Guys love strippers and strip clubs, and that’s always been one of the big draws for places like Las Vegas. We’ve been going there for years, and we’ve spent plenty of time at some of Vegas’s legendary strip clubs. Old favorites include Olympic Gardens and Crazy Horse Too.

Things have chaged quite a bit, and they have certainly become more expensive. But if you do it right, you can have quite a time with your friends in Vegas strip clubs (or of course on your own!).

Strippers in general can be the ulimate party girls . . . that’s what they’re paid for!! But if you have some game (or you’re a high roller) you can sometimes get them out of the club for even more fun.

With that backdrop, a few of us recently spent some time in Vegas and hit several of the clubs. Here are some of our observations.

Sapphire

We had heard great things about the changes in Sapphire so we made this our priority stop, and frankly we were pleasantly surpised. They’ve remodeled the place, so it’s not smaller and more intimate. So overall it’s a pretty easy floorplan to manage.

What stood out was the quality of the talent. The place was loaded with beauties who were all very eager for attention. We were also impressed with the variety. Many of the clubs are packed with Latinas, which can be great if that’s your cup of tea, but variety is critical if you want to please all your customers. That wasn’t a problem here. Two blonde and athletic twins stood out!

Like many of the clubs, you can call them for a ride, which let’s you avoid the cover charge assuming you tip the driver. We recommend trying this for all the clubs.

One quibble we had involved the main stages. They just don’t get enough of the dancers in the rotation on the main stages.

Overall, the experience here was our favorite so you can’t go wrong with Sapphire.

Spearmint Rhino

This has been a top club in Vegas for years, and based on our visit it’s still going strong. This place always has tons of girls, and most are very attractive. They do a very good job of screening the talent. It’s much darker than Sapphire which creates a different vibe. But it’s also a bit easier to find a dark corner for some intimate dances.

Overall, this one is still a very solid choice.

Crazy Horse III

This was by far the biggest disappointment of the trip. It was epensive, dark and very quiet. No dances on the floow – you had to go the back room. Not ideal! If you have a ton of money to spend that can be fine, but it makes the general vibe very boring and dead.

We remembered the legendary Crazy Horse Too, so maybe we had distorted expections. But this is nothing like that old classic club.

We wish we had more time to visit more clubs. We heard that the Peppermint Hippo was also a good option. We’ll try that one out next time!

Las Vegas is in a bit of a slump, so I was very curious as to what I would find there on a recent trip.

I was only there from Sunday through Thursday,  so I didn’t experience the peak weekend time in the heart of football season. That said, things were certainly a bit slower than I had seen in years past. Not crazy slow, but enough to notice the difference.

One of my stops was The Cosmopolitan. In recent years this was the hot spot on The Strip. Of course there are plenty of other casinos battling for the luxury crwod, but the young, hip, beautiful crowd could be found at The Cosmo.

With that context, I have to say that I wasn’t overly impressed with what I saw (again, considering the off-night visit). The crowd seemed like any other ordinary Las Vegas crowd. It wasn’t the low rent or older crowd of the second tier casinos, but it wasn’t at all a luxury crowd as well. The most glaring difference was the complete lack of the “beautiful” crowd. No hot babes. No real buzz.

Again, it’s only one night, but this is consistent with what I’ve been hearing from others. Since MGM Resorts took over operations a few years ago, some longtime visitors have noted a shift: the vibe has become a bit more mainstream and less exclusively “sexy/cool/elitist.” It’s still attractive to 20s-40s partygoers and influencer types, but the crowd can feel more mixed now. You see more ordinary tourists rather than the ultra-glam scene of the past.

Now, it’s still a very solid option if you’re going to Las Vegas. It remains one of the most popular and vibrant casinos on the Strip and consistently ranks as a top choice for its central location, stylish vibe, nightlife, and dining scene. We noted the Bungalow Suites a few years ago. It’s still very much “hot” in terms of energy, events, and appeal to a younger, party-oriented crowd as compared to other Vegas spots. The Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub continue to draw big crowds.

But something has changed. Part of it might be related to the dip in Vegas tourism. Recently, the Cosmopolitan started offering special perks for locals like other Vegas casinos. When you have to offer specials, then you’re no longer the hot and exclusive option.

We’ll see how this develops, but we’re old enough to remember when spots like the Hard Rock and The Palms had that special, exclusive feel. Things change.

The New York Times has published an in-depth profile of Thomas Goldstein and it’s worth a read for anyone who is interested in the world of high stakes poker.

It’s a wild story of a man who was at the top of his game as a lawyer who had a successful practice arguing cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He basically had it all. But then he got involved in the world of poker and found that his aggressive courtroom style translated to the game of poker. He could play without even looking at his cards, as he would go overboard bullying and bluffing other players.

Goldstein went deeper and deeper, to the point that he was winning and losing tens of millions of dollars. The numbers here are just crazy. Of course he loved the lifestyle as well, as he indulged in having multiple sugar babies while concealing everything from his wife.

