My Trips To Las Vegas And £3000.00 in 1 hour

Myself and my family first went to Las Vegas in May 2003. The reason we went to Las Vegas was actually for a martial arts convention which was held in the Hilton Hotel and Casino just off the main strip. Because the convention was being held at the Hilton we stayed there for ease of travelling. I know this may sound crazy, but we only went there for the weekend. It was a very tiring trip from the UK and not something I would recommend.

The great thing about flying into Las Vegas airport is the views. You can see all the hotels lined up along the strip as the aeroplane comes in to land. The airport is only minutes away from the strip so you really do get a great view, I love it. What I found amazing was the slot machines actually in the airport. Also that loads of people were playing them, it was as if they needed a last fix before leaving this crazy but amazing city. Maybe they could use the book “Get Rich Gambling”.

The Hilton Hotel And Casino

The Hilton Hotel was only a few minutes drive from the airport, in the taxi you can pick up brochures on anything and everything that is going on in Las Vegas, all the shows and all the fights that are going on. When we got to the Hilton and went in to register at the reception the first thing that hit me was the noise. It is deafening. The slot machines were going crazy with dozens of people just sitting there with what looks like a giant can of soda, but is in fact a great big jar of coins that they are jamming into the machines like there was no tomorrow. The noise is really something else.

The main hotels in Las Vegas are like small towns in themselves and the Hilton is no exception. I went to get my hair cut as I had been to rushed to get it cut prior to the trip. It cost me $70.00, I nearly fainted, next time I am getting my haircut before I go no matter what happens. I expected the hotels to be expensive to stay in, but you can get some great deals. Mind you, you can also spend your life’s savings on a suite, if you wanted to. There is a vast array of bars, restaurants and even night clubs to visit in the Hilton and the casino is enormous. I have been in casinos before so I thought I knew what they were like, but nothing is like the casinos in Las Vegas. Everything is BIG. There are thousands of people desperate for the knowledge in “Get Rich Gambling”.

Non Stop Gambling

We arrived on the Thursday evening and the registration for the convention was at 8.00 in the morning. I got the lift to the foyer and was amazed when I walked out that at 7 am the slot machines were still going crazy and people were still sitting at the card tables playing Poker and Black Jack . I could hardly believe it, but this is what Las Vegas is like 24 hours a day 7 days a week 52 weeks of the year. Totally non stop gambling.

These people definitely need “Get Rich Gambling”.

After registering for the convention we went to have breakfast. It seems that they want you to get fat as they give you the biggest breakfast meals on the planet. We wanted to walk down the strip and visit the hotels along it. It took hours to walk along the strip just looking at everything, I loved it. We went into most of the big hotels along the strip for a walk around, like I said before they are like small towns. Some of the hotels have more shopping facilities than the town where I live in the UK.

The Venetian Hotel And Casino

When we went into the Venetian and saw it had its own sky painted on the roof I was amazed, it looked so real. It was like walking down a street outside, but in Venice not Las Vegas. The shops, bars and restaurants lined the streets, it looked fantastic. We stopped in a bar come restaurant and sipped on a couple of cold beers while watching the people walk on by. The place was packed out and we enjoyed just sitting in this make believe Venice just people watching. The gondolas punt down the canals with the gondoliers singing to the couples sitting there. What a sight, we went back every time we visited Las Vegas and sat at the same bar just to watch the world go by.

Caesar’s Palace Hotel And Casino

The Caesar’s Palace Hotel was amazing, it had it’s own sky just like the Venetian, but it also had giant statues like ancient Rome. The shops were fantastic. I am not a shopper but if you wanted to go shopping in Las Vegas you could spend a million dollars $1,000,000.00. You could only do that though if you were rich so you would need the book

“Get Rich Gambling”

I loved walking down the strip and seeing all the sites and hotels, we have been there 3 times now and I have walked down the strip every time, it is fantastic. The size of Caesar’s Palace is quite staggering, mind you, everything seems to be huge in Las Vegas.

Treasure Island Hotel And Casino

The only thing I have not seen yet is the pirate show at the Treasure Island Hotel. I have wanted to see it every time we have been but things just have not worked out. The second time we went to Las Vegas we went along to the Treasure Island Hotel to see the pirate show but it was cancelled due to the wind.

The Drinks Are Free At The Tables

In the evening (Friday) after the convention we had dinner at one of the many restaurants in the Hilton Hotel. I can not remember which one. We then hit the tables. It took me ages to find a table that would take smaller bets. The lowest limit on some of them was $500.00. I only had $200.00 in total to play with so I had to search the whole casino. I did find a table in the end that took $15.00 minimum bet so sat down to enjoy myself. What I did not realise was that you get free drinks when seated and playing at the tables! I kept getting up and going to the bar to buy a drink until a fellow gambler told me it was free.

I played Black Jack for hours. I went up, I went down and I went back up again. It was great fun though, especially watching other gamblers putting hundreds of dollars on the table at one time. Too much for me. I got pulled away from the tables by my wife at around 2 am as we had to go to the convention again on the Saturday morning. Then in the afternoon there was a martial arts show, like demonstrations (which were fantastic) and then in the evening (Saturday) there were the K1 kickboxing fights that we had tickets to. So a full day indeed.

The Bellagio Hotel And Casino

Saturday was a great day, as I said before the martial arts demonstrations were great to watch and then we had to get a bus to the Bellagio hotel and casino for the “Battle At The Bellagio” K1 fights. They were exciting and the size of the hotel was simply amazing. We had to walk for what seemed miles to get to the room where they were holding the fights. The atmosphere was electric, being in Las Vegas made it that little bit more special.

