Gamblin' Ramblin$

If Steak Were an Angel...

...then Pat's Steakhouse is Heaven.

Conor's birthday is tomorrow but we decided to celebrate today. Conor received a set of golf clubs so he and I went out this afternoon and hit a bucket of balls, tried the putting green and the practice sand trap...what fun! He's going to a golf camp this summer so maybe he'll be able to teach me a couple of things...I need all the help I can get.

Dinner was outstanding! The service was great and the steaks...oooohhh...the steaks! Even Trevor, who primarily exists on cheese, dug into a New York Strip that looked like a big piece of cake. Everything was sogood and there was so much of it that none of us were able to finish. We brought about as much meat as we typically order at other places.

Excuse me, it's time for a nap.

Me Against "It"

The "It" being the lawn. I hate cutting grass but when there is one oasis of jungle among the neatly trimmed yards in the neighborhood...well...alright, I'll do it...before the neighbors come after me with torches and pitchforks.

I had to pick the mower up after being tuned up and got right on it. Good thing I had the blade sharpened because the stuff (grass and other growth) was pretty tall and thick. I think I uncovered a couple of new species of plants in the backyard, I should have brought my camera phone with me to verify them.

After an hour and a half, it's done. The lawn mower is waving a white flag and the raccoon that visits us nightly will have an easier time getting to the garbage cans...*sigh*

This one is going to be tough

New Release

Hard Rock Derby Day No Cash Value
May 6th and 7th
Limited to 200

Be careful what you ask for...yep! I wanted a Hard Rock Derby chip and here it is. It may also be the most difficult and expensive to obtain. The only way to get this and the other Triple Crown chips is to place a wager at the Hard Rock's Sports Book. It will take a $1000 wager to get this Derby chip...Holy Cow! To get all three, you need to make a total of $1750 in race wagers any time between the 6th and 7th of May. Fortunately, I only care about the Derby chip. The others(Derby chips) to be released should be easy to get, except for the Palms and Trump Plaza $100s, as there only a few made but not many people collect $100s especially live ones!

The announcement of this chip came from a Hard Rock employee and what a beauty it is! I'm going to have to get busy raising money when/if one comes to auction.

Got a couple

Two chips arrived today. A Golden Nugget $100 and a Caesars Indiana $5 Derby Festival. No scans yet, it's kinda late. The Caesars is awesome! It's the only chip celebrating the entire Festival, not just the Derby.

I also learned that the Trump Plaza will indeed release another $100 chip.

I Don't Think So

New Release

Stratosphere Tower Insanity $5 Grand Opening
04-16-05
Limited to 2000
Serial Numbered

This is an arm that takes thrill seekers from the top of the Strat Tower and swings them out over the side of the building! Then it starts spinning! I love roller coasters but there's no way I'm going to spin around 900 feet off the ground!

The image on the chip captures the moment but if that were me, I would not be smiling...nope, not at all! Brrrrrrrr...I've got shivers just thinking about it.

A Few New Ones

New Release

Palms Tony Pedregon $5 NHRA Funny Car Champion
04-16-05
Limited to 2500

When I was a kid, I followed drag racing with a passion. Don Garlits was my favorite driver but I liked many others...Tommy Ivo, the first driver to break the 5 second barrier, come to mind. I've lost touch with the sport over the years though I occasionally watch it on TV while flipping channels.

The Palms has issued new chips honoring 2 drivers, I presume father and son (like I said, I've lost touch so I could be wrong). This isn't the first drag racing release from The Palms. The chips really capture the power of the cars. These things generate 8000 horsepower (!!) and reach speeds of over 325 MPH within 4 seconds...unreal!

And They're Off!

The first entry in the Derby Releases for 2005 comes from Caesars Indiana. It's a very nice $5 chip promoting the Kentucky Derby Festival. I need to save some serious bucks because Derby is just around the corner.

