My Monday blog

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
Greetings from "The Biggest Little City in the World."

If Las Vegas is 24/7/365, then Reno is 24/2/365.

Only the Friday and Saturday night action in the casino corridor of Virginia Street resembles the glory days of Reno in the 1960's and '70's.

Mammoth properties like Harrah's, Eldorado and Circus Circus sit empty for most of the week until out-of-town visitors arrive every Friday.

Chad Rassbach, a race and sports book supervisor at Harrah's, bluntly summarized the level of business at his property, "We're dead."

Rassbach continued, "They moved our spot many years ago and we haven't been the same since. Of course, the apps don't help either. Everyone nowadays is betting on their phone."

And everything in Reno seems to be old and tired.

When dedicated sports bettor ComptrBob was asked for the must-see spot in downtown Reno, Bob paused for a moment and responded, "I'd recommend visiting Silver Legacy. That's the newest downtown property, but keep in mind it was built more than 20 years ago."

To highlight the city's struggles, Silver Legacy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy six years ago.

Casino business in northern Nevada absorbed a vicious 1-2 punch when the emergence of Indian casinos in California combined with the Great Recession of 2008 to double-team a city not properly prepared to defend its territory.

Reno barely survived the barrage.

Unlike Las Vegas, which constantly re-invents itself and seemingly stays ahead of every trend, Reno is stuck in the past, partly by design but mainly because of its small-town mentality.

Reno's leadership, going as far back to the 1950's, never wanted to compete with Las Vegas as a major international tourist destination.

And while some locals embrace the "second city" philosophy, others wish Las Vegas visionaries like Bugsy Siegel, Kirk Kerkorian or Steve Wynn would have landed in northern Nevada, not southern Nevada.

One bright spot for Reno is the recent arrivals of tech giants Apple and Tesla, an encouraging development which fuels the local economy and theoretically could prop up the struggling casino industry.

Major financial investments by influential tech sector members speak to Reno's trio of attractive business qualities: no corporate taxes, plenty of undeveloped land and an ideal location within the West.

But forget about Reno's race and sports book industry making a comeback.

Cookie-cutter bookmaker William Hill dominates the sports book scene in Reno and legendary Club Cal Neva Casino, once a horseplayer's haven, no longer offers pari-mutuel wagering.

Only four major outs here in Reno: WillHill, Harrah's or Caesars, Atlantis and the beautiful Peppermill Hotel and Casino, which is currently the slickest operation in northern Nevada.

Credit Reno for embracing its rich history but blame city leaders for not envisioning the future and failing to help Reno reach its full potential.


UNR > UNLV...Reno trumps Las Vegas when it comes to the current state of its college football and college basketball programs.

And the reason is simple: Head coaches Jay Norvell and Eric Musselman are superior to their overmatched counterparts Tony Sanchez and Marvin Menzies.

It's been a delight this season to follow Wolf Pack football, a team that invokes the tale of The Little Engine That Could.

Nevada's spirted defense supports a limited offense for a hard-trying squad that maximizes its effort while trying to win games.

Nevada basketball held an exhibition game yesterday against Washington at Lawlor Events Center to preview what is the most anticipated season in the history of Nevada basketball.

The Wolf Pack will try to improve on last season's run to the Sweet 16 with most of their major contributors returning for one more year, including pro prospects Jordan Caroline and Caleb Martin.

Both Norvell and Musselman stress team play yet they are best known for individual player development, a coaching quality sorely lacking at UNLV.


BY THE NUMBERS...My visit last week to Reno included two days spent with the one and only ComptrBob.

Plenty of words to describe Bob including smart, funny, creative, perceptive, successful and most of all, numerical.

"I don't believe in anything unless I can quantify it," said the man who described his educational journey as enlightening.

"I was a B+ student in grammar school, then A- in high school, A as an undergraduate at the University of Washington and A+ in the master's program there for aeronautical engineering."

Bob gave me a couple of personal sports handicapping tips ("Don't use revenge as much you do" and "Attack the soft in-game lines at CRIS") and then offered a universal suggestion for pro and college football handicappers.

"Study the symbiotic relationship between a team's offense and defense. Special teams are important too, Some consider the first play of an offensive drive as the kickoff or punt return and the first play of a defensive stand as the kickoff or punt coverage."


