I want to go to Vegas.

Over simplified title line im sure.

Outside of the dos and donts I can learn form websites, what Im looking for is an idea of how much of a budget I should take with me. In my entire life Ive never just gone out and splurged on my self for my self and by myself for a real no worries vacation feel.

I got a couple hotel/casions I want to go to- Ceasers Palace, & the Vanetian are the big two I really want to visit if for nothign more then sight seeing... and Wynn maybe.

After reading reviews and such I think the MGM Grand mgiht be where I want ot do most of my casino visiting. But I was looking that there were a couple cheap hotels right in the middle of these megaresort hotels that I coudl stay in and be next door to the likes of MGM and Ceasers.

What Im not sure of- is for a two day stay (Fly in on a monday, leave mid-day Wednesday)- how much I should consider taking with me. $800, $2,000. I dont want any fancy room service, Im from the deep south so Im used to a bottle of water costing a buck and a good restraunt for one person costing about $20. I dont plan to take checks or lots of cash, I want to primarily use my visa- so I dont see problems, but I have heard of a couple places that dont accept Visa (and I thought it was taken EVERYWHERE!)

I noticed that off-peak days at the MGM was $75 for a night. Is that pretty good?

I was originally thinking for the entire event maybe $100 for food, $800 or so bankroll for gaming. Another $150-200 for sightseeing. But I reallyt just dont have much of an idea. Having livedin Orlando Ive never gone anywhere to enjoy a tourist type spot- Ive always just watched the tourists form the perspective of a local. But whiel I coudl go to Tampa to enjoy some casino action- I really seem to be getting a very raw deal from the place- wheras if I go to a place like Vegas where theres lots of action and expectations and rivalry between hotel corps- maybe I coudl do a bit better and have a more fun time. (For example your 'high roller' pits in Vegas mentioned table minimums as low as $25 or $50 a hand- hell thats not high for HR Tampa.. the highroller rooms never go under $100.

In short, I would play for 8 hours a night two nights in a row, at $25 & $50 limit tables (half the time at BlackJack) and the only comp Id get is for $25 in dinning. Can I expect a little more then that out there? it sounds like I can, and its one reason I want to go. If I got on a membership club and did enough like that wihc is usual for me- and get offers in the mail for good worthwile comps Id go to vegas more often. (BTW: Tampa, you can forget about comps such as your hotel room- its not done for anybody)

Other examples of how I feel ripped off with the local casino is for example NONE of the video poker games are full pay- the pair plus on 3-card has a 1-*3*-6-30-50 pay; the blackjack is 8 decks, H17, no sur, no resplit.

So if Im going ot spend all this time and money, the least I can do is go somewhere thats not as stingy and high house advantage right? ;) (that and I want to make the trip and sight-see and all as well)

Here are my thoughts:

For a first trip to Vegas, I'd recommend 3 full days. You can easily spend a full day each on the South, Central, and North ends of the Strip.

Your estimate of expenses seems about 50% low to me. If you're going to be playing blackjack at $25 and $50 a hand, I think I'd budget at least $500/day, and more like $1000/day, as my worst case loss. Hopefully you'll win and not need to access it all, but I'd have it just in case. At $25/hand, maybe I'd plan on 3 sessions/day with $200-300 buy in each session.

Don't go for the comps. Sign up for the players cards, and if you're playing $25-50 hands for a few hours you'll definitely get mailings and e-mail inviting you to come back with complimentary or discount rooms. You may get discounted rooms and/or some free meals while you're there, but I'd strictly view those as an unexpected bonus.

Wear comfortable shoes!

Go to Vegas because there's no other adult gaming vacation experience like it. Its in a class by itself. Comparing Vegas to Tampa Hard Rock Casino is like comparing Disney World to a church carnival.

See some shows. I highly recommend the Ka and O Cirque shows. Expect tickets to cost something like $120.

I'm not into the hoity-toity restaurants. But it can be hard to find decent food at decent prices along the strip. You can do buffets, food court fast food, and coffee shop restaurants if you're not looking for a life-changing culinary experience.

I'd recommend you consider Bally's hotel. Its about as cheap as you'll find for a reasonable quality strip hotel/casino, and the location in the center of the strip is hard to beat. I wouldn't spend much time there except for sleeping and showering, tho.

