If nothing else, today I learned that I’m not the only one with casino carpet as a wall decoration (three guesses about which carpet it is). I got an email from a gentleman whose father manufactured carpets during the 1950s and 1960s. He made this one for an unknown Las Vegas casino, and now it’s hanging on his son’s wall as art.

It’s definitely one of the more charming examples of the genre I’ve seen. Dated, yes; tacky, yes; fun, absolutely yes. I’d like to see more of this, but in a modern interpretation we’d probably get fake Ed Hardy designs galore. That would make the old Trump Plaza carpet look like a work of art. For some reason kitsch for the sake of kitsch is intolerable to me, but absolutely earnest kitsch is fine.

Anyone have any idea where this was from? From the turban and the musical instruments I’d guess the Sahara’s Casbar lounge, but I honestly am stumped.

Here is a cool way for you to waste some more time at work:

A Las Vegas version of the classic "Concentration" game with images of Las Vegas Casino Carpets.

Uncover all of the blocks by matching the pictures of the Casino Carpets.

Coolvegasmap – Las Vegas Picture Game – Casino Carpet Pictures.

Have fun!

This is cool–a Tetris-like game that uses poker cards instead of blocks. It’s for the Xbox 360, and I’m posting about it here because the backgrounds were inspired by the carpet photos on this site:

Drop cards to create the best poker hand you can in each row. Earn more points for better poker hands. Don't let the board fill up

Xbox LIVE Marketplace | Poker Stacker.

I don’t have an Xbox 360, so I can’t vouch for the gameplay, but it looks like the kind of thing that could get addictive.

At last I’ve gotten a chance to photograph the carpet at Encore. I didn’t make it into the mysterious sky casino (which was not on our opening tour), but I managed to get some shots of the high limit room. Neat stuff. Check it out on the Strip carpet gallery.

I’ve also tweaked my background a little, making it a bit less busy and incorporating some of the new images. Look for that to keep evolving.

Since I’ve been downtown on other business lately, I’ve had the opportunity to update, at last, the Downtown Las Vegas Casino Carpet Gallery. There are some neat things happening down there, and some not-so-neat things.

My favorite “new” carpet (since the last time I’d taken pictures) has to be the California’s: it puts a new, tropical spin on the floral thing. It’s nearly a perfect match for the place’s Hawaiian orientation–maybe a spare turtle or two would make it absolutely apropos:

The worst floor covering–it’s not even a carpet–has to be the Western. There’s a Strip of remnants from the Plaza recarpet, then faux-oak laminate or something:

It certainly fits the property, which must be in the running for “most downmarket” casino in town.
See these and much more in the Downtown Las Vegas Casino Carpet Gallery.

The RGJ quoted me extensively in a piece on, what else, casino carpets last week. Here’s a sample:

Casino carpeting is a hobby for Schwartz. He has posted shots of casino carpets throughout the nation on his Web site www.dieiscast.com. They’re wild and bright and follow a Nevada tradition that at least dates back to places such as Reno’s Riverside Hotel Casino in the 1930s.

And the Peppermill? That carpet might be at the core of the concept that bad carpet is good for gaming.

“It is the essence of the whole thing,” Schwartz said of the Peppermill’s carpeting. “You don’t get rainbows and planets at most places.”

Peppermill officials defend their spaced-out carpet, although they say it contains a subtle reminder that the Peppermill may be the place where visitors win.

“People always don’t notice the rainbows in the carpet but they have a perception of good luck,” said Bill Hughes, marketing director. “Rainbows give us a sense of good feeling.”

And the black, purple and aqua background?

“There is a practicality side to it, too,” Hughes said. “You don’t want a real plain carpet because people drop cigarettes on it and spill drinks on it.”

Casino carpeting: Whats bad for the eyes is good for business | www.rgj.com | Reno Gazette-Journal

The Peppermill really has the quintessential casino carpet.

And I have become the quintessential scholar of casino carpeting, merely by the virtue of having enough of a sense of humor about the whole thing to suggest that I am a scholar of casino carpeting. There really is no such thing; my “essay” on the subject isn’t really a serious academic essay so much as a modest proposal for future study into the field.

I’m starting to think that people might think that I’m really serious about the whole thing.

In that spirit, I’ve updated the Atlantic City gallery and moved several old AC carpets to the Hall of Fame.

Check out the new look for the Taj–as much as I like what they’ve done with the rest of the place, that new carpet is really bad. It’s actually a step back from the old pink and purple stuff, which I didn’t think was possible. Harrah’s on the other hand has put a real winner in–I liked it so much that I included an extra “bonus” shot at the bottom of the page. This is clearly the best carpet in town, and joins the carpet at Red Rock on the “I wouldn’t mind having this in (a very small area of) my house” list.

