My name is Arthur Dent, and I am from a large city in the Deep South (in a state with an Atlantic coastline, but no legal casinos). I am a black chip player; however, I try to keep an eye out for good red chip games, just to make my trip reports interesting for low stakes players. (On occasion, I will sit at $25 min tables.) I won't write about what's going on in the high-limit areas because I don’t think it will be very useful to the majority of the BJI readers (and I also think it would make me very easily identifiable). I keep a tight spread of 1-6 units, and I use Speed Count. I sometimes play roulette for blowing off steam or wasting time (also good cover), and I never, ever play dice (I haven't taken the Golden Touch dice control course, yet). I used to use the Hi-Lo count, but after learning and using Speed Count, I’ve never looked back (click here to learn more about the speed count system). The trip reports that I will write are geared for the player who bets $25-500 a hand. I hope you'll find useful information in my reports and find them enjoyable to read.

Las Vegas really is like another world. Mrs. Dent agreed to let me visit this strange planet for four days to take a big swing at the local 21 games in early July. There are a lot of games; in fact, my goal was to play 21 in 21 different places in only four days (but only in decent games). My good friend Ford Prefect would be meeting me there (he comes from an alien world as well ... Boston). I boarded a rocket ship and blasted off for the strange and wonderful world that is Las Vegas.

Our pilot was a retired Navy guy. You can tell because the Navy guys always shave several minutes off the flight, and come in hard at the ground at full speed. Then it's jam-on-the-brakes time. Old Air Force pilots, on the other hand, take great pride in landing so softly that you aren't sure the wheels touched down. (Naval aviators take great pride in getting you there fast, so they have more time to tell Air Force jokes.)

My flight got in about 90 minutes before Ford's did, and since I was there early, I hit the Hard Rock, which is located just off the Strip. I took first base at a three- player table. Player’s #1 and #5 were one-unit winners. Player #2 was a double down winner with an initial one-unit bet. Player’s # 3 and #4 were two unit winners. Ford then calls me to say his flight is in early. The shoe lasts five hands, so I shrug, smile, and say, "Color me up, boss man!" Up eight units is a fine way to start the trip.

Of course, I had to visit an In-N-Out burger before meeting Ford downtown. You can't come out to Vegas without a double double - animal style!

We had a free room downtown at a Boyd Gaming property (actually, we paid too much). The décor had been upgraded and included some nice fixtures and whatnot, but there were many little problems with the room. The shower kept a puddle of water in it that couldn't drain out. The a/c made a noise like a brown bear humping a garbage disposal. The windows were decorated tastefully, but let in the sound of every passing car, lumbering train, hollering drunk, and pimp, smacking the alleys and streets of downtown had to offer.