Calling all low rollers

Where do you useally stay? Im looking to move away from CET, I normally stay at there low end hotels. Suggestions? Looking to stay on strip but will look at downtown also.

 

My last few trips I've stayed at the Excalibur, because in addition to being dirt cheap I've also been able to get quite a few comp nights from MyVegas. The location is pretty great too, and I'm very low-maintenance so I don't mind the, err, basic amenities.

The only hotel I've stayed in downtown was the D, which I really liked, but there are definitely cheaper places to stay downtown if price is your #1 concern.

 

I would suggest Monte Carlo, Luxor, or TI. I know other members find MC to be bland, but I think it is solid. back when I low rolled, it was my home base. Quaint rooms, not too loud, decent pool, and good food options.

Luxor trends a bit younger than MC and has fewer good food options, but it is solid and usually cheap.

Finally, I threw TI in there in case you don't want MGM. I've never stayed there, but visited a friend's room a couple times. It seemed fine. And it is near lots of good stuff

 

Try Downtown Grand (if you aren't afraid of poor VP pay tables). I had a great three days and it was $70 + $10 resort fee per night.

And I contacted a host in advance, explained my play (about 3 hours per day, about $500 bankroll per day) and was comped one night sight-unseen, with more charges taken off at the end of my trip.

 

I like tower rooms at el cortez. I like casino tower room at circus circus. Riviera rooms are nice looking. Stratosphere select rooms are excellent. Orleans is an excellent value. Gold Coast has nicely appointed renovated rooms. Luxor and Excalibur are always great choices because they are connected and may be low end but are quite the upgrade from plenty low and mid tier cet rooms.

 

We're both low rollers and still get some relatively generous offers from CET. I don't have any major problem with them. Lately it's been Flamingo.

We've also been receiving offers from Sams Town, but that's so far out in the toolies I don't know if I would want to stay there. A couple we know loves it there however, and I enjoy playing there on occasion.

 

I also would suggest Monte Carlo...you can low roll or high roll and they treat you good....you can find $5 tables very early in the morning, I have seen them on Sunday through Thursday mornings. You can always catch a $10 or $15 table anytime. They have a good solid food court and they have the PUB, which has solid food not too expensive. I play on the higher end but I talk to allot of people who love the MC because of the wide options on table minimums. The regular rooms are a little outdated but hey, they are still solid rooms and quite. Check it out..let us know what you think. This has been my home when in Vegas now for years.

 

Once you get a player card and use it a little, Orleans will send you flyers for its monthly slot tournament. You get three nights in a nice room plus an entry into the tourney (which you can play or skip) for $99. Higher players get the package for free or even with free play added.

Orleans has atmosphere, playable VP, easy shuttle access to the Strip, and some nice attractions in its attached arena. It is an excellent low roller hangout.

If you play a little more, you can get free room offers at South Point, which is also a nice place- much newer, good VP, but not so close to mid-Strip.

 

What he says about Orleans.

It's an awesome hotel for low rollers. Low minimums, tons of machines, lots of low cost food options, plus once you're in the system you'll get your offers of rooms. And they run a shuttle to Bally's about every 1/2 hour if you want to visit the strip.

 

I usually check with Kayak to find the lowest prices (in vegas but also in other cities). From there I then check the hotel web site and other sites to check on prices. For vegas I usually find the El Cortez to have the lowest rates around (looking at hotel casinos). Palace Station rates are also low but they don't tell you about their resort fees and when you add the fees in they are actually more expensive than other places IMHO.

Lately GG and the D have low rates on kayak and it seems to include their taxes and resort fees. For January, MSS, Cal and Fremont seem to have low prices (using their b connected site and logging on), not sure why since they are usually a little higher.

As you can tell, I'm more of a downtowner type of guy so I usually book at the EC or someplace downtown. I do like the orleans but rather stay downtown because of all the other casinos around, at the orleans if you aren't lucky on their tables you have to take the shuttle or drive a car to go elsewhere.

