Dennis Leads Final Nine

As of minutes ago, the World Series Of Poker Main Event Final Table is set, and Dennis Phillips will have one of the nine seats. Not only that, he'll start as the chip leader! He has beaten 6,836 people, and has only 8 more before he wins the $9.1 million top prize. But first, he'll have to wait four months before play resumes on November 9th (time to sign up some sponsors!).

First of 27

I told you to keep your eye on him. Out of 6,844 people who entered the Main Event at the World Series of Poker, they're now down to 27 -- and my friend Dennis Phillips is the chip leader. The tournament resumes at 2pm CT today, when they'll play down to the final 9, who will then return to Vegas in November for the chance to win the $9.1 million first prize. Wow.

Poker Natural

There's a wonderful moment in the movie "The Natural," when Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) strikes out baseball legend The Whammer (Joe Don Baker) on three straight pitches. It doesn't happen in a game, but by some railroad tracks next to a carnival.

At the moment Hobbs strikes out the big guy, director Barry Levinson cuts to a quick shot of Barbara Hershey's character, who has her eyes on The Whammer, attracted to him for his stardom and with mischief on her mind. After The Whammer whiffs on strike three, we see Hershey turn her head away from The Whammer and fix her gaze on Hobbs. The shot is only two seconds long, but it's this turn of events that later leads to her going with Hobbs to his hotel room, where she fires the shot that propels the rest of the plot.

There was a similar moment during the final hand of Day 5 of the World Series of Poker tonight, involving my poker pal Dennis Phillips and Full Tilt Poker pro Mark Vos. Here's how PokerNews.com described it...

Dennis Phillips raised to 65,000 from middle position and Mark Vos reraised to 180,000 on the button. Phillips then made it 400,000 to go and Vos came over the top all in for 1.5 million. Phillips called and showed AA to Vos' AK. He had Mark covered by around 300,000 so this hand was for Vos' tournament life, and when the board ran out Q-9-3-10-2, Vos was eliminated just as Day 5 came to an end. When Day 6 begins tomorrow, Dennis Phillips will be sitting with a 3.4 million stack.

We were all buzzing about this in the Harrah's St. Louis poker room tonight, with one of the floor supervisors checking his progress online and then reporting it to us. We're not even there, but the excitement at our table was palpable.

Dennis has been quietly playing under the radar, making good decisions, playing very well, never going on tilt, and until now being pretty much ignored by the poker media. That has surely changed, as he's now one of 79 players left, and only 5 others have larger chip stacks than he does.

Because of Vos' renown in the poker world, I'm sure the ESPN cameras were there for that all-in moment. And when it was over, those cameras no doubt turned away from Vos and got a good shot of Dennis (we won't see this on TV for several months, but you get the visual metaphor nonetheless).

When I reached him on his cell phone a half-hour later, Dennis told me he was glad that was the last hand of the night, because his adrenaline was pumping so hard for the next 10 minutes that he couldn't think straight. He finally calmed down enough to go have a beer, and then was off to bed to get a good night's sleep before embarking on Day 6.

Let's hope he doesn't run into Barbara Hershey.

Dennis Stays Alive

Congratulations to my friend Dennis Phillips, who has made it through Day 4 of the Main Event at the World Series of Poker. From a starting roster of 6,844 players a week ago, they are down to 189, and he's hanging in there. Considering that at one point Dennis took a hit and dropped from 200,000 chips to only 22,000, he has rebounded nicely to just over 800,000 -- nowhere near the chip leader, but doing fine, right in the middle of the pack.

Dennis is well known in St. Louis as one of the best tournament players in town, who won his seat in the $10,000 main event via a qualifying tourney at Harrah's. While it'd be great to win the $9.1 million top prize, he's earned a huge return on the few hundred dollars he invested even if he's the next player eliminated.

Play resumes at 2pm CT on Saturday, and you can read all about it on PokerNews.com, which has reporters roaming the Amazon Room at The Rio for live reports on what's happening at many of the tables (particularly hands involving poker pros you may have seen on TV, including Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Allen Cunningham, Gus Hansen, and others).