If it helps to gage prices, these are the Average Daily Room Rates for the year 2009 for the MGM MIRAGE hotels
Circus Circus = $44
Excalibur = $61
Luxor = $80
Monte Carlo = $85
New York = $97
MGM Grand Las Vegas = $113
The Mirage = $126
Mandalay Bay = $159
Bellagio = $204

ARIA is usually selling rooms at more than the Bellagio. You should expect to do much better than this for a weekday. It really isn't that long a walk from any of the lower priced hotels to any other MGM-MIRAGE hotel (except for Circus Circus). The MIRAGE is slightly detached from the other hotels (you must walk across the front of Ceasars), but Circus circus is 2 miles away from the Bellagio.

Tropicana used to be much less expensive, but is now often as high or higher than the Monte Carlo. On the plus side the resort has been extensively renovated.

I don't suggest going lower than Excalibur. Places like Hooters which could go bankrupt any day now can be a real downer, and you won't save that much money. Excalibur rooms are perfectly clean and OK, but they are simply tacky. Since you will be in other casinos anyway, it may not matter. What is significant is that Excalibur is very centrally located.

VISA is accepted everywhere.

One advantage to selecting Monte Carlo is they do have 4 tables of full pay blackjack with a decent set of rules (according to Wizard of Vegas blackjack survey).

Monte Carlo 6-Decks Hit-Soft-17 Yes-DAS Yes-Surrender Yes-RSA No-Restrictions on doubling
You must take the ACE bus ($15 for all access 72 hour pass) to downtown to find the best gaming odds.

I'm kind of in your boat, but I'd say a trip or two ahead. Don't count out off-strip locations such as the Tuscany - easy walk. I bet you could get away with less than $100 for food, easily, so that's good. I agree, go to a show - unless you're doing this solo then just become a degenerate gambler for a few days.

I agree, at least $500 a day for gambling at that level. You should have a back-up plan if you lose like a little bitch though - mine is sports gambling. It can take 3 hours for a game, and it is an amazing ride. If you're going with some friends, sightseeing can be fun, but personally I had a hard time sightseeing when I was always walking by slot machines and craps pits... so it depends on your personality.

What I have come to end up doing is only having a single day trip with a bankroll of $1k. I can cut my food expenses to maybe $20 for that one day with $0 for "other". So yeah, I think bringing maybe $2k for the entire trip would be great. It will let you ride the highs and the lows and maybe eat the bellagio buffet instead of caesar's forums.

One last thing. I'm not sure if you're planning on going with people or not, but really think about it. Going with other people who probably aren't as big of gamblers as you can really be annoying - some might not want to spend much money at all while others want to go eat at this amazing restaurant and others want to go see three shows. Be selfish, do what you want, being pulled around with friends here really dampered my first Vegas experience so please be cautious.

Have some inexpensive places where you can go if your funds are running low. Ellis Island Brew Pub is just off the strip, it's a cheap steak, and is better and cheaper than a buffet.

I suggest that you take the ACE bus to downtown in the middle of the night your first day in Vegas. At night the play is very inexpensive, usually $3 minimum for craps, and sometimes after 3:00AM there is $1 minimum with 5X odds at Binion's. That way you can get a lot of action without risking a lot of money. Once you start playing $20 minimums, you can lose a lot very quickly.

Also try something you really can't do at home. I suggest seeing Mystere .

I would recommend taking it easy on the gambling. The first time I went to Vegas I overdosed on gambling (and drinks) and didn't have such a super time. Now I don't drink when I go to Vegas and I try to gamble less and/or seek out the best games. Take some time to sightsee, see a show, watch a sporting event, or go out of your way to eat a nice meal.

Are you going by yourself? I find going with friends to be better as you have to take other people's desires into account. Otherwise you can go off the deep end.

Bottom Line: Take it easy. The first trip to Vegas there is always the temptation to overindulge in the vice side of things and that sometimes isn't the best choice. (Jeez, I sound like a prude, don't I?)

Spend all of your time on the strip. Stay on the strip, or just off-strip. Don't bother going downtown. It's something you'll want to see eventually, but not worth making time for on your first trip. Don't bother going any farther north than the Wynn unless you are interested in the Stratosphere attractions.