After the K1 fights at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino we went back to the Hilton Hotel and into the casino. More Black Jack for me and someone tried to explain how to play on the craps table. I could not fathom it out at all so I went back to the Black Jack tables. Again about 2 am my wife dragged me off the tables and into the night club inside the Hilton Hotel. This time I was happily $200.00 or more richer. We flew out of Las Vegas on the Sunday morning very weary but also happy as we had a great time on our first visit to Las Vegas.

Las Vegas Trip Number 2

Once again I was in awe of the city of Las Vegas when the plane came in to land. I love that view. This time was a bit different though as it was dark. This made it better in some ways as everything was lit up. The Luxor Hotel And Casino has a beam of light that streams up into the sky and the Stratosphere Hotel And Casino stands out as it towers above everything else standing at the north end of the strip.

The Rio Hotel And Casino

This time around we stayed at the Rio Hotel and Casino. This is a fantastic hotel, I loved it. The breakfast buffet is to die for, if you ever go to Las Vegas go to the Rio for breakfast even if you are staying somewhere else. Once again we were there for a martial arts convention and this time it was being held at the Rio. This is an enormous hotel that is situated just off the strip on Flamingo Drive. I was excited to visit Las Vegas again and try my hand at the Black Jack tables again. As we arrived later in the evening we only had time to grab something to eat and go to bed to get ready for a hectic day In Las Vegas.

Madame Tussauds

We went back down the strip on the Friday afternoon and went to Madame Tussauds waxworks at the Venetian Hotel and Casino. We have never been to one before and it was great to see. We went back into the Venetian Hotel and Casino to sit in that bar I told you about earlier to watch the gondola’s go buy and listen to the gondoliers singing to the couples sitting in them.

New York New York Hotel And Casino

We had visited the New York New York Hotel and Casino last time and it is amazing to see the New York skyline right in the middle of Las Vegas. The Statue Of Liberty stands right there outside the hotel. There is a rollercoaster that goes straight through the hotel, sometimes visible from the outside of the hotel. We walked through the hotel and it is just like the New York streets. We loved it. We were a bit rushed this time because of work commitments and did not get to see as much as we wanted to.

Bellagio Hotel And Casino

The Saturday night saw us back at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino for the K1 fights again. “Battle At The Bellagio 2” This time we saw Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson at the show, that was great in itself and the show was again an awesome event. Walking through the Bellagio is something else, everything is marble and it just seems to go on forever. After the fights a lot of people could not be bothered to wait for the bus to take us back to the Rio Hotel so we decided to walk. It is a lot further than it looks believe me. You go around the corner and you can see the Rio hotel, but it is a huge hotel, so you just keep walking and walking and it does not seem to get any closer. It took ages to get back to the hotel. Saturday nights are very busy in Las Vegas though so taxis are hard to come by, but worth the wait once you have tried to walk home.

Black Jack At The Rio Hotel And Casino

Once again after the Saturday night K1 fights we headed for the casino at The Rio and went onto the Black Jack tables. Once again I was up, then down, then up, then down and down and down. Whatever money I won the year before at the Hilton Casino, I gave back to the Rio casino. I believe that all the money stays in Las Vegas, it just gets transferred from one casino to another by the people out partying with their hard earned cash. The thing is though I have a small limit and just go to enjoy the thrill of the place.

Tuscany Suites Hotel And Casino

This time around we stayed at the Tuscany Suites Hotel and Casino. We just wanted to stay away from the people that would be at the convention and thought that most of them would be staying at the Rio as the convention was being held there once again. This was more of a holiday for us this time and everything was far more relaxed for us. The rooms at the Tuscany were huge, clean and very comfortable. The pool was great and there was a spa also so everything was very relaxing. The only problem we found was there was not a great choice of places to eat at the Tuscany as it is a smaller hotel. My wife is a vegetarian so it can be a bit awkward sometimes. We went to the Rio for our Breakfast though, it is brilliant.

The Hoover Dam & Grand Canyon

As we had more time to do things this time we hired a car and went along to the Hoover Dam. It is fantastic to see. We walked over the dam to the Arizona side, You can stand in 2 USA states at the same time with one leg in Nevada and one leg in Arizona, that was cool.
You can get helicopter and aeroplane flights over the dam but we just wanted to drive there and drive over the dam. Maybe next time we will get a flight over it to see it from the air. We had some lunch at a little diner there and then drove back to the sin city. We had thought of driving over to the Grand Canyon and staying there overnight in a motel, however we did not really have the time so we just did the dam. Next time we go to Vegas we will plan it so we can go to the Grand Canyon.

Food In Las Vegas

I have already mentioned the breakfast at the Rio, you have to go to Las Vegas just to have breakfast at the Rio Hotel and Casino. Absolutely fantastic, you can eat anything you like, I mean it, it is fantastic.
After breakfast you may need a quick lunch. How about going to the Excalibur Hotel and Casino and visiting the Pizzeria. My wife absolutely loves this pizzeria and talked about it for ages when we returned to the UK. She definitely wants to go back to the Excalibur in Las Vegas for a Pizza.

There are literally thousands of great restaurants in Las Vegas but I am just telling you about our trip and how we enjoyed our stay and our food. One meal we absolutely loved was at this Chinese restaurant within the Aladdin Hotel and casino right there on the strip. WE LOVE THIS RESTAURANT. P. F. Chang’s Chinese restaurant. If there was any reason to ever return to Las Vegas, then this is it.

Battle At The Bellagio 4

Again we had tickets to see the K1 kickboxing fights at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, again it was a great night with virtually ringside seats. No Mohammed Ali or Mike Tyson this time but some great fights and guess what, we went to P F Changs after for a great Chinese dinner. A great night was had by all.
I was sad to leave Las Vegas and come back to the UK, but I am sure I will return and visit the Grand Canyon this time and also win a lot more money at the tables after all my studying with the book “Get Rich Gambling”.