Cutting Back: Halve the number of trips or cost per trip?

For the past several months, I’ve been looking to cut back on my Vegas-related expenses. Fortunately, after a string of horrible luck, my most recent trips have ended up pretty darn close to break-even, either plus or minus a very small percentage of my overall bankroll. This has allowed me to put off the cost cutting for the time being. However, I know my luck can’t continue forever and eventually the losses will return. So, I’m now trying to figure out the best way to reduce costs while doing as little “damage” as possible to my enjoyment level. I would like to cut my total Vegas costs in a given year by roughly half.

On paper, this really shouldn’t be a Herculean task by any stretch of the imagination. Because (a) I take four+ trips a year and (b) while far from a High Roller, I take very few measures to control my spending while I’m in Vegas.

I have thought of three potential measures I could take and I’d like your input on them. Which one would you go with faced with the same situation?

A. Do nothing different on my Vegas trips. Just take two trips per year instead of four.

B. Continue taking four trips per year. Cut my gambling in half (by a combination of fewer hours at the tables/machines and lowering the stakes), and be more frugal – drink more cheaply, travel more cheaply, reduce the number of big ticket meals, cut out room service and raids of the mini bar, etc.

C. Take three trips a year – two half-priced trips and one “splurge” trip at full fare.


I had thought of a fourth option – cutting my trips down from four days to three and taking three trips a year instead of four. But the older I get, the more the cross country travel wears on me. And for whatever reason, a four day trip really seems to help make the hassle much more worthwhile than a three day trip.

So, whaddaya think?

Thanks for your input.

 

I'd cut back to two trips.

It is possible to get fatigue with any destination, and if your are regularly going enough that not much as changed while consciously playing and spending less than you want to, I think it will start to eat at your enjoyment.

If you wanted you could space it so that you can afford a bonus trip if one of the first two is a winner.

 

Imo I don't think option A is doable. You obviously enjoy Vegas and if you're like me, the week after you get back, you're planning the next one.

I have 3 booked already.

I'm the wrong guy to give money management advise, so I'm no help on your options.

 

I've gradually cut back from averaging probably close to 6/year to 4 to 3 and now about 2. The first big cutback was a move from California back to the Eastern part of the country, so that was a bit of a given. Going gradually from 4 to 2 has made me appreciate my visits a little more, and I've suffered no obvious withdrawal symptoms.

 

I would never want to decrease my bankroll, so I'd be looking to reduce the number of trips to 2 per year. That's just me though.

 

"It is possible to get fatigue with any destination" I think that is the situation I am in now. I did four trips at four days each last year. I am looking at four trips this year, but the trips in Sept. and Dec. will only be for three days each.

I do not get excited about going to Vegas anymore. The flying experience is getting to be a hassle and a lot of what I loved, is gone. I guess "the thrill is gone". I think this old body has gotten older and it just won't do what is used to and this old brain is not excited by what is in Vegas today.

thecarve: I feel your dilemma. You might be better off just cutting the trips down to two. See what that feels like and take it from there.

 

If dread or drudgery starts to creep in, it ain't fun.

It comes down to what's more important, the number of times you go to Vegas and the number of days there or what you do with that time and those days, which I guess is the old quality v. quantity gig.

There are plenty of ways to eat in Vegas without it being an either/or Onda/Olive Garden conundrum, for instance. But what might be harder to deal with is less time playing at lower stakes.

You'll come to the conclusion that is right for you.

 

Like the rational behind this idea...ditto....

 

Definitely cut back on trips.
Rule of thumb, never cut the bankroll. You won't be happy.
We would usually have our 2nd trip planned already but we took a beating last trip. As a result, we are holding back to replenish funds.

Sure we can plan know but if the gambling budget doesn't get met it won't be as much fun.

 

Hmmm, I guess my first thought is is a little different from the others. You admit that you had some trips with "horrible luck" but it seems to have righted itself since then. Why assume the worst? Why can't your future trips be anticipated to still either break close to even, or possibly end up with a larger bankroll?

