Dates of the Trip: December 26-28
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Thursday:
For my birthday this year, I did what every degen would do: take a birthday trip to Las Vegas. We arrived on a Thursday with high hopes for the gambling and sightseeing weekend ahead. As soon as we landed, we hit the tables, playing three games (craps, blackjack, and baccarat).
The casino floor felt my birthday presence as I ended the day in the green $65 after three hours of rolling dice and flipping cards. With my bubbling excitement for the trip, I handed over a $200 tip to the dealers. We promptly exited the casino floor and made our way to dinner. For this night we chose to indulge in Sushi Roku Las Vegas. In my humble opinion, this is one of the best restaurants on the strip. With the tremendous food quality and affordability, Sushi Roku was the perfect ending to a successful day in Sin City.
Friday & Saturday:
As my Friday morning cup of coffee, we hit the casino floor early at 9:00 AM. For this session, I played craps, and the humble luck of day one ran dry. At 10:30 AM, an hour and a half later, my bank account was $2,000 less after a bad run on the table. We decided to pack up and see what other activities the strip offered.
Our activity of choice was to visit Spinetti’s, home of the largest collection of casino chips. This activity sparked my interest in collecting as I purchased many old casino dice and chips. To check out the artifacts that I bought, check out my museum article here.
The real treat of the birthday vacation came when we got to watch Texas A&M and USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. We did not go to the game as normal spectators but as guests of Gary Ellis, the owner of Ellis Island Las Vegas, in his 50-yard line sky box. This was quite the treat, as the views and the experience were amplified beyond belief. During and after the game we were indulged in unlimited food and drink and a special walk down to field level. I would like to thank Gary and the entire Ellis family for their hospitality and genuine kindness.
While I felt like a celebrity during and after the game, I had to include my gambling interests in the night. I bet $1,000 on USC, and the Trojans did not disappoint me. The team trailed Texas A&M by 17 points at one point in the game, but made the game one to remember with a comeback to seal the Las Vegas Bowl win. With the Ellis family all representing USC in the maroon and gold, we all got to celebrate the win!
Being a Degen, I had to pay back Gary one way or the other, after the game I hit the tables at Ellis Island. I gambled my football winnings into the early hours of the morning and made sure to give everything (and more) from Gary’s sports book right back to him on the tables. After a busy few days, Saturday marked the end of my birthday trip in Las Vegas. With sleep on my mind, I slept at the airport until we reached touchdown back to reality. What a birthday!
Fun Scorecard: A+
Gambling Score Card: B-