Viva Las Vegas!

Bright light city gonna set my soul on fire...

We are just back from Las Vegas! Viva! The Paris is still beautiful. The food at Ah Sin! is still delectable. The suite was OUTSTANDING - as were the comps!

If you go to Vegas and frequent the same hotel/company, they sure learn to take care of you. However, there was one huge drawback: The Elvis slots are disappearing! We had to trudge down to O'Shea's to find some Elvis slots - and those were in bad shape and situated near the front door. It was hot and loud where the machines were situated and when the Elvis video's DID play (that was a gamble in itself) you could barely hear him!

Boo!

So, we had to make do and here is our list of the best of our favorite new slot games:

1.) Terminator! This is a great penny game based largely on the first "Terminator" movie - although you play it at the maximum level for the best paybacks (25 lines at 5 cents per line for $1.25 a spin). We had some great runs on this game and there is a bonus spin called "Crush the Terminator" in which the object is to push the right buttons to keep the struggling Terminator at bay. My best "Crush" score - surviving six rounds - payed 11,880 credits or $118.80 on a $1.25 bet. Meanwhile, at the Paris, four games pay into a single progressive jackpot - someone hit the $1,500 while we left the game for dinner!

2.) Star Wars! Yes, there is a new slots game based on the Star Wars universe featuring film clips of familiar characters. This features 30 lines and the opportunity to play 10 cents per line for a top bet of $3.00. This was a lot of fun and featured a "Death Star" bonus in which the player can earn big dollars while destroying the dreaded Death Star. And if Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobee show up at the same time, you get to watch a laser battle. Always choose Darth Vader - the dark side pays big!

3.) Monte Carlo. This is a game reminiscent of the old Wheel of Fortune game. You bet three quarters and hope to get a spin of the wheel above the machine. The game also features big payoffs for three 7's and a "10 Free Spin" mode. More mindless than Terminator or Star Wars, but fun nonetheless.

4.) Fifty Play Video Poker. This is a nickel game that allows you to play 50 hands simultaneously! Every so often I would walk by, put in $20, play one hand of Deuces Wild and then cash out to see what I won. The best: Almost $274 on a single bet because I was dealt a two deuces and an ace and king of spades. When I drew the other hands, I had, among other hands, six royal flushes with deuces!

5.) Tiki Torches. I was getting a little sour on this game as we left - it played so well when we were there in February. It's fun and I love all things tiki but I did not have many huge payoffs this time. This is a 20-line penny machine with the opportunity to play up to 10 credits per line. If you get three pearls on the same payline, you get eight free spins and if you avoid MORE pearls, the tiki gods are awakened for huge payoffs. In February, I hit the three pearls at a 10-cent play and won over 27,000 credits! OK, that's just $270 but I was excited!

Meanwhile, I have been busy putting together a new round of fun for you for the latest excursion into Mark's Summer Reading Club:

• badcookie.com If you like fortune cookies and always hoped for real mean ones and want to skip the carbs, check this site out!

• birthdaycalculator.com Plug in your birthday and this calculator will give you a lot of interesting data in return. As I type this, I am currently 1,431,599,506 seconds old. Yikes!

• testycopyeditors.org Everyone who has ever worked at a newspaper knows the copy desk can be testy - and here's a site to prove it! Actually, this is a fun read as copy editors vent about reporters, editors, life, etc.

• cleanyourscreenforfree.com As my free gift to you, this site will actually clean the inside of your computer screen for free! Really! Well, kinda...

• Morphyourface.com This site allows you to upload a picture of your face - or a friend's face or even an enemy's face - and morph it in to goofy new looks.

• Mark's Tiki Bar Tunes If you have iTunes, go here to check out my iMix of great tiki bar tunes.

• Suzanne Kathro's Photo Blog I had the great fortune to work with Suzanne at the Kane County Chronicle. But it wasn't until I started my blog that I learned she is an avid blogger from way back. She operates this photo blog called: "That Farmer's Wife - Images from the land of corn & soybeans." It turns out Suzanne is an accomplished photographer. And I just thought she was a great person! Check it out!

More later! Sorry the trip cut into my updates!


Mark