I don’t think I’ve said this before, but Bally’s might have the worst carpet I’ve seen in a while. I know someone said in the RGJ article that the Peppermill carpet looks like vomit, but the Bally’s floor literally looks like someone had too much pepperoni pizza and grape slushee and suffered what competitive eaters call a “reversal of fortune.”

I’ve managed to squeeze in some time to update the carpet gallery. I’ve got new shots of the Excalibur, Luxor, Monte Carlo, Palazzo, and tons more in the Strip gallery.

I’ve also streamlined the downtown gallery and placed all non-Strip, non-downtown carpets in the Clark County gallery.

Plus I’ve added a Hall of Fame with old carpets and carpets from demolished hotels.

When I have the time, I’m going to make a trip downtown with the camera and get some updates down there, as well.

The new issue of LAB magazine is out (its motto: A wunderkabinet of creative culture. With a cherry on top.), and I’ve got an article in it about my virtual collection of casino carpet.

I knew that if I kept this up long enough, I’d end up in the avant garde of culture and design.

Of course, I’m sandwiched between articles on a collection of macaroni and cheese and one on a pocket protector collection, which I think is right about where this belongs. Great fun all around.

Check out the article here.

It’s hard to believe, but one of the oldest gambling con games is alive and well in the shadow of the Las Vegas Strip. I snapped some pictures of a shell game in action on Monday between the Tropicana and Hooters. Technically that’s not the Strip, but it’s in the Strip tourist corridor, so the headline is accurate. Click through to see indisputable photographic evidence and some homespun analysis.
Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve done one last thing before putting site work away for the weekend: I’ve changed the background graphic. If you don’t believe me, hit F5, and you’ll see.

Originally, the background just featured elements from the Bellagio carpet, but it now features bits and pieces of at least a half-dozen. Can you guess any of them? Hint: They aren’t all from Las Vegas.

C’mon, give it a shot…that’s what comments are for.

I’ve also spruced up the title graphic, as you’ll see. I tried the monochromatic look for a few days, thinking that I’d focus more attention on the text. But after I had time to think about it, it just looked boring. After experimenting with color, I’ve decided to add motion.

What can I say? Seriously thinking about casino carpet has gone mainstream. From the LVRJ:

We walk all over it, cover most of our floors with it, and, when we see it for the first time, proclaim it either grand or gaudy.

But have you ever seriously contemplated carpet? Other than its functionality — and providing a platform for generating static electricity in the winter — what purpose does it serve, especially in casinos?

Thats a question David Schwartz has asked about casino carpet. As the director of the Gaming Studies Research Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Schwartzs job is to contemplate all things casino. Carpet so fascinates Schwartz that he devotes an entire gallery on his blog, the dieiscast.com, to casino carpet. There, he writes: “Casino carpet is known as an exercise in deliberate bad taste that somehow encourages people to gamble.”

That may be true, but how? Schwartz says he doesn’t know, but there are almost as many theories as there are carpet designs. One thing he has noticed, is that, while it differs from property to property, casino carpet has a common element: It tends to be festive. Or busy, depending on your point of view.

ReviewJournal.com – Living – NAME THAT CARPET: WATCH WHERE YOU STEP

When I first created the casino carpet gallery, I didn’t know that it would be such a sensation. People really seem to like it–far more, apparently, than buying well-written books about gambling history. But I can’t get a deal to write a coffee table book about casino carpet. Judging from the hits and emails I get, it would sell at least moderately well. Any acquisitions editors out there interested?

If you are new to the site, start your amazing carpet journey here.

Yes, it had a very soft opening last weekend, but in my mind the Palazzo is now really open for business: its carpet is immortalized in the Die is Cast casino carpet gallery.

Clearly the color palette is related to the Venetian’s, yet it is different enough to have its own identity. But it still all comes down to circles and flowers. Remember, life is fleeting, so double down and live fast! But only if you take your marching orders from floor coverings.

As an update from the other day, here is a shot of the “three women ascending to heaven on a Tron light beam:”

I don’t really care too much about the story itself, but you can’t beat the headline:

Casino Carpet Unrolls on the MTV Awards – Forbes.com

Casino carpet, apparently, has come into its own. The thing is, I’m sure the editor was trying to juxtapose the “red carpet” of big LA events with the jangling noise of a Las Vegas casino, and it worked perfectly. “Casino carpet” is more than a description of a floor covering: it is an evocation of an entire aesthetic.