Interestingly, PokerNews.com hasn't reported on a single hand Dennis has been involved in, probably because his table image is such that he's getting a lot of respect from the other players, who avoid getting into big pots with him. But if he can double up in the next round, and move up from there, he might even attract some attention from the ubiquitous ESPN cameras at the event.

By the way, ESPN will begin airing its WSOP coverage on June 22, with two hours every Tuesday night. The first six weeks will cover other events at the WSOP like the Pot Limit Omaha Championship and the $50,000 Horse Championship. Main Event coverage will begin September 2 and run through the final table on November 11.

More Vegas Notes

The World Series of Poker is the big attraction for poker players, who have swarmed to Vegas this month from all over the world (if you want to see global diversity, this is the place), but I was stunned at the number of entrants in simultaneous tournaments elsewhere. The other day, while 2,800 were beginning a three-day WSOP event at the Rio, another 700 were playing in the Venetian's noon tournament, and another 600 or so were going at it in a tournament at Caesar's. Those numbers don't include hundreds playing in smaller tournaments in other poker rooms, or the thousands sitting in live cash games everywhere in town. If you couldn't find a game you like here, you just weren't looking.

You'll notice I didn't mention Bellagio, which used to be the place to go for serious poker players. No longer. It has become too crowded (the wait for a seat can be over 90 minutes), the games aren't as good, and the floor staff offers virtually no customer service without blatantly putting their hand out for a tip. I was treated much better, and found much more pleasant poker environments, in the newly expanded poker rooms at Caesar's, the Venetian, and the Wynn. Even the MGM Grand has increased its poker footprint, but the room is right next to a bar that blasts its music at such high volume you can barely hear the other players at your table (in fact, the dealers put out cards that say "all-in" and "call" so you know what's going on visually, since the aural component is overwhelming). Incidentally, you can call any of those rooms to get on the waiting list for a game, except for the Bellagio, which won't put you on the list until you show up in person. It's typical of a place that was number one for too long and forgot it was in the business of keeping customers happy.

While passing some slots players at the MGM Grand last night, I heard a woman exclaim, "I won, and I don't even know how!"

That must be a common occurrence. I challenge anyone to walk up to a modern slot machine, with its video screen full of animation instead of reels, and explain what you need to win. There's a fleet of programmers developing new software every day -- often tied to a movie, TV show, video game, or other product placement -- that includes so many lines, icons, graphics, and sound effects that it's impossible to understand what constitutes a positive outcome.

In essence, the machines work on one simple premise. You put your money in, push the button (there's no arm to pull anymore), and wait for it to tell you to play again. It never says you lost, only invites you to try again. Of course, even winners do play again, especially since there's no coin drop. Your rare winnings become new credits, which remain in the machine to be played until you print out a coupon for whatever money you have left. And they know what you're not going to print that coupon out right away -- you're going to keep pushing that button, thus keeping the lights on and the casino employees paid.

Best bathroom in town: under the gaming floor at Caesar's Palace, down the escalators opposite the doors of the Colosseum amphitheater. The bathroom was clearly built for the crowds who need to freshen up after being swathed in diva-ness by Cher or Bette Midler or Elton John. I found it during the day on a break from a tournament (the men's room nearest the poker room was far too crowded), and was surprised to be alone in a marble room surrounded by sculptures and murals of Roman gods on the walls and stall doors. It also has the nicest sink I've ever used in a public bathroom.

Worst bathroom in town: next to the Chinese restaurant slash donut place at the Four Queens. I took my wife downtown to show her the Fremont Street Experience and some of the oldtime Vegas casinos. Stepping one foot into this bathroom, I knew that leaving my waste there would be redundant.

Vegas Food & Drink

At the WSOP, they're serving a new energy drink called All-In, which poker legend Johnny Chan is associated with. Throughout the Amazon Room at the Rio, people are drinking the various flavors of All-In, including its bottled water. Now, I don't know if this is true, but two different people told me the following story independently, so it's at least going around.

