Legion of Super-Gamblers III

It's that time of year again! Michael "Anal-Retentive Kid" Grabois, Troy "Former AOL Chat Report Boy" McNemar, and Sidne Gail "Dinner-Organizing Damsel" Ward would like to invite you to join them at the third combination LSH (and General Comics) Fan Get-Together/Gambling Junket to be held from Thursday, July 22 through Sunday, July 25, 1999 in Las Vegas.

This time we're moving back to the center strip and making the legendary Flamingo Hilton our Legion of Super-Gamblers Headquarters. We'll be staying there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Our plans include gambling, dining, shows. Already scheduled are Cirque du Soleil's Mystere for Thursday or Friday evening (Info updated on 7/3/1999: Mystere will be scheduled for Thursday or Friday evening. Contact Sidne by Wednesday 7/7/1999 at 5:00 PM PDT to reserve tickets with the group.), the Rio's pricey but renowned Village Seafood Buffet for Friday noon, and a return visit to the Las Vegas Hilton's Star Trek Experience on Saturday or Sunday afternoon. As we've done the past couple of years, we'll be cruising up and down the strip and make at least one gambling foray to the downtown area as well.

Legion of Super-Gamblers Try-Out FAQ:

Here are the answers to some frequently-asked questions about the try-outs. Reading them may enhance your chances at becoming a member of the Legion of Super-Gamblers.

• How do I sign up for the Legion of Super-Gamblers try-outs?
• What else will we be doing?
• Where are we staying?
• When will everyone be there?
• How do I get there?
• How do I get around in Las Vegas?
• How old do I have to be to try out for the Legion of Super-Gamblers?
• How much is this likely to cost?
• Who is invited?
• Who are the current members of the Legion of Super-Gamblers?
• Why are we doing this?
• Are there any additional sources of information?
• Where can I find out the answers to additional questions?
• Where can I find out more about the Legion of Super-Heroes(r)?

How do I sign up for the Legion of Super-Gamblers try-outs?

If you want to join us, just make your reservations and let Sidne, Troy,or Michael know when you'll be arriving. We'll set up meetpoints. E-mail as soon as you decide to make plans since some of the shows and other activities require advance arrangements.

What else will we be doing?

You can check out Sidne's trip report for the 1997 Legion of Super-Gamblers junket to get an idea of the types of likely activities. Although she didn't post a trip report on the web site for 1998, you can check out a copy of her comments on casinos, hotels, restaurants, and other activities that was posted to the alt.vacation.las-vegas newsgroup. Check out the entire thread and see Troy's and Michael's follow-up comments as well.

In addition to the gambling, dining, and shows mentioned above, potential activities include a tour of the newest mega-resorts such as Mandalay Bay, Bellagio (with its Gallery of Fine Art and Botanical Conservatory), and The Venetian (info updated 7/3/1999: now open).

And there's always watching all the "free" shows such as Treasure Island's Pirate Battle, the Mirage Volcano, Excalibur's Dragon, Siegfried and Roy's white tigers, the Destruction of Atlantis at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace, the Bellagio's light and fountain show, and downtown's Freemont Street Experience.

On Thursday night, we might attend a traditional Las Vegas revue such as Jubilee at Bally's. (Info updated 7/3/1999: no show is currently scheduled for Thursday night.) Several of the casino/hotels have amusement park type stuff (for an admission fee) such as New York New York's Manhattan Express rollercoaster and the MGM Grand's theme park. There's also hanging out by the pool since the typical daytime high in July is over 100 degrees fahrenheit and the Flamingo Hilton has one of the most celebrated pools on the strip (with real flamingos!). If that's not enough, check out this list of 100 things to do in Las Vegas.

And, of course, no matter what else we're doing, we'll be talking about the Legion of Super-Heroes in all its incarnations! (Among the three of us, we also read comics ranging from Golden Age Batman, Silver Age Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and Fantastic Four, and modern Kurt Busiek's Astro City and Maison Ikkoku, so we can converse on a wide variety of comics-related topics as well.)

We might even try looking for Tinya III. Maybe we'll find her working as a Dabo Girl in the Space Quest Casino at the Las Vegas Hilton! :)

Where are we staying?