Over the weekend, Suni and I made a trek up and down the Las Vegas Strip. Of course, I took a few pictures of new carpets at the MGM Grand, Flamingo, and Harrah’s, as well as Planet Hollywood. See them all here:

Die is Cast casino carpet gallery 1

In the meantime, here’s a teaser: see if you can guess where this carpet came from:

I woke up pretty early this morning, so I took some time to put together the NINTH (I can’t believe it) page of the carpet gallery. Since I’m in Lake Tahoe at the International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking, it’s no surprise that this gallery has images from Tahoe.

Die is Cast casino carpet gallery 9

Serendipity? The MontBleu is on the cusp of history, as the new carpet is in the casino and most areas, but some of the old remained. So I got pictures of both.

The Caesars Tahoe carpet looks suspiciously like the Caesars Atlantic City carpet. Hmmm.

I just finished presenting my paper “The Revolutionary Ridotto” at the International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking, and I’ve got a little time to post an update. The conference is going very well–as always, I’m learning a great deal, and I’m sure everyone else is as well. For the carpet-curious, a late-night expedition last night resulted in photos from Harrah’s, Bill’s, Harveys, and the Horizon. If I have time over the weekend, I’ll add a gallery. I might make a trip up to North Lake Tahoe tomorrow.

Is it just me, or did casino carpet designers get some serious inspiration from these fabrics?

Ugly Couch Home

When I first started putting up carpet pictures, I thought that people might find it amusing. Little did I suspect that my galleries could serve up some series creative inspiration.

Go to a sneaker design contest that you can see here:KicksGuide Artist Series. Scroll down to the entry for Ryan Holler and click on the shoe.

When I first saw it, I was pleasantly awestruck. The idea of using carpet designs on footwear just blew me away. The card table and poker chip elements on the sole were equally impressive.

If you’re interested, you can read comments on the designs. It looks like Ryan is getting some real props for his efforts.

I was already having a pretty good morning–I finished up chapter 10 of Roll the Bones last night, and am busy on chapter 11 (the penultimate chapter). So it looks like there is plenty of inspiration to go around.

On the other hand, I’ve just realized that I wrote an entire chapter about the history of casinos in Nevada and didn’t mention the Golden Gate’s introduction of the 99 cent shrimp cocktail as part of it. Well, there’s always the next draft.

I’m back from my cross-country trek, the fruits of which are readily apparent. Already I have added an Atlantic City casino carpet gallery.

I had a great time in Chicago. Here’s me with a horse:

I think it says something that I go to a conference with dozens of historians and social scientists in one of the most exciting cities in the world, and the only picture I post is me with a horse. His name is Tate, by the way, and I fed him a carrot, which is why he looks so mellow.

I didn’t neglect my four-legged friends in Atlantic City, either–the Boardwalk Cats.

Check the image gallery for more photos–I may update it tonight if I have time.

It seems that I’m on the road once more. Today, I’m checkling in from the Barona Valley Ranch Resort and Casino in San Diego County. I’m doing some preliminary oral history interviews down here. It’s fascinating stuff. There’s nothing better than being able to listen to people who have been in the gaming industry longer than you’ve been alive tell their stories.

Very nondescript travel for a change–I just woke up at 4 and was driving to SD by 5. According to the odometer, it’s just 50 miles more than the trip to LA, but it seems much longer.

It’s funny how distances are relative. I mean, saying that it’s 50 miles more means nothing out here. It’s like, “Oh yeah, another 1/2 hour or so driving.” Back on the east coast, that would put you into a different state, and you’d probably have to pay 5 tolls along the way. It seems like such a haul to drive up to Philly from Atlantic City, but it’s just a 60 mile trip. Even so, I’d think twice about driving up to Philly for a 10 AM appointment. Here, it’s just, “I guess I’ll have to wake up a few hours early.”

On the positive side, the mountains are draped in snow, which looks pretty impressive. If I was a total moron, I would have tried to take a picture with my digital camera while I was driving, instead of just seriously considering it for a few seconds.

This is my first time at Barona, and I’m very impressed. My room is really nice–nicer than most of the casino rooms I’ve ever stayed in. I would say it’s the nicest, but that honor has to go to the Conrad Jupiters in Gold Coast, where I had a suite bigger than my apartment.

Also, the computer I’m using in the business center has a trotting unicorn bookmarked. Go figure.

I didn’t see too many stories worth passing on, so no news links today. Have a safe and spooky Halloween.