Apparently, a waitress approached a tournament table in the midst of a hand and asked if anyone wanted something to drink. One of the players supposedly said, "Yeah, um, All-In." Unfortunately, the other player in the hand immediately said "Call!" The first player tried to explain that he was just ordering a beverage, but the dealer and a floor supervisor explained that the rule in a tournament -- as in most poker games -- is that verbal declarations are binding, and he had to put all of his chips at risk. That was his last hand in that tournament.

I don't know if he ever got his drink.

Food stuff...

While playing at The Venetian, I ordered a chicken caesar wrap from a waitress. When she brought it, the sandwich came with chips and a small cup of jelly beans. That's the first time I've been served jelly beans outside of a child's birthday party. Unfortunately, I don't like 'em, but they made a nice tip for the floor supervisor, who accepted them with a laugh.

If you like dim sum, try Ping Pang Pong at the Gold Coast. The food is good, inexpensive, and served for lunch seven days a week.

After mentioning that I always stop at In & Out Burger during my Vegas visits, I read an interview with Steve Carrell in which he said that, after attending the premiere of his new movies, he and his wife always stop at In & Out for a cheeseburger. I love the visual of a couple in a tux and gown waiting patiently for a double double.

Mac King

Here's one of my favorite performers in Vegas -- Mac King, who does his Comedy Magic Show 10 times a week at Harrah's (and will be there through 2011). I've seen him several times, and what makes his show so good is not only his material, but his easy rapport with the audience and the volunteers he selects from the audience. Oh yeah, the illusions are pretty good, too, as you'll see...

Vegas Notes

Even though the average temperature in Las Vegas this week is 105, the town is absolutely packed. Few tourists are willing to walk the strip in the midday sun -- you can easily spot those that do, as their skin is the color of Carrot Top's hair -- so the sidewalks are a swarm of humanity all evening long, and its seems like every third person is carrying either a beer or a yard-long drink of one kind or another.

Strolling along the strip, it's impossible to avoid The Slappers. These are the guys who try to hand you a small credit-card-sized booklet advertising women who will come to your hotel room and do the sort of things that supposedly stay in Vegas. I call them The Slappers because, before handing you the booklet, they always slap it against their other hand, hoping that the noise will get your attention and you'll take one as you pass.

The Slappers seem to all be Latino, likely illegal, and they work in packs. If I hired them to hand out my propaganda, I'd want them to spread out all over The Strip, but these guys tend to huddle together, accosting every passing tourist ten times in a row. Seems like a bad business plan, but then I have no idea how they're paid in the first place. It can't be based on the amount of pamphlets they disperse, because The Slappers could simply throw them in a dumpster and report that they were all gone. Could it be a bonus for every trick turned by the women they're advertising? They must be doing something right, because The Slappers are on that sidewalk every evening, regardless of season.

Their competition is the big rolling billboard truck advertising "Hot Babes To Your Room." Under the phone number, you're promised "Girls who want to meet you!" Translation: women who would never talk to you under any circumstance, unless you have a wad of hundred dollar bills you're willing to part with in exchange for a complete demonstration of her affection for tattoos, tobacco breath, and far-too-brief sex acts. Only then does she want to meet you.

That same deceptive advertising goes on at all the big hotels that now offer topless pools. Women are allowed in for free, but guys have to pay anywhere from $10 to $25. There are tall hedges to keep gawkers away, but here's the kicker -- according to a couple of hotel employees I spoke to, there aren't that many women inside with their tops off, so the guys are getting very little entertainment for their entry fee. Besides, the Flamingo (where we stayed) is not exactly a destination for young, hot, single women. They're over at The Palms, hoping to be discovered for the next season of MTV's "Real World."

I was reminded of the time my wife and I were somewhere in the Caribbean and went for a walk up the beach. Before we knew it, we had walked onto a "European-style" topless beach, where there were plenty of women with nothing on above the waist. The problem was that very few of them were young and perky. It wasn't like we'd stumbled onto a photo shoot for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. It was more like seeing the cast of "The View" taking a group shower.