Now he’s been indicted for tax fraud and mortgage fraud. Of course he’s fighting it, but the case has exposed his scret life, and the secret world of high stakes poker.

Check it out!

Cheating is the last thing you should have to worry about at a high stakes private poker game. Perhaps that’s naive, but the minute anyone suspects a game may be rigged, then there’s a chance that poker game withers and falls apart.

Recent news however suggests that cheating may be a real issue, particularly with some games run by the mob.

If you’ve followed the NBA this season, you’ve probably heard the name Chauncey Billups—not for his coaching the Portland Trail Blazers to a surprise playoff push, but for the bombshell federal indictments that dropped on October 23, 2025, tying him to a sprawling gambling conspiracy.

While the betting angle has rocked the NBA, with accusations of leaked injury reports and lineups for prop bets, the poker side is where things get truly cinematic, exposing how elite private games, often glamorized as playgrounds for celebrities and tycoons, are ripe for sophisticated scams.

At its core, the allegations paint Billups as a key player (pun intended) in luring high-rollers to illegal, invite-only poker nights in luxury spots like New York lofts and Las Vegas suites. These weren’t your casual home games; stakes ran into the hundreds of thousands per hand, drawing in Wall Street execs, tech moguls, and fellow athletes who trusted the “NBA family” vibe Billups brought. But according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, it was all a setup orchestrated by organized crime associates who used sophisticated methods of cheating.

The cheating methods? Straight out of a spy thriller. Indictments detail:

• X-ray vision tables: Custom poker tables embedded with hidden cameras and X-ray tech to scan players’ hole cards from below, feeding real-time intel to colluding “house players” (shills posing as amateurs).
• Rigged shufflers and marked decks: Automatic card machines programmed to deal favorable hands, plus decks with invisible ink readable only by accomplices’ special lenses.
• Collusion via signals and apps: Subtle hand gestures, coded texts, or encrypted apps to tip off partners about bets and folds, ensuring the house always won big—allegedly fleecing victims of over $10 million since 2022.

Many pros suspected these games were rigged, as losers were beating professional poker players. Most others, like high rollers who loved access to professional athletes and celebrities, had no idea.

These revelations show how low some of the mob operations have sunk. They will also likely have a big impact on private games in the future, with players being much more cognizant of how to avoid being cheated.

Be careful out there!

Yesterday we explained how legal sports betting continues to gain popularity, but even with these trends, there are tons of illegal gambling websites out there. The problem with these sites is that you really have no idea which ones are legitimate, and you have little recourse when things go wrong.

This article by Richard N. Velotta in the Las Vegas Review-Journal shines a light on the problem. Velotta explains how the American Gaming Association has made it a priority to encourage the public to bet responsibly with licensed operators and avoid illegal offshore websites. Despite this, illegal gambling websites continue to operate and can be difficult to track down and shut down. He describes the case of a Canadian gambler who has been unable to collect his winnings on a $225,000 jackpot he won playing blackjack on BetOnLine.ag, an internet domain in Antigua. Read the story and you’ll see the details.

Why do betters still use illegal gambling websites?

There are plenty of reasons why these sites are still in business.

Firstly, you have to consider that betting hasn’t been legalized everywhere, so many betters are still shut out of the legal betting market depending on their state of residence or jurisdiction.

Secondly, illegal gambling websites often offer better odds and higher payouts than their legal counterparts. This can be attractive to bettors looking to maximize their winnings, even if it means breaking the law. This also applies to local bookies.

Thirdly, illegal gambling websites are often more accessible and convenient than legal options. While legal sports betting may be limited to certain states or require in-person registration, illegal websites can be accessed from anywhere and may only require a few clicks to place a bet. Without the shackles of regulation they make it easier for everyone to play.

Lastly, some individuals may simply prefer to use illegal gambling websites out of habit or loyalty. They may have been using these websites for years and may be hesitant to switch to a legal option.

Enforcement is difficult

The reality is that illegal gambling websites can be difficult to track and shut down. These websites can operate offshore or use various tactics to hide their location and ownership, making it challenging for law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute them. This problem also stems from the silly and ineffective laws intended to stop gambling in places like the United States. We now have more rational regulatory policies, but it will take a while for this to have a broad effect on the market.

Stay away

While legal sports betting has expanded across the United States, illegal gambling websites remain a problem due to the benefits and accessibility they offer. If you live in a jurisdiction where legal gambling is permitted, you’re foolish to stick with an illegal website. It is crucial for every person who plays online to know exactly with whom they are playing and to stay away from those operating illegally. Otherwise, you’ll have little recourse when you get screwed over.

We’ve all been there. You’re playing blackjack and some idiot at the table keep making idiotic decisions. And sometimes those decisions negatively affect your hand. If you’re betting big dollars, that can really hurt.

More often than not, someone at the table will get really pissed off at the novice player, and that often leads to silly shouting matches.

Avoid being the angry player at all costs.

This scene from the television show “Entourage” offers a good example of why you shouldn’t get angry.

