Backdoor Action!

It's Sunday night in Vegas and I'm just about even for the trip (and not the usual definition of "even", i.e. +/- $1000). Before I forget too much, here's a mini-recap of the trip (from what I remember) in no specific order. I'm sure that this will not be the last post on this subject.

-The Mirage has been extensively renovated, and I like it a lot. A while ago, I mentioned that I thought that the Mirage's look was dated with the Polynesian theme and the low ceilings. Since then, they have almost completely overhauled the casino area. Got rid of the canopies that made the ceilings seem too low, updated almost everything else and finally have a club.
-I saw more casinos this year than ever before. Between dinner at MGM and Caesar's and walking around with Bob and Liz, I don't think that I've ever spent that much non-golf time away from the Mirage. Oh yeah, they all still suck.
-I did the X-Scream ride at the Stratosphere. Not really as exciting/scary as I had expected. I'm deathly afraid of heights and wasn't very nervous. Weird.
-Eric carries around a little notebook and writes things down from time to time. Not sure what he writes, but it was handy for golf updates (they were the group ahead of us), and misc gambling uses.
-For those who haven't met Eric, he dresses like your 8th grade social studies teacher. For example, a line was set during dinner at Mesa Grill Friday night: Over/Under for how much Eric would have to pay the bouncer to get into a club--$200. The smart money was on the over.
-We gambled on where our Mesa Grill waitress was from, what letter her name started with and whether she was married. The best part of the night, however, was credit card roulette for the ~$650 tab. Wiz gave us the bright idea of pulling out the cards Survivor-style where the last one in the hat had to pay. Six cards went into the hat and I was the second to last to be pulled. I almost shat myself. Thanks again, Don!
-Celebrity sighting: Tom Brady in the Mirage poker room.
-No hot chicks at the Monte. As if I need another reason never to stay there. Luckily, I am still seeing spots from the uber-bright lights, so it doesn't matter if the chicks were hot or not, I couldn't see anything anyway.
-Schmoopie
-My sister's boyfriend standing on 16 vs the dealer's face card. Oh...no. Derek's quote: "I just wanna smash you over the head with a slot machine." And I think that he was the less angry Zahn brother. I can't really argue with the logic, but perhaps the presentation could have been a little more subtle.
-CardSharks! Worst...idea...ever. A close second was $700 on black. Third was the field bet. Derek and Wiz need adult supervision AT ALL TIMES. I think that the social studies teacher must now supervise all Wiz/Derek wagers from now on.
-Speaking of CardSharks, I hate the MGM Grand. That place is a maze. It's gotta take 20 minutes to walk from one spot to another. And trying to find anyone there? Forget it.

-Two words: Backdoor action!