Quote: teddys

Are you going by yourself? I find going with friends to be better as you have to take other people's desires into account. Otherwise you can go off the deep end.

Bottom Line: Take it easy. The first trip to Vegas there is always the temptation to overindulge in the vice side of things and that sometimes isn't the best choice. (Jeez, I sound like a prude, don't I?)

I agree, yet vehemently disagree. It all depends on your attitude. If you go to Vegas with money you're willing to lose, and willing to look back and say "Good god I was a fucking moron, but I had a good time" - then do whatever you damn well please. Go crazy, don't be distracted by friends. First trip though? Might want to play it a little more conservative. My vote lies with going apeshit insane though.

Sounds like you will be doing a great deal of walking and gawking, so plan on comfortable shoes and atleast twice the water intake you normally would have. You should be able to get good room deals now. MGM for 55 a night is so often in my email account that I no longer read them. Monte Carlo was described as having exceptionally clean rooms. If you go t the north end of the strip for really cheap rooms from The Stratosphere and low limit gaming then you will be distant from the really impressive casinos. Many people recommend staying at a really upscale place for your first visit and doing bargain hunting on subsequent visits.

I think you are underestimating your gaming budget considerably.

I think your food budget is a bit low too. Also you should charge as much as you can to your room rather than your Visa Card. You don't do this for comps, but for the possibility of comps. Its not like the casinos in Florida where the Seminole's have a monopoly. In Vegas, comps can be far more generous and if your gaming budget is high enough it won't be just mailers for your next trip, it can be your meals and your room.

If you are going to be visiting impressive architecture, massive themed casinos, you may be too tired to hike elsewhere for meals and may want to sample the impressive places, but try to map out which places have cheaper eats next-door. Bellagio fountains are wonderful, the Belagio gardens are impressive but the buffet is going to have a long line and a high price, so try to plan alternatives. Downtown's MainStreetStation with its microbrew pub and Black Cherry Ale is great, but if you are on the strip, its so much easier to go to Ellis Island microbrewery. Only slight lower in quality and only slightly higher in price, but so much closer.

I found The Venetian to be so large that I was too tired to walk elsewhere even though I had promised myself to do the hectic-paced craps table with 100x odds at the next door dive, Casino Royale.

Remember to join those players clubs even if you are just looking. However, if you do your gambling where you are staying and eating, four hours of 50 a hand will get you noticed for sure.

I think 2 nights is too short a time for your first trip - especially since you are coming from the east coast. Unless you're getting an early morning flight out there, the time change will catch up with you. Also remember, depending on which airline you fly, getting out of Vegas means showing up to McCarran 2 hrs before your plane departure. Plus if you want to see the sights, that will take up a significant amount of time as MGM to Venetian is quite a hike if you're walking.

I think that if you're by yourself, the $100 a day is doable. You'd probably need between 2000-3000 if you're playing $25/50 hands of blackjack 8 hrs a day. I'd suggest maybe hitting the Monte Carlo or Mandalay because they'll have the S17 games on the main floor at lower minimums ($10/15 - albeit with no comps) if you wish to stretch your bankroll.

- First, if you want a better deal at a hotel, sign up for Harrah's and MGM cards online and wait for a deal.
- Second, your stay is too short. If you want to experience Vegas, you need three full days. You can fly in on a Sunday morning, leave your bags at the hotel, and fly out Wednesday afternoon.
- Third, don't expect a great deal of competition from hotels on the strip. With the exception of Treasure Island, ALL of the strip casinos are owned by big corporations who run a oligopoly. You'll get rewarded for loyalty, for sure, but generally, the you'll find the best games at the dumpiest casinos. At $25 you'll find a good double deck game at a few casinos (.19%). If you want immediate bonuses for loyalty on the strip stay away from Harrahs. If you want to come back to Vegas on their nickel, join Harrahs but don't expect any comps for while you are there.
- Fourth, a $1000 bankroll may not last very long at $25/$50 blackjack for eight hours. That only gives you a variance of 40 hands. I would come with $2,000 at least for that action. $1,000 is appropriate for a $10 game. At the $25 level for that length of time, expect comps for meals.
- Fifth, don't expect full pay video poker at low denominations along the strip. You'll find some full pay machines at the $5 denomination. If you want great video poker, take a cab to the Palms, catch the free shuttle from Ballys to the Rio and walk there, or grab the ACE and go downtown.
- Sixth, if you like food, then budget for it. You can get fantastic meals on the strip but be prepared to spend. Conversely, you can get away with a very small budget for food -- at the cheaper joints on the strip and just off the strip.
- Seventh, for site-seeing, take in the free shows at the Bellagio, Mirage, and Treasure Island. See a show if that's your thing. If you're into nature, rent a car for the day and head over to the Hoover Dam, death valley, or the local mountains.