We're planning on making the Flamingo Hilton on the center strip our Legion of Super-Gamblers Heqdquarters during the trip. The rates quoted below are directly from the hotel reservation center:

As of 7/1/1999 (updated info) the rooms for double occupancy at the Flamingo Hilton were:

Regular posters on the alt.vacation.las-vegas newsgroup advised booking at the lowest rate and hoping for a higher floor (if the view is important to you) at check-in. Room tax on the Las Vegas strip is currently an additional 9%. The phone number is 800-732-2111. If you call and the room rates are substantially higher, make a reservation but keep checking since Las Vegas room rates change often (both up and down).

When you make the reservation you'll have the option of having the reservation agent put a courtesy 10 day hold on the room (to give you time to firm up your plans) or giving them a credit card and having them charge the first night plus tax right away. Cancellations or changes may be made up to July 20; the credit card will be credited back.

My reservation agent told me that the hotel offers a 10% discount with a AAA membership off every rate listed above that is at least $69 per night. She noted the AAA membership in the reservation record and said I had to present the card at check-in to receive the discount. If you're interested in taking advantage of this offer, you should confirm the policy with your reservation agent.

If room rates rise (as they almost certainly will) and you haven't made your reservations yet and would like to save a little money here are some options:

• Contact Las Vegas Reservation Service at http://www.lvrs.com or 1-800-233-5594. If you book a room at the Flamingo Hilton online, as of 3/5/1999 the rate for Thursday night is $59.00 (plus tax), the rate for Friday and Saturday nights is $109.00 per night (plus tax), and the rate for Sunday night is $59.00 (plus tax). Rooms booked through the 800 number may have an additional fee. There may be an additional processing or similar fee as well for online and phone reservations. I believe these rates are for rooms on the lower floors of the hotel. (Info update on 7/3/1999: LVRS indicates their rooms with the Flamingo Hilton are sold out for the LSG 3 dates. They do have rooms at the nearby Harrahs, Ballys, and Barbary Coast.)
  This is a hotel reservation service I heard about on the alt.vacation.las-vegas newsgroup. If you make your reservations through them, you will be charged for the entire stay at the time of reservation. If you cancel your reservation at any time, you will be charged a substantial penalty for doing so. In the relatively unlikely (in my opinion) event of the reservation service going out of business between now and our trip, you will probably lose your reservation and your deposit.
  I've used reservation services (although not this service) before myself and always had a good experience, but you should be aware of the differences between booking directly with the hotel and booking through a service. Several people did book the 1998 stay at the Tropicana through LVRS and experienced no problems.



• Contact the Barbary Coast at 1-888-227-2279. The Barbary Coast is a smaller hotel/casino next door to the Flamingo Hilton on the center strip. As of 2/24/1999, the rates for Thursday night are $39 (plus tax), for Friday and Saturday nights are $69 per night (plus tax), and for Sunday night is $39. I've never stayed at the Barbary Coast, but I've heard from people who have that the experience was pleasant. The Barbary Coast does not have a pool or some of the other amenities offered by the Flamingo Hilton or the other larger casino hotels.

If you're interested in possibly staying somewhere else, there are maps of the Las Vegas strip and downtown areas as well as a list of hotel 800 numbers available.

If you've never been there and you're traveling alone, we don't really recommend staying in a different hotel by yourself. LV casinos and the strip are huge, it'd be easy to feel a little lost.

If you're familiar with Las Vegas and would prefer staying somewhere else or live in the area, just let us know and we'll arrange to meet up.

When will everyone be there?

Sidne will be arriving about noon on Thursday, July 22, at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas; Troy will also be driving in mid-afternoon on that day. Michael will be flying in during the day as well.

Sidne is flying out on Monday, July 26 from McCarran. Troy and Michael may leave Sunday evening or during the day on Monday. Sidne's never ready to leave on Sunday and thought she might be happier if she flew out on Monday. We're not planning on making that an "official" Legion of Super-Gamblers night, though, so no activities will be planned for Sunday evening or Monday. Several people did stay over until Monday last year to get better airfares, so there may be others around.

If you want to join Michael, Troy, and Sidne for their activities on Thursday evening and Friday lunch at the Rio Village Seafood Buffet, you're welcome to do so. If you can't take the extra time off work or prefer not to join these activities, feel free to show up on Friday afternoon or evening. Be advised that most Las Vegas hotels do not allow Saturday arrivals. If you'd like to arrive on Saturday, your best bet is to find a roommate who'll be arriving earlier and will let you stay in his or her room on Saturday night.

How do I get there?

