Hanging out in Vegas (Jan 22nd)

think most Vegas residents have a favorite casino to eat and play, casinos far from The Strip and its traffic nightmare.  Unless you work there, few Vegas locals want to go remotely near The Strip.

My favorite hang-out casino is Nevada Palace, a rinky-dink joint on 5255 Boulder Highway.  As you can see, their website sucks as much as their location.  This is the type of casino you'd find in Carson City or Winnemucca or some other forsaken Nevada town.  At Nevada Palace, there are 6-7 table games, maybe 400 gaming machines, a keno area, a bar and two restaurants.  No exploding volcanos or white tigers but a guy playing cheesy tunes with his electric guitar in the longue.  Still, despite the absence of luxury, there is something quaint and cozy about the place.

Nevada Palace is my favorite for two reasons.  First, their two restaurants offer (almost) instant seating and cheap food.  In Vegas, there aren't places like Norms or Sizzlers where you can quickly grab a cheap steak dinner.  At Nevada Palace, and many casinos catering to locals, there also aren't exhusting walks from parking complexes or long queues for a decent budget meal.

The second reason Nevada Palace is my favorite is their $1 blackjack table (even $2 tables are difficult to find these days).  On an average session, if I start with $20, I would still have $17.50 after two hours of play (playing $1 per hand and using "book" strategy).  This is cheaper entertainment than watching a movie at matinee prices.  Being a cheap-o gambler, I'm probably not their ideal customer.  However, there are plenty of people betting more than table minimums including many who wager on the sucker side bet called "Lucky Ladies".

Oftentimes, I would find conversations across the table more interesting than the game itself.  Many patrons have developed friendships with the dealers and each other over the years.  From the chatter, you can learn a lot about Las Vegas' working class, some of whom have interesting stories to share working in the gaming industry or those who've seen the city sprout from its humble and outlaw beginnings.