The first time Lori and I ever went to Vegas was for a New Year’s.  That was an eye opening experience to say the least.  From that trip until today we have been to Vegas a lot and have learned a lot.  All of the different theories and practices that we talk about now were born from that trip.  Hedge Economics, Money Management, and Day Structuring were some of those theories, but here are some things that we found out for ourselves when we were in Vegas for New Year’s for the first time.

How long should you stay?  We stayed for 6 days and this was too long.  I say this because we did not understand the Vegas effect on time and were up for about 16 to 18 hours a day.  This was brutal on the body.  In fact Lori got bronchitis and cough so much during the trip she cracked a rib.  Course we found this out when we got home and booze wore off.  Crazy.

How much money should you bring? Well, I thought that a good $500.00 a day would be about right.  Thank God Lori brought money too because I had not learned about money management at this point.  I also had not developed the theory of hedge economics and basically went broke at the Black Jack tables.  Lori on the other hand won quite a bit and kept the team a float all the while coughing and cracking ribs because of the bronchitis.  Did I mention she was great?

How many people should you go with?  We went with a small army.  There were 12 people in our group which things way more complicated had it been 4 -6 in the group.  No subset within the group were independent so all events were coordinated with everyone.  Total Nightmare. 

Where should we stay?  We stayed at Harrah’s on the strip which was a nice location.  At the time the north side of the strip didn’t have the Wynn and Palazzo, but there were so many people in Vegas at that time it really wouldn’t have mattered.  The key is to just be on the strip because they close down the street and all the casinos on the strip shoot off amazing fireworks.

All in all it is a great time but be prepared for a lot of people, long lines, crazy wind at night and your extra helping the normal Vegas debauchery. 

So by now you have been to Vegas several times; and have been getting rated for your play as you should, you are now ready to start reaping the rewards.  One of the better properties in Vegas for online reservations is Harrah’s.

Once you log in you will see all sorts of stuff that is specific to you, based on your play, tier score, etc.  You can see your offers, tax information from previous years, and general stuff related to all of their properties.  But you are looking for the reservations tab in the upper left of the page.

Now here is where it gets interesting.  It’s simple enough, you just plug in where you want to go and when and then it spits out your rates.  These are based on your level of pay, which will then yield more favorable rates.

You can also use an offer that you might have, which will also lower your rates.  They vary from month to month, but for the most part they give you basically the same type of offers across all of the properties (this seems to apply only to Vegas). 

Now what is really crazy is if you put in a companions Total Rewards number (in this case Lori) while you are checking your rates, you will notice even better rates.  This is really a great thing that only Harrah’s allow you to do.  Basically they look at both people’s play and decide what you are likely to do while you stay.  This is why it’s critical to always get your play rated.

Now if you use an offer, I have found that it will supersede the combined rating of both people.  Subsequently this will sometimes result in higher rates than just using a companion’s rating along side your own.  It’s really just a crap shoot so it’s always good run the same search a couple of different ways.

So if you follow these tips, you will always pay far less for rooms on the strip than you otherwise would.  If you do it right, you could get your stay completely comp’ed!

It’s something that you’ll notice a lot when you are walking in and around casino’s; the people in the black vests.  Now they are very nice and always ask where you are from and how long are you visiting Las Vegas, but don’t be fooled by this.  They only want one thing; and that’s for you to sign up to listen to some timeshare pitch.

This has got to be a cottage industry all unto itself, because every single property has something that they are trying to pitch you.  It’s crazy.  What’s even crazier is that they only ever really approach couples.  So if you are walking hand in hand with your loved one you will be “attack” with offers of free tickets, dinners, even free play. 

I am sure that you will be tempted by their nice demeanor, but don’t do it.  Once they have your contact information you will just get killed with direct mail pieces and the like.  I am sure that they all share the same database so once you are in the system, there is no way out.  And for what?  Nothing that you can’t get on your own through steady rated play in your favorite casino.  Just do what we do and split up.  Walk one in front of the other and act like you don’t know one another until after you pass them.  You will thank me for this advice, especially if you are walking from Harrah’s to the Venetian.  They are everywhere!

