Fortune Valley's Vakanas blazed trail as female craps dealer in Vegas

Carole Vakanas knows perhaps more than anybody that once upon a time, craps was strictly a man’s game.

Twenty-one years ago, Vakanas, 62, was the first female craps dealer hired by Hilton at the hotel in Las Vegas.

“It was in the ’70s, and we had no idea what we were doing,” Vakanas said, laughing. “We slowed games down, and we were not making any money so we got good as fast as we could so (the players) wouldn’t hate us every day. We were trailblazers.”

Vakanas, a craps floorperson at Fortune Valley Casino in Central City, stayed in the gaming game. She moved to Colorado from Las Vegas after “the town changed. Gaming opened up all over the country.”

She still plays a game here and there when friends come to town. “You have better odds of winning in craps,” she said. “It’s a pure mathematical equation.”

Over the years, Vakanas dealt to celebrities who sought out her table. “Fonzi was my favorite,” she said about actor Henry Winkler who created the character on “Happy Days.” “He’s a true gentleman. He played on my end by himself. He attracted a huge crowd and entertained everyone.”

Other fave raves were singer Gladys Knight (“sweetest lady in the world, and very good”) and Liberace (“wonderful”). But Cary Grant? “Rude to people.”

Staking out new menu. Increased stakes mean increased steaks on the new menu at Gregory’s inside Bullwhackers Casino in Black Hawk.

“We’re a scratch kitchen with everything made fresh daily,” said manager Patrick O’Hara. “Now, we’re using Angus beef.”

Gregory’s, which is located on Bullwhackers’ top floor, recently introduced a new menu with higher-quality items in bigger portions.

A gal pal and I sat down for lunch with O’Hara and Steve Cubbage, Bullwhackers director of marketing.

“We’re not trying to be a fine-dining establishment,” Cubbage said. “We want high quality and high value. We want that kind of ‘Cheers’ atmosphere. So much of what casinos are about is high-quality food. We want to make sure we’re better than the competition.”

The new menu includes hearty and generous sandwiches, salads (we tried the salmon salad and it was monstrous and delish), burgers, chicken, steaks and seafood. Breakfast, lunch and dinner hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

“Come here if you’re looking for a wow factor,” O’Hara said.

Did you know? Lady Luck Casino has the only fully lighted roulette wheel in Black Hawk. Before the new laws went into effect, general manager Craig LeVesque had to find someone who knew how to turn it on.

~ Penny Parker is a columnist for The Denver Post. SheÕs always on the prowl for tidbits and tips from ColoradoÕs gaming communities. Call her at 303-619-5209 or e-mail pparker@denvernewspaperagency.com.