So overall I would budget the following: $60/night for the hotel (use the $20 trick to upgrade), $50/day for food, $200 for sightseeing, and $2,000 for gambling.

Good luck.

There's nothing stopping you from calling one of the casinos, asking for a host, telling him that you're planning your first trip to Vegas, and asking if there's any sort of deals available. Worst that will happen is you've wasted 5 minutes of your life.

I assume you're part of the rewards program at the Tampa casino. Are you an upper-tier member? Often casinos will award new members upper-tier status if they are upper-tier elsewhere.

As far as what to do, check out this thread: Wizard Of Vegas: The Hidden Gems Of Vegas. Lots of cool ideas in that one.

However, I think your trip might be too short.

Most important: Have fun!

Quote: ahiromu

If you're willing to look back and say "Good god I was a fucking moron, but I had a good time" - then do whatever you damn well please.

Hard to argue with logic like that! :)

Just wanted to say thanks to all for lots of great advice in this thread. I am going to LV this summer.

Roghaltz

Id lke to say thanks as well- I didnt expect this much responce or this fast of a reply-

I will be going by myself- i do expect to do a bit of walking but thats ok with me, I defintly heard about the taking good shoes. I only recently heard about doing the $20 bill thing.

I dont plan to go specificly for the gaming, but that is going to be about half of it. Im not a member of SC's elite club members- just a basic (and thisis another ripoff your points with them accumulate something to the rate of 1 for every $2- and expire every calenderic 3 months. You need 100,000 points to be in thier elite group- and I dont see myself making $66,000 in bets every month. Im sure im off on the calculations a little- but I dont think much. I have noticed when I went there were a few elite members... mostly asians and old women (or maybe thats because of how much time I spend at pai gow poker).

I do plan to stay pretty much center strip. As ceasers and venitian are (IMO) pretty close together.

One reason I want to go as for the casino is so I can play pai gow tiles and roulette and try a little craps as it seems to be the only casino game Ive not pretty much compleatly understood to this point. I cant play those games here; only card games and slots.

I LOVE LOVE cirque du soleil and do hope to take in one of thier shows while im there, I do know they are slightly pricy tickets. Ive not really considered natural sight seeing, but im keeping it in mind- as I have never in my life been west of the mississippi river (I been up to it, Ive been to New Orleans during madi gras- though I honestly was not there for madi gras, that was a bonus).

Calling a casino and talking to someone is honestly something Ive not considered to do- as I dont usually make reservations directly with hotels. Ill check in on that.

The spending three full days bit im a little iffy on... You sure flying in in the early am and leaving as a late pm wont qualify for three days? ;) I may go ahead and add a second day in between (fly in on Monday fly out on Thursday) but thats as much time as I feel comfortable with using I think.

So you think I shoudl sign up for players club membership at each location I go to no matter if im not planing on staying there for a length of time in the casino?

I was thinking on avg. the food there on avg between lunch and dinner will cost me about $25 a meal- so maybe stretch that to $200. The $1,000 a day seems to be the general idea and sounds good to me for the casino. If I add an extra day to the trip, it will be one full day I wont be in the casinos so that will give me 1.5 grand for each of the two days im in there which I think is good enough.

Bally's as mentioned does look to be a great location if it beats the other prices a bit.
Thats a check on avoiding 'near bankrupt hotels'

THANK YOU For the info regarding being at the airport at least 2 hours prior! Im used to dealing with Orlando International which is no small airport, but I consider an hour ahead enoguh time there (or sometimes an hour and 30 minutes)- Ill make sure to give myself 2 hours for LAS for return trip!

What I might do is stay at a mid-way hotel (such as Bally's as mentioned) sight-see the vanitian and ceasers one day, and walk down to the MGM grand the other day that I plan to do my heavy casino use. So each day i get a good walk, but not overbearing.

