it’s so much more brighter than the sun is to me

Posted on By Wil

About a month ago, I started reading The Biggest Game in Town. After a few pages, a trip to Vegas started looking really good to me. After a few chapters, a trip to Vegas started looking like something I had to do. After about half the book, I was deep in a full-on, hardcore, undeniable Vega$ Lust. It was powerful, man. I’d look at my watch and think, “You know what? If I left right now, I could be in Vegas in four hours!”
I’d often randomly shout out, “Vegas, baby! Vegas!” While puzzled strangers looked on in . . . strange puzzlement, I guess.
Since I was in the middle of the Just A Geek rewrite, It would have been rather irresponsible to go, and the best I could do was watch Swingers, read accounts of other bloggers’ trips to vegas, and play iPoker. Then, when I couldn’t play any more, I read the great poker blogs. Hell, I was even wistfully checking the Vegas moblog at Buzznet several times a day.
Yeah. Lust. Hardcore lust. (Heh. That ought to bring in some interesting google results.)
About two weeks ago, in the midst of The Lust, a WWdN reader sent me a link to this amazing Vegas story written by ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons.

For me, it isn’t even about Vegas as much anymore. When you hit your 30s, your friends settle in different cities, get hitched, pump out a kid, start working 50-to-60 hours a week … you look up one day and realize you haven’t seen three of your closest buddies in 15 months. Vegas becomes the great equalizer. There’s always that first glorious stretch with everyone sitting at the same blackjack table, throwing down drinks, cracking worn-out jokes and busting chops, when you realize that nothing has changed. Thank God.

It’s a fantastic column, and it could have been written about me and my friends . . . so I’ve totally fallen off the Vegas wagon.
I’m done with the rewrite now, so the big question for me becomes . . . “When can I get away from town for three days in a row, and am I taking my wife, or should I even try to get the guys together for the trip?”
You know what? I think I’m going to write a story about Vegas.
Vegas, baby.
Vegas.

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Comments (77)

  2. I’ve always heard “what happens in vegas stays in vegas.” I certainly hope not. I look forward to you vegas stories Wil!

  3. Once you have been there…nowhere else compares. It is THE city. It is THE place. Sure it is all style and no substance but it is a helluva lotta style.
    Plus I like tacky.

  8. i just returned from vegas…21st birthday…brutal. spent 12 hours at mcarran because america west bites. i mean, its not my kind of town really…but i had a blast. it was so money…and it didnt even know it.
    cheers.

  13. (Short time reader, first time poster)
    Wil, I can sympathize with you entirely. My fiancee and I got bitten by the poker bug about 2 months ago and we have just been utterly caught up in it. We bought chips, we’ve gone down to commerce casino (Yes, we’re also L.A.) a few times. We even hosted our first home game for friends last week.
    I know the feeling of wanting to make the Vega$ pilgrimage. Granted, I want to learn the game and feel comfortable.
    If you want to dip into it slowly, I’d reccommend pokerroom.com They are the only site I have found that has a Macintosh interface. (I love iPoker, but it was hell trying to get the guy with the southern accent out of my line up)
    If you hit Vegas, I’d love to hear the results. Best of luck. And well, you’re more than welcome at our next poker night 😉

  14. Hi Wil…I was supposed to be in Vegas, well, right now! A trip with a couple of my close buddies before my wedding takes place a few weeks from now. I LOVE Vegas. You just throw away any kind of high-falutin’ pretensions you have about the way the world should be, and give in to the way Vegas is.
    I was looking forward to this trip, except on Easter Sunday I was about to clean my eavestroughs and I pulled a real bone-head move with my ladder and ended up shattering my elbow into a million bone fragments. I’m lucky I can still type with both hands, especially since I make my living as a journalist!
    So Vegas is postponed for now…if you get there before I do I’d love to read about your experiences. In the meantime, you might want to check out a movie called ‘Very Bad Things’. It gives the phrase, ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’ a whole new, and gruesome meaning.

