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!

How can these MLB players be so stupid? They’re making millions of dollars, but they’re going to get dragged into a sports betting cheating scandal.

In the video above, Jeff Passan breaks down the pitch-rigging scheme involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz. The alleged scheme is pretty simple. There are prop bets around balls and strikes, and the feds are alleging that these two fools would open an inning with a ball in the dirt, and betters were making tens of thousands of dollars on individual pitches.

The good news is there are betting integrity firms that can spot these irregularities and work with the sportsbooks and MLB.

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.

I was watching a movie the other night, and some of the story revolved around bookies in New York City and some gamblers who got into trouble. It was interesting in the context of modern times. In most states, sports betting is legal now. We can easily do it on our apps. We have sports betting lounges attached to sports arenas and stadiums. So much has changed.

The Supreme Court changed everything

The popularity of sports betting keeps growing for many reasons. The latest boom started with the Murphy v. NCAA Supreme Court decision in May 2018. Prior to this ruling, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992 had largely outlawed sports gambling throughout the country, with the exception of a few states like Nevada.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Murphy found that PASPA violated the Tenth Amendment’s anti-commandeering principle, which prevents the federal government from forcing states to enforce federal laws. As a result, states were now able to legalize and regulate sports betting within their own borders.

Sports gambling keeps getting more popular

We’ve always loved betting on sports, particularly NFL football and college football. But now it’s even more popular. Several factors have contributed to the increased popularity of sports betting in the United States since the Murphy decision:

State legalization

In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, many states have chosen to legalize sports betting, allowing for a more accessible and regulated environment. This has led to a surge in the number of people who can participate in sports gambling legally.

Technological advancements

The growth of mobile and online betting platforms has made it easier than ever for people to place wagers on sporting events. Many states that have legalized sports betting have also authorized online and mobile betting, further expanding the accessibility and convenience of sports gambling.

Marketing and partnerships

The increased legalization of sports betting has led to a growth in partnerships between betting operators and sports leagues, teams, and media outlets. These partnerships have increased visibility and promotion of sports betting, attracting more people to the activity.

Public perception

The Supreme Court’s decision and the subsequent legalization of sports betting in many states have contributed to a shift in public perception. Sports gambling has become more mainstream and socially acceptable, leading to a larger number of people engaging in the activity.

Economic benefits

Many states have recognized the potential economic benefits of legalizing sports betting, including increased tax revenue and job creation. This has further incentivized the expansion of sports betting across the country. State governments love this easy revenue.

Overall, the Murphy v. NCAA Supreme Court decision has set off a domino effect that has led to widespread legalization and regulation of sports betting in the United States. As a result, the activity has become more popular and mainstream, with increased accessibility, technological advancements, and public acceptance all playing a role in its growth.

Bookies haven’t gone away

While we’ve seen a boom in legal sports gambling, don’t assume that illegal bookies have disappeared. There are a host of restrictions with gambling apps, so some gamblers will still turn to bookies who will give them credit to place bets. And this is where some people will still get in serious trouble.

Legal or not, you have to use your head. Don’t place bets you can’t afford. Don’t take loans to bet. Be smart, and stay out of trouble.