Public Health and the Future of Travel: How do we Solve a Problem like COVID-19

News out today that Clark County, NV is considering a new mask mandate for everyone indoors in public places regardless of vaccinated status makes me wonder what the point of getting the vaccine was? Couple that with Dr. Anthony "I'm lying because my lips are moving" Fauci calling for EVERYONE over 2 years of age to wear a mask, vaccinated or not, and it's becoming pretty clear that COVID-19 is going to be with us for quite some time. 

As much as we wanted it to go away, it won't. At least not anytime soon.

Never-you-mind that the media is STILL continually getting it wrong, acting as if the vaccinated cannot catch COVID-19 instead of recognizing that the vaccine makes you far less likely to get seriously ill should you be exposed and that you're most likely to be either asymptomatic or just feel like you have a cold.

When it comes to COVID-19 misinformation, the mainstream media is potentially the biggest offender of all. I'm assuming the Twitter suspension for those reporters is not forthcoming.

This is a big problem for you if you have travel plans in the future (as I do).

Planning for your casino trips just got a lot more difficult because it's hard to know what is going to be open, what, if any, capacity limitations are going to be in place and whether or not you're going to eventually have to provide some proof of vaccination to do much of anything?

I wish I had an answer for you, but I don't.

In a perfect world the clear answer would be "Get vaccinated and you should be fine" and the promises that we were given that if we got vaccinated we could return to something resembling normality would be borne out.

My feeling however is that was never really in the cards.

Our ruling class had to know that there was going to be a healthy level of vaccine hesitancy among the general populace and they HAD to know that this was going to cause COVID-19 to continue it's spread. Given that they never seriously looked at vaccine passports or something along those lines they also had to know that keeping restrictions in place, and limiting business and people, was always going to be a long-term strategy. While I do not think that mass lock-downs will ever be back on the table (they were wrong-headed, never before contemplated in pandemic response and utterly ineffective, often causing worse consequences than the virus itself) I do think that there is no small portion of the ruling class that LIKES wielding this new-found power and doesn't want it to go away all that quickly.

No, that's not a conspiracy theory, it's human nature. The missing village idiots who are in charge of things really only want to be both loved and feared as smart and powerful. Sure, they will mask their edicts in the language of "for the children (or helpless)" but it's really about exerting more control over those that can help themselves.

So, what are we going to do about COVID-19?

For now, we're probably going to have to put the masks back on, regardless of how idiotic this is for people who have 2 doses of vaccine flowing through their veins. The alternative is to refuse to wear a mask and risk arrest. A rather ironic false-choice being given to us by people who often call for the decriminalization of non-victimless crimes. Hey, if that's your thing, go for it. I, for one, would like to stay out of jail.

Depending on your feelings toward vaccination getting two jabs probably really is your best defense for the time being. Not perfect by any means, but better than nothing, assuming you have not previously caught it and have contact immunity that is. I have been fully vaccinated but have many friends who, for one reason or another (not all of them conspiracy theorist stuff) have chosen to not. So, we have to suck it up and wear masks, and listen to people screaming that they're useless. Another good idea would be a re-emphasis on social distancing. Hopefully you're all washing your hands, practicing good hygiene and covering your mouths when you cough/sneeze.

None of these things are perfect, but they do seem to help.

My biggest fear is that some local dictator types are going to try and reinstate lock downs.

They were not terribly effective the first time around and there's little reason to believe they will be the 2nd (or 3rd, or 4th, depending on where you live). Unless you are insane. Which, given the actions of the ruling class is a definite possibility.

Stay safe.

Gambling lies: "I'm a lifetime winner!"

I just completed a losing gambling trip. The video poker was not nice (I could not draw flies all weekend) and my timing was off on the slots. While this trip was especially bad in that nothing was hitting, it's not all that unusual for me to wind up a trip down a little.

In fact, that's my goal for every trip, just lose a little while gambling.

There are many out there who state that they are lifetime winners, especially on slots. If you understand slots that's a joke, because there is no strategy that you can play and no system you can put in place to make you a winner over time. Yes, there are a few people who have hit huge jackpots and are on the plus side of the ledger when it comes to slot play. People who hit MegaBucks, certain wide-area progressives and large jackpots on certain machines are probably up over the course of their lifetimes.

