Casinos and Free Alcohol

Yes, its "free" but its customary to tip the waitress and its a variable as to when she will be back, particularly if you don't tip.

Joints vary and waitresses vary, but in general if you want some sort of special booze: be specific and be brief with the waitress. She doesn't usually have much time to chat, so if there is some special brand or special cocktail you want, order it. Upscale casinos tend to serve better booze and if you have some black chips out on the table you may well get some booze that you request that otherwise might not be served. I'm sure you know what "well drinks" means versus "top shelf". If you ask for a specific vodka or scotch, you just may get it, but remember that the waitress and bartender tend to be busy.

Some places don't stock the bar that serves the casino floor with the same stuff that some of the specialty bars in that casino have.

Obviously if you are in the high limit room, you get fairly high quality booze even if you make no special requests for a particular brand.

Quote: PGBuster

Greetings--planning on making my first trip out to Vegas later this- year.

PG:

Do you know where you will be staying ? Mid-strip is a good place for your first visit,
because there is so much to see and do. And there will be a good range of hotel
rates there as well. A couple of places that come to mind at a mid-level price are
Bally's, Flamingo, and Harrah's.

Quote: JohnnyQ

Do you know where you will be staying ?

Likely the Tropicana, but I don't know how much action I'm going to get in there...I was thinking about actually playing downtown. Only reason for choosing the Tropicana is a friend won a free stay there.

Thanks to all for the information that has been provided.

2 more cents:

The TROP is in a pretty decent location as well. I stayed there once and
remember that it was a long walk from the Casino to the particular
tower my room was in.

If time permits, I think one of the highlights of the mid-strip is going
to see the botanical display at the Bellagio conservatory. The fountain
display outside is well known as well. The inside of the Venetian is
beautiful, in particular the murals on the ceilings.

There are tons and tons of good guidebooks out there.

The only place I know that charges for drinks is the "Dollar Room" in Sahara. They have $1 minimum 6:5 "blackjack", $1 beer, $1 shots, and $1 hot dogs.

The drinks are free in the rest of the casino, but most other tables have $5 limits.

If you're rollin' that low, you would be better of playing a penny slot and getting your drinks for free.



Most of what I drink is whiskey-based, and most of what I play is $5 tables or quarter VP at pretty much every property on the Strip and Downtown. I would get Jack Daniels about half the time, and nasty Evan Williams the other half. The fanciness of the casino didn't correlate as much as you would think. In my experience, all MGM properties gave me Jack.

Somebody mentioned the Wynn sucking. My wife often likes Bailey's on the rocks. The only places we have been that substituted the cheaper St. Brendan's was the Wynn, and somewhere downtown.

The amount of care taken in mixing the cocktail properly seems completely random and will vary from shift to shift.

ive never received a bammer drink on the strip. I personally think any strip property will give you the (middle to high end) liquor you ask for. i hit downtown the other week, the drinks were weak weak weak. never going back to downtown btw.

Quote: jpprovance

ive never received a bammer drink on the strip. I personally think any strip property will give you the (middle to high end) liquor you ask for. i hit downtown the other week, the drinks were weak weak weak. never going back to downtown btw.

Which places DT? I can't imagine it happened in every casino.

Mixed drinks that are 'free' (with a $1 tip to the waitress, or she won't be back to see you again) out on the floor seem to be made with a few drops from an eyedropper. Just enough bourbon so you know it's not straight coke. The Harrahs properties recently started a system where you can only get premium drinks if you're Diamond status or above, otherwise they're $3. Asking for an Absolut Bloody Mary will cost $3 now, or maybe they'll just put in Kamchatka and figure you won't notice. If you're a fratboy asking for a shot of Patrón, casinos might just bring you any ol' tequila and assume you're young enough, drunk enough, or don't drink it straight at home enough to tell the difference. Sometimes the waitress will bring you a double, or a beer AND a shot at same time, if you're a good enough tipper. I've ordered shots of Jager that I swear could have been watered down. They can't water down beer though. Remember that a Corona that's 'free' out on the floor might cost you $9 or more at a bar. If you think putting a buck into a bartop VP machine will get you a freebie from the bartender because now you're gambling, it won't.

Quote: PGBuster

....what can I expect to get for free? I'm a fan of things such as Weed...

And you certainly won't be scoring free weed for a dollar tip. But after dark you can prolly get some blow from the hookers.

I stayed at the Trop 10 years ago, and yes, I also remember it was at least a 1/4 mile walk from casino to hotel. Trop has just done a multi-million dollar rebranding renovation though, with upgraded rooms and casino, and a reopening of their poker room soon, so I'd think the Trop is THE place to be right now. There's sooooo much to see and do, you're gonna be overwhelmed for your first trip, so just have fun, drink plenty of water, take pictures and for god's sake, get a players card everywhere you go before you put a single dollar into any machine, and the email offers will start rolling in when you get home. Your whole next trip could be a freebie. A single Total Rewards card is good at all the Harrahs properties, of which there are 8 in this town. A single m-life card is good at all nine MGM/Mirage properties. Every slot and table game puts dollars on your player's card you can use for food, giftshop, hotel stay, anything. So get those cards!

I always order a double vodka on the rocks and 7up on the side. That way I know I'm getting a decent amount of booze. I then pour the 7up into the vodka.

I like to order "fancy" beers in a bottle. At least that way I can tell I'm getting the good stuff. I also can tell the difference between premium bourbon/scotch and the well stuff, so I can confidently order that too. Tequila, Vodka ... forget about it.