Las Vegas Strip, there are better places to gamble.

But it requires some effort, and a little research.

Why do I post this? "I hate Strip Casinos" They cater to dumb tourists who don't know how to gamble. I know, because I used to be one.

And now even Harrah's Properties are charging a "Resort Fee". Do I look like a Chump?

There's always "Downtown Las Vegas", where the slot payouts are better, the Black Jack rules are more liberal, the minimums are lower and the odds are better.

You can check the statistics through the Nevada Gaming Commission.

http://www.americancasinoguide.com/slot-machine-payback-statistics.html#Nevada

addendum 7-4-2013 Happy 4th of July!

if quarter machines on the strip pay back 91.52% (nevada gaming commission stats) at 500 plays per hour (verified smart gaming.com) then the cost to play is $42.40 per hour. And that's only if you broke dead even hypothetically. Most players never quit while they're ahead or even. Do you know the percentage of players that actually quit while they're ahead? Ask Steve Wynn who said,
"They all put it right back in" or so I read.


The SDX bus is more like a train than a bus. It stops in front of several of the swankiest casinos on the Strip and gets you Downtown Fremont Street much faster than the Deuce bus, as you buy your ticket before you board and flash your ticket and go. There aren't many stops so it's really fast.

And if you want to get even better odds the locals casinos along the Boulder Highway and on into Henderson have much better paybacks. But here4 you need a car or a bus pass, and the time and inclination.

Also, as far as Video Poker" is concerned you can find full pay machines at many casinos in the quarter and even nickle denomination.

See vpFREE2 for locations and placement in the listed casinos, that's right, they even tell you where in the casino they are located.

http://www.vpfree2.com/

Staying on the Strip is still cool, the nightclubs restaurants and shows are great, but the gambling stinks. Nuff Said!

.

 

I guess it depends on what sort of entertainment you're looking for. If it's just gambling, measured by the smallest house edge you can find, then I probably agree. But some people (myself included) would rather give up a few tenths of a percent to sit in a nice chair in a nice room in a nice hotel, and there's nothing wrong with that. Would I find better blackjack rules off the Strip? Maybe, but I like the Strip resorts and their amenities and their restaurants and their drink service, and all of that goes into the calculus along with the house edge. I think this is even more important nowadays when casinos are in many more places; if I literally only wanted to play cards, then I'd go to a casino closer to where I live. But Vegas is about more than just the gaming itself.

 

I wonder if this is the right place for this post. I would never consider staying downtown, but I wouldn't post the many reasons why in the Downtown LV hotel forum.

 

Exactly. I can't give up the excitement and ambiance of the nice strip hotels in any way right now, maybe things will change but I doubt it. And the fact is the strip hotels only offer inferior odds at lower limits. If you play black chip or even green chip at many big strip hotels you can find good blackjack. Same with VP, but maybe to a lesser extent. Though you're SOL if you want to play higher limit VP downtown or most off-strip places. Look at thecarve's thread from a while back about blackjack "good, bad, and ugly". The strip offers a lot of good games if you're willing to play a little higher.

I visited 2 off-strip casinos for the first time ever this last trip because we had a car. Went to Red Rock which was pretty nice but not all that exciting. We also visited the Orleans on our way to the airport after reading so many good things about it on this board. The place was packed and I can see its draw but the atmosphere wasn't for me at all. And its not like the games I played there were any better than they were at MGM casinos, they were just available at lower limits. I still ended up dropping over $500 there in under an hour playing low limits which sucked cuz I was headed to the airport and have no use giving play to the Orleans anyway.

 

Sure, but I enjoy being on the strip, not at some dump 20 miles away, with all the old ladies, and tons of smoke. I don't really care about the odds or whatever. I'm on vacation, enjoying my luxurious room in a mega resort. Regardless I'm sure the difference is minimal (that chart says 2%). If the odds I'd win a jackpot were 50% better, then yes I'd do it, but it's so small. It's not worth it. Besides, when I gamble that's maybe 15% of my trip, not 100%. I'd rather be surrounded by stuff I enjoy for the rest of it.

If I was really just into gambling, yeah, I'd go to the Indian Casinos that are much closer than Vegas.

