Vegas, Baby, Vegas (Looking for Suggestions)

[toddvj]

I am planning a trip to Vegas, but have never been before. For those who have been there before, can you give me any pointers? I am wondering where are the best resorts to stay, some fun activities (not involving going out and getting loaded), good shows to go to, resturants, etc. Mainly I'm interested in opinions about the various Hotels. Price is not a huge consideration, I want to stay somewhere nice, but probably not more than $200/night (weekday rate). Thanks.

[sputnik]

The mega casinos on the Strip are amazing places to see but I prefer to stay at the Golden Nugget in the downtown (Glitter Gulch) area. The older classic casinos like the Horse Shoe and the Plaza are all easy walk away and nowhere near as exhausting as the Disney World atmosphere of the big Strip casinos. You can always get to the Strip casinos easily (be sure to use valet parking at the Strip casinos or you're in for a very long walk - it only costs a few bucks for a valet tip). The Golden Nugget itself is a great place to stay. It's a 5 star hotel and you don't have to walk throught the casino maze to get to your room. The Rio is also off of the Strip and is great place to stay (all suites) with a great golf course and the cocktail waitresses wear the sexiest uniforms in town. To regain your sanity, Red Rock Canyon is beautiful area and is a short trip out of town. It's great place to hike and get out of the city for a while.

[Coytee]

Try to see the Blue Man Group show... it's VERY hard to describe it but I can almost bet you 100% that you and anyone you're with (family, children, girlfriend) will also love it.

Especially in Vegas, they have an absolute KICK HINEY sound system in there (for real). Probably Bose!!

[]

[BEC]

Only a couple of hours drive to Area 51.

[Piranha]

I drive over to Vegas for 2-3 nights about once every two months. Wynn, Venetian, Rio, Mandalay Bay, Palms, MGM, and Mirage are all very nice. I prefer to stay at the Wynn, Venetian and Rio in that order myself. Bellagio is a little too stuffy for me. IMO staying downtown is like stepping back in time 25-50 years. I'd recommend seeing Danny Gans at The Mirage if possible. Blue Man Group performs every night at The Venetian and is interesting to say the least. Have fun, and remember, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

[wstrickland1]

be careful in front of Circus Circus. That's where 2pac got gunned down.

[sunburnwilly]

be careful in front of Circus Circus. That's where 2pac got gunned down.

Yeah , but he started it .

[boomac]

Piranah is right about Danny Gans. My son and I were there a couple weeks ago and his show is fantastic. Its a C Note but well worth it. We stayed at NYNY and liked it very much. I even saw Brittany Spears. She was at the Coyote Ugly Bar upstairs. NYNY has a great steak house, (Gallaghers) and theyre pretty good with the comps. Get your MGM/Mirage/NYNY Players Card right away and use it. I was there in March and didn't play all that much but they comptd me for 3 nights. Pretty good deal I'd say.

Two hundred should get you a room most anywhere. I used to do seminars out there and have stayed at several of the hotels. I really don't have a favorite but NYNY has been a good value and we like the place. Others I've stayed at and injoyed in no particular ordrer: The Mirage, Caesars, The Flimingo Hilton, Treasure Island, The Rio (off strip), The LV Hilton (off strip), The Bellagio and the Imperial Palace. All good but I'd maybe avoid the LV Hilton and Imperial Palace. We got good deals there for business meetings but the other hotels are spiffier!

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

My cousin (lives in Vegas) took us to diner at the Palms Hotel & Casino. It's a hot spot for pro athletes and stars. We didnt see any but the food was great and the odds on the video poker were better there than on the strip. (off strip)

You gotta hike through the Forum Shops at Caesars.

Great buffet at The RIO.

Heres something for you to check out.

http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/

Good luck, have fun but remember somebody had to pay for all those lights.

See Danny Gans!!!!!

[toddvj]

Good suggestions so far, Keep 'em coming. I'm definitely thinking about seeing the Blue Man Group, and maybe a Cirque Du Soleil, I have never heard of Danny Gans, will have to look into that. As far as hotels, I really don't think I'd consider staying anywhere off the strip. I'm not planning on renting a car, just taking a shuttle, and walking or taking public transportation once I get there (let me know if that's a mistake). I was thinking about NYNY, because it's pretty reasonable, but am thinking about maybe going to somewhere a little nicer, maybe. Wynn looks very nice, but maybe a bit too high.

