While Vegas may be a bit quieter this week for many reasons it is quite the lovely weekend to be in town as the weather looks like it will be nice and many will be striping off the extra layers to enjoy some of the sun. While it surely isn’t quite pool weather just yet it will be nice enough to leave the jackets at the hotel room and enjoy some fresh air as you walk the strip and take in all the different hotels and sights around you!

There are plenty of things to see during the day while the weather is accommodating. There are the beautiful Bellagio fountains, which are also stunning to see in the evening time as they light up and the music is played! If you are feeling a craving for chocolates and nuts and perhaps a great M&M experience then you should take a walk over to the M&M store where you will find the largest selection of M&M’s that your heart desires and you will also be able to spend a lot of time in there are there are so many parts to the store.

There is the M&M wall which offers the greatest selection of the candy that can ever be found as well as some great gifts that you can take home to share with others! If you are feeling like spending the entire day or at least 4 hours or so outdoors than you may want to play some golf as there are some fabulous golf courses and located on the strip such as the Wynn course or just minutes off the strip as well. If you haven’t brought your clubs that nothing to worry about as golf attire and equipment is available for sale and for rent as well!

Probably as much of a nightmare as you could imagine from a scene in the movies, that was the feeling of many people at Edgewater Hotel & Casino at 9:30 in the morning as a man crashed thru the doors of the casino in his car that he was driving. The crash killed two people that were in the lobby of the casino and injured at least eight others before it stopped by the force of the row of slot machines that the car had crashed into.

The crash was the accident of a 75 year old man that had reportedly suffered a health issue in the form of an attack while driving the vehicle and drove out of control. One of the people that was killed was driven over and found behind the car while the other person was stuck dead under the car as well as some slot machines. There was a look of horror on so many faces.

The slot machines were thrown around as if a tornado had come thru the casino and there was a total site of destruction in the area. Witnesses said that the car came through the glass hotel doors at a very fast speed. The people that were injured were taken to nearby hospitals and there hasn’t been a report of their condition. The power in the hotel and casino was turned off right away and the hotel and casino was completely evacuated. This is a tragic case for many innocent people and a simple accident that turned deadly.

Las Vegas is actually getting quite a bit of poker attention in the last few years. Not that poker wasn’t always a big part of Vegas and quite popular in the city all around. But recently poker in Las Vegas has become even more popular as so many people are tuning in to catch some big poker pros play in the popular televised games!

The name of the game is Texas Hold’em poker. The rules are rather simple. Players are dealt two cards each face down. They are allowed to look at their cards. Then there are five community cards that are dealt, three cards called the flop, then one more called the turn and then one last fifth card called the river. The players must use their two cards and three other cards on the board or a combination of both to make their best five card hand. Players then make bets to position themselves in the best spot. After hand are called the cards are revealed and the best hand takes the money called the pot.

All this is surrounded by a ton of excitement and some serious betting, bluffing and tell reading. This has made for some very popular television and many enjoying watching the games live from Las Vegas while pros play against each other for title of best player as well as a handsome amount of cash each time around. Many new TV shows from Las Vegas have taken off since the popularity of the first few shows. If you are looking to catch a great show tune into GSN or the sports channels as there is usually a game on at some point throughout the day.

One of the newest hotels on the strip is Steve Wynn’s second masterpiece called “the Encore”. This hotel is almost a replica to the original Wynn tower with an even more lavish look and feel. Visitors to the Encore will enjoy the best of the best and are sure to be satisfied with their experience from the minute they walk through the doors to the time that they check out.

The hotel shares their casino with their sister the Wynn. There are plenty of lush restaurants and great clubs to entertain. There are some of the more high end shops that one can imagine located on the lobby floor and the service at the hotel is always top notch! If you have ever wanted a truly
notable experience this is the hotel that you should stay at.

The casino and amenities are well in line with the rest of the experience. Almost everything in the Encore and the Wynn is priced at a premium versus any other comparable reservation in Las Vegas.

But those that have enjoyed the experience these two hotels have to offer have said that travel should always be this pleasant. The hotels sees few if any dissatisfied customers and the list of those that like to come often is built up of only the most elite clientele.

If you aren’t quite ready to shed the big bucks for a memorable trip to one of these hotels the least that you should do is take a stroll through the hotel and casino to enjoy the sites and see what you have to look forward to once you are ready to stay there.

Las Vegas is a great place to visit! Everyone is happy to go and spend a few days there every once and again! But many go to Las Vegas, arrive on the strip and think that there is nothing other than the hotels and casinos and end up spending all their time there without even checking out the other great elements that Vegas and the surrounding area has to offer!

So here are a few things that you should consider doing if you are going to be in the Las Vegas area in the next little while:

Visit some nature! The Springs Preserve is a beautiful area that used to have a ton of water in it but has since dried up and left some lovely trails and beautiful nature that lead to breathtaking views. This area is also 100% gamble free so the only green that you will be seeing is of the lovely surroundings.

See the city from above: Take a helicopter tour of the sand caves and coves! The Hoover Dam is one of the most famous landmarks and is always beautiful! It may be a once in a lifetime experience and is well worth the couple hundred bucks that it costs to see nature at its best – as long as you can stomach the ride!

