vegas but when a late great deal came up at a place called the Desert Rose, we took it. The Desert Rose sits right behind the Tropicana and Hooters Casino and as best as I can tell use to be or partly still is a timeshare, anyways out condo style room was half what our friends at NY,NY paid and about 35% less than our friends who stayed at Luxor. Score for the sweet Hotel deal.

So we were driving up Sat morning and I wanted to watch the Michigan game, which meant leaving San Diego at 4:15 am. Normally I would be fine with that but I am working on my MBA and homework that kept me up till 3 am. So the drive up was fast and filled with caffeine at 4 hours and 20 mins, which got us to the MGM Sports Book in time to place a bet on Sparty -3.5. Now I really like this line when it was -1.5 and as it moved to -2.5 but hated it at -3.5. Yet I just knew in my Michigan blood that they were going to win and to take the bet, as it turns out I needed a miracle to win the bet as a crazy finish made for a great game where my team lost but my bet won. After we all watched the game, we hit In-N-Out, for our east coast friends (one of the nice things about moving to the west coast is In-N-Out!), for lunch and then made our way to O’sheas for cheap gambling, cheap beer, and beer pong. O’sheas is one of those you fall in love with it or hate it places that as a group we had to hit. Loss $40 while there, basically because craps is the devils game (Could have been so much worse at one point it was $300 down).
We broke from the group to check in and the wife was going to take a nap. Time for a poker session at the MGM Grand, it was nothing of note here. I flop trip 9’s vs. someone’s pocket queens and that was about it, up $80 for the 90 min session.

We then went over to the Strip House at P.H. for dinner, good steak, nice place, bad server and overpriced sums it up. However, the company of friends was awesome and made for a great dinner! Afterwards we made our way over to the Palms, some made our way to ghost bar (where it was unreal how windy it was up high outside), others gambled, others hit the playboy club and we all drank and had a good time together. Won about $50 there, because … well basically craps is the devils game.

On Sunday, we watched some of the early football games and walked the strip a bit. We checked out Lagasse's Stadium at the Palazzo and this place is NICE! However, we ended up having lunch at some Burger Bar in the Paris forum shops (not as good as at M.B.). It was pretty good and with the football on it made it even better. Loss $90 on NFL games after going 2-3 (College I was 2-1 for plus $50ish)

Now came the centerpiece of the weekend, my best friend from Orlando is a HUGE Steelers fan and my wife is a HUGE Chargers fan and on Sunday night football it was on. We watched the game at C.P., and the location and the game were both kind of a letdown; however, what was not a letdown was the prop bet. I didn’t want to bet on the game and pick a side of wife/best sports bud so the neutral thing to do was a prop bet, After deciding that the Steelers if they got the ball first would score first I went with the First T.D. As a group, we had $80 on Big Ben at 25-1 and $40 on Mendenhall at 16-1, and when Pittsburgh had it first and goal from the half-yard line we were going nuts. There was no QB sneak but Mendenhall dove in for $640! My wife was glad the chargers made it close in the second half, as was I, as I took them for the second half spread of -.5 but overall the game was about us watching football, drinking and enjoying the fact we hit the prop bet.

Sunday night we than went downtown for some cheap gambling and the Fremont experience. Had a good time at the Four Queens and played some more of the Devil’s game (craps, where I had another small profit) while I was there. Left downtown and headed back to Hooters, where I played $3 blackjack with the wife and best friends girlfriend. Meanwhile the best friend was winning $200+ on quad 3’s on video poker. That Blackjack was great, I made $49 and had plenty (well maybe to many) beers in 2 hours of $3 blackjack. The dealers were fun, and the cocktail waitress was fast and the entire group had a great time.

Monday morning was suppose to be breakfast at the Luxor buffet but after the long Sunday night it was not going to happen (Monday morning was also my other chance to get away for poker but sleep ruled the morning), instead it was early lunch there. Although not all was lost as, the only breakfast item that my wife wanted was bacon. Upon mentioning this to the hostess, she brought out a HUGE plate of extra crispy bacon for the table. Then part of our group left for the airport and we said some goodbyes. Those that did not leave went down to the Stratosphere. The main and only purpose to go there was to ride the rides on top of the strat tower. They are some of the wildest and scariest rides ever, dreamed up by some crazy person who should get an award for being insane. $30 and ten years off my life later we had ridden all 3 rides a few times and made our way back down to hang out a bit before heading home.

Before we were to head home we had two last things to accomplish. #1 a prop bet on Monday Night Football and #2 to check out South Point. After winning the Sunday Night prop bet for first TD we were at it again looking for the long shot first TD and there it was Visanthe Shiancoe at 18-1 for the first TD. I couldn’t even pronounce his name when placing the bet, yet when he caught the first TD on the play action pass from the 1-yard line for the tune of $540 he was my new favorite player!!! As for South Point it was a GREAT place to watch MNF, they have a awesome sports bar by the book and poker room (which I didn’t play in but was surprised to see 6 tables going strong and a nice looking room) with HDTV’s in 360 degrees all the way around you. As a matter of fact I was very impressed with all of South Point and will make it a point to stop in there next time even the ice cream the wife got as we left was very tasty. And with that it was time for the 4.5 hour drive back.

It was a short weekend that was a lot of fun with great friends, football, prop bets, and the crazy rides at that strat!