The big news in the hotel arena will be the late 2008 opening of Encore, the sequel to the popular and successful Wynn Las Vegas. At a projected cost of more than $2 billion, the hotel will be connected to Wynn but will function independently with more than 2,000 rooms in a 61-story tower, a 40,000-square-foot casino, restaurants, nightclubs, entertainment facilities, its own pool and spa, and more.

Powerhouse locals’ developer Stations Casino will debut their latest creation with Aliante Station on the far north side of the city. The company plans to build on its huge success at places like Red Rock Resort and Green Valley Ranch with an upscale, boutique hotel that will feature 200 rooms, a big casino, restaurants, movie theaters, and all of the bells and whistles that bring the neighbors out of their houses to play. It is slated to open in late 2008.

Over on the east side of town, The Eastside Cannery is scheduled to open by the fall of 2008. A sister property to the north side locals’ favorite The Cannery, it is going up on Boulder Highway just down the road a stretch from hotels like Sam’s Town and Boulder Station. When complete it will feature more than 300 rooms, a 65,000-square-foot casino, restaurants, a nightclub, and more.

Then of course there’s Trump International, a condo-hotel project with no casino slated to open in early 2008.

There will be lots of activity happening at existing hotels with major construction at Caesars Palace and their new $1 billion tower, the Hard Rock with a $750 million expansion, and the Tropicana which is getting a $2 billion makeover with new just about everything. None of that is expected to open until 2009 so it’ll primarily just be dusty and noisy in 2008.

In the showrooms there are three big things to look forward to. As Celine Dion’s big show at Caesars winds to a close this December, the Divine Miss M, Bette Midler, is waiting in the wings to take over the stage at the Colosseum. Her show is almost guaranteed to be one of the biggest, brashest spectacles in town when it bows in February.

Meanwhile the Broadway trend will try again with the opening of “Jersey Boys” at The Palazzo. The Tony-Award winner is based on the lives and career of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and features such pop classics as “Earth Angel,” “Sherry,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man.” It is scheduled to open in January of 2008, a few weeks after the hotel debuts in late December.

Cirque du Soleil’s sixth(!!) show will be opening at Luxor in the summer of 2008 and will feature illusionist Criss Angel of A&E’s “Mindfreak” series. The details are being kept under wraps but it is pretty much guaranteed to feature Angel’s mind-bending magic and Cirque’s mind-bending theatricality.

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Question: I want to try my hand at blackjack but I’m worried about slowing down the table or messing up. Can you recommend a casino that is beginner friendly?

Answer: First off, don't worry about other people at the table. Some will attempt to tell you that blackjack is a "team sport" - I say to heck with that. Unless they're going to share their winnings I'm only playing for myself. So don't concern yourself with what other players may think of how you are playing - it will only distract you from getting the most enjoyment out of the game.

As far as good places for beginners, it's a general rule of thumb that the lower the stakes the more novice the players. Don't go to a $25 minimum table and expect it to move slowly. Find yourself a $1 or $5 table and odds are more people at the table are going to be around the same skill level as you.

Those $1 tables are harder and harder to find of course. The Sahara, historically, has had $1 blackjack but new owners may change that bit of tradition. Even when they are there you’ll have a hard time finding an empty chair at one. Most often you'll have to try the smaller independent casinos like O'Shea's or Casino Royale on the Strip near The Flamingo, go Downtown (Fremont, California, etc.), or head to the neighborhood casinos which often have lower limits although it’s worth nothing that $5 is usually the lowest you’re going to find in most casinos.

Also don't forget that most casinos offer gaming instruction lessons. Check at the casino cage or player's club of any casino you happen to wander into to find out if there is a blackjack lesson anytime soon.

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