Question of the Day - 02 January 2020

COME ON! Not reading the LVA!

Not signing up for the Casino Player's Card.

Not reading Jean Scott's Frugal Gambling book(s) before ever going to Vegas.

Do not see downtown
Do not read up on all the games you want to play
Go to a timeshare and think it will only take the allotted time
Just chill and enjoy it 

They have it listed that NOT renting a car is the mistake?

That’s backwards. 

With the closeness of everything, proliferation of Uber and particularly the cost to park, RENTING a car is the mistake. 

Bring only dressy clothes.

Use a travel agent for air/hotel.

Forget to bring your heating pad.

Forget to bring your phone charger.

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

Spending your entire gaming budget the first day (and maybe dipping into your food, lodging & entertainment allowances, as well).

Eat at same places at home? Hell The Strip is becoming at home for most of these people. 50 Walgreens and CVS's, Ross, Target, McD's, Subway, BWW. Other than the 50 million lights The Strip is becoming any other strip mall in the country.

Not dressing in layers
Failing to bring OTC meds
Spending too much time in the room

Eating at normal meal times (lines are longer)

Forgetting to ask for comps from pit bosses when they play table games

Not valet parking where valet parking is free (other than the tip)

Buying drinks when you can get them for free (other than the tip) if you are playing

Not having an adequate bankroll and betting properly
Not knowing what the hell you are doing.

Some Mistakes
 
Biggest mistake ever - not getting the LVA Members Rewards book

Not going/playing downtown - Downtown has better odds, better comps and better room deals. 

Not having a "wish list" before coming in.  You don't want to waste half an hour in the hotel room trying to decide what you want to do next. I always have a list of the latest happy hours, Good "value" restaurant deals, places I want to see, etc.  With the list we never spend more than 5 minutes deciding what to do next.

Not asking for "Fun Books" (a few still do exist)or if there are any special promotions when checking in or getting a players card. 

Not tipping the people who clean the rooms. 

Not tipping dealers when you win.  Over-tipping when you are losing 

Discussing politics at the tables - might be way to get into an MAJOR argument.  You're there to have fun - ignore politics

Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall, in Vegas, it's best to drink or increase your water intake, especially with the consumption of alcohol and etc.Otherwise, it's a big mistake for first timers and all of the rest of us.

Spend the gambling budget in airport slots on arrival.

not having a gambling budget, not sticking to it.
Renting a car- big mistake
Not using LVA coupons

Having "No idea what I'm doing" when playing slots.

Extra pair of shoes.
OTC meds.
Extension cord,cell& charger,back up battery.
Drink water-you are in the desert.
Drown yourself in alcohol.
Not using Uber or the bus.
Be clueless of the games.
Blow all your bankroll on first day.
Not researching food places.
Nothing is FREE.
Not using coupons or a phone app.
Pack too much into your carry-on.
Ignoring the TSA rules.
Using cheap baggage.
Wearing clothes with NO pockets.
Wallet in your ass pocket.
Not using the room safe.

Ignore dealer's up card; go with your gut.

Don't tip a helpful dealer.

Ask for a meal comp after losing $100.



 

Don't see at least one grand show or attraction.

Tagging onto Ronald Z. and others, a first timer should decide ahead of time:  A headliner, a magic show, Hoover Dam tour, NASCAR, something big and iconic to Las Vegas, to make the trip memorable and regale the folks back home.  

Invariably when Rookie gets home folks will ask "Did you win?" (Ugh, I hate that question.) More likely Rookie did not win, but can answer with "No, but the highlight of the trip was [Lady Gaga; Brooks & Dunn; Diana Ross; Aerosmith; Hoover Dam; Cirque d' Whatever; helicopter tour of Grand Canyon, even Mac King].  That memory will long overshadow the fact of the Lost Wages.

To Dave and Andrew: Renting a Car a Big Mistake? I guess you never visited Bonny Springs Ranch, Red Rock Canyon, Howard Hughes' Spring Mountain Ranch, Valley of Fire, Mt. Charleston, Hoover Dam, Mt Zion National Park and the list goes on and on and on!!!

Before you go, figure out how many hours of sleep you need to function everyday. In Las Vegas there is so much to see and do your first time you can forget to sleep or if you do, think you can function on two hours a night. Not true. Plan when and hour many hours you can sleep and enjoy the couple of days in Las Vegas!    

Paying $100 for a $30 escort.

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

Returning.

A rookie mistake missing is not understanding how tipping works, and it's value, in Las Vegas (i.e., how much to tip for a comped drink, the valet, the person paying your winnings if that happens, etc.). This information is crucial in Las Vegas and not needed at home.

