planning a vegas trip

ok, its time for me to head into Vegas, which means a lengthy flight and at significant cost.

What is the best possible way for me to minimise the external costs, i.e meals, hotel room etc etc, without the need for pre booking and pre paying stuff.

I am planning a late september/early october trip, probably in vegas for about 3 days give or take, and can be midweek, im also flexible on days/dates to avoid any kind of special event etc.

Last time i was there i was stuck at the stratosphere, and it sucked, way too far from anything.

Ideally i guess, id like to know whats the best way for me to get comped room nights, and a few meals, to help offset against any potential gains, and can this be done in advance?

Anyone got any tips or pointers?

cheers


Ringy

If you played enough to get comped in advance, you'd definitely know about it by now. You'll need to pay for your room in advance and hope they comp you after you play.

Las Vegas Advisor has a Pocket Book of Values that will give you several 2-4-1 hotel rooms downtown,and numereous 2-4-1 meals plus a number of matchplays. An on-line membersdhip is $37,which you'll get back the first time you use a room coupon.
American Casino Guide also has a number of room offers,as well as buffets and a couple of matchplays.
Stay Downtown and use some of your savings to rent a car.This way you can get to some of the outer casinos. Using the coupons from the sources above,you should spend less than $20 a nite on rooms.

without too much detail, but i dont live in the USA, and you crazy guys drive on the wrong side of the road so i dont really want to do a lot of driving.

I also only make it to Vegas perhaps once every couple of years, due to the large airfare costs, last time i was there was 2006, and i did not know then what i know now

So very difficult for me to become one of thier "regulars" however, ill be taking a pretty decent bankroll with me; thanks for the bonus this year boss

So i would like to do it in a bit of style, also unsure if the wife will come with me or not.

I have no real issues with being comped at the end of the visit, but i just want to make sure that i book in the right way with the right place to maximise my potential comps.

I think a "Planning a trip to vegas for dummies" post would be great

cheers

Ringy

Frommers Guide To Las Vegas has just that. To get your rooms comped,you pretty much need to play $100 a hand for six to eight hours a day in most places.

interesting

Well i wont be minmum betting black chips thats for sure, obviously at times i will be at black or over, but i plan to be green chipping, as a minimum.

in terms of gaming id probably do 3 x 4 hour sessions each day. my powers of concentration tend to weign after about 4 hours. so have breaks, pool time, meals, sightseeing, shopping etc in between.

Ive got a fair idea based on my planned bankroll and ROR% what id like to put in each day but thats i guess all part of the trip planning process.

but i guess the less i have to spend on accomodation, after already forking out a lot for airfare etc means more potential bankroll.

is late sep/early OCT an ok time to go? i was last there in early May 06, and while hot, wasnt that crowded, which was good.

cheers

Ringy

Climate-wise,its a very good time of the year. There are a couple of big conventions in October,which tends to raise the room rates of strip hotels.

I thought this was just MGM properties. Other joints (particularly the less expensive ones) don't have less stringent criteria? Playing $100/hand for 6-8 hours for a room at the Bellagio is one thing; playing $100/hand for 6-8 hours for a room at Paris is another.

Okay, you've got a decision to make, play for comps, or play for money.

If you go for comps, then you need to find a room that might fit in with your bet level. you need to book the room directly through the hotel, not a travel site/agent. Then you go in, you play your 4 or more hours a day, you try not to get caught, and see if you can get the room comped by a friendly host / vip services / pit boss.

If you go for money, then book a room that has your desired level of niceness, price, and location. Feel free to use whatever shenanigans you can use to get a discounted room, because it won't be comped. Play at it only as much as its quality of game merits, and bounce around to other places and try to make some money.

For reference, I the best offer I've received from the nicest casino was an offer from NYNY for 3 days comped RFB. I'm not sure what desperation caused them send that one out. I'm probably in MGM's system as an "$100 average" player, but haven't ever stayed at a property before.

If you're playing at lower betting levels, and you want stuff comped, you might want to try somewhat lesser Strip hotels, or off-strip / downtown.

Don't let the comps wreck your game. Unless your game is comps.

Does anyone have advice about playing where you stay?

That depends on how you play.If you are a BS player,play all you want and hope to get a portion of your bill comped. If you are an Advantage Player,I'd not give my hotel much play and play elsewhere.

great advice

Guys this stuff is gold, thank you for your help thus far.

