Penny Slots

Comedian Louie Anderson will perform at the 6 p.m. show with local Denver comedians opening for him. Silver Circle reception tickets are still available for a 5 p.m. meet-and-greet with Anderson, but space is limited. For tickets, go to historicgeorgetown.org.

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A star – make that a galaxy – is born.

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Jeremy Glas, director of food and beverage and executive chef at the Riviera Black Hawk Casino, got within a spatula’s toss of Michelle Obama recently when he and a handful of other Colorado chefs were invited to visit as part of the Chef’s Move to Schools program spearheaded by the First Lady.

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Big names hit Ameristar for Red Rocks CC soiree

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Johnny Zimpel winds down his shift slinging espresso at his parents’ new Central City casino Johnny Z’s a few days after its June 9 opening.

It’s the first new gaming property to open in Central City in four years, and the buzz factor is evident by the packed video poker bar and slot machine seats.

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Aina, a G-Girl in the Golden Gates blackjack area inside the Golden Gates Casino in Black Hawk, is establishing such a name for herself that she has her own Facebook page (search for Aina Golden Gates on Facebook.com).

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Such a deal!

Can you believe this issue marks the one-year anniversary of The Deal? When The Denver Post president and CEO Jerry Grilly asked me to jump on board as a columnist for a new publication that would cover Colorado’s gaming towns, I bit.

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Ah spa.

I have been lucky to try some of the best spas and spa treatments our state has to offer – including in Beaver Creek, Vail and Aspen.

But the most outstanding “Calgon take me away” experience was recently at The Spa at Ameristar in Black Hawk.

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In my last column, I invited Central City Mayor Ron Slinger to peer into his crystal ball to predict what his city faces in 2010. This time, I turned the tables to Black Hawk Mayor David Spellman (pictured left).

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Bullwhackers Casino in Black Hawk may be in the gaming, food and entertainment business, but gasoline? How does that work?

I’ve noticed the Bullwhacker’s gas station during each of my treks up the hill, and thought I’d ask Steve Cubbage, director of marketing for Bullwhackers, what’s up with that?

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It was Ray Neilsen posing for photos, shaking hands and story-telling to reporters during the “unveiling ceremony” and grand opening of the monolithic Ameristar Casino Resort Spa in Black Hawk Oct. 8, but the spirit of Ray’s dad, Craig Neilsen, was somewhere in the 33-story, 536-room structure.

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Carole Vakanas knows perhaps more than anybody that once upon a time, craps was strictly a man’s game.

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Lady Luck general manager Craig LeVesque is rolling out his vision for the rebranding of the Colorado Central Station casino in Black Hawk to the Lady Luck Casino.

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I’ve got to admit I’m crappy at craps.

A gal pal and I took an overnight trip to Central City’s Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino recently to bone up on craps and roulette, the two new games that debuted July 2 when $100 stakes launched in all three of Colorado’s gaming towns.

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The life and times of Lou Bunch, Central City’s most notorious madam who operated a house of ill repute in Pine Street’s red light district at the turn of the 19th century, are legendary, but local historian Tom “Dr. Colorado” Noel has his favorite story – even if its veracity is in question.

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When it comes to wheelin’ and dealin’ in Colorado’s gaming towns, Arlie House knows his way around.

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I wrote in a recent Penny Slots column that during an overnight at the new Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk my room overlooked the mountain that flanks overflow parking on the side of the building.

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You could call Eric Miller a chip off the off the old block. Miller, a Central City resident who makes his living as a building painter, is a third-generation casino chip collector.

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Freshly armed with a degree in journalism, Jef Bauer answered an ad for a “sports writer” at a Reno casino. But little did the neophyte know, the job was to write horse and sporting event bets for $5.25 an hour.

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Ask Central City mayor Ron Slinger to crystal-ball his city’s future for this new year, and he boils it down to one word: “Hopeful.”

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Eric Rose, general manager of the Colorado Grande Casino in Cripple Creek, saw opportunity in them thar hills when Amendment 50 passed last summer, bringing with it higher-stakes gambling.

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Ask Century Casino & Hotel general manager Mickey Rosenbaum for a tour of his block-long and block-wide Central City casino, and you’ll get a proud papa showing off his baby.

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Like those who came before him to them thar hills, Marc Murphy, co-owner of Bronco Billy’s Casino in Cripple Creek is a prospector mining for gold of a different sort.

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To call T Alan Roberts a character doesn’t do him justice. He’s a capital C character along with being the general manager of The Gilpin casino in Black Hawk. But his real job is to hand out T-isms like a slot machine that’s always paying out.

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When Famous Bonanza casino general manager Ann Dodson says her spot is a “family affair,” you can bet on it.

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