LAS VEGAS — Reba Williams and her husband, Matt, say they come here "several times" a year to gamble and to see the sights.
"We play the slots, a little blackjack sometimes," said Reba, 52, of Menlo Park, Calif. "Sometimes we win a little, sometimes we lose a little - not too much either way because we don't bet a lot.
"Basically, we just feed quarters into the one-armed bandits and see a few shows. This is as good a place as there is if you want to see celebrities."
So far, Reba and Matt have seen Sammy Davis Jr. and Jerry Lewis perform at Bally's, Wayne Newton at the Hilton and Suzanne Somers at The Desert Inn. Before they head home on Thursday, they will visit The Imperial Palace to see a group of celebrity look-alikes decked out as Elvis Presley, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Buddy Holly, John Wayne and the Beatles, among others.
And, although Reba claims not to like boxing, she knows that the best time of all to catch a star in Vegas is when a big fight is scheduled.
"Sometimes, we plan our trips so that we'll be here when there's a fight," Reba said.
Reba and Matt, and hundreds like them, will congregate near the entrance of the outdoor stadium of Caesars Palace tonight. The Williamses don't have tickets to the middleweight title bout between champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler and challenger Sugar Ray Leonard, but from past experience they know that the list of those in attendance is a who's who of the entertainment, sports and political worlds.
"We try to stake out a good spot a couple of hours before they open the gates," Reba said. "When the limousines start pulling up, you never know who you're going to see."
Don Gugliemino, assistant vice president of public relations and advertising at Caesars, isn't always sure, either. According to Gugliemino, the list of celebrities for a big fight is constantly altered by late no- shows or unexpected drop-ins.
"If a major motion picture star decides at the last minute he wants to see a fight, accommodations often can be made," Gugliemino said. "You have to be flexible."
Barring unforeseen developments, Gugliemino said the Williamses and other star-gazers can expect Tom Selleck, Willie Nelson, Jack Nicholson, Bo Derek, Joan Collins and Gene Hackman to drop by for Hagler-Leonard.