Since this was my wife's first extended trip to Vegas, I showed her the town, from the coolest resorts to the sleazy wedding chapels to the Fremont Street Experience to the never-ending construction sites to In-N-Out Burger, always a mandatory stop during my visits. At the other end of the spectrum, we also had dinner at Prime, the steakhouse at Bellagio. When you go, ask for a table by the windows, so you have a good view of the dancing waters out front. You should also remember to bring gift certificates that someone else gave you, because this is one expensive restaurant (thanks again to my brother, who treated us for my 50th birthday).

The Flamingo may not be as huge as some of the newer resorts on the strip, but it's still plenty big. Even after several days, I was still unsure which way to turn to get where I wanted to go. But wherever I went, there was someone offering me free tickets to shows I had no interest in seeing, if only I'd listen to a spiel about time-shares. Hey, if I wanted that, I'd be at Tahiti Village looking for Tanya Roberts.

Speaking of shows, Penn & Teller have added several new bits to their show at the Rio. Teller has a solo spot involving a red ball that moves at his command (untouched), and they've added a typically P&T twist to sawing-a-woman-in-half. They've also brought back some classics, including Penn eating fire and Teller's "Shadows." I've seen him do this over a dozen times, but still notice nuances he's added, tiny gestures that make the routine even more perfect. When you're in Vegas, put this on your must-see list.

The Rio is also home to the World Series of Poker, now past the half-way point in its six week run of some 55 different tournaments. The Amazon Room boasts more poker tables than you can imagine, and there are live games, satellites, and sit-and-go tourneys being played around the clock, too. Several players I've spoken to say it's better organized this year, but I'm not entering any of the events, because the Deep Stack Tournament at the Venetian and the Mega Stack Series at Caesar's Palace offer much better values than the WSOP events, even without the potential for a bracelet and being made fun of by Norman Chad. There are also cash games of every size at practically every major poker room in town, so there's no lack of good action.

One other recommendation for you. If you rent a car, make the drive about 20 miles west to Red Rock Canyon, with its 13-mile scenic drive amid breathtaking Mojave Desert beauty. There are trails to hike and rocks to climb, although that activity is probably kept to a minimum by the brochure warning about the large number of rattlesnakes in the park.

Apparently, they "really want to meet you," too.

Gambling Myths

As I leave this morning for several days in Las Vegas at James Randi's sixth annual Amazing Meeting and then the World Series Of Poker, here's a piece Randi wrote regarding The Four Most Pervasive Myths About Gambling.

Cutting Cards

Here's a hand you hope your opponent doesn't have at the World Series of Poker, or even in a home game -- not just because it's a royal flush, but because the cards are printed on metal with razor-sharp edges, intended for throwing [thanks to Stuart Snyder for the link]

Speaking of the WSOP, congrats to Kyle Kloeckner, who came in second in event #24, the $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha/Hold'Em tournament. Kyle, who regularly plays in the biggest PLO game in St. Louis, won $152,410 as runner-up on Saturday.

Hold'Em -- For Four Months

There will be a new twist in this year's World Series Of Poker. While the bulk of the main event will be played in July, the final table won't be played until November.

It seems that ESPN didn't like the world knowing who the winner was so long before they showed the beginning of the event in previous years. This time, once play gets down to the final nine, everyone will go home, and ESPN will air their coverage of the various events that make up the WSOP through August, September, and October. On November 9, the principals will return to Las Vegas and resume play until someone has all the chips, probably on November 10. Then, on November 11, ESPN will air a quickly-edited two-hour package of what has just transpired, and the new champion will get the check and the bracelet.

At first, it seems like an awkward idea, but considering the marathon sessions these players sit through, they'll no doubt relish the chance to get some rest before going back into battle around the final table. Plus, they can use that time to watch the ESPN telecasts of the earlier rounds of the Main Event to see if they can pick up a tell here and there on their opponents -- and sign some endorsement deals, too (expect every one of them to have a sponsor's logo on their shirt and hat, if not tattooed across their knuckles).