Everyone else?

No way.

In fact, there are some prominent Social Media personalities who claim to have a "slot-system" and claim to be "experts" on slot-play because of this and they claim that they are lifetime net positive.

I call bullshit.

Sports betting is the biggest home of liars though. VERY FEW sports bettors turn a profit on their actual bets. There are far more people who claim a profit but actually have losing records and make money off of suckers buying their losing picks from them. The most famous of these touts is Vegas Dave, but there are many, many more just like them. Of the few sports bettors that actually win for a living, you're very unlikely to see them touting picks. I can think of one or two, but that's it. A LOT of them are active on Twitter, but they're usually there to troll touts and maybe provide some basic gambling advice. Not sell picks.

Another lie that people tell regarding gambling is the existence of a winning system. Casinos love system bettors because they actually think they can win. While the best system might help you reduce the house edge, it will not tip it to your favor. The biggest example of this is strategy in blackjack. If you still think that strategy can help shift the house-edge to your favor ask yourself this: If strategy can become a winner why do casinos allow strategy cards at tables and, in many cases, sell them in their gift-shops? The answer? It won't.

A sub-group of blackjack players who might actually make money over time are card counters. If you want to judge their efficacy see just how quickly they get backed off and even eighty-sixed from a casino when playing their game. The fact is that casinos are not going to allow an advantage player to sit at their tables for too long. If the casino truly believes that you are gaining an advantage over them they are not going to let you play for long. This is especially true for blackjack card counters and advantage (or +EV) sports bettors at many books.

The lie of winning is only slightly less prevalent in poker than it is in blackjack. While I do know some winning poker players the majority of those out there claiming wins (and peddling a poker system) are nothing more than poker touts. They make their money selling you their "system" (which is usually just a rehashed model of something that they read in a poker book and repackaged as their own) rather than actually sitting at a table playing cards.

The final group of "winners" are the cheaters. While they may gain a win in the short-run the overwhelming probability in their lives is that the casino is going to catch them, and that they are going to jail for quite some time.

Remember that gambling is entertainment, and your bet is the price for that entertainment. The structure of the odds on all the games means that you are most probably going to lose in the long-run, but that in the short run anything can happen. The most important lesson to learn is that you are there to have fun.

So, do that.

Have fun, bet smart, win jackpots.

But if you don't, then don't chase your losses and get ready to have fun on your next try.

Health and Safety: Some COVID-19 Lessons I'm not Going to Unlearn

By the time you read this I will have been back from my casino trip to Tulsa for a couple of days. Hopefully, and the Good Lord willing, I will not have brought back any post-casino crud with me. I'm not too concerned about COVID-19 because I've got two doses of that sweet nectar of Moderna coursing through my veins (Sadly: I cannot shoot plasma bolts out of my hands, so on that front the rDNA drug was VERY disappointing).

But, and I realized this a few casino trips back, there are still a lot of fairly disgusting people in this world and, especially in a casino, you and they are sharing tactile surfaces. And let's not even get into just how filthy money and casino chips are.....

Travelling.

Once they allow us to de-mask on an airplane I probably will. However, if I'm feeling a little under the weather I'll probably put a mask on myself while on the plane. This is something many Asian cultures did prior to the pandemic and it's not a horrid idea.

I'll also continue to wipe the headrest, armrests, tray table and seat belt handles down with a sanitizing wipe. I did that to a limited degree prior to the pandemic after reading several news stories and studies that outlined exactly what is living in your airport seat, especially on the tray table.

Given the reality of full flights, social distancing can be hard on a plane. And that's fine, but where I can I'll do what I can (angry fat-guy face on non-full Southwest flights, booking aisle and window on less than full flights on other airlines, to try and secure that blesses empty middle seat.

Hotel

I'm guessing Mrs. TPM will continue to spray down the toilet, pillows, bed and other high-contact surfaces in the future. Especially the toilets. Look, it's been a while since I've stayed in a room that has obviously just not been serviced by housekeeping, and when that happens I usually request a new room, but housekeepers are human and, as such, make mistakes or omissions from time to time. Better safe than sorry.

