Well there is an entire Psychology going on every time you enter a Casino, they are trying to subtlety influence you to do exactly what they want. Don’t believe me? Well admittedly some of these may be a stretch but go ahead and read on and see if I can convince you otherwise…

Force the mood

I wrote about the gaudy carpets a few years back. To summarize, the theory behind the nasty carpets is to make it so hard on your eyes you have to look up. Then they make the roof really high, so you have to look down, which in the end forces you to look directly at eye level where they have all their offers.

Setting the mood

Next time you are in a Casino, try to listen to the soundtrack that is playing. You are almost guaranteed to recognize it, because Supermarkets use the same technique. They will play music that is considered mild, and instead of individual songs it will also be on a continuous loop. Nightclubs have been known to use similar tactics, to cause a trance like state. You will also be exposed to an inordinate amount of red, why red? There are several possible reasons, Red is a stop color, which will keep you from moving on or another popular belief is that it is also a womb color.

Feed the mood

Free and easy alcohol is a dream come true for many people, so what does Las Vegas do? That right, they bring you alcohol, if you have ever been lucky enough to go on a winning streak you will notice how the drinks start arriving a heck of a lot faster Surely coincidence I am sure.

Stretch the mood

Casinos are magical places. They have been specifically designed to be a world unto themselves. Why? Because they can control that world, and in this world it is never to late. You will always have an ambient daylight in Casinos, no matter what time it is. And speaking of time, you will NEVER find a clock. This is all in an effort to keep you awake and gambling for a few more hours.

Energize the mood

If you are going to be awake for a few more hours, how on earth are you not going to feel tired? Oxygen baby! Rumor is that Casinos are happy to pump a little extra Oxygen in the air, all in an effort to get an extra 2-3 hours of playing time out of each and every patron. Pretty smart if it is true! I have even heard rumors that pheromones have  been released from some machines to encourage aggressive gambling.

Not sure how many of these are actually true, but if I ran a billion dollar corporation you can bet your hide that I would try a few of them to see if they work. And if they did work…. I would never tell you about it

The Sahara has seen so many highs and lows that it would take 50 posts to cover them all. Some of the notables though are: Being the setting for the original “Ocean’s eleven” film, hosting the Beatles and of course Dean Martin.

I have traveled to Las Vegas many times and I have to admit the location all the way at the north end of the strip has, in the past, been a bit of a deterrent. Not anymore. Thanks to one of the hottest thrill rides to ever be created. Speed The Ride has quickly become one of the greatest rides you will ever experience. Don’t know what I am talking about? To be honest words don’t do it justice. So here is a little youtube video for you.

If you are looking for a las Vegas hotel deal the Sahara is offering special rates for it’s 55th anniversary. Originally I probably would not have stayed at this las Vegas Hotel as it is a little bit too far to walk if you want to visit the main part of the Strip. But, now with the monorail offering service all over the Strip it is back on my radar. As opposed to some of the newer hotels the rate here are quite reasonable and the hotel offers some very nice food amenities, The NASCAR Car is a personal favourite.

So, next the time you book a trip to Sin City don’t exclude any of the hotels. You can quite often save hundreds of dollars on room rates alone. One last word of advice though, you may want to know how to get around the city if you are staying a little further out.

I have to admit the first time I saw the Wynn being built I thought it was odd. I thought it was an odd design and an odd place. Yes, it was on the Strip but it was so far on the other end that I thought it was a poor choice. And the design, it was (and is) elegant, sleek and modern. But, this is Vegas baby where are the lions, flamingos and sphinxes? All in all I thought poor Mr. Wynn had finally lost his mind.

Boy, was I wrong. The Wynn has become a draw onto itself. It has redefined what the future of Las Vegas architecture will be. Look at the Palazzo, or the new MGM. Both of these designs will complement the Wynn’s architecture.

Honestly, even if you don’t stay at the Wynn, they have to go on your must see Las Vegas Hotels list. The architecture is stunning; they even have a Lake in the hotel. The Lake of Dreams has a 140 foot mountain covered with 1500 trees, waterfall and a three-acre lake. As we have come to expect from Vegas Hotels they offer some truly outstanding restaurants and perhaps the best show in town with the fabulous La Reve.

Have you been to The Wynn? Let us know your thoughts.

It occurred to me though that this may be easier said than done. There are a lot of questions that remain un-answered before I can actually play. Such as who, what, where and why.

Who

I fancy myself as a pretty decent card player but, if Chris Moneymaker, Daniel Negreanu, or Annie Duke are at the table, I ‘m thinking maybe not this time. I will be looking to try my skills against the casual player not a pro.

What

This is really important. Although most players only play Texas Hold’em there are so many variations of poker that it is easy to mistake one for the other. The last thing I want is to buy in and find out that I am playing a game I am not as familiar with, strictly Texas Hold’em for me.

Where

Ok, this is the hard one. There are so many events that it makes it hard to choose. Seriously, after doing some research I found that there is literally a tournament scheduled nearly every hour of every day. There are so many that I will have to devote some more posts just analyzing each one. For now I would like to keep my buy ins to around $100. Arnold Snyder has put together a nice list of tournament and rates them at his website, definitely worth looking at.

Why

Why am I playing? Good question, I guess the ultimate answer is I want to see how good I am. It is pretty easy to read players after seeing them a few times, so the weekly games with the boys (or girls) are not much of an indication of where my skills lie. Vegas is, and probably always will be, where the real players go to play. There can be no better measuring stick.

Have you played in a tournament? How did you do? Your comments are welcome.

Singer Barbra Streisand, Sylverster Stallone, James Brolin, Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy, Kevin Spacey and Demi Moore were among those who attended the grand opening.

Will be interesting to see as they did some re-modeling to the already impressive Aladdin. As you can see the outside looks nothing like the desert themed Aladdin