A sunny day in casinoland

30 December 2014

By Frank Scoblete

I like to play craps early in the morning — about 5 o’clock. I usually meet my playing partner, Casino City Times columnist Jerry “Stickman,” at the tables. Usually we are the only two, although sometimes there are some folks who have been playing all night and are tired and tipsy. The 5 o’clock time usually sees them staggering off.

Now I am a true casino player — a quarter of a century casino player. There were some years where I spent 130 days in casinos playing four sessions a day — which is 520 sessions, which is approximately 2,080 turns with the dice if I take them four times a session. You can see in 25 years I have taken somewhere around 50 thousand turns with the dice. Yikes!

My morning sessions usually last from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., as long as either Jerry or I are hot and winning. If both of us are hot and we continue to win, we will stay until one of us loses a turn and then we quit. One time at the Claridge in Atlantic City, a whole group of us were so hot we spent about six hours at the table!

After Jerry and I finish our early session, then it is breakfast and maybe a session of craps or Pai Gow Poker after breakfast for an hour or so. And basically that is it until about 5 p.m. — if the craps tables are relatively free of players or we hit Pai Gow Poker.

So what do we do with the rest of our time after our two morning sessions? Many days we go to the spa to work out. Then we take a long walk on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City or a long walk on the Strip in Las Vegas. Often we like to go from casino to casino, playing one hand of blackjack or one hand of Pai Gow or one turn with the dice. Strictly speaking, these are gambling walks and so our bets are around $25. We obviously are not “laying it on the line” during these walks.

Nighttime is usually a gourmet dinner and maybe a show or a relaxing chat in a nice bar. In warm weather, late afternoon can also mean a swim (well, I swim; Jerry suns). In the 1990s, my wife, the beautiful AP, was my playing partner, but she retired when our youngest son graduated college.

So I am now telling you to do as I say and as I do. I think too many casino players spend way too much time in the casinos playing games and not enough time enjoying the venues where such casinos exist (of course, if the casino is in the middle of nowhere, what I am lecturing about is not applicable unless you have a bear gun).

Las Vegas, Atlantic City and a host of casino towns have plenty of tourist attractions. Many of these places have rich histories. You just have to take the time to discover them. I know in Tunica, you can take a trip down the Mississippi River on the Mississippi Queen and go to the Tunica Museum. You’re in the Deep South; why not visit a cotton field?

The casinos themselves have plenty of activities as well — spas and swimming pools being my favorites. Just about every night there is entertainment from famous and up-and-coming artists, comics and stage shows. There are nightclubs and classy bars aplenty as well.

I can tell you that in Las Vegas, shows seem to go from early afternoon through the night. There are plenty of museums and a great aquarium, Shark Reef, at Mandalay Bay. You can’t exhaust the things to see.

No doubt playing casino games can be a lot of fun, but going outside and feeling the sun (or the rain) on your face can be uplifting. Make your casino experience a full experience. Don’t rush your meals so you can get to the tables or the machines. Savor every second. Enjoy that glass of fine wine. Getting lost in a game; not knowing what time it is; having spent hours in a kind of perpetual fog is the worst way to enjoy a day, a few days or a week in the land of Lady Luck.

Once at the Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas, my wife and I were stopped by a woman who asked us, “What day is today?”

I answered, “April second.”

“What happened to April first?” she asked. Seems she played right through a whole day and had no memory of it. Seriously, what’s the point of having fun if you can’t remember you had fun? Bleary oblivion is the worst way to enjoy a casino.

So now here are your orders. Next time you visit a casino you must schedule something during the day — maybe a couple of somethings — be it a long walk, a show, a swim, a workout. You should also schedule something at night other than gambling. Yes, you can play the games at night, but they should not be the “be-all and end-all” of your stay.

OK, those are your orders.

Frank Scoblete is celebrating 25 years as a casino player and he wants to share the fun with you. E-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net and he will send you a free copy of his nongambling book "The Virgin Kiss."