How long is your Vegas trip to gamble?

How long is your Vegas trip to gamble and enjoy the city? If not to exclusively gamble, what else fills your time in Vegas and how often?

Usually fly in Thursday and out Monday night. Lots of "walking the strip", window shopping, people watching, and looking for fun places to play craps. Always have at least one long day at poolside, one big group brunch buffet, and two shows (one small and one cirque). Starting to add day trips to "get out" more. Did Red Rock Canyon and Hover Dam two years ago. Searched out the Pawn Stars "hole" last visit. Probably going to hit the Grand Canyon next time out. Usually gamble light in the day and some random slots as we wander in and out of strip properties. And use the bank roll hard after dinner til 1-2 am for two nights.

Fly in Sunday and home on Wednesday is typically our trips. We only gamble and eat.

However, this Sunday a friend from LA is meeting up with us and we'll most likely do something else this time. That isn't the usual plan though.

And they are going home Monday so it'll only be one day.

The pawn stars shop was so dissappointing. Your imagination of what it would be like inside just blows away what it's actually like inside.

Quote: rudeboyoi

The pawn stars shop was so dissappointing. Your imagination of what it would be like inside just blows away what it's actually like inside.

I can't imagine any Pawn Shop on the planet looking good. If it is like the ones by me, it is probably inside a crappy strip mall, usually closed in by jail bars where the clerk stands behind a shield of bullet proof glass

Quote: rudeboyoi

The pawn stars shop was so dissappointing. Your imagination of what it would be like inside just blows away what it's actually like inside.

Huh?
Have to use your imagination of what it would be inside???????
Its on TV.
What you see on TV is what you see when you visit.
Only diff is its crowded and no stars around. Other then that, its the same store on TV and in real life when visiting.
Whats dissapointing is the prices, probabbly 20 to 50 per cent above market value.

I see they are doing a small version of the container park stores on their property.
With all the visitors, might as well make money feeding them and have more shopping to take advantage of the crowds they get.

Quote: terapined

Huh?
Have to use your imagination of what it would be inside???????
Its on TV.
What you see on TV is what you see when you visit.
Only diff is its crowded and no stars around. Other then that, its the same store on TV and in real life when visiting.
Whats dissapointing is the prices, probabbly 20 to 50 per cent above market value.

I see they are doing a small version of the container park stores on their property.
With all the visitors, might as well make money feeding them and have more shopping to take advantage of the crowds they get.

It wasn't as big or as much inventory as I imagined there to be. Especially in the back where they had some artwork and stuff. Lots of empty space.

On a typical trip we will fly in Friday evening and back home on Tuesday evening. It is nice to have two days when things are slower (non-weekend.) We always try to devote one day to mostly non-gambling stuff.

Frequently the main non-gambling activity is a hike on Monday one of the trails in or around Red Rocks. There is one starting by the horse place across from the monument where you make a steep climb to "The Muffins" then head to an overlook where you can see across the entire city, then circle back to the start. My wife has deemed this her favorite hike ever. Our trips are almost always in April or November-December. I can't imagine doing these hikes in the heat of the summer. Hitting the Red Rock or another locals casino on the way back to the strip can be fun too.

I typically like to play one slower-paced poker tournament. The Aria $125 on Saturday at 1PM is my favorite since I am strictly an occasional player. I haven't cashed yet but I can usually get several hours of enjoyment out of it.

Our last trip we saw a bunch of shows / concerts. So many that gambling time was impacted. I am not sure we save money on this because our gambling is pretty low-rolling and the shows are expensive. The shows I have liked the best are Penn and Teller, Absinthe, and Mac King but we haven't really been to any poor ones. Keeping an eye on the concert calendar is a fun way to plan your next Vegas trip around seeing one of your favorite performers.

Food features heavily too. There is a lot of good food in Vegas if you go to the right places. It is also easy to get ripped off at a fancy looking but mediocre place on the strip.

We almost always stay at the Mirage but will also spend at least a day Downtown for some cheaper and better gambling. The 9-6 JoB at the MSS bar is a favorite. A pretty cool place to check out downtown is the Downtown Container Park where there are local craft places, etc. I think they have live music at night too.