What's this about Players Card? Do the various hotels give you some chips to play with, etc? I'm not going to do a ton of gambling, but I definitely want to do some. Probably slots/video poker. I like to play Texas Hold'em, but I don't know if they have tables that you can sit at without a ton of money? About $100-200 is about all I'd feel comfortable sitting down with.

[boomac]

Danny Gans is a singer and impersonator. Hes excellent and both my 21 year old son and I enjoyed the show.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The Wynn is beautiful but expensive.

I edited my last post so re read it if you get a chance.

The Players Card is a plastic card that you put in the machines and it keeps track of your play. The more you play the more points you acquire. At the tables, you give it to the dealer and then the pit boss makes notes on how much you bet and how long you play. This is how you get complimentary meals, shows and future rooms for free. The MGM/Mirage/NYNY card is good at several casinos.

NYNY has a great roller coaster and plenty of arcade type games. That area is up stairs and out of the way. The sports book is small but ok and they also have an ESPN Zone. Good piano bar that really rocks and plenty of good food to choose from. Coyote Ugly is a dance bar. That's where Brittney Spears was the night I saw her. Of course I saw her when she was leaving and at the valet area. I was actually about 15 feet from her and the paparazzi. Cute little thing she is! Good timing on my return from the Palms.

I suggest you visit The Wynn, Venetian, Bellagio Paris, Mandalay Bay and Caesars but stay at NYNY.

If you stay there Ill tell you about a good bank of machines. My kid and friend won hands of $750 and I won a nice one for $600. Rare happening!

Poker (hold um) is good across the street at MGM. The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />RIO is also a good spot and you can get a reasonable game at either. Of course, most of the others have poker rooms as well.

[jheis]

Yeah, go someplace else.

Vegas is the epitome of plastic, phony, rip off, sleazy BS. Just my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions). Lots of people seem to love it - for reasons I can't fathom.

If I'm going to give my money away, I'd prefer to give it to people I like. YMMV.

James

[boomac]

Come on James. Ya gotta pay for entertainment. Ya set your limits and hope for the best. Each time I go I figure to pay to play. I just never dig myself a hole.

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

If youre that type of person then yeah baby; ya better stay the hell out of that town!

[toddvj]

Yeah, go someplace else.

Vegas is the epitome of plastic, phony, rip off, sleazy BS. Just my opinion (and you know what they say about opinions). Lots of people seem to love it - for reasons I can't fathom.

If I'm going to give my money away, I'd prefer to give it to people I like. YMMV.

James

Have you ever been there before, or are you just being belligerent? I know that everyone has opinions, but this is a case where you probably should keep yours to yourself.

[Piranha]

Vegas is a lot of fun. Go there and see for yourself, then you can be the judge. Don't go if you're obsessive compulsive, that could be a mistake. Most of the nay sayers have no self control and lost their asses. One more thing, Vegas is not a place to go if you are broke.

These are MHO's

[nannerneck]

Yes everyone should go at least once, for an old country-boy it was well worth it. Stayed at the old Aladin and went to the MGM,NYNY a few times and had blast. For an old country- boy it was well worth it.

[Arky]

Todd...I go out with golf buddies every spring & fall so I have been there:

I agree with Gans, Soleil and the "O" show & if you're into art try the gallery at the Bellagio. If you're into sports gambling the LV Hilton Sportsbook is the place to go. For window shopping Caesars Forum shops, check out the ceiling, & the Venetian shops & gondala canal, modeled after Venice. Downtown used to be wild but now they have cleaned it up, closed traffic for a portion & put a roof up so I don't go there any more. Hoover Dam might be worth the effort.

We used to stay at the Bellagio but it got to pricey, the casino is nicely layed out & they have a cool piano bar. We now stay at Treasure Island & pay $129 - $169. I suggest staying in the middle of the strip. One day you can walk sightsee to one end of the strip & the next day the other end. Really nothing to see out by the Stratosphere & Circus Circus.

Personally I don't try to get comped anymore. My experience is you have to keep to much money in play per hour, they keep up with it electronically. It is hard to find anything less than a $25 table, especially at night, so you're moving several thousand dollars through per playing session to save $169 on a room or say $150 on dinner, not worth it to me. If you do try to get rated though I would go to the VIP room & get a card made. Any time you sit down hand them your card immediately, slot machines will have a slot to insert the card.