Hopefully, the added time will also give Norman Chad a chance to think up something to say besides "Bob's tournament life is on the line -- he needs a five, and a five only, to stay alive."

Poker and Fire and Water

I'm just back from a weekend in Louisville, where a World Series of Poker circuit event was taking place at Caesar's Indiana, and I went to play in some of the cash games around the tournament.

The drive to and from Kentucky offered a shocking view of the damage done by the recent flooding. Driving along I-64, the various overflowing rivers and lakes would have covered the highway if it were not elevated a few feet on a berm. To the right and left, water covered everything in sight, burying farmland and ranch houses. In many areas, the only thing I could see above the water were trees and the tops of the many oil pumps that dot the landscape of southern Illinois and Indiana. Noting how many were out of action and not moving any oil, I wondered what effect this would have on the price of gas during my trip.

By the time I got to Louisville, it seemed like I'd left the flooding behind, but the water was just working its way downstream.

Unlike most St. Louis casinos, which used to be on riverboats but have now moved to more sturdy foundations, Caesar's is still docked on the banks of the Ohio River, in New Albany, Indiana, where they draw plenty of crowds from casino-free Kentucky. There's open boarding, so you never have to wait to enter, which is why I was surprised on Sunday when I arrived and found some 200 people lined up at the entrance and not moving.

I asked the couple in front of me what was going on, and the husband replied, "they're resetting the boat," in a way that implied I should know what he meant. I didn't. The wife explained that the river was still rising, so the boat was higher, and the ramps from the land-based building to Deck 2 of the boat, where I had entered the two previous days, were being reset so the entrance would be on Deck 1 (of 4). I asked what would happen if the river kept rising. The couple looked at each other and said, matter-of-factly and in unison, "they close the boat and kick everyone off." This apparently happens with some regularity.

Wonderful.

Some 20 minutes later, the reset boat ramps were ready. Once the people already on board were allowed to exit, we were allowed to enter. Since Deck 1 is where the poker room is, I was right where I wanted to be.

With limited entry and exit access, you have to think about these things. Watching the people exiting the boat -- who had been unable to leave for about a half hour -- I remembered an incident from the afternoon before.

I'd been sitting in a no-limit hold'em game for a few hours when the guy next to me leaned over and asked "Do you smell something burning?" Yes, I did. I also noticed some smoke rising to the lights in the ceiling above us. Several other players noticed it, too.

Deep in the heart of a crowded riverboat when a fire broke out, surrounded by several hundred poker players, not to mention the other casino patrons at the slots and table games, all with only one possible exit, didn't seem like a safe place to be. There was a definite sense of unease in the room, with some players taking a few steps towards the door, just in case. But most of us stayed put to see what was going on.

I thought maybe someone had snuck a cigarette in and dropped it into the waste basket. The floor staff checked the two cans nearby, but found nothing. My fellow players and I checked the floor under our table to see if something was smoldering -- as did those at the two or three nearest tables -- but no one found anything.

As the mystery and the burning aroma because more intense, the guy sitting in Seat One at my table suddenly jumped up and yelled. Next thing I knew, several other people were stomping something out on the floor next to him. The excitement lasted mere seconds, and when it was over, Seat One looked down at his right leg to see a four-inch-diameter hole burned in his jeans, right at his calf. Fortunately, his flesh was untouched, but he had no idea how his pants had spontaneously combusted. Since he'd just come back from a meal break, we guessed that someone had thrown a cigarette on the floor outside, but it had somehow stuck to his jeans and glowed there for awhile before becoming hot enough to ignite the denim. The boat's EMTs came over to check things out and see if the player was okay, but he waved them off and said, "Deal the cards."

It was yet another instance where I realized that, no matter how long I play poker and think I've seen everything around the table -- from bad beats to bad players to amazing suck-outs to incredible bluffs to drunken near-fights -- something new will come along to prove me wrong.

As the room returned to normal and breathed a sigh of relief as the game continued, the floor supervisor got on the PA and reminded everyone, "This is supposed to be a smoke-free poker room!"