It really makes even less sense to “own” something out there unless you just have a ton of discretionary cash laying around because if you play enough the casino’s will give you free rooms, money to play with, great food, and show tickets while you are out there.  The fees and cost structure to any time share make little sense when you are talking about a city that lives to serve you.  Believe me, you are better off saving your money to double that 11 vs. the dealer 6.

So remember, when you are walking through and around Las Vegas, make sure you steer clear of the “vested” people, unless you like wasting your, money, and energy listening to elevator pitches from people who rather be elsewhere themselves.

Getting around in Vegas can be an adventure.  The lights and the allure is certainly inviting and you find yourself wanting to take it all in.  Well my friend; that is no small task when you consider that the Strip itself is over 4 miles long.  Throw in the fact that you could walk for days just inside some of these behemoths, and your dogs will start to bark.

So aside from the constant walking, you have a couple of options.  Taking a cab is your first introduction to Vegas.  Here is a cab line on a typical Friday night at the airport; umm not so nice.  However, the line moves fairly quickly and they have it down to a science so you will spend 30-45 mins max, unless we are talking New Years or something when the crush of people it tremendous.  The cost is about $23-25 to get you to the heart of the strip and is shorter if they take Tropicana to get there, but they almost never do.  So enjoy the tunnel and highway and hold on because I have yet to get in a cab that isn’t doing 90-100 on that interstate stretch to the strip.

Once you are there you can take cabs from one end of the strip to the other, but depending on the time of day and if the cabbie knows any side streets, this can add up.  Especially when you consider the time you will wait in a cab line, you could be talking a serious commitment.

One alternative is the Monorail.  Now I would only recommend that you buy the 10 rides for $35 ticket.  It’s the best value and you can use it for multiple people.  Plus it’s good for a year from when you buy it so you can use it when you come back (and you will come back).  This is a good alternative if you are on the east side of the strip and need to go a stop of two.  One ride is one ride so if you are at the MGM and you are going to the Strat, then this is definitely a deal.  The Monorail is fast and runs on time so it’s a pretty quick alternative at 10 pm on when Vegas really picks up.

So with a good mix of walking, cabs, and the monorail you should be able to get around in Vegas no problem.  I have left out Limos because they are just not a cost effective way to get around, no matter how hard they try to sell you when you are standing in line.  Don’t fall for it!

So now you are a Blackjack expert.  You have taken what I talked about in the first part of this strategy and now are looking for the payoff, right?

Great, so let’s get into it and talk about getting rated.

One of the main reasons why I love Blackjack is it’s a game that involves people.  As you know from a previous post on tipping, having people involved when you are gambling is always a good thing.   When you are doing well, having a good time and generally in good spirits good things are going to happen.  This is where getting rated comes in.

Every time you sit down you need to put your player’s card on top of the money you are changing for chips.  Now if you are not playing @ $25 per hand then this really doesn’t matter as your play will not be rated highly in a lot of places, or not at all in others.  But if you are; then now you are in business.

So now you are getting your money “washed” and the dealer is calling over the pit boss to get your play in the system.  This is where the amount that you buy in at plays a roll in the calculations.  Getting rated early and often is the key to elevating your status and ultimately getting your piece of the RFB (Room, Food and Beverage) pie. The formula is a rough one, but basically it boils down to the amount that you sit down with, what your average bet is, how long you play, and what you leave with.  

Since you are going to be gambling anyways, you might as well start getting some of the comps along the way.  Those start with small discounts on food and better room rates.  As you move up the ladder, you will get free nights and they will even start giving you money to play with.  It’s a beautiful thing.

You should use your card every time you do anything, but when you are playing at the tables there is more opportunities for good things to happen because it’s the pit bosses who are actually determining what kind of player you are.  I have had pit bosses in the past put in larger starting amounts, long play times and just generally helping the players like me out.  This is not going to happen every time you sit down of course, but if you are practicing Good Karma, then good things will happen for you too! 

So saddle up pards and let’s get that cocktail waitress over, I need a drink!