Hey guys,
I'm turning 21 next year, and am planning on going to the city of lights. I think the main point for the trip is gambling. Just wondering if there are any particular casinos I should visit? I considered going to the Bellagio, and the MGM. Any others?

The biggest difference is on the outside. So many have cool facades and features like the Volcano at Mirage, Pirate ship at T.I. or the canals at The Venitian. All of which you should see your first time. The other things of note would be different restaurants. One of my favorite places is Wolfgang Puck's Bar and Grill in MGM. If you're going to gamble, most are the same, unless you're looking for something like single deck black jack, which you're more likely to find downtown.

What game you thinking about playing?

If you're going to play slots, go to the El Cortez – their slots are set the loosest of anywhere in the area!

If you're going to gamble, I suggest learning to do it right! Most casinos offer lessons in the basics of the games. Also, you may want to visit the Gambler's General Store and the Gambler's Book Store.

I usually stick to video poker; I've found the best pay tables are usually the casinos off the strip. Palms has 7/10 payouts on Double Bonus Poker, but you have to hunt for the 7/10 machines. I've had some of my best video poker luck at Casino Royale, and the crowd there is very college-age, so you should like it.

If you're going to play video poker, I highly recommend Bob Dancer's training software- it really edumacates you quickly, and in no time you'll be playing at 90% or higher correct strategy.

I'm a fan of the bad old days of Vegas- mid-1980's- so I shy away from the new mega-casinos. I still life Fremont Street, but it does get a little dicey there after midnight.

I'm looking for nice hotels to stay in, and as far as blackjack (which is the main game I'm interested in playing), I'd like a standard face up, six deck shoe games, NO AUTOMATIC CARD SHUFFLERS. I was thinking of staying at the Bellagio, but I read a review that they use automatic card shufflers for their BJ games, which is the worst enemy for a card counter/shuffle tracker, I was thinking of putting my skills to the test.
So any good hotels to stay in mentioned would be greatly appreciated.

Michael

Ha ha! Video tape your experience please!

I thought the city of lights was Paris? Oh well, look for a place where you can place low bets. You wanna go to a joint that every hand is a $25 (4.35 kilograms Canadian) min bet? We have places in Reno with single deck games, we are known as the City of Wild Animals Sometimes Eating People.

Yes! please video the trip!!

I doubt you can find many 6 deck games that do not employ an auto-shuffler.

Pace yourself or you'll spend all your money in one day. Take your gambling $$$ and divide it by the number of days you're staying - when that's gone for a particular day STOP. Go see Mac King over at Harrahs - midafternoon show for not a lot of money, plus Mac is fabulous.

Check out the Venicetion (don't know how to spell it). Like some earlier posts said, if you're going to gamble and plan on winning stay off the strip. But the strip is a great experience, especially if you're in to people watching.

Don't pay for drinks. Even if you're not a slot player, stick a $20 in a machine and enjoy the free drinks. As long as you play, they'll keep bringing them. But tip the girls.

Go see Circus Solea or "O". Make reservations in advance, they'll be sold out when you get there.

Vegas is a great place with lots to do. Have fun gambling, but spread out your time and experiences and enjoy everything it has to offer.

Jim

They won't let you videotape inside a casino in Vegas.

If you like roulette, you need to find the few casinos with European-style single-zero wheels. The Bellagio is the best, as it also has the 'en prison' rule. Others without 'en prison' are Caesars Palace, the Las Vegas Hilton, the Monte Carlo, Nevada Palace, Paris, the Stratosphere, and the Venetian. Be aware that not ALL of the wheels at these places are European style. In fact, most are probably double-zero wheels. Look around, and you'll find the wheels you want.

As for blackjack, last I heard there were only two casinos in Vegas still paying 3-2 for a blackjack, the El Cortez Hotel and the Four Queens. All others now pay 6-5.

To make the most of your money, research the outlying casinos that cater to locals. They have lower buy-ins and (generally) looser slots than the strip or downtown.

Make sure you read and UNDERSTAND the game rules and payouts for EACH AND EVERY game you play! Slots that look identical can vary widely in payouts, and even roulette and blackjack tables can vary in their rules within the same casino.

(YMMV, as I haven't been to Vegas in a few years, and things there change constantly.)

Hey make sure you go to Freemont street at night! They have the most fantastic light show! It is one big wild party there.

"Venetian", and "Cirque du Soleil"...

Keep your money and spend it on the shows...

Learn craps. There's one set of odds to learn that never changes, the house take is lowest in the casino and the (smart) player has the best chance of actually winning money, there are different ways of playing so you can develop a stategy to fit your style, you get to call the dice cool names like bones and the best part: it's just really, really fun. Walk into any casino. Where's all the noise coming from? The craps tables. Face it you can play blackjack all day long and never say one word but at the craps tables people are yelling and screaming and high-fiving each other etc... I promise you will not regret learning the game. I reccomend starting with John Patricks' Craps. It's easy to read and he makes it easy to learn.

There's some real misinformation here on card shufflers. If you are saying "automatic card shuffler" you're saying nothing. The question is it continuous or batch. Continuous are to be avoided like the plague. You really don't see too many of them--and you might want to check what type the Bellagio is using.

The comment, "I doubt you can find many 6 deck games that do not employ an auto-shuffler" is really inaccurate. First, if it's continuous who cares? But in reality the majority of shuffling is by hand.

The thing to avoid, and it's harder and harder is 6 to 5 payouts on BJ. This is highway robbery. Unfortunately the dealer hitting on soft seventeens is now common.

I stand corrected.