You meet the most interesting people while wandering around Las Vegas.
On a Saturday leading into Labor Day weekend, I’m sitting in a card game in a casino in far south Las Vegas. It’s a heavily locals joint but tourists do come in, from California, from Arizona, from Texas and from wherever tourists come.
I’m watching a guy opposite from me. He’s 60ish with silver hair and wearing an LSU shirt. Obviously, he’s in town for the LSU-USC Vegas Kickoff Classic at Allegiant Stadium.
“Got good seats for the game?” I ask.
He says he does in a Nawlins accent that reminds of thick, warm syrup. He also predicts the team who has the ball last will win the game, which turns out to be prophetic. USC won, 27-20, on a last-second touchdown drive. The game drew a record number of spectators to Allegiant Stadium, topping a record set in the Super Bowl earlier this year.
We play a few laps in the card game. I’m sitting in the No. 8 or No. 9 seat next to the dealer, perhaps a foot from her. I notice her earrings have tiny creatures on them.
When she finishes a hand, I ask, “What are those creatures on your earrings?”
She smiles. “They are frogs.”
“Aren’t frogs lucky” someone else asks. A few people laugh.
“So the gemstone would be … opals?” I ask.
“Emeralds,” the dealer says. “I got them in Mexico.”
This prompts a short discussion of the colors of gemstones. Another player in the game digs out his phone and does some in-game research on gemstones. Opals can be many colors, he discovers, but are generally white. Who didn’t know that?
I’m not catching any hands, but the day is brightened when a young server comes by with my order of hot tea with lemon and honey. Unfortunately, the tea bag has burst. She apologizes but promises to correct it on the next run.
Sure enough, on her next stop my beverage appears before my eyes. She is mid-20s, Hispanic with wavy black hair and a striking figure. The server uniforms at this property are so short on fabric that there is no room for a name badge. Either that or they are saving money on name badges.
But she beams proudly. I smile and I tip her couple of bucks.
Fast forward to Sunday: Coincidentally, I’m in another card game in another part of the valley.
A stocky guy wearing a Raiders jersey and Raiders lanyard sits down with several hundred dollars. He’s vocal and hyper. I watch him win a hand or two, then lose a hand or two. He’s all-in with three-of-a-kind going to the river (with 10 outs) but loses to a made straight.
“Betting the Raiders in the season opener?” I ask. He grumbles and says he lost $5,000 in a Raiders game by a half-point and $10,000 on another game that was close. The bottom line is that no, he’s not betting the Raiders in their opener vs. the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 8. (Raiders are +3 if you care.)
Maybe an hour later, he goes bust in a huge pot in which his three-of-a-kind lose to a rivered club flush. He grumbles majorly and stalks off.
I’ve had more than enough fun and people-watching for the weekend and head for the exits. On the way out, the blackjack pit is crowded with $25 minimum games but one guy who wearing a T-shirt that says Biden is Gay stands out.
As I’m walking through the shadowy parking lot, a young woman is walking in the opposite direction. She’s petite, wearing a long, flowing dress and carrying a cello. Hello, cello. (It might have been a double bass or a viola. I didn’t inquire.) I have to presume to she’s on her way to some kind of concert in the hotel. I shade my eyes to get a better look.
“Have a nice concert,” I say.
“Thanks,” she says and smiles.
You meet the most interesting people while wandering around Las Vegas.