  15. The link is broken. The link to the book starts with p:, not http:
    Just an FYI from someone who’s been enjoying you commentary for far too many years.

  17. I was introduced to Las Vegas via business trips. I helped run booths at COMDEX and CES computer / electronics trade shows. We were there to work. The computer biz crowd had such an uptight rep that a lot of the hookers were said to take a vacation on COMDEX week.
    Doing that a dozen times really gave me a different spin on the place. I got to see the “off strip” places where people live and shop and work, the pale underbelly of Planet Hollywood, and lots and lots of convention center venues.
    So, it’s not glamorous to me. Hilariously goofy, excessive, sometimes sublimely tacky. But not glamorous.
    Stefan

  18. Hi Wil,
    Greetings from Cornwall UK. Interesting thoughts from everyone about Vegas. Over here, we aren’t trusted to ‘mass enjoy’ in the same way. Where you have Vegas, even Atlantic City, we have got Blackpool. Tall Tower, dirty beach, fairy lights, fish and chips. Even the buses are open-topped, so when it rains. . .! Sounds great, eh? Even our Disneyworld is in Paris, France. Guess we can’t be trusted to have fun. Hmmm.
    Great site you have here, Wil. I’m a newcomer to all this blog stuff. I’ve ‘put one up’, but as to communicating with others? Well I guess I’m learning by the minute. Roll on the next Hour

  19. Even though I have now lived in LA for 2 years, 6 months and 11 days…
    Even though my friends are so money and big winners and everyone can stop and stare at the asshole and I know to double down and all about the skank shift and this place is dead anyway and I could have been goofy and I have dated the guy behind the guy behind the guy I have these big bear claws and I can’t figure out how to kill the bunny… and I yell vegas baby vegas.. I have yet to go.
    I gotta work on that.
    By the way Mark & Brian were talking about Vegas Wednesday morning on the radio…. which made me think… if you’re good enough for the BBC–why can’t we get you on the air here in LA now and then??? huh???
    hook a sister up.

  20. well i live here and you can have it. bah humbug.
    too many people, not enough roadway, dumbass tourists (no offense) and fake everything, no seasons except hot and fucking hot….but occasionally its fun, like when they blow shit up.

  21. I love what your doing Wil, Actor or no actor, i love your stories, actualy came here out of boredom no offnce but i remeber seeing you on the screen savers a while back and now that im stuck at home with mono, both me and my g/f are very upset about it, I have really started to love your site, your a great story teller and I’ll be coming here for years to come, if it stays this way. ~drschollz

  22. I’ve been to Vegas (Baby!) 4 times now and each time has been completly different experiences from the other visits.

  26. Two posts in one day. That’s like two cups of espresso after being caffine dry for like a month. I’m a little giddy. Actually, I’m saved. All of the blogs I read have been slow, and it’s been forcing me to actually *gasp* update my own blog. Thanks Wil, for saving me. You’re a pal.

  27. Vegas….uh-huh….great place….i love the free,cheap stuff the best….hanging out near the Bellagio Fountain…watching the tourist-geeks…like me….and the cornball pirate show…woo-hoo….i lived in Tucson for awhile…Vegas made that place seem chilly,temp-wise…LONDON…that’s my lust-for city…yessa

  28. Wil – in the meantime you know you have a standing invitation and can come work off some of you Vegas hormones with us at the weekly Sunday PJK (Poker Journal Keepers) Tournament. We would be thrilled to have you!
    –Maudie
    kebzweb.com

  29. May I also recommend “Bringing Down The House,” By Ben Mezrich? A terrific true read about a group of MIT students that went from casino to casino playing Blackjack.
    And taking in millions.

  30. Well lemme tell ya, after reading your site for a while, if you ever need substitute guys to ‘hit Vegas with the guys’, I’d be happy to step in. *grin*
    But I demand a trip to see Penn and Teller’s show!