Hitting On PG-13 To Make 21

In late 2002, I read Ben Mezrich's terrific book, "Bringing Down The House," about the MIT blackjack teams that went to Vegas with a team card-counting system and made millions. I was so fascinated by the story that I read it in a day, and then spent an hour talking about it with Mezrich on my show. I've dug that interview out of my archives and posted it here.

During our discussion, he mentioned that Kevin Spacey had bought the rights to the book and planned to make it into a movie. Unfortunately, the Hollywood engine grinds slowly, so it took five years to get it made, but the movie finally opened this weekend with the title "21" (because in the interim, a Steve Martin/Queen Latifah movie had already come out with the title "Bringing Down The House").

After several introductory scenes that set the characters and place, you see the newest member of the team being recruited, taught the skills and the system, and then he and his teammates go to Vegas and make a lot of money very quickly, all the while enjoying their high-roller life to the fullest. It's a helluva ride, as the lead character gets torn between his mundane weekday life as an MIT student trying to win a scholarship to Harvard Medical School and his weekend life as a party-boy big-bet blackjack player.

Spacey gives his usual solid performance as the professor who runs and puts the team of students together (in real life, no professor was involved, but Spacey couldn't pass for a college kid these days). The rest of the cast, including Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth and their co-stars as the blackjack-playing MIT students, and Lawrence Fishburne as a casino surveillance thug, are all just about right -- and it's nice to see Jack McGee again, after his character was killed off last summer on "Rescue Me."

Remember how the movie version of "Pearl Harbor" made the Japanese attack on the US revolve around a love triangle (Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett), and the success of "Titanic" was less about the disaster at sea than Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet playing King Of The World? That's what was credited with bringing a PG-13 audience into the theater over and over again.

Director Robert Luketic and the writers of "21" have followed the same strategy and inserted a love affair between Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth. Fortunately, they don't overdo it, and the relationship doesn't become the fulcrum of the story.

But it becomes quickly obvious that while Luketic and screenwriters Peter Steinfeld and Allen Loeb stick to the spirit of Mezrich's story, they forsake some of the details in their zeal to appeal to those PG-13's:

• The actual MIT students recruited for the blackjack team were Asians and Mediterranean minorities -- because the organizers knew that Vegas pit bosses were less likely to be suspicious of them throwing around huge sums of money at the tables -- yet Luketic has Caucasians playing the (romantic) leads on the team;
• The characters go to what must be the only Vegas strip clubs where the dancers never show their naked breasts (!);
• Although the true story took place less than 20 years ago, Luketic chose to modernize the story to present-day, which allowed him to shoot in Vegas locales like the Hard Rock and Planet Hollywood casinos that didn't even exist when the MIT kids first hit town.

Perhaps I'm being too picky because I liked the book so much and was entranced by the true story that Mezrich told. If you didn't read it, you'll probably enjoy the movie, which already had a solid opening weekend, with a box office take of nearly $24 million.

I hope you'll get a chance to read the Mezrich book, which has just been re-released as a tie-in with the movie. Or, if you want to see a better version which hews more closely to the story Mezrich told, get the DVDs of "Breaking Vegas," a 2004 documentary that ran on the History Channel, including interviews with Mezrich and actual members of the MIT blackjack team.

Here's my December 9, 2002 interview with Ben Mezrich about his book...

Poker Raid

In his latest video for Reason.tv, Drew Carey narrates the story of a VFW Hall in Dallas that was raided by the police because of a single complaint that gambling was going on there. It didn't matter that the poker game was a fundraiser...

Annie Duke Testifies

The House Judiciary Committee held hearings yesterday on online gambling. Annie Duke, one of the top poker players in the world, testified brilliantly in defense of lifting the ban on poker websites (and others).

As I said last year (when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was snuck into the Port Security bill at the last minute), it's not the government's business to tell me what to do with my money, particularly when we have no limit on the number of state lottery tickets you can buy (talk about hypocrisy!).