IMHO, I found the new DTG rates to be higher than the other downtown hotels (except for the GN). I booked a 10 night stay in January during the CES and AVN expo, 5 nights at MSS and 5 nights at the Cal, all for less than $40 a night, including taxes and fees. This was excellent because I couldn't find many places with better rates during the big CES convention, even the EC was priced higher. The week after the CES I got the Cal for 5 nights for $32 a night, including all taxes and fees.

I was able to log on to the b connected site and use my ruby account (lowest tier since I don't spend a lot on machines) to get the lower rates which were lower than I found on kayak.

I think it all depends on how much you want to spend on accomodations and where you want to stay. earlier this year I did stay at the Quad (their rates at the time was even lower than downtown and was pre resort fee).

 

I'm not sure what constitutes a low roller. Very hard to really know what someone expects from their vacation, how they gamble and at what, where comps might fit into the scene.

If $$$ is the primary motivation, I'm with those who say start with pricing hotels for the interested dates and going from there, using both hotel websites and the consolidators. Ain't anything more basic and enlightening that knowing that Hotel Cool charges x and Hotel Hell charges x-some amount. Then start figuring out what about the hotel and location does or does not appeal to you. Pay for the room in a manner in which comp play can be applied at the end of the gig, go on vacation, have fun, see what falls out.

 

I like the Four Queens. I'm a low roller, but maybe not at that property. And maybe I am modifying some and going upscale.
I'm still not a High Roller.
Medium play at the 4 Queens generates the comps. And mathematically you can still get an advantage there. Advantage play is more important to me than low rolling. I like to know I can win in the long run, even if the profit is free rooms, food, entertainment.
I play almost exclusively the 10/7 DB with the progressive royal. Their mailings are 3 free nights a month that can be weekend nights, so my last trip I booked 3 at the end of October, then went to 4 nights at the D (2 for 1- no resort fee) and then went back to the $ Queens for the first weekend in November. I walked into $160 of freeplay, $80 each month and my play earned $45 of cashback. All this on full pay machine with an added progressive.
I dumped a good bit of money at the Four Queens this trip that came from other places. No royal there at all. Often quads were dry. So my loss rate is high at the Four Queens, and they will like me for the next trip. I hit my royal on the D progressive at the Vue Bar.
I was in Vegas for 21 days but the first week does not count because it was hang with wife and relatives week, use MyVegas shows and buffets week, upscale restaurant week.
I played lots of live poker and video poker and basically came back with $450 more than I started with, and that paid my part of the trip expenses with my wife treating to the Trump Towers upscale nights.

Low roller might reflect other habits than gambling.
Solo I buy a bus pass. This time a 15 day pass at Walgreen's downtown for a bit over $17 kept me mobile the whole time.
The bus from the airport to downtown was senior rate $1, the WAX. Faster than a cab.
I eat for the most part when it is free and not as much as I once did so most of the fancy is wasted on me unless it is a place like Bananna Leaf at the Riviera where veggie things are on my diet. My $10vouchers to the Golden Nugget buffet made that price $1 to $6 depending on the day ( I skip that place on Sunday) Nuts from the Walgreens and a piece of fruit (free at El Cortez Cabana) made the lighter meals. I had some freebies out Boulder as well. My most upscale snack was Skinny Pop, a new absolutely delicious popcorn with no artificial crap on it as all. Priced high at $4 a bag, but popcorn is my addiction and this is almost as good as what I pop.
I saw 9 shows for $52 total. O and Zumanity with MyVegas, Groupon comedy, ACG comedy, free shows like Toast of the Town.
My airfare was free on a Southwest card, but even if I paid for it, remember it bought me 21 days in Vegas, not 3.
So, I low roll all aspects of the trip.

I don't know how much play triggers the Four Queen mailings. Small play triggers the D 2 for 1 mailings. I have heard that from other players.
The lowest rolling machines I do are the nickel full pay Deuce at the D and the Full Pay nickel (well, really dime) machines at Sam's Town and those Four Queen nickel single zero roulette machines. Those are decent when the daily bankroll is down.

