It's strange to be sitting in McCarran just passing through. Good thing... after 9 days the last thing that I want to see is the inside of a casino.
It's funny how advantage play makes one hate casinos. I used to love hitting Vegas; Atlantic City... always a party, and if you happened to get unlucky and lose, well... it was just the cost of a vacation.
Nowadays, whenever I walk into a casino, I'm public enemy #1. I no longer have the ability to sit at a table and play against an edge. It just doesn't sit well with me.
The second I start varying my bets at a blackjack table, it seeems the entire world stops. The dealer hesitates, calls out "checks play", the pit critter wanders over, a phone call goes up to surveillance... the clock is ticking, and it's a question of perception as to how long I'm able to stick around. If I bail too quickly, I'm faced with the prospect of not getting enough time in at the tables.
Then there's the instance of playing too long. LIke this weekend, at a cardroom where they seemed extremely tolerant. So I played for four hours (down four figures, btw), when out of the blue, a couple of casino management reps walked up and demanded my ID. I told them that I left it at my hotel - so they said I'd need to leave, and then handed me a notice stating that if I ever show up at the property again, I will be arrested for trespassing.
This, keep in mind, is for the offense of not betting the same amount every hand. Most players don't realize how unsportsmanlike casinos actually are. They are more than happy to take the mortgage money from losers playing at multipoint disadvantages - but refuse to handle the action of the rare skilled player sporting a 1% edge.
RA casino, shame on you. You have no heart. And you have a pathetically pisant little room. I'd say it's no big loss, but it won't be anyway - because I will be coming back long after you've forgotten my masked face.
And targeting you.