Post by crimsulent on Apr 15, 2009 13:51:25 GMT -5
Las Vegas is my favorite vacation destination. I go every chance I get, usually 4 or 5 times a year.
While Vegas vacations can be expensive, I've found many ways to economize.
One of the best strategies is to join player's clubs where you play. I love to visit a variety of places, but as much as possible I try to confine my gambling to the places I actually would enjoy staying at. Room offers and other comps are directly related to one's level of play. If you only have a small amount of money to play it usually is better to spend it in one or two places than to spread it around, if you are looking to get discount room offers in the mail.
When you look at a breakdown of how much money the casinos pay out, you will notice that the casinos on the Strip are the toughest to win at. Accordingly, I rarely play at the big, famous places. They are super fun to visit, and often have great shows and restaurants to lure you in. But after the show or meal, I rarely spend any of my gambling dollars there. The downtown casinos are a little better than the Strip, and the Boulder Highway properties (e.g., Sam's Town, Arizona Charlie's East) generally payout more than either the Strip or Downtown properties.
There is a category of casinos called Locals Casinos that cater to the local Las Vegas residents. These are usually where you find the best values. These casinos are often overlooked by tourists. Some properties that cater to locals include The Orleans (my favorite), the Stations Casinos (e.g., Texas Station, Sunset Station, etc), and the various Boyd Group properties (the Fremont (downtown), the Joker's Wild (Boulder Highway in Henderson).
Players club cards can also get you discounts in the restaurants. For example, you get $1 off the buffet by showing your player's club card at The Orleans.
When I first started going to Vegas I signed up for every player's club I could find. That's not necessarily a good idea. Many places offer really nice incentive gifts to get new members to sign up. A lot of the places I signed up with gave me nothing. On subsequent trips I would see them offering cool stuff but since I had already joined, I was out of luck. Now the only way I would sign up for one without an incentive would be if I knew it was a place I wanted to get discount room offers from and/or a place I was definitely going to be gambling at anyway.
I am a super low budget gambler, but even at my low stakes I still get really nice discount room offers. Additionally, the points you accumulate on your card can be used to pay for meals, or even your room. As long as you play at least once a year your cards stay active. If you visit a couple times a year, it doesn't take long for points to acculmulate. The more you spend, the faster the points add up. Again, it's usually a better strategy to pick a small number of places to spend your gambling dollars, if you are aiming to be noticed by the casinos.
If there's any interest in this thread I might add more later. If anyone else has Vegas tips, please share them!
While Vegas vacations can be expensive, I've found many ways to economize.
One of the best strategies is to join player's clubs where you play. I love to visit a variety of places, but as much as possible I try to confine my gambling to the places I actually would enjoy staying at. Room offers and other comps are directly related to one's level of play. If you only have a small amount of money to play it usually is better to spend it in one or two places than to spread it around, if you are looking to get discount room offers in the mail.
When you look at a breakdown of how much money the casinos pay out, you will notice that the casinos on the Strip are the toughest to win at. Accordingly, I rarely play at the big, famous places. They are super fun to visit, and often have great shows and restaurants to lure you in. But after the show or meal, I rarely spend any of my gambling dollars there. The downtown casinos are a little better than the Strip, and the Boulder Highway properties (e.g., Sam's Town, Arizona Charlie's East) generally payout more than either the Strip or Downtown properties.
There is a category of casinos called Locals Casinos that cater to the local Las Vegas residents. These are usually where you find the best values. These casinos are often overlooked by tourists. Some properties that cater to locals include The Orleans (my favorite), the Stations Casinos (e.g., Texas Station, Sunset Station, etc), and the various Boyd Group properties (the Fremont (downtown), the Joker's Wild (Boulder Highway in Henderson).
Players club cards can also get you discounts in the restaurants. For example, you get $1 off the buffet by showing your player's club card at The Orleans.
When I first started going to Vegas I signed up for every player's club I could find. That's not necessarily a good idea. Many places offer really nice incentive gifts to get new members to sign up. A lot of the places I signed up with gave me nothing. On subsequent trips I would see them offering cool stuff but since I had already joined, I was out of luck. Now the only way I would sign up for one without an incentive would be if I knew it was a place I wanted to get discount room offers from and/or a place I was definitely going to be gambling at anyway.
I am a super low budget gambler, but even at my low stakes I still get really nice discount room offers. Additionally, the points you accumulate on your card can be used to pay for meals, or even your room. As long as you play at least once a year your cards stay active. If you visit a couple times a year, it doesn't take long for points to acculmulate. The more you spend, the faster the points add up. Again, it's usually a better strategy to pick a small number of places to spend your gambling dollars, if you are aiming to be noticed by the casinos.
If there's any interest in this thread I might add more later. If anyone else has Vegas tips, please share them!