The Photos That Got Me Banned From Excalibur Las Vegas (You Know, ‘Homeland Security’!)

ExcaliburAs I mentioned in my blog post yesterday, this week is the Photoshop World convention in Las Vegas and I’m here for a week of fun and learning! But after only a few hours in town, I’ve already got a whopper of a story to tell! Screw the whole “what happens in Vegas…” crap.

So Photoshop World is at the Mandalay Bay and thousands of photographers will be converging there from all over the world. In fact they’re sold out. So I had to stay next door at Luxor.

Well, I checked in and dropped off my stuff in my room, then grabbed my camera to go walk and take some photos on the strip. Of course, the Excalibur is the first hotel on the way down the strip, and I’ve taken photos of it literally every time I’ve been in Las Vegas. But this time I took some photos OUTSIDE the hotel, and as I was going to walk through the hotel to get something to eat, a security guard stopped me before I could enter.

He wanted to know my name, where I was staying, and my room number! He told me it was because I was taking photos of the outside of the building! And claimed it was for “homeland security”.
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99 Photos From the Las Vegas Strip

New York, NY Statue of Liberty - Las VegasI’ve been in Las Vegas for the Parallel’s convention over the last few days. Since I’ve been lugging my huge camera around taking pictures quite a few folks asked me to share them so they could take them home as well! So here you all go!

These photos were captured on a Canon 5D Mark II using either a Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Lens, a Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens, or a Lensbaby loaned to me by Cali Lewis.
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3 Card Poker Rules and Strategy

3 Card PokerIn keeping with my ongoing theme of posting casino games, I present for your entertainment the classic 3 Card Poker! (Don’t forget we’ve also got Blackjack and Roulette.)

3 Card Poker (or tri-card poker as it’s also called) is an American version of a British game called Brag. This game originated over three hundred years ago as a game known as Primero, a fast-moving betting game using only three cards. As the game evolved, it became known as Post-and-Pair and then again as Brag. This game made it to the States as Casino Brag and Brit-Brag, but eventually evolved again into the game we now know as 3 Card Poker.

The game is comprised of two different components and here is how they are played…
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Online Roulette Game and Basic Roulette Strategy

RouletteRoulette is a casino and gambling game named after the French word meaning “small wheel”. In the game a croupier spins a wheel in one direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular surface running around the circumference of the wheel. The ball eventually falls on to the wheel and into one of 37 (in European roulette) or 38 (in American roulette) colored and numbered pockets on the wheel.

Albert Einstein is reputed to have stated, “You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it.” And indeed he was mathematically correct. Roulette is an absolute game of chance in which the house odds are stacked from 2-5% against you. Still, the little game I’ve embedded here is awfully fun to play!
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Blackjack Rules and the Online Game

BlackjackWho loves ya’ baby? Yeah, that’s right – The Man Does! So, being a fan of Casino games it’s only fitting that the first one I share would be the king of all casino games (in my opinion), Blackjack!

Not only can you play it right here (skip to it already), but I’m going to teach you how! (You did see my previous Gambling Tips, right?)
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