Everybody in our family won and so will you.

After checking into the Palace Hotel and Casino our family was on a roll.  My wife won $500 on the slots, my son won glitzy serious hardware as the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl Offensive MVP ("Outperformer"), and I got to eat that huge T-bone steak, eggs and hash browns anytime I wanted (and a coupon at check-in for a free dessert to boot).

At less than $40/night are you kidding me?  Free parking?  Chinese Express Restaurant (lunch and dinner chow til 3am), Cabo Mexican Restaurant (lunch & dinner), Pasta Cucina Italian Restaurant (dinner), Jack's Irish Pub (9am-1am), Starbucks, Johnny Rocket's hip burger joint, Bonanno's NY Style Pizzeria, Subway, $1.99 gourmet pastries all night, my Grand Cafe $9.99 T-bone steak anytime I want it, the kine bar over here, this bar there near the sports book, and did somebody keep reminding me about the Oyster Bar?

Best thing for me about the Palace Station & Casino (https://palacestation.sclv.com) is that I get it all and I don't get lost.  David Tua vs Lennox Lewis Heavyweight Championship of the World and I was always lost at the Mandalay Bay.  The annual Shot Show at the Venetian...I waste about 45 minutes each day because I am overwhelmed and just get lost.  Remember, I am used to living on an island, where usually the big decision is to go right or left on the main road that takes you around the island.

Did I mention the 99 cent margaritas?

At the Palace Station Hotel & Casino everything is like an island … except you lean to the left to go to Grand Cafe, Jack's Irish Pub, the inexpensive gourmet pastry bakery, Oyster Bar... while you just sort or lean right to go to Cabo's Mexican Restaurant, Starbucks, and my favorite, Wyland the Environmental Artist Slot Machines.

Now keep this a secret... my wife won her bucks on the "Wheel of Fortune" slots.... she claims that if I just played $20 there after she left that we would have won the regular $3.4 million dollar jackpot.  Now what is this "we" stuff she was talking about if I won??

 I would have taken a private jet straight to Samoa and “we”— us Coolios— would be polishing off the Vailima at Maliu Mai Resort, then oka at Tradewind's Bar, then Budweiser's at our buddies at Sadie's by the Sea folding last weeks Samoa News issues into party hats.  I know you want me to win... or vice versa... I will guaranteed be happy to fly in your Air Vailima when you score big.

My room at the Palace Hotel and Casino was like being at home, without the mess, a great work area for me to edit photos and send to Samoa, no dishes to do, and a huge flat screen TV...for when I needed a break.  Oh yeah, the break...I hear the whispering Oyster Bar downstairs calling me...where I could get a few blasts of oysters, or a big bucket full with clams, chowder, gumbo, and shrimp too.  And it’s sure fun, with people popping in and out next to your bar stool, all happy, shouting you a round of oysters or cocktail.  "Lo'u Casino o fiafiaga” should be the Palace's motto.

We are rocking late at the Palace because it’s still early for us island people. When the midnight unbelievable $1.99 specials are up at the Grand Cafe (Midnite til 6am), it’s only around 8-9pm for our time zone...and we are always stuck in that time zone.  We are the kings of jet lag wherever we go...except maybe the Hong Kong or Tokyo Sevens Rugby Tourney's right?

And when you do sleep late, you will be caressed, not by me, not by your wife, but by the most awesome breakfast buffet in Las Vegas, the Feast Buffet....just go forward curve and lean left, then up the escalator.   They give you a discount card at check-in, they have an omelet station where they make it your way, they have sausage, eggs, bacon, tacos, pancakes, fruit, pastries, blintzes, bagels....pant, pant, drool, drool...yeah all the wonderful breakfast stuff of dreams that you never thought you could have in one place, in front of you.  Pinch your thigh, you are awake.  And guess what, they do lunch and dinner too.  If you hide in the back booth, you can just move in and live there…it’s that good.

So trust me.  The Palace Station & Casino is where we ARE really truly going to hook up and warm up our drinking arms before we cheer on our Manu Samoa, All Black 7's, Fiji, and USA Eagles.  Heck, to get into practice for Hong Kong, I will even be raising my pitcher to the historic upcoming debut of our Talavalu 7's on the international scene.  Well, actually, it doesn't require that much of a reason if the beer is cold, the oysters hot, and the women are...oops woman singularly, better be my wife.

Manuia Coolios.  The Palace and the USA 7's are ours in just a few days... maybe we will give it back.