Casino Date Night
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I am much more of a fan of casinos in the movies than in real life. In real life they smell like stale cigarette smoke, and the quarters clanging out of slot machines rings in your ears for days on end. (At least, that's how it used to be . . . I haven't been to Vegas in a while. I hear now they deposit tickets to be redeemed like an arcade. Not much better.) However on screen, casinos are refined and glamorous, full of opportunity and daring.
There is an episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy enters an elegant casino in Monte Carlo and finds a single chip on the ground. She tosses it on a table in an attempt to return it to whoever dropped it and ends up winning 875,000 francs in roulette. Something about the scene has always stuck with me. Lucy is always a risk taker, in the casino or otherwise--sometimes lucky, sometimes unlucky. In this case, both. She had sworn to her husband that she wouldn't step foot in the casino, so she must figure out how to explain the money. She's lucky for winning the money, unlucky that the money is proof of a broken promise.
I find myself always wondering, what if we could dust things off our shoulders the way Lucy and Ricky do, with a look to the camera and a grimace? That's certainly not the way it would work for me in Lucy's shoes. In the end of the episode, Lucy loses all the money on a single bet. In 1956, the money she lost equalled $250,150. In 2015, it equalled approximately $2.2 million.
(This date is part two of our series 10 Ways to Change Up Dinner and a Movie)
Luckily for us, we can enjoy watching characters on the screen gamble without risking anything ourselves. That's why this dinner and a movie date feels so adventurous. Matthew and I wanted to create a date that recalls the elegance of casinos in the movies but that doesn't require us to bet away anything valuable to us. And here it is.
We suggest you start by dressing up. It's optional, but definitely accomplishes the glamor we are aiming for. After all, are we channeling Monte Carlo or Circus Circus? Dinner is an easy crowd-pleaser: nachos. Perhaps not the most elegant, but we think they are fitting. Diced ingredients on top of chips that you eat with your hands? And that's only three of the puns. Games follow. In our printables we have included four gambling games that are ideal for two people. Choose whichever you would like to play and save the rest for later.
Next comes the movie. We've selected a few to choose from, depending on your taste and mood. My go to would be Casino Royale but if you can't make it through the torture scene (spoiler alert) and want something lighter try Vegas Vacation.
Casino Royale (2006) - Official Trailer
CLICK TO WATCH: “Casino Royale (2006) - In his first mission, James Bond must stop Le Chiffre, a banker to the world's terrorist organizations, from winning a high-stakes poker tournament at Casino Royale in Montenegro.”
Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures / Fair Use
Photo Credit: Warner Bro's / Fair Use
Photo Credit: Universal Pictures / Fair Use
Photo Credit: Warner Bro's / Fair Use
Finish the night in the bedroom with our sexy James Bond card game. Add sparkling wine or cider plus chocolate strawberries and you and your spouse will feel like you've won a million bucks. Get the full breakdown (including free downloads) below.
Casino Date Night
Time: 2+ hours | Cost: $-$$ | Location: At Home | Level: Intermediate
Romance, intrigue, poker. This date will not be high stakes - but it will be high class. Start with a hearty dinner of homemade nachos, then try your hand at gambling all evening playing our custom two-player casino games. Finish off with your favorite casino movie and a fun card game for the bedroom.
Materials Needed:
Printable Invite, Bedroom Game**
Printable Poker Hand Rankings, Poker Game
Printable Blackjack, Bingo
Printable Roulette Rules + Wheel + Betting Board
A Small Piece of Cardboard + A Push Pin
Nachos
Champagne or Sparking Cider
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Poker Chips, Two Sets of Playing Cards
Casino Date Spotify Playlist
Casino Royale or Ocean’s 11 (or your choice)
Instructions:
Download the free printables below--including the invite, games, and boards--and print. We have given you two versions of the roulette boards (two 8.5x11s or one 11x17) depending on the printer you are using. Cut out the pieces as instructed (we recommend using a portable paper cutter for easy straight edges). Then, assemble the roulette wheel following the instructions on the print out.
Gather the your remaining materials.
Deliver the invite to your date. You could leave it out on the counter one morning, send it via snail mail, pin it to your fridge, or come up with something else creative.
When the evening arrives, have your materials and snacks set out so they look nice. If you want to step up your game a little, dress to impress (and advise your date to do the same).
Once your date joins you, begin with dinner - homemade nachos. They aren't ultra classy, but they are apropos.
Then move on to our casino games. We designed each of them with two players in mind. Play as many as you feel like and save the others for another casino night later on.
Afterwards, watch your favorite casino-themed movie.
Finally, as a bonus for you married couples, play our bedroom game while you snack on strawberries and sparkling beverages.**
**Our goal is to provide married couples a fun way to connect in the bedroom. If the bedroom game is not for you, simply skip it.
How was your date? Tell us about it on Instagram @makeadateofit
This Post was Last Updated 04/27/2020
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