Annie's a perfect spokeswoman for the Poker Players Alliance because she's not only a successful pro, but also a mother of four who has supported her family with poker...

Here's my conversation with Annie Duke last year.

No Free Poker in Illinois

First, Illinois cracked down on charity poker events. Now, they're going after free poker nights in bars, the kind where no one pays an entry fee or bets any real money.

Today on my KMOX show, Dan Kawa, who runs one of the poker leagues that bars use to run these free events, explained the impact of the state's move, and the person responsible -- Ivan Fernandez, new head of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission. Apparently, his attitude is that if it looks like gambling, it is gambling.

Illinois doesn't crack down on karaoke nights, darts contests, or other competition in bars, but poker is somehow different. The state claims it's because it's not a game of skill. Maybe not the way Mr. Fernandez plays it. And we certainly can't have people enjoying themselves at no cost and then winning a $30 gift certificate for dinner. That's the sort of thing that leads to the end of civilization.

In other words, this is yet another waste of government money and resources, particularly in a state that encourages its residents to gamble -- ever heard of the Illinois Lottery?

Listen.

Stardust To Dust

The Stardust Hotel & Casino, a 48-year landmark on the Vegas strip, was imploded yesterday to make way for a new resort called Echelon. The 37-story tower was the tallest structure ever to be brought down in Sin City.

I stayed in the Stardust for the last time in January 2006 (for James Randi's Amazing Meeting 4). Through the years, even when I didn't have a room there, I used to stop in on every trip and visit my friend Bob Scucci, who ran the sports book. Bob and his crew were among the best handicappers in the world, the ones who were always out with the first Vegas line on NFL games and other events. He became known to my radio audiences for his annual appearance in the week before the Super Bowl, when we'd talk about all the proposition bets they were offering, and to give some insight into the gambling side of Super Bowl Sunday. When Boyd Gaming announced in 2005 that the Stardust's days were numbered, Bob escaped to the Borgata in Atlantic City, where he's now one of the guys running the place.

I was happy to hear that he'd moved on to a place with a classier reputation. The Stardust was not the greatest place to stay or gamble. For one thing, there was barely any poker action. For another, it took forever to get a cab out front (unlike the popular hotels on the strip, taxis didn't line up there, so you had to wait until someone else was dropped off and the cab was empty). And while its reputation stretched back to the Rat Pack Era, so did many of its customers, employees, elevators, and at least two bedspreads.

So I didn't shed a tear watching this amateur video of the implosion, shot from the garage of the Wynn Casino across the street...

Poker Chip Tricks

If you see someone doing these chip tricks, it's probably not their first time at the poker table...

Lose The Loss Limit

Today on my KMOX show, I had a debate about Missouri's casino loss limit with Evelio Silvera of CasinoWatch.com. The disagreement was over a proposal by State Senator Charlie Shields to do away with the ridiculous $500 limit imposed by the state on everyone who goes into one of Missouri's casinos.

Here's how it works, or rather, how it doesn't work. To gain entrance to a casino in the state, you have to show ID and get a player's card. That card is then swiped at a turnstile before you're allowed on the casino floor. Once inside, you can play any game(s) you like, as long as you don't buy-in for more than $500 in a two-hour period.

However, that two hour period doesn't start when you play your first game, or even when you walk in. It starts on every even hour. So, if you went to a blackjack table and asked for $500 in chips at 6:01pm, you couldn't buy any more chips until 8:00pm (regardless of whether you win or lose at that table or anywhere else in the casino). But if you got there a little earlier, and made your initial $500 buy-in at 5:59pm, you could then purchase another $500 in chips at 6:00pm, when the clock resets. That's not two hours; it's not even two minutes!

Those of us who are regulars at the local casinos know this, but newcomers are always startled by this system, because it doesn't exist anywhere else in the gaming world. The regulars also know that, since there are no surveillance cameras in the bathrooms, you can often go in there to buy more chips from other players who may have them. And many of the high-limit players simply take their winnings home in chips, so that they can start their next session with more than $500 without having to deal with these obstacles on each visit.

