Gambling and superstitions about luck go hand in hand. Lucky shirts. Hot streaks. Coolers. Jinxes. Beautiful girls blowing on your dice. So it's no surprise that Vegas casinos have been prepping for the crush of gamblers looking for a little extra luck to hit the town next month, on is what is being called the "Luckiest Day of the Century": 07-07-07.
Which means the hotels - and tables - will be packed with fortune-seekers looking to cash in on the wave of cosmic luck in the air that day. (I'm guessing a good number will be less experienced. Look for the casinos to be the only ones getting lucky.) So here's a few tips before you put a second mortgage on your house and hop a plane.
Chances are good many of your usual Sin City hangouts will be booked, but several casinos are blocking off rooms, and putting together packages to entice you to stay, and play, with them. The Ritz Carlton, Lake Las Vegas (which is 17 miles from the Strip) has two. For $777, you get the "Savory Sensations of Seven" package, which includes a one-night stay on the 7th floor, a seven-course dinner at Medici Cafe and Terrace, a 70-minute spa treatment for two and a 7-themed breakfast the next morning. (Which helps if your luck ran out at midnight, and you blew your bankroll.) If you're looking to go more "high-roller", they have a "Seven Ways of Wonderment" package for $7,707 which gets you a two-night stay on the 7th floor, seven hours of treatments at The Ritz-Carlton Spa for two, 7-course dinner with wine pairings at the hotel's restaurant, 7 a.m. tee time for two players at either Reflection Bay or The Falls Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas and a $777 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus. Reason enough to head over for the weekend.
And as luck would have it, the 7th falls on a Saturday this year. Meaning couples looking for some extra luck as they roll the dice on marriage are packing Vegas' legendary wedding chapels. Many of the Strip's resorts have been so inundated with wedding requests they have had to become creative in finding new ceremony locations. (So expect to see an endless parade of Bachelorette parties, with penis-crown wearing brides-to-be and their drunken friends, at every club and casino. Which could be good, depending on your definition of "getting lucky".)
If your betrothed is set on the 7th being a perfect day to tie the knot, try Mandalay Bay's "Las Vegas Lucky 7" ceremony at Mandalay Beach for $1,777. You get a catered buffet, champagne toast, open bar, entertainment by KC and the Sunshine Band ($20 says they play "Get Down Tonight" while pointing at you), for you and two guests. Seems like a bargain, but it's a combined service, meaning several other couples will be sharing the alter spotlight with you. But on the flip side, you do get to say KC and the Sunshine Band played your wedding.
Restaurants and bars are betting on the 7/7/7 craze, too. At Wolfgang Puck's restaurants you can order a Strawberry Hardway, a cocktail based on the blackjack hand The Hardway, getting 21 by drawing three 7's. I haven't heard anything yet about $7 steaks, but I'm looking into it.
Superstitious or not... if you were planning on heading to Vegas, this is the weekend to go.