In a message dated 5/3/2006 2:18:24 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
TKeep123@aol.com writes:
they also said that one of the major casinos there they wanted 15Euro just
to enter the main area, although the did have a few parts you could tour for
free.
That would be the city casino. Frankly, it is beautiful and worth paying to
see the inside (IMO). There used to be a Loew's casino, American run, that
had no payment to get in and no dress requirement (the city casino is pretty
formal.. or was in the 70's when I was there).
I have a great memory of that Loewe's casino from 1974, I think, when it
was quite new.
A group of us, friends who were playing a World Championship of Bridge in
Monte Carlo at the time, were sitting at a low-stakes blackjack game. The
dealer was a cute young guy and we were chatting away in French (which I speak)
and English (his was cute and funny).
ALL the pit bosses were watching some Arab or similar magnate who was
playing at an end table using purple blocks or whatever huge denomination he was
playing for at ALL the spots. NOBODY was watching where we were.
At some point I got some hand like K-6 and the gal next to me got A-5.
Joking, I swapped cards so I had 6-5 and she had BJ. He let me double down the
6-5 and paid her a blackjack on the other hand.
Then began the most amazing twenty minutes I've ever spent at a table in any
casino anywhere. He would hit our hands until the next card would bust us,
then he would hit his hand until he busted. He paid each time. We silently
acknowledged what was happening by NOT raising our bets, but by tipping him
and playing for him. When his shift ended, everything went back to normal,
the coach departed and Cinderella went home to sleep.
I've often thought of him .. I doubt they had eye in the sky yet at that
casino but if anyone had seen what he was doing, a young Monegasque might have
ended up with broken thumbs or worse. I hope he never did that again!!
Karen
"She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you
would call unrefined. She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot."
- Mark Twain
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