I agree with the downtown comment.. I want to check it out because it's all the rage right now among Vegas fans, but I imagine it wouldn't be for me either... as long as I can stay somewhere nice like MGM for under $100 a night I'm not really considering anywhere off strip.

Ultimately it comes down to what you enjoy! I know plenty of people that love downtown, love the Orleans, love Red Rock and M, but I'd still rather be on the strip.

 

I agree. This is why I have spent over 95% of my Vegas time on the strip even though I know the games they have generally suck. I can "just gamble" at home if I want to. Some of this breakdown has to do with my g/f who definitely hates downtown...lol We kept talking about downtown this last trip since it's been almost 18 months since we went there, but we never got there.

Next time maybe? I wouldn't mind taking a crack at 100%+ VP again...lol

 

I'd rather have crappy odds on the Strip than staying Downtown in crappy hotels, crappy streets, crappy pools, crappy shows, crappy whatever. I come to Vegas to enjoy myself..........not to be in fear for my life.

 

I love las vegas , but there are some areas of the strip that just really suck ....
seems the strip has areas that are really going downhill these past 10 yrs or so
but I go every year
I have grown fond of places like redrock , greenvalley......still close to vegas but not so crowded
better odds? I guess but I can guarantee one thing you will still spend more than you wanted to

 

Gambling is a minimal part of Vegas nowadays. This is now a must see. It's more about the overall action across the board when you go to Las Vegas. When you say Las Vegas people think the strip, the lights and the parties. Unless you are completely focused on gambling and beating the odds and let's be honest, the lights stay on 24 hours a day out there for a reason, why even think about anywhere but the strip? For our group it Vegas Strip and more than likely...bust. But we'll be back again to happily support the Las Vegas economy.

 

The Cal has $5 VP on their bartops and good paytables. 9/6 on JOB & DDB. But no, I've never seen higher than that downtown unless the Nugget has it, but that is a place I will no longer walk into.

 

The GN has 9/6 JOB in 5$ and $25. I am unsure if the have higher denomintations, even with less favorable paytables.

The D has 9/6 DDB up to $25, but on 3/5/10 play machines, and STP.

I am unsure about other games like DB, etc, as I solely focus on DDB. In Sept, I plan on scouring every machine in every casino DT to see what I can find, but will focus mostly on DDB.

 

Good information, thanks for the post.

 

I like to stay off strip and gamble off strip for the better odds and comps. In addition it makes my bankroll and my youngest son's last longer. It also gives me more money to spend on the strip's better buffets. We ate the Sterling Brunch and the Bellagio this trip. It also allows us folks with modest incomes to go to LV 3 times a year.

 

There are better blackjack rules on the strip in certain places than many off strip properties. So to lump 'the strip' in to one category is kind of misleading. Don't believe me? Try to find a better game than the Mirages's $25 six deck. If you can find it, I'll gladly acknowledge, but I simply don't think it exists.

 

It certainly doesn't exist downtown

 

Shotguns fail at longer range because in trying to cover everything, they fail to kill anything.

Gambling options can be "better" off Strip, but there is also plenty of 6:5 DDB at places like RedRock and downtown, as well. And as some have pointed out, for higher-end players, not so much. Then you need to factor in not just comps, location and amenities but the value of those comps, location and amenities to players/guests.

Finally, it one believes it's really all about "luck" and that the math means nothing, as we see here often, then it's all moot, anyway, no?

Vegas comes in various flavors because there's no one flavor that suits all.

 

Poker is certainly better on the strip.

 

I agree. MGM strip properties offer excellent blackjack. But you have to do some scouting work, otherwise you may find yourself at a 6:5 game.

And you're right about the Mirage $25 6-deck game. They also offer a double-deck S17 game, often available for $25.

MGM Grand had a $10 6-deck S17 game, limited to weekday mornings. I don't think that game exists anymore though. Haven't seen it for around six months.

 

I usually stay on the strip and do most of my serious gambling downtown. Looking forward to staying downtown at the GN on my next trip.

One reason why the strip is pretty poor for gambling is because so many people go there to do other things than gamble, as evidenced by a lot of the replies in this thread which is fine. If the strip did not have all the bells and whistles its' patrons would command better gaming conditions.

 

Disagree that blackjack is better downtown, unless you're into low minimums, secondhand smoke, and pit bosses sweating every nickel.