So today is the day I head to Vegas -- a brief respite in an otherwise insanely stressful summer thus far -- clients, attorneys and Judges all conspiring to create the most drama they can before I board the plane. Luckily, though, I am now at the airport and, lo and behold, who do I meet in the TSA line, none other than Cuba Gooding Jr. - told him I enjoyed his work in the OJ mini-series, he thanked me, shook my hand and that was that.
Took a little nap in my seat at the gate and had a nice conversation with a Nigerian man and his family (who now live in NY) who were heading to Vegas for a convention of some sorts. Finally, we were called to boarding and took off a few minutes early - I enjoyed my seat and a drink - I fell asleep and, before I knew it, we were landing
I requested a LYFT and was soon at the hotel: Per the advice of @VegasHC I did not attempt the $20 trick - instead, I asked about a comp upgrade and waited to see if one would be granted - it was and the hotel clerk earned his $20 tip - I was upgraded to a mini-suite -- no view but very nice
After settling in, I headed to the cage to sign for the front money I wired -- here is where things get interesting -- the cashier informed me they would contact a supervisor as they did not know what "front money" was -- a few minutes later a supervisor showed up and, about 15 minutes later, after a flurry of typing and quizzical looks at the screen, the supervisor informed me she was trying to "locate" my front money and asked me to be patient -- another fifteen minutes later, she came back to tell me that Caesars properties have recently switched banks from Chase to Wells Fargo and that only certain employees had access to the new account screens -- fast forward another ten minutes and she asked if I could "stop by later", stating she believed it would be all figured out then --- so, two hours later I went back and was informed that an employee with the appropriate juice was able to see that my front money was indeed in the account -- what happened next was new to me (if it is standard operating procedure, please let me know) -- I filled out and signed forms for about twenty minutes and, at the end, the clerk said to me (rather anticlimactically) - have a nice day
Hmmmm --I looked at him and asked him where my money was -- he said I can only get the money at the tables as front money could only be used at the casino it was wired to. I had no idea this was the case as I would never have sent money for gambling to the The Linq -- I asked if they had a high limit blackjack area and the supervisor told me to check out the pit known as "3535" - apparently inside the "3535" bar -- I sauntered over and the pit was not even open - however, the rules on the table read :"Dealer must hit Soft 17"" - Blackjack pays 6:5" - I went back to the cage and informed the supervisor that, not only was the pit not open, but that no way a high limit pit would have those rules. I asked her what we could do - whether my money could be sent over to Caesars or the Cromwell so I could play there -- another ten minutes later, she informed me she was waiting for a call back from the supervisor at the Cromwell and it could probably be done. Finally, after waiting another fifteen minutes, she said she was going to hand over the cash to me instead and felt bad I was in this situation. That was very nice of her -- however, by the time all this happened, it was late and I was both exhausted and very hungry.
As such, I made my way over to The Palm inside the Caesars Forum Shops for dinner
By the way, that new LED high definition billboard outside the Forum Shops on the Strip was breathtaking - I arrived at The Palm and ordered the filet with au gratin potatoes and enjoyed it thoroughly
After dinner, I wanted to head to the casino floor and make my way to a blackjack table but, alas, I fell asleep
Hopefully I will get to actually play some cards tomorrow.
Goodnight.