No my game isnt for comps, im not searching or seeking on comps to rule my trip, perhaps what i should state is what im after? maybe the http://www.blackjackinfo.com travel service may be able to help and before you suggest im not staying at the Zengrifter Branded Bus Shelters or the ZBBS(TM) as they are known

Here's what im looking for: I hardly every get to travel to Vegas, once every couple of years, and im going to be in the USA to do some extra work outside my normal day job for about a week or so, and im going to tack on these days to the end of the trip.

So what im looking for is a place where i can:
A) Play Blackjack (win, lose, break even, whatever comes my way)
B) Enjoy a great few days vacation, i.e get a massage, have a drink at a bar thats in a pool , unwind, have some great food, do all the things you do on a vacation.
C) Stay in a great place where i can relax, unwind and feel comnfortable.

Whats my Budget? well at this stage im anticipating a blackjack bankroll for the trip of between 5-10k and ill set a hard limit each day so if i tap out there is always tomorrow.

Now id like to think that perhaps by me playing blackjack for at least a session or two each day in the hotel where im staying gets me perhaps a reduced rate or better, then great, but if it doesnt then i guess thats the way the cards snap.

I guess this ties back to signing up for the comps cards at properties doesnt it? which in itself raises about a billion questions in my mind.

I hope that helps somewhat

cheers

Ringy

Option #1: Aim to maximize your EV. You have a good enough bankroll such that you can probably get comped RFB at a cheaper joint. Your primary goal is to find a place with good comps and gamble there just enough to get your RFB; go elsewhere for relaxing. Advantages: cheap, high EV blackjack; high probability of walking out of Vegas with a big wad of cash. Disadvantages: pool and perks at your hotel might not live up to expectation, so if you hit a downstreak at blackjack, you might be very disappointed.

Option #2: Aim to maximize your luxury. Lower your blackjack bankroll and spend more on amenities. Pick hotels based on restaurants or pools and take advantage of all the perks. Try to get some FB comps to defray the cost. Advantages: amazing amount of luxury. Disadvantages: expensive, low EV (or negative EV) blackjack. You will almost certainly leave Vegas poorer than you entered.

Personally, I advocate Option #2 if you're not serious about blackjack. There's a lot of fun to be had from everything besides gambling, and if you're content with eating a $100 meal for $50, it's a great way to unwind. But if you'd rather eat a $20 meal for $0, go for Option #1.

Eventually, I'll figure out a way to play four hours per day, at an advantage, while rated, at one casino, for multiple days, without getting tossed. Eventually. Maybe when I'm collecting social security, because I haven't had the balls to try it yet. (I've managed four hours rated, but not contiguous).

Last I was there I played around 10-15 hours at MGM over 2 days, and was offered a couple nights room (of course, I was leaving when I found that out, so I didn't actually get it). Green chip minimum usually, spreading to two blacks. I hope I get some kind of comp credit when I return.

I find casinos are very stingy when it comes to returning money they already have. It's a lot easier to get a future trip comped than to get the current trip discounted. Of course,your level of play will come into the equation,but thats been my experiance

The way business is in vegas, and with that bankroll, you may do better than you think. If i go to gamble i always get my room comped and play for my food. I don't mind paying rather than playing for my comps. I've gotten ssooo many offers recently from the Venetian, 2-4 nights room (palazzo or venetian tower) with some food credits, match play, etc. Believe me the last 2 times i stayed there i didn't gamble squat ! That just tells me how they are hurting.
When i go for horse racing contests i always pay for my room, (rates are always favorable due to the contest) and since i'm playing horses i do not put in much time at the tables, and they always pick up some of my food bill, (if not all)--and my b/r is not as large as yours.
G/L however it shakes out.
Mike

Interesting. It's been a while since I spent that kind of time at MGM though, so maybe times have changed more recently due to the economy, etc.

I don't think Bellagio will comp rooms for $100 avg a hand even if the play is 6-8 hours per day. The avg is just too low

In May,I met up with an Army friend who was staying at The Venitian.I saw him play several hours of VP at $5 a pop.He said he had played at that level for several days. He was not a new member and was paying over $200 a night for his rooms.He didn't really understand the comp system,he expected a host would somehow walk up to him and realize he deserved to be comped.
A few days later,when he was back in Florida he called me. He visited a slot host just before checkout and the host supposedly offered him four free nights on his next trip.He claimed that the host said he could do nothing this trip as his losses were less than his theoretical losses should have been.