Poll - 2020-01-08 | Las Vegas Advisor

We ran across an article on TheTravel.com "Ten Mistakes All Rookies Make Their First Time in Las Vegas" and realized that it's been so long that the vast majority of us -- writers, staff, subscribers, readers -- have been Vegas rookies that it would be instructive and entertaining to take a poll on the subject.

The first 10 mistakes among the choices are from the web post, in TheTravels' order (1-10); the rest we thought up and got an amazing outpouring of suggestions by you, for which we're always and ever grateful. (The list is long and there was no point in alphabetizing it; sorry if you have to scroll a lot to find your faves, but we highly recommend that you get to the bottom.) You can select as many of the options as you like.

8567 Total Votes

Think everywhere is close

5% (387)

Don't join the players club

4% (376)

Expect to win big

4% (357)

Believe a slot machine is "due"

4% (326)

Don't wear comfortable walking shoes

4% (302)

Don't drink enough water to stay well-hydrated

3% (273)

And last but not least, don't read this website, subscribe to the Advisor, and use the MRB coupons

3% (271)

Try to see everything on that first trip

3% (266)

Drink too much

3% (254)

Go to a timeshare presentation for something free in return (and believe that it will only take the allotted time)

3% (247)

Play 6-5 blackjack

3% (246)

Not see downtown

3% (236)

... And never leave the Strip

3% (230)

Spend your entire gaming budget the first day (then dip into your vacation money).

3% (225)

Think that food everywhere is cheap

3% (224)

Pay full price for a show

3% (218)

Borrow money from your credit card if you run out of cash.

2% (209)

Don't tip the the housekeepers

2% (188)

Don't check for room deals before booking

2% (161)

Pay for drinks

2% (157)

Eat at fast-food chains same as at home

2% (155)

Pack eight outfits and five pair of shoes for a three day trip

2% (152)

Believe that prostitution is legal

2% (148)

Try to cross the Strip by jaywalking

2% (145)

Miss all the free entertainment

2% (142)

Play triple-zero roulette

2% (140)

Drive on the Strip, especially on a Friday/Saturday night

2% (135)

Eat only at buffets

2% (133)

Take gambling advice from the guy playing next to you

2% (131)

Ignore dealer's up card; go with your gut

1% (123)

Forget to sleep

1% (115)

Don't ask for comps when playing table games

1% (110)

Forget to cash out TITOs

1% (108)

Don't use the room safe

1% (108)

Forget your manners

1% (107)

Try to hail a cab on the street

1% (106)

Don't rent a car

1% (102)

Don't see at least one grand show or attraction (and don't get a good seat)

1% (100)

Forget your Chapstick

1% (97)

Bring only dressy clothes.

1% (93)

Misjudge the time it takes to get back to the airport

1% (86)

Try to see the Grand Canyon in one day

1% (73)

Don't prepare a wish list before arriving

1% (73)

Eat at normal meal times (lines are longer)

1% (70)

Use a travel agent for air/hotel.

1% (67)

Forget to bring your phone charger.

1% (65)

Rent a car

1% (60)

Blow the gambling bankroll at the airport right off the plane

1% (60)

Forget to bring your meds

1% (57)

Wear clothes with no pockets

1% (57)

Don't stay on the Strip ...

1% (55)

Spend too much time in your hotel room

1% (54)

Not reading Jean Scott's Frugal Gambling books before coming

1% (51)

Discuss politics at the tables

1% (51)

Don't make reservations at a nice restaurant on weekends

1% (46)

Don't know where you can and can't smoke cannabis

0% (39)

Analysis

This poll received many more votes than the surveys we've run recently. The comments on the preview page and this page show that people have pretty strong feelings on the subject.

The results line up quite predictably, so we'll leave them to you to run through to see which mistakes, if any, you still make and to remember way back when you were a Vegas newbie and: thought you could walk the Strip end to end in a day; didn't know what a players club was; didn't know to bring good walking shoes; played 6-5 bj; thought the Strip was downtown; hadn't discovered the Advisor, the Member Rewards Book, and this website; and on and on.

At least now, when someone you know who's coming to Vegas for the first time, asks you for the best advice, it's all here on one page as voted on by some of the biggest Vegas experts in the world. Thank you very much for helping us provide this information.

No part of this answer may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of the publisher.

Comments

Ryan Popovich Jan-09-2020

First trip

I actually came upon the LVA website before my first trip, but didn’t get the coupon book. What a huge mistake that was!! A few places we went to took coupons from the book, and we would have gone to a couple others.

ocliffgirl62 Jan-09-2020

First (and last) Trip

My son and a girlfriend, both sleep techs, came out expecting Vegas to be open 24 hours.  Were they ever disappointed when they got stranded on the strip, having to walk from downtown to New York, New York in the wee early hours of the morning!

Roy Furukawa Jan-09-2020

Sell memberships downtown

I think you should hire someone to sell memberships in downtown and give them an MRB on the spot when they sign up. A membership can virtually pay for itself just from the coupons available for downtown, let alone all the other deals elsewhere.

Kevin Lewis Jan-10-2020

Mistake #61

Not knowing the bus schedules, if you want to travel the Strip without a car! ocliffgirl62 mentioned her son and gf being "stranded" downtown and having to get to NYNY. Well, the Deuce runs every 15 minutes before 2 am and every 20 minutes after, 24/7, so if they had been aware, they could have snagged a ride directly to their hotel for cheap.

AndyM Jan-10-2020

My first visit ('96)

Just Clueless

Howard Wilson Jan-10-2020

Win Big, then Ooops!

A big mistake newbies make is if they win big early in their trip. They think Lady Luck will do no wrong so they drink big and go crazy at the slots or tables. They, of course, will give the winnings back to the casino and then some, after a couple of trips to the ATM. What began as an ultimate rush becomes total depression followed by the grim regrets of a ruined vacation come the next morning.

O2bnVegas Jan-12-2020

Take the red-eye home--NOT!

I remember needing two days to recover after a trip (and I was much younger!), though part of that was from taking a red eye flight home.  Thought that was a smart move, gain a whole day in Vegas on the "last day" by taking the 1 am flight home.  And that flight was a little cheaper, too.  Ha, not worth it.  There was no SWA non-stop back then, always a flight connecting in Dallas at 6 am.  Talk about feeling like a zombie, could barely stumble in the door and to bed.  Would sleep for two days.

Poll : 08 January - 21 January 2020

Analysis

Comments