Here we are back in the Ohio cold after our trip to Nevada.

As I told you last week, my brother-in-law and I went to Las Vegas to participate in a Silver Strike Slot Tournament, at the Four Queens.

The three-day event ended Sunday with an awards banquet.

Willie came in at No. 58 and I was No. 90. Although we didn’t win any tournament money, we had a great time. Willie did win $1,000 on a video poker machine.

One of the participants in the tournament was a lady who celebrated her 100th birthday at the event.

She came in 42nd, and the individual who came in 100th traded the numbered souvenir coin you receive, so she would have a coin with 100 on it in remembrance of her birthday.

The lady was amazing. She got around with just a little assistance, due to failing eyesight. On Sunday evening, we went over to Sam’s. When we returned at 10 o’clock, there she was seated at a Silver Strike machine.

She was still playing when I headed up to our room for the night.

We had a great time at the Four Queens, and enough can’t be said about the staff. From reservations to housekeeping, everyone was friendly and helpful.

For Pure Enjoyment

One girl who always works the tournament was not scheduled to work for two of the days, and she came in on here own time, so she could meet everyone and take pictures.

At the Four Queens I was able to win enough strikes to trade for their $200 as well as have a complete set of this year’s strikes for myself, along with some extras for next year. I also won five of the Queens’ red caps.

We did get over to the Palms, and I won a few strikes. However, they were the same as last year. So we didn’t spend much time there. The same was true at Planet Hollywood. At Sam’s, I was unable to get a machine prior to the release of their $200 Strike on Friday afternoon.

So we went back on Sunday, after the awards ceremony. I won some strikes, along with a few red caps, one of which I traded for a Four Queens’ red cap and $10. They were out of $200 strikes, so I didn’t play long.

One of our side trips was to the Pawn Shop, which is seen on television. The show, “Pawn Stars,” is shown on Monday nights. We went on Friday. However, they were filming and you had to stand in line to get in.

Since we didn’t have time, we decided to go back on Saturday after playing our second tournament round. The shop is much smaller than it appears on TV, and not very neat but interesting.

I purchased a mug for my collection, with a picture of the old man on it.

We are now making plans for next year.

Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net