In other words, the current system doesn't work. But its advocates say that keeping a limit on the amount people can gamble will cut down on the number of people who develop gambling addictions and lose money they can't afford to lose.

Sorry, but that's not government's job. It's your money, and you can do whatever you want with it. There is no limit on spending for any other recreational activity -- no law tells you how many baseball tickets you can buy, how many movies you can attend, or how many rounds of golf you can play. There is also no cap on the number of lottery tickets you can buy, because that form of gambling is not only sanctioned by government, it is actually run by the state!

In our discussion, Silvera invoked "organized crime" and "terrorism," two phrases that have a lot of heft but not a lot of relevance to the current state of gambling. These casinos are run by large, publicly-traded companies that want nothing more than to make money. For that reason, they are especially careful about keeping an eye on what goes in and what comes out, because any hint of money-laundering or other criminal activity could subject the corporation to legal actions that could affect the bottom line.

Senator Shields' proposal would, in exchange for removing the loss limit, add another 1% tax on casino profits, which would be directed to a newly created Smart Start Scholarship Fund to assist high schoolers who go on to college. This is where he may run into some opposition, because Missourians will forever be skeptical of promises to divert gaming money to education, after the initial guarantees that allowed casinos in the state proved false, and there was no windfall for Missouri schools because of some fancy financial footwork by the politicians in Jefferson City.

The casinos, on the other hand, would be glad to pay that additional 1% tax if the loss limit was gone. They would save money (on overhead, for example, when they don't have to check and count each admission or watch what each player buys in for), and the additional revenue flow would mean an estimated 6-7% increase in profit. It would also allow the casinos to market themselves as a destination for high-limit players throughout the Midwest, and could even mean bringing a major poker tournament to St. Louis (Harrah's would jump at the chance to host a World Series of Poker satellite event here).

Loss limit proponents keep harping on the notion that people who can't afford to lose a lot of money will do just that. But what about people who can afford it, who either know how to play within their own limits or have plenty of cash to throw around? I've played poker several times with Nelly, the rap superstar, who can certainly play at higher limits than the state allows without feeling pinched. Charles Barkley recently talked about the huge amounts he has won or lost, and pointed out that, since he has plenty of income, even his biggest losses haven't been put a crimp in his life.

What right does the government have to tell them or anyone else how much they're allowed to bet? Yes, some people be hurt when they gamble and lose, but the government doesn't stop them from buying a bigger car than they can afford, or charging so much on their credit cards that they get upside down on their finances. That's because Americans believe in a large measure of personal responsibility, particularly when it comes to your own money.

It's time for the loss limit to go in Missouri. If I were a betting man (and it turns out I am), I'd wager that this is the year it happens.

Listen to my conversation with Silvera.

Vegas Party Girls

There are several late-night clubs on the Las Vegas Strip where the demographic is purely 25-34, and the men in attendance are there for one simple reason -- there are a lot of women who aren't wearing a lot of clothes. I'm not talking about the strip joints, but places like Pure (Caesar's Palace), Light (Bellaggio), Ghost Bar (The Palms), and Tryst (The Wynn), which are all open from around 11pm to 4am.

If you're at any of those casinos during those hours, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, you'll see plenty of that crowd spilling out everywhere -- and I do mean spilling out. Most of these women looked like they wished they could afford a room at The Wynn, but would settle for spending the night with any guy who could.

They were dressed as if they were in a Paris Hilton party-all-the-time contest, wearing little more than a sneeze. There was a lot of skin showing, with cleavage down to here, skirts up to there, bare shoulders, bare backs. That turned out to not be the best decision when they had to wait outside for a taxi at 3am in 25-degree cold. Like their idols (Paris, Britney, and their pals), at least a few of them were going commando, as at least one eyewitness (me) can verify. Suffice it to say that you'll see more clothing on the women in those flyers the illegal immigrants are handing out on the sidewalk than you will on many of these party girls.

As a father of a daughter, I found myself appalled. As a heterosexual man, I found myself taking a break from the poker room several times to walk around and take a good look at the clientele.