Couple Vegas questions
 

I’ve been to Vegas before but I’m going to people who don’t have a huge “gambling budget”. We’re staying at the Flamingo but I’m wondering where to go for those $1-$5 table limits (blackjack, roulette, ect.). Also, I’ve heard that there is a new drink ticket you receive for each bet at the sports book. Is this true? In the past I would wager lets say $50 on a baseball game and would be able to watch the game while and getting feed drinks for the entire game. Are these drink tickets a new thing for the sports book now?

~thanks in advance for any insight you can have on these questions...

Casino Royale is nearby and has cheap tables. Not sure on blackjack/roulette but their craps table is $2 and has 100x odds, best on the strip. I'm guessing the other tables are similar, and my experience is they stay low limit even when things get busy. It's also a nice enough casino -- you don't feel like you need a shower right away afterwards.

Most of the places downtown are also fairly cheap.

Not sure on the sports book... didn't see any drink tickets when I was there last fall, but I wasn't at the Flamingo book. Remember to go to the Imperial book if you're looking to place futures bets.

Downtown is the best place to go for cheap tables. There's a couple of spots on the strip if you look hard, but they're usually full even if you do find them. Plenty of room for cheap games downtown.

If you're a poker player who wants to get in for cheap, Excalibur is the place to be. 1-3 spread game with only one blind, so you can play for a really long time.

Why don't you ask that aspiring porn actress friend of yours?

No, he said he wants cheap slots.

Damn it - you beat me to the "slots" joke. Unfortunately I haven't spoke to my porno chick since I moved from San Diego.

I second the recommendation for Casino Royale. It does get pretty crowded, but it is very cheap. Last time I was there, I got to play craps with John Carroll Lynch (played Drew Carey's brother) and Wade Williams (character actor most recently on Prison Break). Not sure why they were playing $1 craps (though they had more money on the table than the rest of us), but the table was hot enough that they had to reschedule their flight.

I played at a table with a guy who has making $10 initial bets, then putting $1000 behind each bet. Craps at 100x is about the best odds you'll ever get from the house in any Casino, so it's not rare to see big gamblers there. The sort of people who know what they're doing, and don't especially care how fancy a place is as long as the odds are good.

They come by often with free drinks, too -- last time we were there, Mrs. Leafs had so many that on the walk hom to MGM she assaulted a mime in front of the Paris.

She assaulted a mime? That doesn't quite get her as many points from me as if she had assaulted a fake-Elvis, but it comes close. :)

Does it matter what kind of odds you get? They pay out at even money, and a 7 is always more likely than whatever the point is.

dola

Nevermind, odds pay out at the actual odds, so there is no house or player edge.

The initial bet you make has odds that favor the house, but the second bet is even odds. So you want to get as much money as possible on the odds, which is why 100x is the best. The first bet is basically the price of admission to get the good odds -- you want that price as low as possible compared to the bet you're going to make.

For example, at the Bellagio you might have a table that's $15 and x3. That means you have the bet $15 with a house edge just to get $45 down with even odds. At the Casino Royale you could bet that same $15 and get $1500 with even odds, which tips the scales a lot closer to your side.

Casino Royale looks like the place to go on the strip for low limits.. thanks guys.

ANy thoughts on low limit casinos downtown?

I never play with a bankroll high enough to take full advantage of the odds, but I certainly get better odds than I would at any other casino.

Do you play often? What kind of strategy do you use?

It's our favorite table game in Vegas, but that's the only chance we get to play. I really have no strategy -- I consider myself a master gambler when I remember to put down $5 when taking odds on a 6 or 8 instead of my usual $2. Our strategy is to find a fun table, drink a lot, make some temporary friends and have a good time. Oh, and I also try to force the table to chant "Go Leafs Go" if I get on a hot streak with the dice.

You sound like my type of 'partier!!

Ah, sounds a lot like me. I tend to play the pass line and make Come bets whenever possible. If the table gets hot, once I've got all the numbers covered I just sit back and let the chips roll in. Of course I usually see a 7 hit just before the chips start rolling in, but that is where the excitement comes from.

Don't forget to trash talk the other end of the table.

And if you ever see someone betting the "don't pass" line, you need to drive them from the table immediately.

Also, the dealers are your friends. And I should mention that they're really friendly at Casino Royale. Once they get to know you, they'll ever chirp you a bit. My wife caught one of the older ones staring at her t-shirt, and thinking he couldn't make it out she says "It says Toronto Maple Leafs, they're a hockey team". He says "lady, I promise you, I was looking but I wasn't trying to read it".

I'm looking forward to my first Vegas trip (post-21) in March. Going with the parents and three friends of mine, to play poker, bet on sports, drink, you name it. Thanks for the low-limit suggestions...those sound up my alley. We're staying at Harrah's, and I don't really know where that is in relation to the rest of the hotels on the strip.

harrah's is right next to casino royale

I've never trash talked the other end of the table, but it is fun to drive away "don't pass" players.

I've never found the dealers at Casino Royale to be particularly friendly. I couple of them are alright, but others are downright mean. I'm guessing that the low stakes mean low tips which makes for dealers which don't really care. Some are good, but others tend to sneer a lot and make fun of players who don't know how to bet properly. I go there for the cheap tables and figure cranky dealers just come with the package.

I guess we'll never hear the end of the 'aspiring porn' co-worker....