Other non-gambling stuff we have done, liked, or will do again:
- Neon Museum. If you are into Vegas nostalgia this place is great. You have to book a tour in advance.
- Mob Museum
- Pinball Museum
- Atomic Testing Museum
- Hoover Dam. The last trip we got there early to sign up for the tour inside the dam without waiting all day. We had recently seen the movie "711 Ocean Drive" featuring a chase scene inside the dam and wanted to check it out.
- Shopping. mostly my wife likes this while I play a poker tournament, but I have found a few nice things at the outlet mall. There are many stores we don't have at home.
- Finding local food places.

Usually do a Tuesday to Monday trip (3 days downtown then the weekend on the Strip)

Next trip will be weekend downtown then mid-week on the Strip due to playing in a blackjack tournament downtown


If I am winning on a trip, I splurge on restaurants and shows outside the casino I am being comped at — if I am losing, I spend nothing out of pocket and basically live at the tables


But, then again, this is not news to anyone familiar with my trip reports lol

Usually, I arrive on Sunday, and leave on Friday - this gives me more time to hit more places to eat.

I always find a couple of hours (usually on Monday afternoon) to hit the Pinball Hall of Fame & Museum on Tropicana, just east of UNLV (across from where the Liberace Museum used to be). Usually, I will take in a show (occasionally two, if I can get a free one from MyVegas) as well.

I also may or may not be a member of the Mob Museum, and possibly might be in the vicinity of Third and Stewart, but I didn't see a thing there, and certainly not a large building with "THE MOB MUSEUM" marked on it, and "NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ORGANIZED CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT" along the top, and I have no idea where you got the impression that you have to exit through the gift shop where these supposed members receive an alleged discount on things like this T-shirt that I'm wearing, except that you didn't see me wear it, and there's no such place across the street as "The Mob Bar." (Seriously - The Mob Bar closed months ago, and I think it's now part of Stewart & Ogden.)

I am typically there for a full week, or at worst Monday-Friday. IMO if I am taking a 3.5 to 4 hour flight it is not going to be for 2-3 day (unless it is for business of course). I do my fair share of gambling, I typically go off strip for at least a day or afternoon, whether it be to Red Rock or Hoover Dam or whatever. If I am going at a decent time of year, I like to golf a round as well.

I typically fly in on the first or second flight on a Sunday morning from Newark NJ, and fly out on the Saturday night red-eye. Gives me a whole week without the expensive Saturday night hotel.

Gambling time? Not enough. My current trips all revolve around G2E or Raving (or whatever it's called now). And that involves a lot of time spend with WoV members. Prior to that, I came for DJ/Wedding professionals conference. And that involved time with other attendees who I am friends with. Because of a schedule overlap, I was even able to combine one trip into both functions.

So my gambling time is typically limited to Sunday once I get in, part of Monday, an hour or two on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, several hours on Friday, then as much as I can cram in before I go home Saturday.

Somehow, I also cram in a trip to Gambler's General Store, and find some time to jump into a pool - even in November!


Still, good times...

Sunday through Monday, 2.5 or 3 days depending on when I arrive on Sunday. Flexing off both a Monday & Tuesday is harder than Friday & Monday... but I've been known to do it.

My Vegas trips are designed around the more expensive return flight segment... and since I only fly transcontinentally nonstop, my trips tend to revolve around the return fare. Flying to Vegas tends to be cheaper than coming home (around weekends).

Quote: rudeboyoi

It wasn't as big or as much inventory as I imagined there to be. Especially in the back where they had some artwork and stuff. Lots of empty space.

Prices are high because they sell
out if they were reasonable. There
would be nothing to see. The guys
from American Pickers have a store
in Nashville that's the same way.
Small and crammed with stuff not for
sale, or priced not to sell.

A couple times a week the Pawn guys
come in and sell autographs for a
couple hours and make a ton from
doing that. They are still a pawn shop
and the good stuff you'll never see because
it's in the back until the owner comes to get
it.

Quote: EvenBob

They are still a pawn shop
and the good stuff you'll never see because
it's in the back until the owner comes to get
it.

Good money in t-shirt sales
Rick jokes that they are a t-shirt shop with a pawn license.

I own some gold bullion. I asked what they would offer, it was a rip off, 10 per cent off spot price.
Here in Tampa got a place that buys 2 per cent off spot

Quote: terapined

Good money in t-shirt sales
Rick jokes that they are a t-shirt shop with a pawn license.

I own some gold bullion. I asked what they would offer, it was a rip off, 10 per cent off spot price.
Here in Tampa got a place that buys 2 per cent off spot

10% is high but not unheard of. It's usually best to shop around when buying or selling.