11 out of 12 were losing trips. Or were they?

Financially speaking, only one trip ended up with me going home with more money than I brought. A measly 85 dollars on the plus side, lol!

But when I look at the entertainment I got when playing table games and slot machines, along with all the other positive vibes and experiences while in Vegas, I realize that except for a couple of trips where our travel companions were Debbie downers, the trips were actually winning trips. We had fun. We danced and dined to our hearts content. And gambling was with fun players and dealers. We saw interesting sights and visited awesome resort properties. And met some interesting and wonderful strangers.

When I consider all of these aspects, I had many winning trips with a couple of losers (with the Debbie downers.....)

How about you? At what point financially would you consider it a losing trip? Or is the financial aspect the only parameter you consider?

 

If I lose over $10,000 it's a losing trip for me.

 

the way I see it, if I went to any other big city I would be spending at least $350-400 a night on a 4 star hotel and at least $100 a day on the amount of booze I drink + around $75 for food a day (maybe more). So realistically if I lose/spend anything more than $600-700 a day on average for the trip, then I consider it a losing trip. But then again, anywhere else I'd have to pay for some kind of entertainment for most of the day..... in vegas everything is entertainment

 

We consider all the money we bring with us "entertainment" money. So if we lose it all and have a good time, we still win. If we have to hit the ATM or use our credit card more than we planned, then it's a losing trip. (That only happened once.) We usually do pretty well sticking to our loss limits each day. Anything we come home with is a win, and gets put aside for the next trip. If we have some money to put aside and can start planning our next trip as soon as we get home then that's another win!

We are pretty low rollers, so other more serious gamblers probably look at it differently.

 

everything costs,wether its fishing rods or Disney tickets.
as long as you enjoy whats the difference?

 

I consider the entertainment value mostly. I rarely have a losing trip.

 

I have up trips and down trips, that's how I look at it. I may not always win but I never lose! What would you have done with that time? If you are in Las Vegas and the body is generating endorphins, you're winning!

If you're home on the couch watching reruns of Married with Children and the cops are at the door with a warrant, slip out the back door and get your ass to Vegas! No, actually go with the cops, get your warrant taken care of, pawn the TV then go to Vegas. I don't condone breaking the law, my son is a cop.

 

We look at it the same way. I have been fortunate. Some of our bankroll is about to go on its 4th trip. When it eventually goes, the entertainment value will have been well worth it.

 

Most of my Vegas results fall like this. I mostly lose...but not so much where I didn't really enjoy myself. And the savings on comp beers alone was enough to put me ahead most trips!

 

I only take what I can afford to lose - and usually lose it.

So, for me, if I stayed within my budget, that is a win!

 

Same here. Never go to Vegas expecting to bring home any of the "entertainment-gambling" money which I took.

 

I only consider it a losing trip if I spend more than I wanted to. If I have gambling money I expected to lose left over at the end of the trip, it's a win.

 

I'm not sure an absolute value on how much you lose qualifies you for a gambling problem. It is only a problem if it is more than you are prepared or willing to lose, and will cause you lifestyle changes in other areas.

 

Nowadays, it's when I actually lose...but before, when I was playing AP...i would break it down like this:
Expected Loss of Video poker play = x
Comp value = y
as long as y-x = positive number, then I was good.

 

I struggle with how to quantify this. We rarely come home as "winners". I say that because we factor in airfare, rental car, tips ,meals etc. We have covered all those expenses a few times but not often. We often come home with more cash than we take. The flip side is that most of our long trips are in lieu of other trips. Our preferred alternate destination is 7 nights at an all inclusive somewhere in the Caribbean. From that perspective, I can honestly say we have never lost. One time we came home with a cash loss of almost 3k. Compared to what we would spend on the other trip, this is still a positive outcome. By the way, we spent 16 nights in Vegas vs. only 7 nights in the islands.

 

We don't look at travel as a zero-sum game. That Vegas allows a way to be entertained/vacation and have some or even at times all of those expenses "covered" by the vacation/entertainment activity doesn't mean spending X grand on the Bahamas or Belgium or the Big Island is a wasted proposition. Conversely, going to Vegas and going bust -- as long as it's not the rent money or borrowed money -- does not a bad trip make. Perhaps not as fun as winning but didn't it also produce a good time in a fun place? And isn't that why any of us incur the "costs" of vacation ... to vacation?