The biggest gambling event in the universe, the World Series of Poker, begins this weekend at the Rio in Las Vegas and runs through to the $10,000-buy-in/no-limit Texas hold 'em championship July 3. The public is welcome to watch, but the main-event champion won't be determined until November. In honor of the tournament's 40th anniversary, a special $40,000-buy-in tournament will be held this weekend; the prestigious $50,000-buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event kicks off June 26.

More poker: This year, parallel tournaments will be held at Binion's, the Venetian and Caesars Palace, each with events every day in June. These tournaments have much lower buy-ins than the World Series of Poker (in which the buy-ins are $1,000 and above). The Venetian and Caesars buy-ins are in the $330 to $550 range, while the Binion's buy-ins are $100 to $300.

Wine discount: Every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Mirage, bottles of wine can be purchased at 50 percent off the regular price at Onda Wine Lounge, Kokomo's, Samba, Caribe Café and Cravings.

Downtown concerts: If you're visiting next weekend, head downtown for a free concert by Rare Earth and Bill Haley's Comets. The Fremont Street Experience's free concerts this summer include Jefferson Starship, the Fifth Dimension, and Canned Heat.

Q. Do you have the wheres and what-fors on a record-setting dice session of late?

A. It wasn't in Las Vegas, but at the Borgata in Atlantic City, where a New Jersey woman held the dice for 4 hours and 18 minutes at craps. She played without losing for a total of 154 rolls. It was an unofficial record, breaking the mark set by Stanley "Golden Arm" Fujitake,who held the dice for 3 hours and 6 minutes and 118 rolls in 1989 at Las Vegas' California Casino.

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