Rolling Out 2012

Las Vegas is in full Holiday mode, as it approaches the night it seems the city was built for, New Years Eve. The team at VegasWhatsUp.com wishes all our readers the type of luck in 2012 that Patricai Damauro had at the Craps Tables at the Borgata back in 2009.  As Time Magazine reports:

What is the probability of rolling a pair of dice 154 times continuously at a craps table, without throwing a seven?

The answer is roughly 1 in 1.56 trillion, and on May 23, Patricia Demauro, a New Jersey grandmother, beat those odds at Atlantic City’s Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa. Demauro’s 154-roll lucky streak, which lasted four hours and 18 minutes, broke the world records for the longest craps roll and the most successive dice rolls without “sevening out.”

Rooms on the Strip are still available, according to Vegaschatter, but it is going to cost big dollars. Figure $600+ for Aria while even the much more moderately priced Bill’s Gambling Hall is selling rooms for over $300. Another option would have been to bid on eBay for Vintner Grill at Nieman Marcus at Fashion Mall

Overlooking the heart of Las Vegas Strip with the paramount views of Wynn & Encore Resorts and the Palazzo Hotel.  Vintner Grill The Strip will bring together unique and inventive cuisine with our excellent service specially designed for your New Years Eve Affair.

Bidding started at $50,000 and advanced $0 as no one took the plunge by the deadline December 23, 2011. Perhaps they’ll reconsider the deadline, for the right bid.

Fremont Street is running the 4th Annual Tribute Palooza, including Midnight Countdown with the new Mayor, Carolyn Goodman. Tickets are $30.

4th Annual Tribute Palooza from 6pm – 2am featuring great music by Steel Panther and Rock Sugar, and 10 incredible and authentic tribute bands perform throughout the evening.

FireWorks Vegas Style

Eight casinos will be launching fireworks, roughly 56,000 in total: Tropicana Las Vegas, MGM Grand, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, the Venetian and the Stratosphere. The show will last roughly 10 minutes. Keep in mind the Strip is very crowded during the display and that most Strip Hotels close their doors to people that are not staying on the property during the display, so keep your room key handy. Off-strip locations such as the Rio and the Palms offer nice views, and are less crowded.

 

A Ruling By The Justice Department Makes Legal Online Poker More Likely

A Legal Opinion issued by the Justice Department, that was made public Friday December 24, clarified whether the Wire Act of 1961  which prohibits wagering over telecommunications systems that cross state or national borders, prevented those states from using the Internet to sell lottery tickets. While explicitly dealing with lottery tickets, most feel the opinion has more general ramifications.

“This will put additional pressure on Congress and others to allow online poker and other Internet gambling,” Mr. Grossman said. New York Times 12-24-11

Bellagio Has Skating Penguins

Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens Winter which includes a new feature which they describe in their Press Release as follows: (Display open until January 2, 2012)

New to the display this year, a group of five animated penguins ice skate on a patch of arctic terrain among a life-like family of 34 adult and baby penguins. Inside an igloo nearby, a curious animated penguin pops out its snow-covered head to greet guests.

Bellagio  Conservatory & Botanical Gardens Winter Display Fun Facts (or perhaps just facts, to some)

• A trio of topiary polar bears adorned with “fur” coats made of more than 35,000 hand-applied white carnations
• A brick-lined path is surrounded by pink and red poinsettias, inviting guests to stroll underneath eight streams of dancing water and two pergolas adorned with sparkling white lights. In the Giardini corner, a floral greeting card made of more than 3,000 carnations, bestows well wishes for the holiday season. 
• A stately 42-foot Shasta White Fir, is decorated with more than 1,700 gold and silver holiday ornaments and ablaze in more than 13,500 twinkling white lights. Overhead, 24 over-sized gold and silver bells hang gracefully from the Conservatory’s all-glass ceiling.
• Inquisitive guests strolling through the Conservatory are invited to visit with Bellagio horticulturists designated as “Mr. and Mrs. Green Thumb” from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. daily to receive holiday decorating tips along with additional information about the exhibit. 

An amateur video of the Skating Penguins, along with the rest of the display can be found here.

Still Winter at The Venetian

If the the Skating Penguins gets you in the mood, for skating that is, head over to the Venetian. The Venetian has a synthetic ice rink that allows for real skating. 30 minute sessions cost $14.95, $9.95 with gracie card. Skate rental included in price. Each session is limited to 60 skaters, From 11am to 10:45pm, through January 8.

There is also an hourly light show, a video of the light show can be found here.

Porn Stars Are Coming

Porn Stars are coming to Vegas that is. The 29th annual AVN  will be held at Joint at the Hard Rock on January 22, this heads-up should give all VegasWhatsUp readers enough lead time to plan accordingly. Robin Leach has all the details over at his column at the Las Vegas Sun. 

 

The Final Tasty Morsel, is a Bomb!

 

The folks over at the dailyfiasco.com have a funny story about:

A possible terror plot was averted this week at McCarran International Airport as a Boston-bound passenger was stopped before she could bring potentially dangerous cupcakes onto her flight. read the full story: dailyfiasco.com