Caesars 24/7, Episode 16: Conquering the Impossible

In the first of the two back-to-back half-hour episodes of Caesars 24/7 airing tonight, we look into fear of flying (no, there will not be Erica Jong jokes) and a Slot Tournament for high rollers.

The segment about the Slot Tournament is hosted by Caesars Slots Director Hina Reed, one of the regulars we haven’t seen for a very long time. Remember her, the eldest of 22 children? It’s hard not to like her infectious and positive energy!

The tournament is a three-day event. The area for the slot tournament begins life as a huge, empty hall. Chairs, tables, and hundreds of those heavy machines need to be set up. And her equipment is locked in a cage! It will be tight.

Prizes will be from $100 to $25,000. Hina explains that a big part of the event is revenue from outside play and future visits that these players make.

Troy and his wife Kelly have driven all the way to Vegas from Minnesota. It was a 26-hour drive. The reason for the trip is for husband Troy to overcome his fear of flying. To learn to overcome it they decide that a turn in a parachute simulator is the answer. Wow, not my answer, but let’s see where this leads. Wife Kelly likes to travel on vacation, but is tired of doing all her traveling with her mother.

Troy decides to play a little blackjack to loosen up and tells his story to Teresa Price, his dealer. As part of some drunken shenanigans as a youth, he and his friends climbed up the local water tower. When he saw how tall it was the next day, he freaked out. Ahh, who hasn’t been there? Dealer Teresa has faith in Troy. And, he won $60!

It’s 6AM and the slots tourney begins at 10AM. Setup is still a long way from being complete. Additionally, each machine needs to be checked out by a technician, and his testing shows that some machines aren’t running properly. Hina is tense, and after working all night, takes the time to go home to shower and change.

In our third story tonight, we meet part-time model Patrick. Young and hip, Patrick is thinking of moving to Vegas, so naturally he comes to Caesars to check out the women as part of his decision. Patrick says he’s used to women taking care of him and he hopes to find credit-card wielding woman to buy him things. No, he’s not that good looking and yes, we’ve only seen this work for blondes with big boobies before – but I’m willing to see how this turns out.

Patrick enters Bernini, a clothing store at Caesars not for the faint of wallet. A snazzy black and leather outfit is assembled on him, and Patrick says, “You sold me.”

Unfortunately, there’s a little sticker shock for Patrick. Make that, MAJOR sticker shock! The suit is $3000 and another $500 for the sweater. Before he can toss in the shirt for free, an aghast Patrick asks, “You talking to ME about this?!??”

Patrick checks, but no, you can’t rent it!

The segment concludes with naïve Patrick saying, “I was thinking of moving down here, but right now, it’s expensive… because I ain’t spending my money!” Patrick had a reality check on a reality show! Ha!

Hina Reed is still supervising last-minute changes as the players enter the tournament area. It looks like things are ready to go!

We next meet a couple of players. The first is Jean Scott, a.k.a. “The Queen of Comps.” She’s a nice old lady who’s first book, “The Frugal Gambler,” rose to #2 on Amazon after her appearance on the TV show Dateline. She tells us, “Frugal means getting more value for your money.” She recommends games of skill over games of luck and to play on “better machines.”

We also meet Phyllis Barbee, a.k.a. “Lady Luck.” Phyllis is always smiling, perhaps because she’s a seven-time tournament winner. She says, “It’s not where you get the money from, it’s what you bring home.” She says she’s lucky in many aspects of her life, including love.

Caesar (though not Jim, our regular Caesar) kicks off the tournament. Each round of play is 15 only minutes so the action is very frantic – there isn’t even time to celebrate the jackpots. This is fun? The only skill involved is how fast can you play. That, and sitting at the right machine in the first place seem to be the only criteria for success.