  31. Wil,
    If you like Poker games online and you need to get a quick “fix”, HBO has a great game based on The Sorpranos. It’s called “Big Pussy’s Poker Heaven. It’s FREE and it has different Poker games. It is very addictive and it is worth checking out.
    go to: http://www.hbo.com and click on The Sorpranos.
    Mario

  32. I’d love to hear a great Vegas story!
    You know what? You need research, come on over, hang out, play some poker, have a blast!!

  33. Wil,
    Ive been all over this country and never really had time to stop anywhere cool. Vegas is some place that I would really like to go.. If I ever won the lottery. Because being broke as a joke isnt the ideal time in ones life to go to Vegas. Besides when I actually was travelling the country I was to young to have really been able to go and enjoy Vegas anyways. Seeing it from a distance though.. The place is like a flame and the people are like moths. I can see why so many people go all the time. Its got some kind of magnetic force. Just make sure you can pry yourself away when the time is right. =P

  35. i went to vegas for the first time only 4 short weeks ago, yet it seems so long ago!! i think about that place everyday….i had so much fun out there. i felt 10 yrs younger!! hope you get out there soon!!!

  36. I got to confess the only thing that’s given me the inclination to see Vegas is the CSI show.
    But then I am a goth so what do you expect?
    Hope you get to do that trip soon 🙂

  37. Instead of trying to get the guys together, jut get WWDN readers together and call it “Win Wil Wheaton’s Money, Or Die Trying”.
    Heck, If I had some spare change, I would play.

  38. Bill Simmons is a very entertaining author. I have been reading his stuff for over 3 years(he started as the Boston Sport’s Guy before moving on to ESPN Page Two and finally, The Jimmy Kimmel(sp?) show. More than any one I have read, he connects with my particular niche in society. His Vegas column is ‘so on’ to steal a quote from Swingers. He has written numerous columns making the same type of connection on a variety of topics. Very good stuff!

  39. First of all, I totally understand the Vega$ Lust. Totally. And the allure of having it be only 4 hours away is hard to resist.
    Second, I laughed out loud in my car this morning on my way to work (at a totally ungodly hour, I might add!) as Mark & Kim from KOST were discussing having William Shatner on in the next hour (to promote his new show). Because after reading Dancing Barefoot, he will forever be William FUCKING Shatner and that is *immediately* where my mind went this morning. Straight to William FUCKING Shatner, Dancing Barefoot, and you. Just wanted to share.

  40. I started reading all those poker blogs since you posted Iggy’s 3 little low-limit online poker tips. I see AlCantHang is here. It is yet another thing you introduced me to that keeps me from working (Fark, Homestar, UserFriendly, etc.)and I thank you for it.
    I think you NEED to go play poker in Vegas and write it up for us. It will be your little gift to us, your loyal readers.

  41. I have been to Vegas once…changing planes
    I want to go back and be so money that even I don’t know it.
    By the way Wil….cool Cocteau Twins quote
    …singing on the famous street
    Sean

  42. I bought a scratch ticket when I turned 18 that cost $1.
    I won $1.
    It was then that I decided to quit while I was even and never gamble again.
    End of the spectrum, meet Wil. Other end of the spectrum, meet Sarah.

  43. Funny, just went a few weeks ago and got my fix!
    It’s amazing how vegas gets in your blood once you go. My roommate has never been and seems bewildered when I get into my vegas mindset. It’s not just that “it’s the city that never sleeps or “what happens in vegas, stay in vegas;” and it isn’t even really about winning big, though it’s always a great fantasy you want to come true. It’s the allure of good friends, relaxing with other and making the memories and sharing moments that won’t necessarily happen in everyday life. The lame nicknames, wild characters that cross your path and the strange encounters at the tables such as that one legendary hand you bet big, doubled down just for the hell of it, and then WON, that’s what’s makes it awesome. Ya baby ya!

