Las Vegas -- There is nothing weird about gambling in the middle of a hotel swimming pool in Las Vegas, and not just because nothing is weird in Las Vegas.
Gambling in a hotel swimming pool is no more weird, in fact, than gambling in the shadow of a fake Eiffel Tower, or a flaming pirate ship, or an erupting volcano, or 500 Elvises.
It's just that gambling in a swimming pool is, well, wet.
Do we take wet money?'' said veteran swimming pool blackjack dealer Mike Clark. "Of course we do. If it's money, we take it.''
in Las Vegas these days, there are no fewer than five swim-up blackjack tables, and two hotels -- the Tropicana and the Hard Rock -- where you can do it. There is something of a good-natured war between the Tropicana, a former grand dame of the strip now showing its age, and Hard Rock, a most noisy place that caters largely to people who visit Hard Rock establishments to obtain T-shirts proving they have been there.
With five aquatic tables in town, that means that -- at any given time -- 35 people are gambling in a swimming pool.
"It's outdoors, and I can keep an eye on the kids and still do Vegas,'' explained Bill, a gambler from Los Angeles, sitting on a submerged stool at the Tropicana.
The family aspect is a key selling point, acknowledged casino shift manager Armando Alonso, who has overseen the Tropicana game for many years. He said the Tropicana is a "family hotel,'' a concept that would make Meyer Lansky turn over in the deep end.
"We want you to bring the kids,'' he said. "And we want you to be able to keep an eye on the kids. And while you're keeping an eye on the kids, you can do a little gaming.''
Nobody gambles in a casino. They "game.'' No matter what they call it, you still lose on a 22.
The Tropicana built its tables in 1981, and the Hard Rock built its a few years ago. There are no other swim-up blackjack tables on planet Earth. And since the season runs only from around Memorial Day to Labor Day, there is a narrow window of opportunity to lose wet money.
"This is not a pit where we are counting on making a great deal of money,'' said Alonso. "Serious players want a different atmosphere. They don't want a lot of splashing kids around.''
You cannot play for more than a paltry $1,000 a hand in the swimming pool. If you want to lose your shirt for real, you have to put it on first and go indoors.
San Francisco Chronicle.
Gambling in a hotel swimming pool is no more weird, in fact, than gambling in the shadow of a fake Eiffel Tower, or a flaming pirate ship, or an erupting volcano, or 500 Elvises.
It's just that gambling in a swimming pool is, well, wet.
Do we take wet money?'' said veteran swimming pool blackjack dealer Mike Clark. "Of course we do. If it's money, we take it.''
in Las Vegas these days, there are no fewer than five swim-up blackjack tables, and two hotels -- the Tropicana and the Hard Rock -- where you can do it. There is something of a good-natured war between the Tropicana, a former grand dame of the strip now showing its age, and Hard Rock, a most noisy place that caters largely to people who visit Hard Rock establishments to obtain T-shirts proving they have been there.
With five aquatic tables in town, that means that -- at any given time -- 35 people are gambling in a swimming pool.
"It's outdoors, and I can keep an eye on the kids and still do Vegas,'' explained Bill, a gambler from Los Angeles, sitting on a submerged stool at the Tropicana.
The family aspect is a key selling point, acknowledged casino shift manager Armando Alonso, who has overseen the Tropicana game for many years. He said the Tropicana is a "family hotel,'' a concept that would make Meyer Lansky turn over in the deep end.
"We want you to bring the kids,'' he said. "And we want you to be able to keep an eye on the kids. And while you're keeping an eye on the kids, you can do a little gaming.''
Nobody gambles in a casino. They "game.'' No matter what they call it, you still lose on a 22.
The Tropicana built its tables in 1981, and the Hard Rock built its a few years ago. There are no other swim-up blackjack tables on planet Earth. And since the season runs only from around Memorial Day to Labor Day, there is a narrow window of opportunity to lose wet money.
"This is not a pit where we are counting on making a great deal of money,'' said Alonso. "Serious players want a different atmosphere. They don't want a lot of splashing kids around.''
You cannot play for more than a paltry $1,000 a hand in the swimming pool. If you want to lose your shirt for real, you have to put it on first and go indoors.
San Francisco Chronicle.