It sounds to me like you still want to go 4 times per year, so why not continue just doing what you're doing until you're actually faced with having to make this decision? Maybe this bridge will never have to be crossed!

As a final thought, I don't know what games you play? Is there an option to play games with lower house advantage than you usually do?

 

I am sure it is possible for a Vegas addict get used to 2x a year instead of 4x.

I wouldn't cut back on a trip budget. What exactly would the reduction in the time gambling be replaced with?

 

I'd do x2 a year. I know it's Vegas, but it can get pretty boring if you have no money to do things and/or gamble and have to sit around and wait for breakfast/lunch/dinner. So save up twice for the x2 trips a year!

 

i've cut back from 6-10 trips to 2 per year and i almost like it better. I may even cut out the winter trip this year and just do a spring/summer trip once per year.

Keeping the proper bankroll is important, but it can be fun to see what you can do on limited budget as well. Make it into a fun challenge.

 

Ha! Quitter. Theres a facebook group now for Vegas quitters. Lots of pics too!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Some-People-Just-Cant-Handle-Vegas/106941672661636

 

I'm with BeeJay.

I cut 4 trips per year from east coast down to 1 or 2 per year. I decided to cut down the trips for different reasons though. As much as I love Vegas, I live in a tourist area now so a lot of the things I looked forward to doing and experiencing out there like weather, shopping, pools, etc, I already experience at home. Therefore, the choice was easy. Flying across the country 4 times a year or really appreciating my new surroundings more?

I have always done my trips cheaply/frugally, so I am pretty much still doing them mostly the same way. I splurged a little last trip only because I had the SW cc but it was only a splurge relative to my prior spending (50k points in the bag now. Thanks SW!).

So my choice, of course, would be to cut my trips down. I realized that abstinence is not so bad.

 

The sooner you realize that gambling is a losing proposition, the sooner you can start having fun. There's so much to LV beyond gambling.

 

Man, that's been my mantra for years. We're more inclined to other Vegas as standard Vegas, even as we enjoy standard Vegas. But it still is at the core all about standard Vegas. Whether minnow or wannabe cetacean, folks here on VMB who might do some of the other are gonna say no thanks sans the cards and bells and reels. When those go away it is adios interest and adios Vegas. Nuke that whole gaming license thing and Vegas drops way down behind any number of other desert locales as far as a vacay spot.

Guess it's a question of balance when it comes to risk and satisfaction.

 

My travel costs are a sizeable % of my Vegas trips. Since fuel prices more than doubled the last four years I have reduced the number of trips and increased the lengh of stay.
I usually get a cheaper hotel for weekends too.

 

Yeah, people no longer blink an eye while paying 4 bucks a gallon or more more gasoline anymore. I guess we all know who's making the big money these days.

 

Thanks for all the replies gang. My first instinct is the same as most of yours – cut the number of trips. But, Joe’s point about not being able to stay away is a good one. It’s fun to always have a Vegas trip to look forward to that’s only a few months away.

We’ll see if I’m able to change my habits. Since I’m in a situation where I don’t necessarily HAVE to cut my LV trip expenses, I just WANT to, my guess is that my attempts to quit will be about as successful as my attempts to quit smoking. Hopefully, my trip this weekend won’t see me getting my clock cleaned and I’ll be able to kick the can down the road a ways.

As far as playing “better” games…probably not possible. At least not to an extent where it would make a significant difference. Probably the worst bets I make from a HA standpoint are placing the six and eight in craps and the occasional 9/5 DDBP (I won’t play 9/5 any higher than the quarter level). Most of my money goes to BJ. And I don’t play at any tables with rules that have more than .5% HA; most of the time I’m playing games that have .3% or less.

As far as not gambling…that’s a complete non starter. Sans gambling, Vegas would be a place I’d go to once a year for a convention. Don’t get me wrong. There’s plenty that I like about the city other than just gambling. But, considering that I can hop in my car and be at pretty much any city on the eastern seaboard from NY to Savannah in the time that it takes me to fly to Las Vegas, I doubt I’d be able to rationalize paying more to travel to LV.