Bobostonepony

Coming Soon! Luxor, Orleans, and Fitzgeralds Casino Reviews

They will be posted at THE BOBO REVIEWS

and will include reviews of:

1. Poker Room
2. Hotel Room
3. Food
4. Customer Service

You all know that I am a Vegas addict. That being said there is one website that I religiously visit any time I plan a trip to LV. CheapoVegas.com is a website that will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about Sin City. The boys at CheapVegas pull no punches when doing reviews of virtually all Las Vegas casinos, eateries, entertainment etc. etc..

They catagorize hotels by location, swank factor, food and much more. Their warnings about certain locations are very up front and not hidden. Many travel review sites will try and sugarcoat less than ideal locations by using phrases such as “the room is very intimate and rustic” which really means the room is tiny and is a shit hole. CheapoVegas on the other hand will tell you how it really is and will outright tell you to stay away or give it a try. One example of this is with their review of the Western Hotel and Casino in downtown LV. Basically they come right out and tell you it’s a death trap and even include a several page trip review of their stay. I was particularly amused by this review and you can read it here.

I think CheapoVegas is becoming a standard starting point for anyone planning a trip to LV as more than one of my friends have recently suggested it to me. I’ve known about it for a couple years now and have consulted the reviews to decide on every hotel i’ve stayed at for the past 4 trips.

The restaurant reviews are particularly useful as there are many places in vegas that aren’t worth a dime. They also tell you about the table limits of many casinos and where the best odds are.

Without a doubt, CheapoVegas is the best website to go to for all of your Las Vegas hotel and restaurant inquiries.

As many of you know, I’ve gone on and on about how I believe that online poker is rigged. So, to be completely honest, I’m not really broken up about the ban on online poker. I’m kinda happy that the people whom I believe are cheating us will have less opportunities to do so now. On the other hand, I did enjoy the occasional big win and the routine of playing hand after hand after hand anonymously from behind the screen.

As of today’s date most online poker sites are no longer available for US players and it was announced earlier that Neteller will no longer be processing US players funds. Soon, banks will begin their efforts to stop online gambling by implementing restrictions on credit card transfers as well as not accepting checks from overseas gambling sites and money transfer sites.

Who is ultimately responsible for all this? Bill Frist? My theory is that he is not. You have to ask yourself: Who stands to gain by the ban of online gambling for US citizens?

My answer: CASINOS

The Las Vegas casinos have a huge lobbyist group. They’ve help fund campaigns for both Democrats and Republicans. Is it possible that the Las Vegas casino lobbyists could be behind the ban on online gaming? I think that it is a very realistic possibility.

Months ago I was watching a story on one of the nighttime news shows (NightLine or 48 hours, one of those types of shows) and the story was on the possible ban of online gaming. The story revolved around the fact of how easy it was for children to gamble online and also included interviews of Las Vegas casino heads and online gaming site owners. One point that stuck out to me was how the Las Vegas Casino executive (he was either from the Luxor or the MGM) was very adamant about how he thought online gaming SHOULD be legal. He even went so far as to say that they, at one time, had an online site of their own but it was only available to non US players……. and the site failed. However, it just seemed odd that he would go out of his way to stress how much they wanted online gaming to be legal. One might think that this would dilute the amount of players that would fly out to Las Vegas.

The story began to describe the power and wealth of the Las Vegas casino lobby and how they have contributed to campaigns of even the most right wing politicians.

Shortly after this story aired, the wheels began to spin on the online gaming ban. My feeling is that the Las Vegas casino lobby was VERY much involved in the ban of online gaming. Strategically it makes all the sense in world (seemingly). What we had was a pool of millions of NEW gamblers. The poker boom created a brand new economy. MILLIONS of people were gambling online almost overnight creating a multi-BILLION dollar industry that Las Vegas was only getting residual effects of. Yes, people were now learning online and some would then want to venture out to Vegas to play in a “real” game. But…. Why not cut them off from the online game and MAKE them come to Vegas. ALL of them!

It seems that what is ultimately happening is that people are just slowing down all together and the ban of online gaming may be backfiring for the Las Vegas casino lobbyists. Instead of everyone just packing up and going to Vegas, people are just not playing at all anymore. I think this is a result of 2 things.

First, I think people are beginning to realize that online poker is not completely on the up and up. They are starting to recognize patterns of losses. Players have become smarter from the thousands of hands now available to play online. Their new knowledge of the game has opened their eyes to the statistical probabilities and how the online poker sites seem to defy the odds over and over and over again, causing them to redeposit time after time. Sooner or later, players begin to get tired of losing what seems to be an impossible game to beat. Who wants to play a game you cannot win?

