In a message dated 11/22/2007 7:44:26 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
mickeycrimm@... writes:
Getting rolled after hitting a jackpot is a real
concern.
..............
Regarding the Western Hotel. In the early 90's I had a neighbor in
my then
trailer park, Clark Mobile Home Park at Fremont and Bruce who won
about $1500
at the Western playing Blackjack. The elderly gentleman drove
home, went
inside his trailer and suddenly a very large guy burst in and took
his money.
I wonder if the Crimster remembers the family who played a slot
jackpot for
five pennies. They took turns playing one machine of the bank
24/7. They lost
their entire life's savings and didn't win.
The Western had a nickel Keno jackpot that had built up to, as I
remember,
$185,000. The guy who won it was the player nobody liked. He was
rude, never
tipped for a cocktail etc. He happened to choose 10 numbers all in
the upper
right area and all 20 balls hit in that area.
A friend who was a bartender at the Western in the 90's told me of
a Video
Poker team that would swoop down on the bar top progressive taking
up all of
the, as I recall 60 seats. The manager of the team would arrive
and make notes
as to which player had played how long. They were all paid hourly
except for
the winner of the progressive who got a percentage.
Not sure where I heard the following, maybe my bartender friend:
There was a
slot attendant who would go up to an old ladies machine and claim
he had to
reset something, open it, scoop some coins into a bucket then take
the bucket
to the change booth saying the old lady wanted him to cash out
her coins. He
got away with it for years.
Of all the times I was at the Western I only have guts enough to
eat in the
cafe once.
I don't know why the Crimster said the Western was a nicer place
in the
early 90's. I remembered always being in fear on the sidewalk
outside. The Orbit
Inn up the street was a little better and I ate there often.
Drain
There's no telling what all the hired help got away with. The
ongoing promotion before Barrick bought the place was "Hit a $50.00
jackpot or higher and get a dinner for two in the restaurant." It
included the days specials, drinks and dessert. You didn't really
have to hit a jackpot to get it if you knew any of the hired help.
A two dollar handshake got you the comp. A ten dollar handshake got
you 6 of them. The restaurant was always packed at lunch and dinner
and everybody was using these coupons. Jackie, whether he knew it
or not, was feeding the whole neighborhood for cheap. Barrick
bought the place and killed the promotion. No one has had to stand
in line to eat since. Because there is never anyone in the
restaurant.
There have been many cases over the years of people getting robbed
in the neighborhood. People have come up dead there too, usually
drug related. It probably didn't appear to be so dangerous to me
back then because I was a rough and rowdy character myself. I'm in
my mid-fifties now, have been living a very easy life for too many
years and realize that I can't defend myself like I used too. Back
then,if trouble came knockin', my motus operandi was to swing first,
swing often, ask questions later.
Fat Terry is known in some video poker circles. He was morbidly
obese. He worked the progressives in the Western and El Cortez. He
made his wife and kids work too. When you would see them on a play
the kids would be constantly complaining about having to work. His
wife, who's elevator didn't go quite to the top, could bust out
crying at any time. Mostly they all sat there arguing back and
forth as they played and made things very unpleasant for the rest of
us.
The BackBar was the main play. 7/5 bonus poker with meters: RF
1.0%, 4A .5%, SF .25%, small quads .25%, generic quads .25%. With
so much money going into the meters it didn't take much of a royal
number to make this a great play. I got many a play just off the
Ace meter.
A half block east of the Western is Atomic Liquors, my favorite dive
bar in Las Vegas. It's owned by Joe Sobchik. He's owned it for
over fifty years. He named it after the atomic explosions from
years ago in which one could see the red in the sky from the
explosions. He has a buzzer on the door, so you can't just walk
in. You have to ring the buzzer and they look through the window to
decide if you're gonna get in or not. Next time you're down that
way stop in and tell Duke, my favorite crusty old bartender, that
Mickey said hi. And tell him to tell Joe and Stella hi too. Word
is Joe is down with a bad leg. Not good for an 89 year old
man.
ยทยทยท
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, DRAlNBRAMAGE@... wrote: