World Series Of Poker Changes Hands
Judge Strikes Down County Stripper Law
Updated: 9:34 am EST January 31, 2005
It's official -- the World Series of Poker has a new home at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino's brand-new poker room.The legendary competition had been held for years at Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. But when Harrah's bought the rights to the Horseshoe name, it got the rights to the tournament as well.The ten-table room features a variety of Texas and No-Limit Hold 'Em games for the rest of us non-pro types. It's located near the sports book and is open 24 hours a day. The first WSoP at the Rio will be held in April.
A couple of years ago, Clark County enacted some controversial new laws aimed at restricting what strippers in clubs could and could not do.It's difficult to go into detail without getting graphic, so let's just say the laws basically forbade the strippers from touching the patrons in any kind of suggestive way.However, a separate municipal code covered strippers working within Las Vegas city limits and, after several strippers appealed charges of violating the city code, a district court judge last week threw out those cases, saying the city law was too vague and basically unenforceable.The county and city laws were designed to cut down on soliciting and prostitution from the dancers, something that is rarely tolerated at the nicer clubs, but is apparently quite rampant at some of the smaller joints around town. While the judge said such a law was needed, the one the strippers were charged under wasn't valid.What this means to your future strip club experiences is in doubt. Since the ruling says what the strippers are doing isn't illegal, there shouldn't be any major changes. And since the dancers at clubs under county jurisdiction weren't included in the ruling, nothing should change there either.The city is considering an appeal and county strip clubs are considering a court challenge of their law.
It's official: Celine Dion does not have the most expensive show tickets in town anymore.That dubious honor goes to Barry Manilow, with the announcement of special stage-level seating going for a remarkable $225 a pop.The Las Vegas Hilton theater is being reconfigured a bit to accommodate Manilow's permanent show, and part of those changes include 30 seats on each side of the stage so you can get up close and personal with the guy who writes the songs.Regular tickets run from $85 for the balcony up to $145 for the main orchestra section. The show starts Feb. 23.
Let's just sit here for a moment and think of all the useful things the government could spend $320,000 on.Keep one of those libraries in Steinbeck's hometown open? Some body armor for our troops? Help a couple hundred tsunami victims? Nope.It is going to spend $320,000 to study whether or not we should spend $10 billion to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The costs, split between Nevada's Regional Transportation Commission and the Federal Railroad Administration, will be used to fund a feasibility study on the proposed rail line that other agencies and private companies have been talking about for years.Those entities have basically already determined that even if it could be built, it would be so expensive and demand would be so slight it could never turn a profit.Now, I hate sitting in the eight-hour traffic jams between L.A. and Vegas as much as the next guy, but this is never, ever going to get accomplished, at least not in my lifetime. So listen up, RTC and FRA: It won't work. Forget about it. Don't do it. Ain't gonna happen.There. Now send me a check for $20,000 and spend the other $300,000 on something important.
The first 100 nominees for the Las Vegas Walk of Stars has been announced. Already people are outraged about some of the people who didn't make the cut, most notably legendary illusionists Siegfried and Roy.The Walk of Stars project is patterned after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, laying tribute placards into the sidewalk up and down the Strip. Included in the first cut were understandable notables like Steve Wynn, Frank Sinatra and even Celine Dion, but the exclusion of S&lR drew immediate cries and crazy amounts of local press.The committee in charge of the Walk of Stars immediately backpedaled and said the duo's exclusion was simply a clerical error. A statement on its Web site read, "They always were and still are at the very top of the list. We are ready to honor them with a star once they are ready."Wayne Newton got the first star, Liberace is getting the second (near the Riviera) and female impersonator Frank Marino is getting the third, also near the Rivera.More info on the project and the full list of nominees at LasVegasWalkOfStars.com.
I appreciate all of you folks who take the time to read my column and reviews, but I thought you should know about the people who make it possible for me to get access to things in Vegas so I can tell you about them. The publicists for all of the major and minor companies are, for the most part, great and very accommodating. I couldn't do my job without them, and I thank them for all their patience trying to fit things into my hectic schedule.I also wanted to spotlight two of my favorite places in Vegas that I recently revisited and was gratified to be just as thrilled with the results as always.Austins Steakhouse at Texas Station in the northwest section of town is, without a doubt, one of the best restaurants in the city and the place where you will find the best steaks you'll ever eat. They treat me well there, but more importantly they'll treat you well also. When you visit -- and you must -- tell them you read about their place on Vegas4Visitors.com.In December, I selected the Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas as the best hotel in the city. A recent night's stay there only confirmed what I already knew: This is an amazing hotel with the friendliest, most accommodating staff anywhere. Treat yourself on your next visit.