NAILED IT...Kudos to professional sports bettor RAININTHREES for correctly predicting a World Series matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.

And here's the key to the prediction: "THREES" made the call this summer and was rewarded with odds of better than 12/1 (+1225, to be precise) for his insight.

Much love for gamblers with good opinions and even more adoration for gamblers like RAININTHREES who test their daily opinions in the gambling arena.


MONDAY'S BEST BET...Let's go to the NBA where it cannot be any worse than my recent NFL selections (Lost yesterday with both the Ravens and Cowboys).

Play 508 Milwaukee Bucks -11 over the New York Knicks.

The Bucks looked fantastic last Friday night when defeating a solid Indiana team, 118-101.

Milwaukee recorded 27 assists on 44 field goals and in today's run-and-gun NBA, the Bucks set a franchise record with 47 shots from beyond the arc.

New York lacks the firepower to keep up with Giannis and Company so the 11-point hurdle (total in the mid-220's) should be cleared.
 
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Viejo Dinosaur

EOG Master
Great blog as always JK.....ComputerBob and Raininthress thoughts and ideas are impressive....sorry for the Cowboy loss...their coach got in the way again.....
 

FISHHEAD

EOG Master
RENO excellent for machine advantage play.
Be aware of the FLEAS.
Counterpunch with aggressive play.
 

Gabe

Horse racing expert
I enjoyed my three recent trips to Reno. Enjoy Atlantis' 8 cent baseball lines and 10 cent hockey lines.

The Atlantis rewards card is a must, very generous comps in a world where comps are harder to come by than ever. When my time is done in Los Angeles, Reno is high on my list of places to move. The people there are a lot more genuine than they are in other cities.
 

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
Thanks for your input, Gabe.

Reno is much friendlier than Las Vegas.

But there's a serious homeless problem there and the big tech companies are forced to look elsewhere to recruit quality help.

I'll try Atlantis next time around.

Loved the Peppermill, a true success story in Reno.
 

cheapseats

EOG Master
RENO excellent for machine advantage play.
Be aware of the FLEAS.
Counterpunch with aggressive play.

Someone expand upon this terminology please.
 

JAKEPEAVY21

EOG Dedicated
thanks for your thoughts on this fine Monday, JK.

I'm a big fan of Musselman, the guy is a really good coach and you can see that his players love playing for him.
 

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
thanks for your thoughts on this fine Monday, JK.

I'm a big fan of Musselman, the guy is a really good coach and you can see that his players love playing for him.

Love most college coaches with pro experience.

Nevada's head football coach Jay Norvell was,a receivers coach with the Indianapolis Colts.

He's a winner.
 

lap18

EOG Dedicated
I’ll be in Reno Thursday- Sunday. Staying at Harrah’s but I’ll be on the move.
Comp Bob, I’ll buy the beer if you’re around anywhere. Same to you JK but I suspect you are back in Vegas.
 

ComptrBob

EOG Master
JK, just got your "Thank you" in the mail.

The hours of banter and discussion just flew by (as it always does). JK arranged an absolutely fabulous dinner for himself, myself, my significant other, and her son at the Grand Sierra Resort's Charlie Palmer Steakhouse. JK, thank you again.

The GSR and Atlantis are probably the best places to visit in Reno/Sparks. GSR just remodeled their pool area. Both seem much busier than the other casinos.
 

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
JK, just got your "Thank you" in the mail.

The hours of banter and discussion just flew by (as it always does). JK arranged an absolutely fabulous dinner for himself, myself, my significant other, and her son at the Grand Sierra Resort's Charlie Palmer Steakhouse. JK, thank you again.

The GSR and Atlantis are probably the best places to visit in Reno/Sparks. GSR just remodeled their pool area. Both seem much busier than the other casinos.

My pleasure, Bob.

I'll see you next year.
 

John Kelly

Born Gambler
Staff member
I’ll be in Reno Thursday- Sunday. Staying at Harrah’s but I’ll be on the move.
Comp Bob, I’ll buy the beer if you’re around anywhere. Same to you JK but I suspect you are back in Vegas.

Let's plan to meet next year in Reno.

I'll invite you to dinner with Bob and me.

Travel safely, lap18.
 
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