I'll also continue to shoot the inside of my vehicle with antiseptic spray before getting in should I valet. Just remember to tip your attendant and let them know that it's nothing personal.

Casino

One thing that we started doing, and plan to continue doing, is wiping down VP and slot machines with a sanitizing wipe before starting to play. At first, when surface contact was a concern, we did this for COVID-19. I decided to keep this around after noticing, in my heightened state of awareness, how many men used the restroom and did not wash their hands afterwards, to keep this practice going. Mrs. TPM carries a small pack of wipes in her purse, she pulls one out and I wipe the machine down prior to touching anything else. This will continue.

We're also going to keep the practice of using hand sanitizer after handling money. If you did not know, money is NASTY, carrying all types of bacteria and viruses that are highly transmittable. My hope is that the casinos continue the practice of having hand sanitizer stations scattered throughout the casino but, if they don't (and given their cheapness they probably won't) we'll be ready with travel bottles for easy cleanup.

I don't want to leave the impression that I'm going to live my life in a bubble. On the contrary, I'm not. Even during this pandemic Mrs. TPM and I got together, laid out our sanitation plan and stuck to it so that we could keep visiting casinos. We traveled 4 times in 2020 and have already had 4 trips in 2021 with 3 more to go.

It's just this: It's not me, it's you. Not "you" personally, I'm sure you have wonderful hygiene and wash your hands properly each and every time. But many people do not and, because of that, we're going to keep some things in our toolkit to ensure we're at less risk of catching the NEXT bad bug that makes it's debut.

Unless said bug is transmitted through Vodka and Whiskey consumption......then we're toast.

Social Media: Changing Things up a bit.

One lesson that I've learned over the past couple of years is that I've got a great face for blogging.

After two plus years of (admittedly lazily) putting up video content my You Tube channel has exactly 38 followers.

If you're not familiar with YouTube stuff, that sucks. Which means, by extension, I suck at the vlogging thing and there's very little about what Mrs. TPM and I do that really makes people want to tune in, subscribe, like etc. Of course, it probably does not help that I'm a) Typically too lazy/drunk to remember to record shit, and b) typically too disinterested/lazy to actually edit videos.

It's not y'all, it's me.

With that in mind I'm making some changes. For one, as you've seen lately, I'm firing the blog back up. I'm more comfortable writing here than I am talking over there and I have more freedom here to write about what I want. Unlike my past trends, I'm not shutting down my YouTube channel, but there will be no more trip reports etc. There might be some room tours, and possibly come sports season a sports-betting vlog or three, but no more trip reports.

For future Trip Reports I'm going back to The Vegas Fanatics Board where I post under the user name "Nick Pappageorgio".  You don't have to be a member to view the reports, and I'll link to them on this blog, but you do have to create a "free" account to post on that board. It's ran by a couple of really good people who I support with $25 annually to help them defray costs, and also get an ad-free experience.

I'll also keep posting under @CoryWCrow (The PublicMoney) on Twitter. And yes, that is my real name. I don't put anything on that machine that I do not stand behind, nor am ashamed of, nor am I worried about my work finding something on there that might get me in trouble/suspended/fired.  Same as here.

When I started the YouTube channel I thought it would be a laugh. What I did not realize is that, to be perfectly blunt, Mrs. TPM and I are actually pretty boring, and we're not big fans of recording every damn thing that we do. That makes for a piss-poor Vlog if you ask me.

I'll be starting some discussions on there about the upcoming football season soon however, once I get my numbers tied down and make my initial plays. I'm looking forward to this change because I really miss writing here on a consistent basis, and I really miss writing about sports, sports betting, gambling, casinos etc. I'll probably throw in some travel related stuff as well, provided we're actually allowed to keep traveling.

What you're not going to see much of any more is a ton of politics. I was blogging about them for a while there but mostly because what we were seeing in the media and from politicians was a ton of bollocks. That doesn't mean that I won't talk about politics, especially as it relates to sports, sports betting or travel, but it does mean that I'm not going to revert to being a political blogger.

As you're reading this, I will be on the last day of a quick casino trip to Tulsa. I'm hoping you decide to check into Vegas Fanatics and my Twitter account to see how it all went.

Good Luck, best smart, win jackpots.

