Vegas Bankroll $$

Just curious.....When coming to Vegas:
(1) How large of bankroll do you bring?
(2) How? (cash, credit, other)
(3) Have you ever lost the entire bankroll during any trip?

For me:
(1) I bring anywhere from $1,000 - $2,500 (or about $500 p/day).
(2) Always cash. I have credit ($3,000) at one property, but never tapped it.
(3) Never lost it all (est. 10 trips). Always +/- 50%

I normally get a line of credit for $50,000 at my primary casino. I also bring up about $10,000 in cash. Sometimes I send in a front money check as well.

Playing craps, my theoretical loss is about $5,000 per trip with another $1,000 or so in tips. Or a total theoretical loss of about $6,000. Average almost 40 hours in 4 days.

I have never hit the end of my credit line, though my host assures me that he can arrange for more if needed. I guess that is another word for sucker.

Quote: DanMahowny

Just curious.....When coming to Vegas:
(1) How large of bankroll do you bring?
(2) How? (cash, credit, other)
(3) Have you ever lost the entire bankroll during any trip?

For me:
(1) I bring anywhere from $1,000 - $2,500 (or about $500 p/day).
(2) Always cash. I have credit ($3,000) at one property, but never tapped it.
(3) Never lost it all (est. 10 trips). Always +/- 50%

My bankroll has gone up dramatically since I first started going to Vegas. First trip I didn't even think to bring money for gambling since I was there to play Ultimate and didn't know anything about any casino games. I ended up about even on the trip after playing some blackjack (very poorly I might add) and craps, although I withdrew $600 from the ATMs so I paid some hefty fees.

Second trip I brought $1K (cash) and lost it all over about 4 days, only playing craps. 3rd trip I brought $1K (cash) again and literally quadrupled it (craps). That was the trip where I really fell in love with gambling, and started researching AP.

4th trip I brought about $7K (cash) and ended up about +$1800. That figure was a combination of counting cards, betting on the Vegas bowl (I made $1000 betting Boise State to cover), and some craps. This trip was very short (just one night) to watch the Vegas bowl, so I didn't have a lot of time for gambling.

5th and most recent trip I brought my biggest bankroll yet, about $15K, with the intention to play very little craps and ONLY count cards over a long weekend (about 4.5 days). I made a lot of money (about +$4K) but ended up playing much more craps than I had planned on. I was lucky to come out so far ahead.

IMO if you are an advantage player, cash is king. You don't want a paper trail and want to avoid giving your name to the casino if at all possible (this becomes less feasible at high stakes). Follow these instructions from bj21.com for flying safely with your bankroll.

If you're not an advantage player and routinely play with a BR more than $5K, I would strongly consider getting casino credit or sending a front-money check to the cage. I'm actually considering it just for my craps sessions, so I don't have to carry around that much cash with me. But I'm going to try to stick to advantage plays more strictly in the future, so I probably won't ever get credit.

A&8s, I can relate. I try to count cards, but the lure of easy money (craps) is too strong. Funny thing is, I've probably done worse at BJ than at craps.

Bottom line, play what you like.

(1) I'm a "lowbrow" player - usually around $1000 for a four-day trip
(2) Cash (and I mean "cash" - a Vegas casino is pretty much the only place left where they will take rolls of coins without some sort of commission)
(3) No, but that's mainly because I limit myself to $250 of losses per day (so if I break even on the first day, I don't spread the $1000 out over the remaining three).

Doesn't matter if it's Vegas, AC, or CT. I go on a multiple day trip with about $800. And I start to tighten up as soon as I'm down $50. Of course, I also have a couple grand in the bank that I can access at the ATM. I try not to go that route though...

If it's a one day hit & run, then it's usually $300 or so, with no ATM backup.

But I usually play poker where I tend to fold a lot of hands.

Bankroll varies but usually around $5,000 to $10,000 per trip to LV (usually 3 nights).

I bring about $3,000 in cash and have a credit line at most places I stay as well.

I always try to use the credit line, even if I have the cash. Two reasons, for this. The first is to show the casino I use the credit line. The second is to make sure I have cash to play elsewhere, the last thing I want to do is be tied down to the hotel/casino I'm staying at because I don't have cash to play elsewhere.

Lost entire bankroll 3 time in probably 60 trips, but two of those times were 20+ years ago when I was very young with a significantly smaller bankroll (less than $750) and much less disipline.

My bankroll is typically $2000 per day of my trip. I just switched to online banking, so I don't think I'm going to have access to large amounts of cash like I used to have when I had a neighborhood bank. My plan for my next trip will be to set up a line of credit at the casino at which I'm staying, and bring about $1000 of "just in case" cash. I've made about 15 trips to Vegas, and I've only tapped out my entire bankroll once ($6000 over a long weekend).

I tend to budget 2-3K per day and play very conservative the 1st few days, towards the end of the trip I try to bang out a few big bets.

I used to play the 25 S17 tables but have recently switched to good 2D games off the strip for 5 min.

I can risk alot less $$$ and go for it, if an opporttunity arises

Quote: DonPedro

I tend to budget 2-3K per day and play very conservative the 1st few days, towards the end of the trip I try to bang out a few big bets.

I used to play the 25 S17 tables but have recently switched to good 2D games off the strip for 5 min.

I can risk alot less $$$ and go for it, if an opporttunity arises

Probably a wise decision. Giving up 0.13%-0.18% in E.V. for 1/5th the variance. Plus, you can throw out a couple of big bets in high counts if you feel like going big.

My usual stay is 5 or 6 days, for which

1) I bring $2,000 - $2,500
2) all in cash, and (thankfully)
3) have never come close to losing all of it

I play blackjack, craps, low level NLHE and Omaha poker and the ponies (all in the same day).

Usually I'll have a good session at one or two of them, which at least partially negates the whooping I receive at the others.

Doesn't seem to matter what you bring. Cantor Gaming will accept Debit Cards and Credit Cards.