Vince and the gang head to Las Vegas when Vince is offered $100,000 to host a party. Ari comes along with them, and he and Vince agree to split winnings and losses. Vince loves blackjack and has a knack for it. Plus he doesn’t get frazzled easily, even when he loses the $100,000 and more. Ari is a maniac, so he’s going cray watching Vince try to make a comeback.

Things come to a head when Vince gets a pair of eights. He splits, get another eight, splits again, and then gets a three, which leads him to double down. The hand is worth over $300,000.

Meanwhile, the idiot player at the end of the table decides to split kings. Naturally, Ari freaks out and yells at him, while the guys pulls two tens, which easily could have been the bust cards for the deal, who had a three showing.

But the dealer flops over an eight, and would have had 21 had the idiot not split his tens. Instead, the dealer draws another three instead, before pulling another ten to bust.

The lesson is simple. The idiots, can just as easily help your hand as they can hurt your hand. You’ll always remember the hands where they hurt you, but they can help as well. It’s all random, so don’t let it bother you.

Which leads to the next lesson. Getting angry is never helpful when you’re gambling. You want to strip out your emotions, not get distracted by them.

Just watch lunatic Ari in this clip. Of course the guy is a caricature of an emotional gambler, but you never want to be anything close to that.

If you love poker, you probably enjoy the characters you meet along the way as well. Also, all the different setting from back room games with friends to upscale private settings. It’s part of the fun. Unless you’re one of those players who can’t control him or herself. High stakes poker, like any form of high takes gambling, can crush souls and ruin lives. The key is to enjoy the thrill of this intoxicating game without letting it destroy you.

In “Molly’s Game” we get a glimpse into the world of private, high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles and New York. It’s a world filled with celebrities, athletes, beautiful women and plenty of booze and drugs. It’s a target-rich environment if you’re a smart and disciplined player. But for many others it’s a seductive trap that can often lead to a spectacular crash.

Warning: spoilers will follow.

The film is based on the true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), a young and beautiful Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested by the FBI. When she got started in LA, her games had a buy-in of $10,000. In New York the buy-ins ballooned up to $250,000. For years she made her money on tips for her and the lovely hostesses she hired, keeping the game legal. By the end she was hooked on drugs to keep her awake and she started taking a rake, which made her game illegal. She got sloppy, and in the end it cost her. She eventually found herself being woken up one morning by FBI agents holding automatic weapons.

She wrote a book about her experience which was adapted into a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Naturally, Sorkin added quite a few dramatic scenes and composite characters to the story along with the crisp and witty dialogue we’ve come to expect from him. But the film is true to many of the details from the book. The players who attended her poker games in LA included huge stars like Tobey Maguire, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

The celebrity angle is key. Molly used this to recruit new players. Poker players love a challenge, and the allure of playing with big stars helped Molly build a hugely successful game. In the film, Sorkin uses a composite character called Player X (Michael Cera) as the famous actor. Player X loves to destroy lives, and relishes humiliating other players using his skills. And this is a key lesson – if you’re going to be star-struck, you don’t belong in these games.

The film is loaded with lessons for high rollers and lower-stakes players as well. One character loses it after a bad beat. He’s a disciplined poker player, always playing tight and winning consistently over time. But then he goes “full tilt” after the bad beat, losing over $1.2 million in the process. Never let yourself lose control like that. If you let your emotions get the best of you, you’ll end up losing your money eventually.

Also, these high stakes games are loaded with degenerates. Molly loses her Los Angeles game when Player X gets angry with her. Molly discovers he’s staking other players, and he refuses to stop. He doesn’t like her rules, so he takes away all her players. He calls her on her cell phone, cackling with laughter as he tells her how f#cked she is. Apparently, in real life it was Toby Maguire who made that call, though he wasn’t the celebrity who took away her game.

But there’s more of course. One player who consistently lost big money in Molly’s LA game was simply recruiting clients to his hedge fund, which was actually a Ponzi scheme. He flips later in the story. And then we have the Russian mob once she brings her game to New York. In a scene pulled from her book, Molly gets beaten and robbed in her apartment and has a gun placed in her mouth by a mob enforcer. That’s what happens after you politely decline an offer of protection.

Chastain is brilliant in this film as Molly. She handles Sorkin’s dialogue with impressive skill, working effortlessly opposite Idris Elba and the rest of the impressive cast. Elba plays her lawyer Charlie, a fictional character created by Sorkin to help drive the story. Molly always looks gorgeous, flashing her lovely cleavage even when she’s dressing down, but she and the glamourous hostesses she hired never hook up with the players. It’s a rule that was critical to her success, and this was important to her from a personal perspective as well. She wasn’t a prostitute. But this becomes an issue when Player X resents the lack of personal attention.

In the end, we get to see a lot of the glamour surrounding these high-stakes private games, along with the potential pitfalls. Many of you won’t be able to resist this thrill if you can ever get invited to one of these games. Just be careful . . .