I hate Vegas.
Actually, that's not really true. If you do Vegas right, it's pretty fun. For myself, I can't stay more than two days. Any longer and the atmosphere of hilarity and desperation I initially enjoy so much gives way to fatigue. Fatigue with stale air and weak drink, fatigue with glandular freaks clad in "Hottie" t-shirts, and fatigue with the "New Year's Eve sensation." You know what I mean, the feeling you should be having a good time even if you'd rather just take a nap.
I'm also not much of a gambler. Oh, I understand the games, and can actually hold my own in poker, blackjack, and craps. But I'm a coward: if I start losing, I pack it in. I'm also stingy, meaning I'm not usually willing to cough up the initial outlay to get a decent head of steam going.
I also like betting on sports, and when I'm in Vegas, I usually check out a sports book or two. I like playing the parlays, and yesterday, I thought I'd hit upon a great one with today's World Cup matches. I stood to win about $100 provided Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Italy all won. Pretty safe bets, right?
Yeah. Unless Ghana beats the Czechs 2-0 and the US ties Italy. That tends to throw a wrench in your plans, and shit like that is why, this weekend, I hate Vegas.
Oh, and I put $5 on Texas A&M to win the BCS for The Wife. Her payoff if they succeed? A cool $350.