“We always do,” he said with a shake of his head. I played along, said that it was, but that I’d be leaving it when I left. On the elevator ride to our room on the 29th floor (while it no longer holds the record, the hotel was the tallest building in the state of Mississippi when it was built in 1997), an older man with a cocktail in his hand joined us and inquired about my suitcase:

Their fun can be infectious, even for those of us who won’t so much as drop a quarter in a slot machine. There was no reason to do that - the mistake was mine - but it set a nice tone for our recent overnight visit to Gold Strike Casino, where we started at the bar, ate dinner at the Chicago Steakhouse, found ourselves in the VIP Lounge (more on that), and finished off with a buffet brunch the next morning. I accidentally ordered a glass of riesling from the iPad menu, realized my mistake when I tasted it, and was served the glass of Conundrum I intended to order, $5 pricier, at the riesling price.

Say this for the Ten10 Lounge at Gold Strike Casino Resort in Tunica: They’ll mix up a stiff drink and serve a glass of wine that’s about double the customary 5- to 6-ounce pour.

Gold strike casino