Secondly, due to the ban it has simply become more difficult to play online (which obviously was the idea). Although it is not yet impossible to play, more and more sites are denying access to US players. Perhaps the biggest hit of all is that Neteller has ceased accepting transfers from US citizens as of January 17th 2007. So even though I can’t play on my old favorite site Titan Poker, I can still play at Full Tilt. But, if I want to put money in I can no longer use Neteller….. and pretty soon, I won’t be able to use my check card either.

So, instead of everyone going to Vegas to get their “fix”. People are just kinda fading it out of their everyday lives. Even the home games are dying down, which to me is the worst effect. If the home games fade away, that means the poker boom is dying.

So, what can we do? The people who still love poker. We can soldier on. Home games. Start building tables, buying tables, hosting games, whatever you have to do to keep the game thriving. Yes, reward yourself with the occasional trip to Vegas. Play in a big high dollar tournament twice a year. Keep your friends involved and interested in the game.

I, for one, am doing my part by hosting a Saturday game at my apartment each week. And yes…. you are all invited.

I’d love your feedback and comments.back to main page

I’ve added a new feature to the site today. It’s called the Bobo Reviews. Basically, if there is any product that I feel strongly about and that I highly recommend or do not recommend I will list it here. So far I have 3 new posts and a few trip reviews from the past that I’ve moved there.

THE BOBO REVIEWS

The Cooler starring William H. Macy is by far my favorite movie of all time. Ya, I know, my Las Vegas addiction might have something to do with it. But, if you are a Vegas lover and have EVER dreamed of moving to Las Vegas, this is the movie for you.

This is the story of Bernie, a las vegas casino cooler who’s job is to end the streak of anyone that’s getting lucky. The movie takes place at a Fremont Street casino in n downtown Vegas. Bernie, who’s down on his luck meets a coctail waitress played by Maria Bello and things start to change for the better.

The reason I think I like this movie is because it has the look and feel of old Las Vegas. One of the sub plots of the story is the battle between Fremont and the new Mega Casinos on the strip.

The soundtrack is fantastic and has a very jazz-like old-school Las Vegas lounge feel.

I HIGHLY recommend this movie to anyone that loves Las Vegas. You can purchase it by clicking below for as little $1.50

There are 2 reasons why you should buy this cologne:

1. This is by far the best cologne i’ve ever smelled.
2. Apparently nobody knows that this cologne exists. So you won’t be 1 of 20 guys wearing this cologne, all at the same party.

On a whim I bought a sample off ebay because I came across it while looking for other colognes. As many people who know me are aware, I am a cologne fanatic. I have 7 different bottles on my dresser. This one stands out. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Super Casino by Pete Earley is a chronicle of the creation of Las Vegas’ super resort casinos. He Begins the book by detailing a scenario of a card counting black jack player. He even goes so far as to describe in a nutshell how to do it. After a historical background of early Las Vegas, Earley begins to focus on the Circus Circus corporation and its importance in the evolution of the super casino and how it changed Las Vegas forever.

Super Casino includes chapters written from the persepctive of Las Vegas card dealers, pit bosses, cheats, prostitutes, hotel maids and more. It is a very interesting history of the NEW Las Vegas and I believe it is a must-read for Las Vegas addicts like myself.

I recommend this book. You can purchase it below for as low as $1.31.

The Poker Aficionado by Peter Thomas Fornatale is an inexpensive must-have gift for any poker player. This book reads more like a collection of short stories, poker facts, tid-bits, trivia, and excerpts from other well-known poker books. Included are poker tells by Mike Caro, poker tips by Phil Gordon, and stories from Amarillo Slim.

It is a perfect coffee table book or great for bathroom reading (not that I would ever read a book while on the pot). If you’re looking for a cheap but very good gift for your poker playing loved ones I highly recommend The Poker Aficionado. You can purchase it by clicking below for as low as .78 cents!

I told you it was rigged and I told you how to make it work in your favor. In my post “The Bible of Rigged Online Poker” (you can find it below or in the archives) I told you that you have to stay away from a site for 1 month. After you return, you will have the day of your life. Well, I did just that. And… AGAIN, I came up big.

I also told you that once you win big like this, if you choose to cash out you MUST cash out EVERYTHING or you will lose the remainder within minutes. Therefore, I did cash everything out and I am now officially up for the year.

So… Blukkake Poker friends (you know who you are) after a horrible start of the year at my Saturday home game, this officially puts me up $350 for the year.

Now, I have to wait 1 full month before redepositng at Ultimate Bet. At that time, I promise I will post again and I guarantee I will have a big day again.

OFF TO FULL TILT FOR A MONTH!

texas hold’em austin

Ok, Josh N. from Austin has taken my action. We have modified the bet a tad. The bet is $50 bucks and I say that the 2007 WSOP Main Event will have at least 500 fewer players than last year.

That’s money in the bank.