News / Dave Allan / 12 July 2009 / Leave a comment

There is a certain sadness in Simon Zammit's last blog post about his time at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas with Team Betfair but for me it has been a fascinating insight into a world I knew nothing about. Thank you Simon, for a great effort.

As the sun slowly started to disappear, the lights on the other hand were glowing even brighter. Traffic starts to increase and from the window in my room, I could see the once empty pavement starting to move as the crowds get bigger and bigger.

I stare at this awsome transformation of a city literally changing it's skin. It is soon 21:30 and as usual, the merry trio of Paul, Rob and myself meet up at the lobby. This time though, it felt different. I was just as excited but it also made me feel sad. This was my last night in Las Vegas and one which I was hoping to never end.

I wanted to end my nightly excursions over here in a proper way. I wanted to be in places that the classic movies had shown me years ago. "Downtown, please" we said to the taxi driver as all of us slipped onto the seats.

The ride there also seemed like a movie, going from the present to the past. The lights from the Strip soon faded away as we drove further towards the old Vegas. I had been there earlier on my trip during the day and Fremont Street was a different animal at this time of the day.

Gone where the streams of beautiful women, each better looking than the other. Armani shirts or Versace dresses where replaced with $5 T Shirts with Vegas pictures. Even the music was different and the air smelled old and tired. I loved it!

We played $1 Blackjack and $5 Craps, drank cheap Mai Thai cocktails at a bar with the stool cushions ripped out. It was brilliant and for the first time in my life I got to see the world famous LED show which acts like some sort of roof, protecting history from the harsh Vegas climate.

Downtown is truly a unique place and if you can get past the occasional homeless man asking for money or the dodgy crack dealers working a corner, there is nothing that can compete with it for pure fun.

We had such a good time that we didn't even realise that the sun had already come up when we made it out of Binions! Time literally flew by and reluctantly, we headed back towards the hotel for a few hours sleep.

This morning went by really quick - woke up, packed my luggage, looked outside the window one last time and took a few more pictures. I already had done this on day one but I wanted to compare any changes since then. Vegas is truly a constantly changing city and I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more floors built up on one of the many new resorts being finished.

I has checked out of my room by noon and had a cup of coffee whilst waiting for Rob to arrive. I had already changed most of my money into higher valuations so I only had one dollar bill left in my pocket. I quickly placed it onto a slot machine and literally spent half an hour playing with just this small amount of money.

As Rob and Paul both headed towards me, I picked up my luggage and we headed into Zooza-crackers at the Wynn for a snack. The food was infinite as usual and I barely ate half the $11, triple-deck sandwich I had! The clock indicated the time was 13:30 so we headed outside and called for taxis. Rob and I said goodbye to Paul who is staying a few days longer in a different hotel and took off.

Both of us were really quiet for the ride. No laughing or chit chat. The realisation that the Vegas trip was over hit us at the same time. I really am glad to have come and it was a wonderful experience. Some say that Vegas is just nice for a few days but I will politely tell them to stick a cork in it should I meet them as I truly would stay longer if I could.

As the taxi pulled into Terminal 2, Rob and I shook hands and I left the car. I am sitting here, a few minutes before boarding and reflecting on my trip. I cannot thank Betfair enough for giving me this opportunity and I do hope that through this blog, you could at least visualize the splendor of Las Vegas in your head.

I need to end this as the passengers are starting to stand up. I will post my last entry tomorrow with a full roundup and some other thoughts and updates. Good luck to Kevin, Chris, Sorel and the rest if Team Betfair that are currently playing in Day 4.

Till then, thanks for reading. I have the equivalent of a 20 hour trip ahead of me so wish me luck!