Flying into LV is usually relatively inexpensive from almost anywhere even if you don't have a flight ring. The most popular flights (Friday morning and Sunday evening) fill up quickly. So make your plane reservations early! If two of you are traveling together you might check in your local Sunday newspaper travel section for air/hotel packages. Southwest and America West have a number of flights.

If you're traveling from the Southern California or Phoenix areas, Las Vegas is about a 5-6 hour drive.

How do I get around in Las Vegas?

There are taxis and shuttles from the airport to the hotels. Airport shuttles may be a little cheaper, but take longer since they often stop at a number of different hotels.

The Las Vegas strip is huge. A block on the strip is much longer than an ordinary city block. It is necessary to have transportation from one part of the strip to another, between the strip and the Rio, between the strip and the Las Vegas Hilton, and from the strip to downtown. Possible modes of transportation include taxis and rental cars. If you have your own car or a rental car, ample parking is available at strip casinos. Valet parking is also regularly available.

How old do I have to be to try out for the Legion of Super-Gamblers?

The legal minimum age to gamble or drink alcohol in Las Vegas is 21. For some of the shows you may need to be 18. Most other activities are available to all age groups. You're certainly welcome to join us if you're not 21, just be forewarned that gambling isn't legal. Many members of the group will spend substantial time in the casinos, but people under the age of 21 are not allowed to linger there. In addition, most Las Vegas hotels do not allow patrons under the age of 21 to check-in to a room by themselves.

Additional note to parents: Las Vegas is not a town friendly to small children. There are some restaurants that won't seat children under 6, for example.

How much is this likely to cost?

Hotel Rates:

As of 7/1/1999, including tax, the Flamingo Hilton is $64.31 for July 22 and $107.91 per night for July 23 and 24 for the least expensive rooms.

Transportation between the Airport and the Flamingo Hilton:

Taxis and airport shuttles are the options. Airport shuttles are slower and should cost approximately $6 each way including the tip. Taxis are faster and should cost approximately $15 each way including the tip.

Transportation during your Stay:

Taxis and rental cars are the options. A taxi between the strip and the Rio should cost approximately $10 including tip. Between the strip and downtown should cost approximately $20 including tip. Self-parking at strip casinos is free. Valet parking at strip casinos is also free, but you're expected to tip $1-$2 when the valet returns your car (some people advise tipping when you drop the car off as well).

Shows:

These are my best estimates of the prices of the various shows. If I get better information, I'll update this section.

• Mystere (Thursday or Friday evening): approximately $70/ticket.

Obviously, show attendance (as all other activities) is optional. If you'd prefer not to attend a particular show, you can opt not to do so. You need to make a decision regarding Mystere attendance by 7/7/1999 at 5 PM PDT since reservations should be made in advance.

Food:

Once again, these are my best estimates:

Rio Village Seafood Buffet (lunch on Friday): approximately $20 including tax and tip.

Other buffets may range in price from approximately $5 (pretty bad) to $12 or $13 (plus tip). Many of the casinos have a food court area where it is possible to eat pizza, sandwiches, McDonald's, etc. in the $5 to $7 range.

Drink:

Alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks are free while you're gambling. If you ever want to receive a second drink, you should tip the cocktail waitress $1 or more per drink.

If you aren't gambling, the cheapest place for nonalcoholic drinks is the food court areas. Alcohol for the nongambler will be approximately the same as ordinary bar prices. In adult entertainment emporiums, the drinks may cost considerably more.

Attractions:

The Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton is approximately $16/ticket including tax. We're planning on attending this on Saturday or Sunday early in the afternoon. This is another optional activity.

Gambling:

As much as you can afford to lose. :)

Seriously, the best way to manage this is probably to decide how much money you'd like to allocate to gambling, then divide it into separate portions for each day. You might even want to divide it into different sessions (e.g. afternoon and evening) for each day and quit when (and if) you lose it. You may leave with more than you arrived with, but you shouldn't count on it. Keep your gambling money separate from your money for other expenses such as food and transportation.

A gambling budget is a very personal decision. Some people are happy spending an hour or two a day plunking nickels into slot machines or video poker machines. This won't cost very much. (These people are also not likely to win very much, though.) Other people may want to spend hours each day playing table games such as blackjack or Pai Gow. They're going to need a bigger budget if they want to increase the chance of being able to play the entire weekend.

