Living in Las Vegas means that you see more of your friends that live in other cities because it is such a common tourist destination. On Tuesday, an old friend of mine paid Las Vegas a visit. I showed him around on Tuesday.
I do not play table games often. I prefer video poker. However, every few months, it is a nice change of pace. I was looking forward to having an excuse to play craps all day with an old friend.
Kristina and I picked up my friend at Caesars Palace. We went downtown. Kristina was not up for a day of table games, so she headed home. We met her later for dinner.
Lunch at Circa
Our day in downtown Las Vegas started with lunch at Circa. It was around 11am. There was not much happening. We checked out the sportsbook. We then ate at Victory Burger.
My friend wanted to play 3:2 Free Bet Blackjack. However, it was too early for the upstairs pit where the game is to open.
Time to play table games
We headed over to Golden Gate. Free Bet Blackjack was not open there either. We played $10 Ultimate Texas Hold’em for about an hour. All open table games outside the high limit area were $10. High limit had a $25 and $50 table.
The dealer made a straight flush with the 5 and 7 of clubs in the first hand. This was not a sign of the future though. We both booked a decent win and moved on.
We headed over to Plaza. Free Bet Blackjack was closed there, so we played craps. It was $15. All the open games were $10 or $15, except double deck blackjack.
Craps was not kind to us. Double deck blackjack with a $25 minimum bet was a sideways session. We decided to play craps somewhere else.
Binion’s had a $10 craps game. We played there for a couple of hours. It was fun and we put a big dent in our Plaza craps loss. We played at the table by the Fremont Street entrance. I forgot how much of a different feel that gives the game. My friend enjoyed it, too.
I found out while playing that there is no free buy on the 4 or 10 at the Binion’s craps table. The commission must be paid up front. I would guess this is the same at Four Queens.
We headed over to The D. We first played the elusive 3:2 Free Bet Blackjack. It was open for $15. We lost a little there before heading to the craps table where we lost more before making a comeback.
Dinner at Other Mama
Kristina drove back downtown to pick us up. We had dinner at Other Mama by Durango and Twain in Spring Valley. It offers a large menu of sushi, seafood, vegetarian and meat dishes. Oysters are available in several varieties.
It was great, as always. Their Svetlana is one of my favorite drinks. It was not busy because the Golden Knights were playing. There are no TVs at Other Mama. It is booked most normal nights.
Back to the craps table
Kristina did not want to join us for an evening craps session. We dropped her off at home and headed to Red Rock. There was a $15 craps table open. The table was choppy until a woman walked up to the table and bought in for a small amount. Her roll seemed like it lasted 30-40 minutes. She repeated every number and kept nailing points, often on the 4 and 10. It was a roll that players dream of when at a craps table.
After her roll, we stayed one more shooter and decided it was time to leave. We cashed out our nice win. My friend played a little baccarat before we headed back to Caesars Palace to drop him off.
I guess I am accustomed to how slow Las Vegas has been for most of the last year, because I was surprised to see Caesars Palace so chaotic at 11pm on a Tuesday night. I could not get to the valet area. I dropped him off as close as I could get and called it a night.