BTW: Im not a BJ exclusive guy, my daily grand bankroll woudl be used at other tables too, as I said I dont plan to be there long but I do want to get to play at roulette, and I want to get some action (maybe an hour or two) at craps, and I do plan alot of pai gow which will slow down my monitary use- I might do an hour or so of a side game suhc as 3-card or texas holdem bonus. I like ot dabble a little.

What Im startin got get a feel for that the entire trip will be somewhere around $4,000 for a Mon-Thurs event. As mentioned about $50 a day for food; and $1,000 a day for the casinos (which might be only two trips at 1.5 each); About $300 on the plane tickets; between $50 and $75 a night for the hotel room; and $100 a day for 'other' or sight-seeing related stuff.

Im glad I asked as you all have been very helpful.

I do have one other mythical question for advise. Suppose I DO make a large profit at the casino (wouldnt be a first for me- and I know I shoudl take two IDs)- the cage is going to pay me out in cash no? I would not have a bank account out there as I use a local CU. I dont think Id want to fly with gobs of $100 in my pockets (evne if I have a tax info form showing how I got the money)- and aside fro mthat the airlines may wonder why im holding onto my carry on lugage like im chained to it. What is the best thing I coudl do if I did win a bit of money and could not put it into an account immediatly? Send it back home Western Union for me to pick up later? Get a temporary visa I could load a couple grand onto? Ive heard that I can ask the casino to hold onto it for me and thereby getting a marker deal for my next visit- is this one a good idea?

The previous two-three times I left a casino with more then I came in, I didnt have more then an hours ride home and I just stuffed the 2-3 G's in my pocket and went home.

Definitely sign up for the players club cards, even if you plan to just stroll around and plan to throw away any trinkets you get such as a key chain. You lose nothing but you do gain. It usually doesn't take any time to do it either.

I know alot of airline ticket AND room deals exist, but once you book through something like Expedia, you are PAYING for it. The casino can not ever comp you for that room. If you book DIRECTLY with the hotel, atleast you have a chance of getting comped for the room. Also you might get a better "internet" rate... check.

You can email hosts or call. Casino web sites often have names and email addresses of their hosts as well as photos.

My companion forces me to use that twenty dollars to the desk clerk.... I hate it. Others swear by it. I think they just give you the same room they were going to anyway and call it an "upgrade". Besides,,, How many TVs do you need in a hotel room?

I too think that your first trip should be a bit longer than you plan. Its not just jet lag and walkin' 'round time. There is alot to do with your time even if you tire of gambling... and I think your first trip to Vegas should be a bit of a splurge! You can always do a more budget oriented trip later and stay at a lower-level casino.

The Venetian seems to be generous with comps right now, but so are other casinos. Search out bargains. Even in the Venetian, two places in the food court have good breakfast specials and the cafe near the credit desk and craps table offers a small room that has a cheap breakfast buffet that has no signs advertising its existence. At the Venetian charge EVERYTHING you can to your room!

I can't really figure out Pai Gow Tiles, but I've been up to seven grand on the Play For Fun simulator. I at first didn't realize the tiles didn't go by the number of spots on them. Still can't figure that stuff out.

Quote: rudeboyoi

http://www.thetwentydollartrick.com/

Thanks... very informative.. what I want to know though; is it seems like everyone thinks its a shady practice... which makes me question 1) ar ethe front desk associates even technically-allowed to take tips in the first place and its just customary for the managers to look the other way; or is it the fact its a big tip for a desk clerk; or its ok to make big tips to the desk clerk but the supervisor is there to make sure they dont just give away blatently huge rooms for personal favors?

It appears you have a few casinos picked out that you want to focus on, which is fine. But I think on your first trip you'll want to take in as much as possible. That's why I recommend three days. One day on the South strip includes MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, NYNY, Monte Carlo and Aria. One day in the central strip includes Bellagio, Ceasar's, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Bally's, Harrah's, etc. And a final day on the North strip includes Mirage, Treasure Island, Venetian/Palazzo, and Wynn/Encore. I think you'll find that walking thru, window shopping, grabbing a bite to eat and a few sessions of gambling done in this manner will fill up your days.