The Palms chips will be released on May 5th. Looks like we'll see a $2.50, a couple of $5, a $25,and of course a $100. The Trump Plaza will probably have another $100 sometime in June. Some of the usual suspects are:

The Four Queens
The Riviera
Tropicana (maybe)

Things could get really expensive if the Stations Casinos get in on the action.

Casinos I would love to see release Derby chips:

Golden Nugget
Bellagio
MGM
New York- New York

That would be awesome!

Happy Birthday Zippy!!

We celebrated Zippy's B-Day this evening with a home-cooked meal, cake, and presents! The cats weren't too interested in what we were eating but the round paper wrapped gift sure had them curious. When "they" opened the ball-in-a-tube thing all Hell broke loose. Every cat wanted a part of the action. The catnip toys didn't get second look, hmmmm, most unusual. Cat dope is typically a crowd favorite but not tonight.

I took the pic while there was much badness taking place. We have had the windows open a little to let in some fresh air. Guess what happens when a bird lands near an open window and starts chirping? A cat free-for-all trying to get to the ledge, which is right above the kitchen sink.

Bad kitties.

The look on Zippy's face says it all. "So? What if we are acting up? What are you going to do about it?"

Happy Birthday Las Vegas!!

New Release

Stratoshpere $5 Las Vegas Centennial
03-05-05
Limited to 1000 serial numbered

Amazing that a city plunked right in the desert could have survived this long but here is Las Vegas, celebrating 100 years! Woohoo!

Many casinos are releasing Centennial chips to commemorate the event and if you to treat the chips like Pokemon and "have to get them all", well you better act quickly as these chips are going to be in huge demand. The chips represent an inexpensive set of memorabilia that everyone is trying snap up.

I like the Strat chip for its depiction of early Vegas on one side and current Vegas on the other. Of course it as the festive theme going. I can't stress enough how you must act quickly to get these chips...good luck!

More Las Vegas Centennial chips

Fiesta $5 Las Vegas Centennial
03-18-05
Limited to 1000

Santa Fe Station $5 and $25 Las Vegas Centennial
03-18-05
Limited to 1000-$5, 500-$25

Circus Circus $5 Las Vegas Centennial
03-20-05
Limited to ?

Slots A Fun $5 Las Vegas Centennial
04-03-05
Limited to 750

Texas Station $5 and $25 Las Vegas Centennial
04-06-05
Limited to 1000-$5, 500-$25

Boulder Station $5 and $25 Las Vegas Centennial
04-06-05
Limited to 1000-$5, 500-$25

Here are some I found from other sites, no release dates though:

Arizona Charlie's Decatur $5 Las Vegas Centennial
Limited to 500

Arizona Charlie's Boulder $5 Las Vegas Centennial
Limited to 500

Green Valley Ranch $5 Las Vegas Centennial
Limited to 1000

That's all for now but I'm there will be more...many more! I wonder if the Golden Nugget is going to have some? Those I will have to get!

Just chillin'

I've spent the last week on vacation doing what I usually do when I'm off...nothing. Didn't have much money to spend as my financial calculating (non)skills ended up costing us a ton of overdraft charges...arrgh! I had to sell a chip to make up for it...double arrgh!

Anyway, we did go visit Fourth Street Live downtown and visited the Hard Rock Cafe, that was cool. I only recognized 3 songs(videos) that were played while we were there...man I'm getting old, or watching the wrong(?) channels.

I also received an offer in the mail to try out a set of golf clubs...woohoo! I've been pre-approved, now that's what I call movin' up! These clubs are made by Warrior Custom Golf and look pretty good. The offer is for amateur golfers...hmmm...they must have seen me play. I like golf because you don't have to good at it to enjoy it. The offer is to evaluate a set of clubs, risk free! I can't really say risk free because anyone who plays with me is certainly at risk of taking a Titelist to the melon. I call it Adventure Golf. But the deal sounds good, I may give them a call.

Not much on the chipping front, though I do have a couple on the way and my eye on a few more.

Perhaps I'll see what Pete is doing and load up some New Releases.