If you're interested in golf I can make suggestions....Good Luck!

[fini]

It ain't Vegas, but I'll be in Reno next weekend. It's my annual Superbowl bus trip, with 40 of my closest friends! We'll be at the Silver Legacy. I'm a lousy gambler, so before the game I'm gonna check out the Warhol exhibit over at the Nevada Museum of Art.

Speaking of old-time Las Vegas, my uncle was a bellman at the Desert Inn, so when we'd vacation there, he'd get us into the light booth in one of the DI's showrooms. Didn't get to see any racy shows (the kind a 12 year old boy would die for), but we did see Debbie Reynolds (with her young-un Carrie Fisher), and the Mills Brothers...WOO HOO!

[sputnik]

Sure, as cities go, Las Vegas is a *****. But it's an honest ***** - it doesn't pretend to be anyhing else. If you know and accept what you're in for, it's a lot of fun. Good advice so far, but don't miss out on Fremont Street (downtown). Yeah, it's a throw back but it it doesn't have the franchised-planned-amusement park atmosphere of many of the big Strip casinos. It just seems less oppressive there and you're in classic Las Vegas.

Unless you play a lot of poker, I'd advise that you to stay out of the bigger games - lots of pros and house players there and they love tourists who play an occasional poker game back home. I'd advise that you stay clear of the slot machines. Playing a slot machine, you can be at a 20% or so disadvantage against the house - that's why there are so many slot machines in the casino. Keno has the worst odds for the player - don't even think about it. If you want to play a machine, the video poker machines offer the best odds if you use a sound statistical strategy.

I like the atmosphere around the blackjack tables the best - it's much more
sociable and fun since you and everyone else at the table are only
playing against the dealer. If you use basic strategy, you'll only
have a one or two percent disadvantage against the house. Don't play blackjack without knowing basic strategy, you can get the chart almost anywhere and even refer to it at the table while you play. Most of the time you can play for hours and stay pretty even while you enjoy the banter, drinks, and cocktail waitress uniforms. Don't expect to break the bank, too many people just don't know when to walk away. I read somewhere in a gaming journal that 80% of players at a blackjack table will be be ahead of the house at some point but only 20% leave the table as winners. If they realized an annual return of 20% on their stock investments, they'd be thrilled, but for some reason people don't think that's good enough in a casino. I am amazed that many intelligent and responsible people will sit down and toss a lot of money into a blackjack game looking for a big return and not have any idea of basic strategy. You should get a book, but here's a chart that should be good for most single deck games on the strip. H=hit, S=stand, D=double, P=split pair.

[boomac]

I played Black Jack and Let It Ride at 10 dollar tables. Yeah, I varied my bets in Black Jack (when the deck was favorable) but I didnt roll that much money and I got three nights free at NYNY that we used a couple weeks ago. If I think back I probably dropped a grand at the tables and machines combined in March. I usually figure $250 a day for entertainment so that was par for the course. During this past visit I made it back plus a little extra but over the years I have been a contributor. Like everybody else!

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Considering odds, Black Jack is the best game to play. The problem is that its hard work. Let It Ride has lousy odds but you can play a long time, especially if you hit a couple nice hands. Its a no brainier but the people that play are usually fun to be around. NYNY had $5 tables (at times).

Video poker slots can be good. Look for the 10/7 or 9/6 machines. Those numbers are the payout for a full house and a flush with one coin in play. Its ok to play less than the maximum amount of coins unless you are playing a progressive machine. In that case you have to play the max to win the jack pot and progressive machines pay less on all other hands. The Palm Hotel & Casino had several 9/6 machines. I didnt see any at NYNY or other main strip hotels.

If you see a show I recommend Gans. You can see that other stuff on TV.

Frugal Video Poker by Jean Scott & Viktor Nacht is a great book but you may not have time to get through it. When are you going? If there's time I'll lend it to you.

[fini]

Hmm, maybe we should have a forum get-together in Vegas. You could all hear my Debbie Reynolds stories (they're really so much better live, with hand gestures and facial contortions).

Oh, I also met a drunk Chill Wills downtown! That was uber-cool!