If you're interested in spending your time playing table games such as blackjack, Let it Ride, etc. I've seen recommendations to bring 100 times your typical bet for a 2 night weekend trip. If you join us for all 3 nights, 150 times your typical bet might be appropriate. (And if you stay over Sunday night, you might want to bring a little more.) The minimum table bet at most of the strip casinos will be $5 (possibly $10 in the evenings). Some of the smaller casinos on the strip and many of the casinos downtown may have a $3 minimum particularly during the day.

The cheapest gambling will probably be slots or video poker (slot machine poker where usually you try to draw a hand of a pair of jacks or better). You'll be able to find 25 cent machines in most of the casinos. Even nickel slots are around in some casinos if you look for them. If you play one coin at a time in these (maximum number of coins is anywhere from 2 to 5), you can play for quite awhile for a relatively small amount of money. It's very difficult to predict exactly how much you will need because small jackpots ($20 to $100) are very erratic. If you hit several you can keep playing a lot longer.

Additional Costs:

Not counting airfare, hotel, transportation to and from the airport, shows, and gambling, I've seen recommendations of $50/day for incidental expenses. This would include any other taxis you take, food, tips, souveniers, etc. $200 for the 4 days sounds like a reasonable estimate to me.

Total Costs:

Just add up the cost of the hotel, airfare, airport transportation, shows, food, drink, taxis, and gambling to estimate the total cost of the trip.

Typical Example: (Info updated on 7/3/1999)

For someone staying 3 nights/4 days, attending Mystere. If you plan on being in town on Friday and Saturday nights only or plan on staying over Sunday night, adjust accordingly. Presumably airfare will be paid before you reach Las Vegas and airfare varies widely depending on from which part of the country you fly. Gambling budgets, as noted above, are a personal decision.
Therefore, please note that the following guidelines do not include money for gambling or your airfare:

Who is invited?

Any and all LSH fans (pros are welcome, too!). We don't care which era is your favorite. Just don't argue so loudly you get us thrown out of the casino! :) You can even invite your non-LSH-loving significant other; we'll attempt to brainwash him or her for you.

And you non-LSH-reading comics fans are welcome to join us for brainwashing sessions as well. :)

Who are the current members of the Legion of Super-Gamblers?

The 3 founders are Michael Grabois, Troy McNemar, and Sidne Gail Ward. During the try-outs in 1997, Laura Goostree, Joe Morano, Jay Johnson, Hosun Lee, and Jim Drew were admitted. And in 1998 John Sardegna, Jeremy Billones, Bala Menon, Brett McHargue, Richard Liu, Kevin Vaughan, and Will Allred became members. We still have a ways to go before our ranks match those of the LSH, though.

Why are we doing this?

Why not? :)

Are there any additional sources of information?

There are hundreds of Las Vegas and gambling web sites. Just fire up your favorite web search engine and start looking.

The usenet newsgroup alt.vacation.las-vegas is full of people who visit Las Vegas frequently and would love to answer any questions you may have about vacationing in the city that never sleeps. As always, lurk for a little while or do a Dejanews search to see if your question has already been answered. There is no FAQ for this newsgroup.

The gambling-related usenet newsgroups are collectively referred to as rec.gambling. Newsgroups that may interest potential members of the Legion of Super-Gamblers include: rec.gambling.poker, rec.gambling.blackjack.moderated, rec.gambling.craps, rec.gambling.racing, rec.gambling.sports, rec.gambling.other-games, and rec.gambling.misc (which includes information on traveling to Las Vegas among other topics). There is a general Introduction FAQ to all of the rec.gambling newsgroups. You should read the FAQ and might want to do a Dejanews search before posting to these groups.

Where can I find out the answers to additional questions?

Please don't follow-up to r.a.c.* or LSH-L. Please e-mail all questions, etc. to Sidne.

You can also reach the founding members of the Legion of Super-Gamblers at:

• Michael "Anal-Retentive Kid" Grabois: spaceman@wt.net
• Troy "Former AOL Chat Report Boy" McNemar: troymcn@primenet.com
• Sidne Gail "Dinner-Organizing Damsel" Ward: sward@computonet.com

Where can I find out more about the Legion of Super-Heroes(r)?

A good place to start would be the Legion of Super-Resources. This is a comprehensive list of resources (both on and off the web) related to the LSH.

Of course, you can attend the try-outs in Las Vegas and ask some Legion gurus in person as well.

Long Live the Legion of Super-Gamblers!

See you in Las Vegas!