More Do's and Don'ts

Hi all,

Continuing on last week's theme...

DON'T: Drive slow in the left lane. This applies to all cities, but especially in Vegas. For the love of God, please help me keep my blood pressure down and just get outta the way if you're gonna drive slow. While I'm at it, this goes for walking, too. Thanks in advance.

DO: Tip cocktail waitresses. Sometimes I pre-tip them $1 to let them know I'm a good George. Sometimes they bring my drinks faster, sometimes they go behind the bar and point/laugh at me. Either way, I'm no stiff. I always tip $1 per round (at least), and these gals work hard for their money, and remember sometimes it's not their fault if your drink is wrong or takes a while to get there. Like mom always says, "Be nice. Or I'll slap you silly." I have a tough mom.

DON'T: Play roulette with a double-zero wheel. You're just throwing your money away. Try a single-zero wheel if you must play because the odds are better, and only use a little of your gambling money to do so. While you're at it, stay away from keno and those big wheels that they spin where you try to guess which dollar it will stop on. What is our fascination with shiny, spinny things?

DO: Tip your dealer. See DO above. Unless you've had a bad experience (and getting stiffs doesn't count, I mean they've gotta sing outta tune loudly, throw cards or dice at you, etc), you should tip them either while you are playing, before they go on break, or both. They don't expect it if you're losing horribly, but it's still nice to give them something for the effort.

DON'T: Be afraid to give craps a try. While it may look complicated and intimidating, in terms of excitement and a low house edge it's one of the best values in the casino. If you can learn the basic rules and how to make a few simple bets, and get just a little lucky, you might find that the craps table is one of the highlights of your trip.

DO: Be aware of where your drink is. Spilling a drink on the table is a waste of booze and a pain in the butt for everyone around you.

DON'T: Get ill humored with the dealer. While kidding around with them about how they are cruel and horrible to beat your 20 with their 21 is fun, it's just plain lame and obnoxious to act as if they are truly trying to make you lose. They don't control the cards, they just turn them over. Keep it all in good fun.

DO: Visit my website where you'll get lots of great information about Vegas. Plus, you can win a cool luggage tag, see lots of great pictures from my Flickr group, buy my book for more tips about Vegas, and much, much more!

Viva,
Mike

Vegas Do's and Don'ts

The Travel Chanel has specials on Vegas all the time. One of their traditional shows is a "what to do and what not to do in Vegas" episode. I have my own take on this:

DO: Prepare yourself for your trip by remembering ibuprofen, antacids, and band-aids (for those blisters you'll get on your feet). You may be inclined to walk a lot, eat/drink a lot, and fall down a lot while cruising the Strip. Be prepared.

DON'T: Be in a hurry. Depending on when you go to Vegas and what you want to do, you may be stuck in lines (for buffets, for clubs, waiting for a $5 table, etc.) and stuck in traffic, especially on the Strip. Be patient; it's well worth the wait.

DO: Study the games you want to play (beginning gamblers) and practice the games before you go to Vegas (beginners through advanced):

• Take out a deck of cards and deal yourself some blackjack; study a basic strategy chart (available in my book, by the way) so that you're not making bad moves/bets at the tables.
• If you play video poker, there are a lot of great sites where you can practice and buy software to simulate the machines in Vegas. Bob Dancer is an expert - try his website.
• For many games, you can take lessons at the casino.
• If you play slots, well, practice pushing a button or pulling a lever.

DON'T: Sit at the table for a year, trying to decide what to do. Hit or stand? Back up your Come bet with odds? If you don't know the answer to the question pretty quickly, you're in trouble. You should practice (see DO above) before you get to Vegas. Taking a long time to make a decision is bad for you because it usually means you're going on luck or hunches, and it's annoying to everyone else at the table who is in a hurry to lose their money.

DO: Take a break and see the sights, regardless of whether you are winning or losing. Walk outside, watch the fountain show at Bellagio, talk to crazy people on the street, whatever. A break in the action will do your weary degenerate gambling soul some good.

More next week!

Viva,
Mike

Where are the discounts?

With the economy in not-so-great shape and Las Vegas tourism struggling, I'm surprised that there are not more discount offers from hotels, airlines, and travel sites. I did a quick search, picking sites at random and found that there's not a ton of interest in getting the average, thrifty visitors to Las Vegas.

The airlines and travel sites have their usual discounts listed, but nothing to suggest that there's a reduction in bookings. I'm expecting more widespread promitions like I found on Vegas.com, which has a big banner announcing savings of up to $200. Or the giant HOT DEALS button on the Riviera's site.

I also haven't received any offers via mail or e-mail. Now my action is not such that I'll get a ton of offers, but I usually receive something once or twice per year, at least. I would expect that during this crunch, casinos would start reaching out a little farther to entice folks.

Without a little more aggressive marketing and promotions for discount offers, the Las Vegas tourism industry is going to continue to see declining numbers until the economy picks up, which, from all indications, could be 6 months to 1 year.

I guess I'm surprised - mostly because they hit their target markets pretty heavily during the good times. Why not extend that to travelers when they don't have as many dollars in their pockets???

Viva,
Mike

News & Coming Attractions

Hi all,

Vegas News:

According to the Las Vegas Advisor and the Las Vegas Sun, Cher has cancelled all of shows at Caesars Palace through the end of the year due to a health issue. If you have purchased tickets, you can get a refund for tickets if you've purchased them.

Simplifying Las Vegas News:

I'm very excited about what's coming up for Simplifying Las Vegas. It's going to take a little time, but it'll be really cool when it's done.

Website:

New tabs, new design, new reader poll, and a trivia quiz for fun.

Book:

The 2009 version of SLV is in the works, and it'll be even more packed with goodies than the first version.

In the meantime, if you have suggestions or requests for the website or book, please send me an email. I'm always happy to hear from you!

Viva,

Mike

New Survey Winner, New Reader Poll

Hi Vegas fans,

First, contrats go out to Bess from New York, who was this month's winner of the cool luggage tag. Didn't win this month? Fill out the survey to try to win for October. Good luck!

Second, I've decided to start a poll. No, not a stripper poll - there's already plenty of those in Vegas. This is a reader poll. At first I was going to start with a lame topic, like "what's your favorite free show in Vegas?" But then I thought I'd save the lame ones for later, when I run out of ideas. Instead, I started with one that anyone could answer, regardless of whether you've never been to Sin City or have visited there a million times: "What's the best part of planning a trip to Vegas?" Answer it and see others' answers on my site.

With the economic crisis, it's actually a good time to plan a trip to Vegas. You'll get good rates right now, and if you plan far enough ahead, you may even be able to withdraw money from your bank so you can gamble while you're there!

Viva,
Mike