Rqst help with low-level gambling at The Rio, please

Hello,

I am an elderly lady on a budget, traveling solo and staying at the Rio.

I have never gambled and would like to try - primarily for the social aspect of it and to get out of my room.

Can anyone please share with me information they have about (ideally) penny slots, or perhaps nickel slots at the Rio?

If they offer penny slots, and I play them, am I actually entitled to free beverages +tip?

As I understand it, the "progressives" give you the chance at the biggest payout and you can spend some time out of the room having fun.

If anyone knows, how much USD$ would I have to spend in the slot machines to get any kind of comp, such as a free meal?

Also, are there smoke-free and smoking gaming areas? Or is it all smoking?

Thank you.

 

You should be entitled to a drinks. You are very close to the Gold Coast and Palms if you can walk. The Rio has a free shuttle to the strip. I don't have anyother info. to give you. I think you need a lot of points to get a meal, at least compared to the Gold Coast, for very few points on senior day you get half off on their buffet.

 

Make sure to get a players card at the total rewards desk and insert it EVERY machine you play on. You will accrue points to use however you wish on food, gift shops or whatever. How many points depends completely on how much you play. 100 points is equal to one dollar. So 2400 points for example is $24 to use. I played penny slots last trip and spent $1200 gambling and got about $40 in comps to use. Don't gamble for comps though. Just play and have fun, the comps will come.

They do bring you free drinks when you play. Just tip the waitress when she comes back, and she will keep coming around.

 

I would definitely check out the Gold Coast across the street. They have a lot of "golden agers" specials aimed at 50+ players. The limits are low, the games are pretty good and the staff is friendly. You will get free drinks at penny machines.

That being said, you will get free drinks at penny machines at Rio as well. It just isn't aimed at lower level players. The minimums are generally higher and there are fewer games with smaller bets.

 

If you are on a low budget, careful about the max bet button, even those penny machines will take $2-4 max bets and your bank roll can go *poof* real quick!

 

To answer your last question, smoking is allowed anywhere on the casino floor at Rio. Not sure if there are non-smoking gaming areas in other Vegas casinos, I personally have never seen one, but then again I've only been in a handful of properties.

 

You can on a rare occasion find a non smoking table - I wouldn't go out of my way to look for one...there are very few.

 

I wuld not worry too much about the comps. From your other posts it seems as though you are budget minded.

You will have to spend a bit to get comped for anything other then drinks.

you will get drinks while playing but be sure to tip at least $1 for the waitresses trouble.

Do sign up for a card though because sometimes they come with some free play which is fun to do.

 

I don't know how much 'social aspect' you'll get playing slots... I'd suggest pai gow or roulette or 3-card for social interaction. They're easy games to learn, leaving more time for players to interact.

Craps is very social, but can be intimidating to some. However, you can always play a passline bet only, enjoy the drinks and people, and probably learn quite a bit about the game, just watching what others do. Yes, it'll be slow (playing just the line), but for a first-timer, that's a good thing.

Dittos on the Gold Coast suggestion. You'll find lower limits there.

 

Thank you for all the helpful answers. I really hope I meet people as nice as all the people on this forum when I go to Las Vegas.

I appreciate those who pointed me to the Gold Coast. Perhaps I'll meet a lady similar to myself to spend some time with or at least have a meal with while I am there.

 

If you play video poker, there are a lot of nickle machines at the Gold Coast, compared to the Rio. I had fun trying to chase the progessive royal flush, which i sadly didn't win.