  44. I cured my Vegas lust 6 years ago when I went with my mother, my then 8 year old son and 18 month old twins. NOT the brightest idea in the world. It didn’t help to find out that my mother had booked reservations at Circus Circus and me, with my clown-phobia – would not step foot iside the joint. I heard rumors that the damn clown from Poltergeist took up residence there.
    Oh…and the 114 degrees in the shade…with 2 children under 2 and…
    ok..I’ll stop now.
    I’m having post-traumatic stress disorder flashbacks.

  45. You should have been in Lexington, Kentucky today.
    ASHLEY JUDD WAS HERE!
    Yep, she was with the Lanes End Farm in their corporate box at Keeneland, the thoroughbred horse racing facility in Lexington.
    Now, I couldn’t get anywhere NEAR Ashley because of the two powerful bruiseboys she keeps around for her security. I was going to ask her if she had any kind of a message she might want to give to Chilly Willy, but decided it was best not to bother her, since I like my job of punching betting tickets on the 4th floor corporate box level.
    Besides, she would never have known who “Chilly Willy” was supposed to be anyway. Wil, if you can send her a message, ask her how she enjoyed her day at Keeneland on the last day of their racing meet.

  46. I saw the link to “great poker blogs” and thought it might be Up For Poker 😉 That’s okay, though, you picked the granddaddy of all the poker blogs. Iggy will be happy.
    And if you’re ever in Louisiana, we’ll hook up for some real life poker at one of the many La. poker rooms!

  47. Hey Wil, I moved out to vegas about a year ago chasing the poker gods… been doing well and staying afloat just playing poker (although I am finally out looking for work now). If you need or want any opinions on places to play or vegas life drop an email. Enjoy your trip either way… it’s a hell of a town.

  48. i love the stories of fear,loathing,love and lust a la Vegas…that’s what Vegas is about…all your dreams,fantacies,nightmares,rectal exams rolled up in one sweet-and-sour egg-roll…all you foreign folks….forget New York,LA,Orlando….come to Vegas,Baby…Vegas

  49. Been there. Got married there. Going back next year to see a friend follow in our footsteps.
    And, seeing that I’m stuck on a business trip to Delaware starting tomorrow, I’m taking the short 70-mile drive east to Atlantic City one night.
    I look at it this way. I want to be able to stand proudly and say that I’ve been to both Sodom AND Gomorrah, metaphorically speaking of course. =)

  50. Wil,
    I’m a native of the Vegas valley, so I understand the allure that entices people. All of the aspects of the city run through your brain at lightning speed: neon lights, the sounds of coins clinking, the time flying, the smiles of the ladies , the fact that so many sins are so available so often.
    People talk about celebrity sightings sometimes because they happen rarely, but in Vegas its the norm. For example, our local paper has a celeb sightings column that runs several times a week (Affleck was gambling at the Hard Rock on Wednesday, for example). As a child, my Dad and I ran into Telly Savalas in a hotel elevator. In one of the weirdest exeriences I’ve had, I took an english class as a college freshman at UNLV with a niece of Tony Spilotro (sp?) (this was the fellow that Pesci’s character in Casino was based on). That later encounter was interesting-we were paired by coincidence to review each other’s prose and I read her name in the upper left-hand corner. “Hey, you know there was a mob guy here named Spilotro”, I said. “Yeah, that was my uncle”, she replied. “Oh….uh….sorry”, I said. How do you properly express the empathy for someone losing an uncle who was also a mob enforcer and was killed via beatings by baseball bats and being buried alive in an Indiana cornfield? Its a bit difficult. “It’s ok”, she said. Whoa. What a Vegas reaction.
    Anyway, I love your site, man. I also love the stuff you and your wife are doing to fight cancer. Really, really cool.
    I see you’re a reader. You might want to check out Plan of Attack when you get the chance-good book. And scary as Hell in a way.

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