Defining value..where do you find it?

The beach, NYC, New Orleans, Chicago, Denver, the mountains, the national parks - all are great getaways for a few days.  But I cant do a whole week at any of them.   I'm usually done by day 4.

Vegas remains the only place I can go on vacation and not be bored by day 4.   Thats the best value there is -  enjoying all of your vacation.     Going for 10 days this November.    

I play until I start making mistakes, which can be 4+ hours in a difficult situation (where the game requires a lot of concentration, such as FPDB) or up to 8 hours if I'm mentally mailing it in. I don't go beyond that because of the cumulative effects of sitting and inhaling smoke.

In terms of how much of my play is +EV: virtually all of it. I literally have no interest whatsoever in playing any -EV game. The average/novice gambler puts $100 on the roulette wheel, and gets a thrill or excitement or whatever. I consider that to be EXACTLY equivalent to tossing $5.26 over my shoulder, which I find not exciting at all. Likewise, if I were to play 99% video poker, it would be like sitting there for hours, tossing a penny over my shoulder every five seconds.

Most of the folks here consider Vegas to be an inherently fun destination. My fun destinations are: national parks, western Canada, Hawaii, New York City, Denver and the Rockies, and Europe. I like mountains and lakes and rivers and trees, and many times in my life, I've camped out for two weeks or more. So Vegas is a means to an end for me. I actually try to spend as little time as possible there, while taking advantage of what ever opportunities present themselves. That pays for my actual fun trips.

I've also shepherded friends and family, who were still in the ooh-aah stage, through the sensory and financial maze that is Vegas, and in those instances, I've enjoyed showing everybody how you can have fun and not spend/lose gobs of money.

@Kevin...Fair enough.

We can enjoy a Vegas trip for a 5 or 6 day maximum these days, partly due to managing the bankroll / budget. A fishing trip to some obscure northern New Mexico or western Montana trout stream holds a lot of appeal for us as well. Under the current economic conditions, managing a budget is a good challenge. In spite of that, the getaways are all enjoyable.

I can do a week at the beach or in Vegas.  I never tire of going to a beachside bar or restaurant.  I can sit on the beach and watch or listen to the water for hours.  Vegas is more fast-paced; the beach is usually more relaxing.  (Unless it's a shorter beach trip and I want to hit too many places during the trip, and then it becomes fast-paced as well.)  Both places have different types of value, but both are also expensive. 

Vegas is still probably the best-value vacation spot in the US.  Even coming into town as a Vegas virgin, you can stay weekdays at most of the Fremont Street Properties and the entry-level to mid-level Ceasars and MGM properties on the strip for $80 a night all in. Where else in America can you get a cheap stay like that in a major tourist destination?

The budget motels on the Intestate exits near where I live, in a rural area, are more than that. The only thing that would be roughly in the same price range is the 25-year-old Motel 6 with no amenities. Even the lowly Dirty Castle has a nice pool and numerous restaurants and bars.  I got a deal about a year ago at the Circa. It was $100 a night all in or about $40 a night cheaper than the 4-year-old Comfort Inn that opened along the Interstate near me. 

A real thrill for me is finding cheap dining options. I can eat pretty damn cheap in Vegas with BOGOs, dining credits, coupons and other special deals.  And I don't feel like I deprive myself of anything. 

As far as gambling, I don't do much.  When I used to come to Vegas 3-4 times a year year in and year out, I was a slave to play time to maintain my comps. I enjoy my trips much more now that I actually have the freedom to do what I want. 

And I still get comps! And I get them from three different sources now. I get the myVegas comps where I currently have enough LPs for a two-night stay at the Bellagio or any other MGM property I want.  I took the free play I got from myVegas on my last trip and parlayed that into MGM Rewards room comps. From them, I get three nights at the Dirty Castle, two at the Luxor and 1 at the MGM Grand, Park MGM or Mandalay Bay.  I can also stack those nights with the myVegas comps. My only real play goes to Four Queens and Binion's where for a little play, I get a buy one night at 25% off and get the second night free + $20 free slot play offers including weekends.  Plus, I got two free meals out of them on my last trip. 

I almost forgot Vegas is one of the cheapest places to fly into in the US. Great deals are still available if you have a bit of flexibility with your travel dates.