The downside was the smoke. I do not recall the casinos being so engulfed with cigarette refuse as it was this weekend. My recollection, to the contrary, is that in the last few visits, cigarette smoking had been relegated to specific areas. Not this time--or not enforced this time. Coming out of the elevators or in from the strip was like walking into a wall.
Smoke aside there was much to enjoy. The sites on the strip were, as always, fun to watch. People dressed like super heroes--I saw Batman, Superman, and Spiderman--not traveling together-- in one short walk. People attired in such seductive revealing attire that made you wonder where they could have purchased the garb and on how many possible occasions could the garments be appropriate Wobbly senior citizens stumbling through the casinos with a drink the size of a silo in one hand and the other hand reaching clumsily out now and again for balance. What do these people do 9-5 when they are not in Las Vegas?
The bettors were classic. A guy sitting in front of me on Saturday betting on the horses was really fun to watch. Every ten minutes bouncing up in his chair shouting for the 2 or the 3 or whatever number horse he bet on to bring it on home. The Golden State professional basketball game on Saturday night was exciting. The Warriors were giving up 7 1/2 and up by only 6 until a spectacular pass resulted in a crashing end of the game dunk giving the Warriors an 8 point win to the delight of a cluster of Golden State bettors. Some Denver fans on the day of the game near us were a show in and of themselves. Bouncing up and down and screaming Omaha like crazy people.
The superbowl wagering was something else. We are pikers compared to the serious bettors. We risked a grand total of 65 dollars on various bets in the super bowl and we won a grand total of 59, losing six dollars--not enough to purchase a slice of pepperoni for four hours of rooting. Others were betting thousands. Thousands on really strange propositions. As an example here was our betting slate.
- Carolina to win the coin toss---Win
- First pass by Peyton Manning to be a completion--Win
- Jersey number of the player to score the first touchdown 22 or less--Loss
- Panthers will win first quarter by at least one point--Loss
- The Panthers will score a rushing touchdown-Win
- The Panthers will win by more than 5 points--Loss
- The total points scored will be less than 44--Win
- Both teams will kick at least one field goal longer than 33 yards--Win
- The total touchdowns in the game will be 5 or fewer--Win
- Denver will not score in all four quarters--Loss
- The total interceptions for both teams will be two or greater--Win
- Total points by Panthers in first half will be greater than 13--Loss
There were over a hundred such bets one could make on this game. So there were people yelping for no apparent reason all game long. Add to this that where we were watching the game there was a delay on the sets from one room to another. So in one room the roar would go up and then ten seconds later another would go up.
When the game ended the people pouring out of the various viewing areas resembled the throngs coming out of the stands after a ball game. The Denver fans outnumbered the Panther fans by quite a bit judging by jerseys worn and the smiles coming through the smoke.
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