LV Pro is a serious recreational player who started with basic strategy in 1996 and learned the Silver Fox count by the end of 1998. He has been counting since early 1999, starting with a $2K bankroll and slowly trying to build it to $10K. His trip reports to Las Vegas appear regularly in the Blackjack Insider newsletter.

Editors note: At the end of Part 1 of LV Pro's trip report, he was down $1,360 and not a happy camper. He was especially upset about not overcoming his fear to bet aggressively when losing. Click here to read part one of this series.

Later I decided to update the TI meal comp slip I’d been carrying. Originally written last fall, I already once took a pen and changed the date on the comp but never used it. It would be too messy to re-forge another date on it so I resolved to chance it and lay my cards on the table. I’d simply go to TI and ask them to update it. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about presenting it, especially if I was with a date or a friend. I asked a pit manager, but he said he couldn’t do it since I didn’t have enough recent play in their computer records. He told me to try a host, so I paged one. The host was most happy to quickly rewrite the comp. I thanked him profusely and left. This was a load off my mind. Ironically, I never used that comp during the remainder of this trip. I guess I’ll have to keep updating it on my future trips.

I walked through Casino Royale and saw that all the tables were full so I wandered over to the Venetian. I’m still on a quest for an old-style Las Vegas lounge where I can hear jazz, blues and swing. The Venus lounge upstairs had hip-hop and Latin sounds while the downstairs La Scena featured a band that played dance-pop tunes. Totally disappointing. I guess I’ll have to make do with the lounges at Bellagio, NYNY and the London Club in the Aladdin until something better comes along. The ultimate lounge quest continues.

I’ve often thought that a "Louis Prima Experience" show could be a big hit in Las Vegas, much like those Rat Pack nostalgia shows. You get Louie Prima and Keely Smith look-alikes who can sing and play trumpet, use the old Prima music charts and put a swingin’ jazz band behind them. It would be a great lounge act and the hotel could charge a $10 or $20 cover plus 2 drink minimum for the nostalgic value of seeing what it was like to walk into Sahara’s old Casbar lounge and see the "wildest" lounge show in Vegas history. I know I’d pay to see it more than once.

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