A couple of years ago, Clark County enacted some controversial new laws aimed at restricting what strippers in clubs could and could not do.It's difficult to go into detail without getting graphic, so let's just say the laws basically forbade the strippers from touching the patrons in any kind of suggestive way.However, a separate municipal code covered strippers working within Las Vegas city limits and, after several strippers appealed charges of violating the city code, a district court judge last week threw out those cases, saying the city law was too vague and basically unenforceable.The county and city laws were designed to cut down on soliciting and prostitution from the dancers, something that is rarely tolerated at the nicer clubs, but is apparently quite rampant at some of the smaller joints around town. While the judge said such a law was needed, the one the strippers were charged under wasn't valid.What this means to your future strip club experiences is in doubt. Since the ruling says what the strippers are doing isn't illegal, there shouldn't be any major changes. And since the dancers at clubs under county jurisdiction weren't included in the ruling, nothing should change there either.The city is considering an appeal and county strip clubs are considering a court challenge of their law.
It's official: Celine Dion does not have the most expensive show tickets in town anymore.That dubious honor goes to Barry Manilow, with the announcement of special stage-level seating going for a remarkable $225 a pop.The Las Vegas Hilton theater is being reconfigured a bit to accommodate Manilow's permanent show, and part of those changes include 30 seats on each side of the stage so you can get up close and personal with the guy who writes the songs.Regular tickets run from $85 for the balcony up to $145 for the main orchestra section. The show starts Feb. 23.
Let's just sit here for a moment and think of all the useful things the government could spend $320,000 on.Keep one of those libraries in Steinbeck's hometown open? Some body armor for our troops? Help a couple hundred tsunami victims? Nope.It is going to spend $320,000 to study whether or not we should spend $10 billion to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The costs, split between Nevada's Regional Transportation Commission and the Federal Railroad Administration, will be used to fund a feasibility study on the proposed rail line that other agencies and private companies have been talking about for years.Those entities have basically already determined that even if it could be built, it would be so expensive and demand would be so slight it could never turn a profit.Now, I hate sitting in the eight-hour traffic jams between L.A. and Vegas as much as the next guy, but this is never, ever going to get accomplished, at least not in my lifetime. So listen up, RTC and FRA: It won't work. Forget about it. Don't do it. Ain't gonna happen.There. Now send me a check for $20,000 and spend the other $300,000 on something important.
The first 100 nominees for the Las Vegas Walk of Stars has been announced. Already people are outraged about some of the people who didn't make the cut, most notably legendary illusionists Siegfried and Roy.The Walk of Stars project is patterned after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, laying tribute placards into the sidewalk up and down the Strip. Included in the first cut were understandable notables like Steve Wynn, Frank Sinatra and even Celine Dion, but the exclusion of S&lR drew immediate cries and crazy amounts of local press.The committee in charge of the Walk of Stars immediately backpedaled and said the duo's exclusion was simply a clerical error. A statement on its Web site read, "They always were and still are at the very top of the list. We are ready to honor them with a star once they are ready."Wayne Newton got the first star, Liberace is getting the second (near the Riviera) and female impersonator Frank Marino is getting the third, also near the Rivera.More info on the project and the full list of nominees at LasVegasWalkOfStars.com.
I appreciate all of you folks who take the time to read my column and reviews, but I thought you should know about the people who make it possible for me to get access to things in Vegas so I can tell you about them. The publicists for all of the major and minor companies are, for the most part, great and very accommodating. I couldn't do my job without them, and I thank them for all their patience trying to fit things into my hectic schedule.I also wanted to spotlight two of my favorite places in Vegas that I recently revisited and was gratified to be just as thrilled with the results as always.Austins Steakhouse at Texas Station in the northwest section of town is, without a doubt, one of the best restaurants in the city and the place where you will find the best steaks you'll ever eat. They treat me well there, but more importantly they'll treat you well also. When you visit -- and you must -- tell them you read about their place on Vegas4Visitors.com.In December, I selected the Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas as the best hotel in the city. A recent night's stay there only confirmed what I already knew: This is an amazing hotel with the friendliest, most accommodating staff anywhere. Treat yourself on your next visit.
The Full Story
- World Series Of Poker Changes Hands Behind The Scenes At Fountains Of Bellagio More Nightclubs Offer Ultra-Luxury, $20 Covers Vegas Q&A: Are Jackpots Paid In A Lump Sum?
In Next Week's Column
Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.Plus, don't forget to send your questions about Las Vegas. I've got room for more, so send them in today!Click here to go to the main page of Vegas4Visitors.com and see all of the fantastic resources Vegas4Visitors has to offer you when planning your next trip to Las Vegas.Rick Garman is the head writer for Vegas4Visitors
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