The Seamier Side Of Vegas

I love Vegas, or should I say, I love certain gambling games.  I’ve never spent more than a few days in Vegas though, and I’ve always heard people talk about Vegas as being depressing if you really took a hard look at it.

This last trip, when we stayed at the Sahara (US$49 / night) I left the
hotel only to play poker or go jogging.  Guess which activity showed me
the seamier underbelly of Vegas?  The real Vegas of abandoned
storefronts, blighted blocks, massage parlors, and Scientology churches
next to pawn shops was what I saw on my morning run, and it wasn’t
something I was thrilled about being around.

Pauly, a minor celebrity in the world of poker writing, has been hired
to cover the month-plus circus known as the World Series of Poker.
He’s transplanted himself from NYC to Vegas for 60 days to live, eat,
breathe, and write about poker.   He’s also experiencing what it’s like to see the Vegas ideal up close, and it’s not pretty.  Check out his short essay on life in Vegas at the beginning of this World Series Update.