Enjoy the luxuries! Other than the casinos there are so many beautiful spas and other luxurious experiences that you can partake in! Consider doing a golf day on some of the most beautiful golf courses. Enjoy a spa day or simply enjoy a day of eating by visiting some of the worlds best restaurants and tasting a bit of everything on the menu!

It is not uncommon for the machines in Las Vegas to take your money and not give anything back but there is something rather alarming when the machine in question is the ATM! There has been several incidences lately where people trying to withdraw cash at the ATM at the RIO hotel and casino, where the machine makes noises and then debits your account but does not give you money in return.

There have been several people to have had this problem and now the complaint has been escalated and is under serious government investigation. There have been skimming devices installed on ATM that are in high traffic areas in the past.

These devices read and record the account numbers of the people that insert their cards and then the cards are replicated and money can be withdrawn using these cards. This scam was a popular scam that has been seen around several busy cities in North America in recent times.

What is currently happening in Las Vegas seems like a newer version of the scam in that the money is taken right away and the actual card is not skimmed in the process.

Casinos seem like a great destination for this type of scam as there are so many people through the area in one day and they are all withdrawing money since they do not live in the city or anywhere close at all! Just make sure to be careful and always call your bank if you suspect anything is not going to normal schedule!

Las Vegas isn’t all casinos and nightlife. Little did many of us know that Las Vegas is home to the Pinball Hall of Fame, which houses over 1000 vintage pinball machines. The pinball museum currently sits a few miles away from the Las Vegas strip, but owner Tim Arnold has recently announced that it is being moved much closer to the action to make its existence known.

Las Vegas’ selection of interesting and unique museum includes the Hollywood Movie Museum, Guinness World Records Museum and the Liberace Museum, all of which are on the Las Vegas Strip. Now, tourists and locals alike will have another museum to explore. It’s been here all along, and now it will be much more accessible!

The Pinball Hall of Fame was opened in 2006. A completely unique endeavor, it’s out of the way location is only reason the landmark sees about 300 customers per day. Many of them are actually recovering gambling addicts looking for a substitute for casinos, while others are pinball aficionados who come from all over the country to see the vast collection of pinball machines.

Arnold doesn’t charge admission, so you can play all of his unique and historic pinball machines for free! The money he does make from the machines is donated to various charities, leading the City of Las Vegas to name him a local hero.

The new location, 1610 E. Tropicana, will be open to the public in 3 months time. So, keep an eye out for it!

The City of Las Vegas is planning on building a mob museum, which will trace and pay homage to the history of mob culture in Las Vegas. An interesting and unique endeavor, it is sadly being put on hold, as the land on which the city wants to build the museum is currently being occupied by Lady Luck.

The Lady Luck casino was closed for renovations three years ago, but there has since been very few steps taken towards fixing abandoned building. Casino Owner CIM Group has been given an ultimatum: clean it up or make way for the mob museum. They have plotted out an agreement that states the owners must start the renovations – a $100 million project that was supposed to start last December – or the land will be used to build the museum.

CIM Group can explain: the delay is due to the state of the economy. They have been trying to figure out a way to begin the expensive renovation process, but the economy simply does not allow for the company to put $100 million into one project. City officials state that they understand the economic situation and won’t reprimand them if the delays are, in fact, recession-related. However, they are aware that the old, abandoned shell that the Lady Luck has become is beginning to be an eye-sore, which could be replaced by something that would actually generate revenue for the city.

Miss USA was crowned last night at the Planet Hollywood hotel and casino in Las Vegas last night. The lucky winner was Miss North Carolina, who will now be set to compete in the next level of competition being Miss Universe.

While this competition is not the same competition as Miss America, the title is still a worthy one of holding and the winner of Miss USA, Kristen Dalton is quite proud to wear the crown.

The lucky and of course beautiful lady will be heading over to the Bahamas this summer in August to try her best at bringing “Miss Universe” back to home soil.

The Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino was quite happy to hold the event at their very large and stunning Theatre for the Performing Arts. The event created some much needed buss for the hotel this week and occupancy was at the highest point that it has been in recent times.

Other hotels on the strip had reported that they also experienced some positive numbers in the days leading up to the pageant. Visitors were happy to see all the beautiful ladies either live on stage or through the live broadcast that was available on several TV screens throughout the city.

Kristen Dalton comes from a family of pageant winners as both her mother and her sister were also winners of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA respectively in years previous. The family is very proud of their newest winner and has high hopes for her in the next competition.

Almost everyone thinks that this could never happen to them and the truth is your chances are extremely slim. But for Rachel Romanick the lucky day was this past Sunday when she one a $33 million dollar jackpot by playing on a slot machine at the Terrible’s Rail City Casino casino in Las Vegas.

The lucky lady was playing on the slot machine for just ten minutes when she hit it bigger than she could ever imagine.

This wins is one of the biggest wins in history for the state of Nevada. The Biggest slot win was in the Excalibur casino on the strip for a total sum of nearly 40 million dollars just about 6 years ago.

This weekends jackpot was hit playing $3 per spin and was won on the Megabucks progressive jackpot machines that are available throughout many casinos in Las Vegas.

The player claims that she absolutely could not believe her eyes and had to ask other casino players if this was really happening to her.

The casino that she won the jackpot at is actually going out of business but the jackpot is insured and will certainly be paid out to the player.

The casino is quite happy that a Las Vegas resident had won this jackpot and are glad that they could be part of this experience for Rachel and her family.