Rookie mistake:  getting suckered into a "2 hour" time share presentation in exchange for a free helicopter ride.  The time share service picked us up, hauled us miles from the strip, and then had us sit in an all day event between presentations and high pressure salespeople that would not take no for an answer.  Big waste of an entire afternoon.  

**Listening to the biggest mouth in the Sportsbook and playing ON what he likes instead of fading it.

**Driving on the Strip especially on a Friday/Saturday Night.

**Drinking at the tables. There is a reason you are getting alcohol. It is so when you get dealt a 20 in BJ (And as has been pointed out - better NOT be 6-5 BJ) you do stupid things instead of just placing the 2 cards under your chips and staying pat.

Fall for the time-share sales pitch 

First mistake made in Vegas decades ago was misjudging walking distance between casinos/points of interest. 

Show?  Dinner?  What you get is where you sit.  [NOT]

Bad seat in the showroom?  Or table by noisy kitchen in a nice restaurant?  No sir.  Have some tip money ready for the usher, or maitre d' or seater.  Works every time.  

Let somebody else get that "Booth in the back in the corner in the dark."  (Flip Wilson)

The food is so cheap in Las Vegas.

Remember that one?  It used to be true.  Forget it.  Food is NOT cheap anymore.  Solution: LVA.  Coupons, reviews, specials (from the writers AND posters, Trip Reports, Forums).  Or, budget a lot more for your meals.

Drinking too much. We've all had our encounters with the Vegas Virgin whose a hometown hero in his one-stoplight town, but who doesn't realize until the next day that he cannot "make Vegas his bitch." Nobody can.

Trying to hail a cab on the street. They are not allowed to stop for you as in other cities. Just go to the nearest hotel where they are lined up and waiting. Or get a ride share.

1) Bringing young kids. Take them to DisneyWorld, not Vegas.
2) Wasting your time with the timeshare sales people. The show tickets they promise are not worth your time.
3) Taking a short cut by jaywalking across the Strip. Bad idea, it's several lanes wide and drivers are not paying much attention, especially the ones from out of town. Pedestrians are killed every year in Vegas.
4) Not doing a little research to plan your trip. If you wait until you get there you end up wasting precious vacation time deciding what is available to do or overspending on show tickets or not getting to see a show because it is sold out.
4) Limiting your trip to just seeing the places on the Strip. There's many off-Strip places to see that offer a lot of fun such as in Henderson, Fremont St, Gold Coast, Palms, Orleans, Hard Rock, Tuscany, Ellis Island, Sam's Town, AZ Charlies, Silverton, Green Valley, Red Rock, M Resort, Ethel M and many others. Don't limit your trip to just the places on the Strip. 

I know a guy in the seventies that lost all his money on the airplane playing blackjack with the guy next to him, got off the plane and flew home!

Not just rookie mistakes:
Do not drink too much alcohol and not drink enough water.  Alternate having an adult beverage with a bottle of water.

Not tipping.  You come to Vegas prepared to spend some money but then stiff the CW, housekeeping, waitstaff, and dealer if you're doing well.  That extra $$ does more good in the pocket of someone who is working hard to make your vacation great then in a slot machine.

Not having an adequate gambling budget, and not sticking to one if you do.  Have a daily limit and leave your room with only that much in your wallet or purse.  If you choose to go over budget, you will have the trip back to your room to think about it.

Not having a plan B if you need to slow down the drinking and gambling.  Go see some of the free attractions or a low cost afternoon show.

Don't try to play a table game or VP if you don't know how or what the best practices are.  There are plenty of online tutorials that you can play around with prior to your trip. 

agree with the person who said RENTING a car is a mistake! but if they do: driving on the Strip at night, or the Interstates during rush hour. 

Neglecting to acquire bottled water.

Paying for drinks? Everyone pays for drinks because you have to tip, assuming the cocktail waitress comes by

Play 6:5 Blackjack? I don't play but why is this bad?

Not knowing where u can and cannot smoke marijuana.  

Thinking that prostitution is legal in the county where Las Vegas (and Laughlin) is.  

Sally_Ann Jan-02-2020
What am I missing?
Play 6:5 Blackjack? I don't play but why is this bad?
............................
Since you don't play blackjack you may not be aware that normal blackjack pays  3:2 when you get a blackjack hand. A payoff of 3:2 means you get 1.5 times your bet. So a $5 bet wins $7.50 on a blackjack. By decreasing the payoff to 6:5 the casino increases their edge on the game by about 1.4%. A 6:5 payoff only gets you $6 on a $5 bet, so you lose $1.50 on each blackjack you get. 

That all seems small to non-gamblers but it is huge. On average you will get a blackjack about every 21 or 22 hands. So blackjack players are giving up a lot when they play the 6:5 version of the game. It's a ripoff.