Quote: Malaru

I LOVE LOVE cirque du soleil and do hope to take in one of thier shows while im there, I do know they are slightly pricy tickets. Ive not really considered natural sight seeing, but im keeping it in mind- as I have never in my life been west of the mississippi river (I been up to it, Ive been to New Orleans during madi gras- though I honestly was not there for madi gras, that was a bonus).

Check out www.tix4tonight.com - they sell reduced price tickets for shows, including some of the Cirque shows. There are several locations along the strip. They open at 10:00am and sell tickets for shows that night. Obviously these aren't going to be the best seats, and the show you want to see might not be available, but you can get pretty good discounts off the published ticket price. They also have deals on other attractions and dining.

Malaru,

I don't know what kind of gambler you are, but from what you are mentioning, I think 3K for a gambling budget is too high.

It sounds like you are playing table games only. Given that casinos generally comp about 20% of expected loss, if you are planning on $3,000 in gambling action, you might want to consider doing all of your gambling in one hotel and get your as much of your Room and Food (RFB) comped. At that level of action at $25/game, you shouldn't drop all $3K and if you do, you're very unlucky. At least play in the same family of hotels (MGM, not Harrahs). I guess my point is that if you are gambling at that level, you should expect that at least your meals are comped.

If you are looking for a balanced and positive experience I would budget a bit more for the hotel and food and a bit less at the tables. Vegas is not all about gambling, and it's easy to get sucked into a casino there and not come out for hours. Make sure you take alot of time to take in the sights and the atmosphere rather than concentrate on the gambling.

If you make a large profit at the casino, have them write you a check. Open an account at a bank with locations in Las Vegas and deposit the money into your account before you go.

Most three card tables in Vegas are 1-3-6, a bad deal.

I think you would be too exhausted after all this tourism stuff to gamble intelligently and would therefore suggest a smaller sampling of various casinos.

MGM Grand,
Mandalay Bay, Pool, including European style sunbathing, spa, young crowd. Reports of good comps.
Luxor, Getting less Egyptian, but interesting.
Excalibur, Interesting but kids galore and the food ain't all that great.
NYNY, Fun but nothing special. Food was not disappointing but not spectacular either.
Monte Carlo. Non=pretensious. Tasteful quality. Shops.
Aria. New, upscale, but it seems there is nothing spectacular about it.
Bellagio, Fountains, botanical garden, shops, Good Buffet, but long lines.
Ceasar's,
Planet Hollywood, (Not my type of crowd).
Paris, Gay oriented marketing. Great food. Good music and good drinks.
Bally's,
Harrah's,
Mirage,
Treasure Island, You might want to visit it for the free shows and sexy sirens, but not much else.
Venetian/Palazzo, Luxury, good food, some bargains if you look for them, great dealers.
Wynn/Encore. Wynn buffet said to be declining in quality.

I do plan a few items into the trip- its not all casino- I am thinking a little less then half of my time outside of sleeping and eating would be spent in the MGM Grand's casino (so thats about 5 hours a day avged out) including the first night and second day where I dont have any plans ot use one at all. I do plan to make it just one casino, not all over the place. The only other two hotels I want to visit for just the sheer sight-seeing is ceasers and the vanietian- no gambling, I just want to see them. I dont think three hotels is too many.- but you just listed a huge number.

I have decided it would be more beneficial to stay at the hotel I was going to spend most of my time at- thus the MGM Grand, and after reviewing their things it seems like a nice place to stay and its where I wanted to go as for casion stuff. Outside of the typical players card rutine they have alot of nice benefits I like tied to that prima card that you just pre-pay $500 to your room- Im thinking of doing this as I saw myself spending about that much anyways on diffrent items in the place; unless someone here has had a bad experiance with it. $50 credit hotel wide (or upgraded room), upgraded tickets to the cirque show, limo ride back to airport, buffet line pass, taxi line pass (not expecting much lines on a weekday to begin with), and a good number of other small perks. And the MGM is a good price as Id be looking at around $70 a night.

I know the 3 grand sounds a little high- but there is a good possibility I wont even touch most of it as they were mentioning earlier might as well take enough to do the games that I want the way I want and have enough that if I was to just be unfortunate enough that I loose on everything I touch as soon as I touch it that I have enouhg to still have a good time. Basicly it was ment to cover the most Id need- a high end limit so to speak. What might happen is I might pop out the first 500 or grand of that and not even need to touch the rest all trip.

