Casinos / Gambling, Las Vegas

I defy anyone to go to Las Vegas and not put money into a slot machine. Be very careful, a dollar here, a dollar there, another couple of dollars whilst sat at the bar, and yet another while you are waiting for your lady to come out of the restroom. It all adds up. Set yourself a limit, you won't be able to stick to it, but do try. The blackjack and roulette tables can ruin your holiday. Leave the long sessions to the people who go to Vegas for the gambling. Remember, the casinos pay for Las Vegas, some people win but most lose.

SLOT MACHINES!!!!! Especially the ones at the airport. I have gotten lucky a couple of times but have paid more than my share back. You don't think they built these gargantuan edifices with credit and good looks do you? Hell no! They built them 25 cents at a time by suckers like you and me who are looking for the elusive big payout.

One thing you will learn, provided you give yourself a push and make some bucks available is, that in the end the dealers always wins, no matter what. If you gamble a few rounds you may win a couple of bucks, but try a bit longer and it’s all gone. I made my experience and after winning about 200 dollars I got so secure and convinced that I could win more – sure. I left with empty pockets and my credit card did not appreciate that evening either. Well, at least I can say, I did it and now I know what the feeling is to gamble. It’s great.

Don't bother to stand in line for free pulls, the lines are long. Read the fine print on all offers. They say you get $40 worth of free slot play, but all they really do is RE-Emburse you by sending a voucher to your home after you leave...this voucher has to be brought back and you end up playing with the money anyhow.

GAMBLING!! Even though the town is pretty much a gambler's paradise, don't fall into the traps of feeding your hard earned cash into the one armed bandits! If you are going to gamble, at least try a table game. You'll have better odds that you are going to come out ahead!

Some people say that Vegas itself is a tourist trap. In a way this is true because if you get carried away in the casinos, you can leave very very very broke. Just ensure that when planning a trip here, you should budget for gambling losses.

SLOTS....slot machines can be set to payback at 75% to 99%. In the big casinos they are often paying out 75%. Not too bad? If they guy next to you wins $100 on $1, now YOU are the one making up for it. In other words you are only likely to get 75 cents on your dollar if you play forever all of your life! NEVER try to win big on slots. Take $5 or $10 and see if you get lucky. If you really like SLOTS go to a place that advertises 98% pay back (check Slots of Fun on the Strip). A little tip? The Dollar machines are set for better payoff.

What else - the casinos! This is from inside the New York hotel/casino. Advice: take only what you intend to lose. Remember, the hotels and casinos are FOR-profit businesses. You can get fortunate - I won $1,800 in one night off of the slots, but don't count on that happening every night. Take a little money, go have fun, enjoy the FREE drinks, and go home with ease in knowing you'll have enough money to make the mortgage payment!! :)

A lot of people get excited because they hear that casinos offer free drinks to gamblers. This is not a myth, but it would be pointless to try and do all your drinking that way. Imagine this scenario: after sitting at a blackjack table for ten minutes, a cocktail waitress offers you a complimentary drink. You soon run out of luck at the table, and feel it would be best to get up and leave. However, that drink is still coming. To redeem your free drink, you stay at the table and continue losing. Fifteen minutes later, your 'free' drink arrives, but you are $100 in the hole. You have just bought yourself a very expensive free drink. Why do you think casinos do it? My tip: buy your own drinks so you're not tied to a table.

OK, OK, it may be a trap but we sure had fun!! After 2 hours and uncountable laughter, we broke even. Not bad really, when you think of it.