Video Poker: The Deal, The Hold, The Draw, The Miss and so on.

Video Poker is the worst game in the world, and I love it so.

About six years back I made the transition from playing primarily live poker to the video version. I'm not sure when I made the decision to do so but there was a point where I got tired of sitting at a 4-8 limit game, trying to snag the bad beat jackpot to be perfectly honest, and having some knob sit down at the table wearing a hoodie and shades saying "I'm getting prepped for the WSOP."

Uh huh.

There was one game, at a casino that shall remain nameless, where I was playing against a local at dark-thirty in the morning and he caught a 3-outer on the river to win a modest pot. He then started to curse me, calling me a "f-ing donkey" and other things that bad poker players like to say when they get lucky (to try and put the other person on tilt) and I just replied "You're a G-damn poker god sir".

Which earned me a profanity warning from the chair.

Gobsmacked by this I disputed it, which got the floor manager called over. I stated my case and he then told me I could either behave or take my business elsewhere. I took my business elsewhere and never darkened the door of that particular poker room again.

But I kept playing. For one, that was the game that I knew best and two, I really wasn't in the mood to go back to the cat and mouse game that is advantage blackjack.

Then I found video poker.

At first, it was the most frustrating thing in the world. I knew that strategy existed, and I was in the process of learning it, but I was still making a TON of mistakes and premium hands were few and far between. I had seen people who never played video poker before sit down next to me and hit a Royal Flush not even knowing what they were doing.  As for me? I thought I was never going to hit one. After playing live poker since I was 16 (at home games at first, then at casinos when I turned 21) and through all of the years, and five years of pretty much being a video poker junkie, I finally got my first.one. It happened on June 10, 2017. I held KQJ of hearts and drew the A-10. It was a progressive Royal to boot. Which was fairly high ($1638.92) and was one heck of a way to finish off the last night of a trip.

Since that date I've had 19 more. My lifetime count is 20.

Why the increase?

Of course, luck is one big reason but improved strategy helped a LOT as well. The fact is I more consistently put myself in a better position to draw a royal now than I did for the first few years playing. In fact, since 2017 I've only gone one year without hitting a royal, the COVID impacted trash-fire that was 2020.  In 2021 (over four gambling trips) I've had 7 royals, five alone in March and April at Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas.

Here's the thing, and (belatedly) the point of this blog: Despite the above the reality of playing video poker is much the same as it was in the early days. Yes, I'm better at the game now and have a better understanding of it. I can adjust strategy depending on the pay-table and I understand the concept and impact of penalty cards. (although, to be honest, those are still where the majority of my strategy mistakes lie)

When you sit down to a video poker machine the reality is that you are most likely in for a session of woe and heartbreak. That dealt 4-to-a-royal will not convert, you're going to miss on many dealt trips. I once missed on 78 dealt trips in a row.

The point is, things happen, bad runs happen and you're going to have losing sessions far more often then you have winning ones. The game will make you shake your head when walking away thinking "what just happened there?"

One additional lesson that I've learned over the years is to have fun. Video Poker is entertainment, it's not a grind. Yes, you can settle in and grind for points from time to time (especially if you're close to moving to the next tier on the loyalty card) but that doesn't mean that you've got to let it ruin your mood.

If you're on a machine where every hand is a miss and the money is falling away faster than Conor McGregor's career and reputation, take yourself a little break and go for a walk. Don't sit there and stew over it.

Unlike BlackJack (Lose 4 and hit the door) there's no real hard and fast rule for when to get up from a VP machine. But I have found this: If I sit down and fire two "bullets" ($100 on either a $1 single line or $0.25 multi-play currently, a while back it was $40 for $0.25 single-line) and hit nothing of note it's time to take a break. Stand up, walk around and regroup before firing again. Don't empty your clip all at once. The more you go Deal, Hold, Draw, Miss, the more frustrated you're going to get and the more strategy errors you'll find yourself making.

Clear head, clear heart, clear mind.

Have fun, hit Royals, smile more.

Good luck.

Travel Frustrations: How Airports Work

Let's be honest with one another. There's no other way to be.