:) Thanks again for all the input guys, youve been most helpful!

Just a small update on the situation.

Thankfully work has decided we are a couple people too short and thus are offering an almost constant list of overtime (my next paycheck alone will have 40 hours OT on top of the 80 hours for the two weeks WOOHOO. So it is a bit easier to fund the trip with the time frame I got in mind.

Ive decided to extend the stay- and make it a 4 nighter. I hated adding the expensive saturday night to my list, but I couldnt do a thursday. So Ive got it wrote down in the calender. Mid-week of august fly in on Saturday and leave Wednesday.

I considered several places and looked over a bit of areas. I loved Paris's open and airy look after reading the review and checking out some pics/videos of the place- it seemed a great place to go. I also looked into both the mirage and luxor and discounted both. In the end im down to Monte Carlo because of them being a smaller casino and in need of buisness making for good deals and flexability with how they may treat me. And the one im leaning towards and have already been leaning towards- MGM Grand. I think Im going to end up decided with MGM Grand after reading some of thier perks and things they have going on. Right now I can reserve my room at $55 a night AND they have that prima (or whatever it was) promotion where if you pre-pay $500 to your room credit for use for your tabs and things you get a pretty good list of benefits I think Id use. Like an upgrade to a suite for free, limo back to airport for free, free upgarde to cirque show tickets, and a few other things. The ons listed Id definatly take advantage of- there dont seem to be much of a catch it stays your money you just pay for your room service and charges to your room ahead of time instead of at checkout. Seems a win win situation. My only reaction is woudl this disqualify me for any perspective comps i codl get come checkout saying 'we are sorry but you prepaid the charges we cant comp you this visit'. or maybe they dont give back cash for unused portion rather give a hotel credit for it?.. So far I have not seen any catches but these are two that crossed my mind. So basicly, a huge huge casino and a bungalo suite for $55 a night for 4 nights is whats really got me attracted to the MGM (that and it was where I was planning to spend most of my time).

I think with this upcomming paycheck friday I will reserve my room and the next paycheck ill put in for my plane tickets- I found southwest offering nonstop flights from the nearby intnl. airport for around $400. a little steeper then the 1 stop flights found but I consider it worth being a non stop flight.

Allegiant Air will sometimes beat Southwest. All flights are nonstop, but they only fly to small airports, and they don't fly to the East Coast.

It really depends on whether you like gambling at the MGM Grand.

The good news is that if you don't you can always charge costs to your room from ANY MGM property on the strip. So, if you decide to have a meal at Il Fornaio at NYNY you can charge the meal to your room at MGM Grand. Same goes with your comps. If you decide to have a blast at Mandalay Bay (my favorite of MGM casinos), you earn your MGM comps there, and you can go have a nice meal, purchase sundries, go see a show, and charge it all to your room.

Still, I don't necessarily like the idea of prepaying $500 to a room credit as it keeps you locked at MGM properties. But there are plenty of them where you are playing. As well, if you are betting $25/hand as you said earlier and are playing 8 hours a day, you should get a lot of your meal spending and even a show ticket comped, making the prepayment useless. Remember that the 21 rules aren't that great at MGM properties. The limo only takes a few minutes.

Still, sounds like your first trip to Vegas, and it seems like you want to go in style, and if the prepay promotion looks good, then I think it's fine that you go for it, understanding that you'll feel locked at MGM properties.

Quote: Malaru

or maybe they dont give back cash for unused portion rather give a hotel credit for it?.. So far I have not seen any catches but these are two that crossed my mind.

You should read the provisions more carefully. You must spend all $500 at MGM Grand (not any other MGM property). You get nothing back at the end of your four days, not even a hotel credit. It is a commitment to spend a minimum of $500 at the one property.

No refunds to your Prima spending account. Any remaining credit balances in your Prima spending account upon checkout will not be refunded.

It doesn't look like a bad deal, if you are entertaining a woman. You will spend that amount easily in the restaurants. The limousine ride would be better spent at night going to a club rather than simply transport to the airport. It is not a budget vacation. I would like the deal much more if you could spend your money in any MGM property.