There are a bunch of casinos available at Stateline NV, just across the border from South Lake Tahoe, CA - Harveys, Harrahs, Bills... and there are more an hour's ride away in Reno or a half hour away in Carson City. They're interchangeable. If you feel the need to drop in and pay the Stupidity Tax, go ahead. I'm suggesting a new philosophy, a new strategy, if you need to gamble: Take the amount you are going to gamble with - the amount you will allow yourself to lose, worst case - and plunk it all down on one hand of blackjack. If you win, pick up your chips and cash'em in. Lose and just walk away. Hey, you've got better things to do than sit around a smokey room full of sheep being fleeced. As my kid said, seeing a sign over a slot machine that bragged "97% Payout at this machine last week", that means every time someone put a buck in, they kept 3 cents... its a guaranteed loser. And people are supposed to be happy about that? And if you want to get him going, ask him about the sucker odds on Keno. But then he's had a course in statistics recently and you probably haven't. Well, it's your money, but you're better off getting new skis and boots.

Harrahs was cleaner than the other casinos, although, more crowded. Perhaps it was the fact that I won there that it became my favorite. However, the amount of slots was enough so that I didn't have to wait in line, the facilities were clean and there was plenty of staff to take care of your needs.