A big part of the reason a lot of people hate airports is because they are either too dim, or too selfish, to understand how airports work. From carry-on luggage the size of small aircraft carriers to waiting until the last possible minute in the security line to remove the contents of a fair-sized 7-11 from your pockets to generally just not working and playing well with others, the dreaded THOSE people have devolved air-travel into one of the least enjoyable means to get from Point A to (after a stop at Point B and Possibly Point C) Point D.

Of course, it doesn't have to be this way, just as driving in Houston Texas doesn't have to be an exercise in shit-showery. Airports, like roadways, operate with a beat that's pretty easy to follow if you just pay attention.

It all starts upon arrival. Give yourself plenty of time. The TSA says 2 hours but the truth is, if you're in a smaller airport, that's probably a little excessive.  When I fly out of IAH or HOU in Houston? Yup, I'm there two hours early. Of course, I'm also factoring in a short meal and a cocktail. If I fly out of say, TUL? Two hours is way too long. I'm typically there around an hour before my flight and I always make it with time to spare. But read the room, if it's a Holiday weekend it might take longer, on a Wednesday in February shorter.

Second, If you're driving a car and dropping off a passenger please drop them off and clear the unloading lane. I realize you have to say goodbye, and that this is the love of your life leaving and you need to be with them for five precious minutes longer. But, you don't. You should have had sex/a last meal/last moments together the night before your flight. The airport departures lane is not the place for this to happen.

Now lets go to the check-in process.

This might seem a novel idea but once we hop out of the parking shuttle, before we go inside, Mrs. TPM and I remove all metal objects from our pockets and person and place them in our carry-on bags in easy reach.  Typically I go to the outside wall, put my checked bag (or roller-board) on the ground against it, stack my "personal item" (i.e. backpack or duffel) on top and put my wallet, car keys, watch, rings, FitBit, vapes, and anything else in my pocket in my carry-on. When I go up to check in the only two things I have still on my person, and not in my bag, is my phone and ID. I need my ID to check my bags and my phone to pull the reservation number from to start the check in process at the Kiosk.

In all the bag check process for us takes all of 10 minutes, and that's if there's a line and a crowd.

Security.

I've already put everything away so now I stow my cell phone in either the side pouch of my duffel or in the side netting of my backpack. The only thing that I have out is my ID and boarding pass. That's all I need.  We both have TSA pre-check (the best money you'll spend travelling, so I don't have to take off my shoes, belt (although I sometimes do because the buckle can set off the metal detector) or remove my computer items from my bag. I'm through security in less than a minute (again, longer if there's a line) and on to the conveyor belt.

When we hit the belt to have our bags scanned the process is simple, into a pouch goes our ID and boarding pass (you won't need the latter until you board the plane) we push our luggage onto the belt and walk, metal free, through the detector.  Yes, it's a bummer when you get selected for additional screening but them's the breaks. After screening we find an empty bench and start the process of pulling out our rings, phones, belts, watches, wallets, Fit Bits, etc. and getting them placed back where they belong.

Once we're put back together, we each head to the restroom, one watching the bags while the other is inside. After that, we usually head to some place for a bite and a cocktail.

Important note in these airport restaurants, when seated at a table, please place your bags either under your table or on the ground in front of your chair. Not on the table next to you, not in a walk way where everyone is going to trip over them, and not on a chair at the table next to you. This is just simple courtesy but it's not widely practiced.

On a normal trip we have arrived at the airport, checked our bags, gone through security and had a quick bite to eat and a cocktail (or three) at a restaurant, and typically it's still around 30-45 min until our flight. At this point we'll amble over to the gate, each of us will take turns making one final restroom trip, Mrs. TPM will run into a store and grab water and soft drinks for us, and then we put all of our bags on an end chair and stand up until the flight boards. I don't get sitting in the lobby especially when you're about to be seated inside a pressurized metal tube for several hours. Stand up, stretch your legs. Trust me, you'll feel better on the flight.

In my just completed mini-series regarding preparing for a casino trip I mentioned the importance of just having even the most basic of plans when traveling. This is a far more specific example but it provides you with some details about how we get through airports quickly and efficiently.

I'm a firm believer if most people would do this we would live in a better, and saner, travel world.

Give it a try next time you fly. Or, just make it work for you.