I also try to play low limit poker at the Gold Nugget when they double the bonus hand awards. Currently 2 AM to 2 PM. That paid off as I hit four jacks for $250 and they doubled that to $500.

The other mark of low rolling is coupons:
Downtown you can get a good matchplay run with coupons. I use the American Casino Guide.
Golden Nugget coupons will let you get $60 for a $50 buy in and you can use more than one a year with no trouble, just not more than one a week. They suggest one a month.
I had two nights at the El Cortez for $50. This might have been just $34, but I treat myself to Cabana. Actually, the free fruit in the lobby probably cuts $6 off that expense, or more if you consider I'd buy a meal somewhere rather than do nuts and a banana.

Seniors get more low rolling options. Tuesday at the Orleans we got free video poker tournament tries and one earned me $50 in freeplay for the next day. We got half priced buffets. We were in a drawing. The next day they gave Halloween bags of money. Most were $2. Mine was $5.

As well as going for many days and stretching the value of the airfare, it is a good low roller technique to split the trip between two months. That let me book 6 nights at the 4 Queens. Or I could book 8 weekday nights two for one at the D with a 4 Queens weekend in between.

Low roller might also mean buying Fels Naptha soap for laundry. One bar at Walmart for 98 cents lasted two trips of doing laundry in the room.
It might mean not paying $2.50 for Keurig coffee at the D. These Melita filters
http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-E-Filter-Reusable-K-Cups-Brewers/dp/B009UQGLGW
paid for themselves this trip and will last a long while, probably longer than I will last. I used extra coffee from the Four Queens, but sometimes I bring a nice organic or once my son gave me some Godiva Chocolate Truffle. Tea is easy too. Just pop a bag in the filter canister. You get four of these canisters for about $9 so keep a separate one for tea.

It might mean collecting bling. I got another free Eastside Cannery cab, nice quality too. At the Four Queens I got a baking dish with cover and insulated carrying case just in time to bring hot food to Thanksgiving.

Shopping downtown is low roller heaven. Some things are just a dollar. I brought home four shirts for $10.

Staying just downtown means easy rolling of luggage. usually the hotel I am in will extend until 1PM and I have time to get an early booking at the next hotel. No bellman. No early check in fees either. Going between the D and the Four Queens with luggage is very easy. Two doors on either side of a dead end street.

 

I'm partial to Luxor. Some of my first trips to Vegas were there. $35/ night, no resort fees. In 2009.

Stayed there for the first time in 4 years last month for a 1 day Saturday trip on the way to California - when rates were $180 a night and that was one of the lowest priced rooms on the strip. Luckily used a MyVegas comp and stayed for free. $20 trick got me upgraded to a players room. It was nice. I'm used to a lot better now, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again if I'm looking for a budget place.

And it's connected to Mandalay Bay / THEhotel - which became my home base for a few years after my Luxor years.

 

I would agree with the posts about Orleans. Each trip I give them a little play at the tables and VP, and I get free room offers from them on a regular basis. Normally I play $5 tables on and .25 VP. They do appreciate the low roller.

 

I second the Monte Carlo. We've stayed at Circus Circus, Excalibur, Luxor, NY NY, and Monte Carlo. For the mid-to-low end properties, Monte Carlo in my opinion provides the best value. The pool is great, lots of casino options, decent dining options, plus its in a great location. If you want lower end, you can walk to Excalibur/Trop/Luxor and if you want higher end, its across the street from MGM, next door to Aria, and a tram ride away from Bellagio and Mandalay Bay. Because of the value, we stay there over MGM most trips.

NY NY would be a good option too..little bit younger/louder vibe.

 

As a self proclaimed low roller I am partial to CET only because the great deals have come from them.

Last 2 trips were at Harrahs. We've also stayed at PH, Paris, Aria and Monte Carlo since MDW 2011 pretty much keeping to form, little gambling more pools, clubs and shows and I don't get free room offers. Wife got one for the last trip in July with 5 of the 7 days comped, don't know how that came about but hey..

I don't mind paying and will leave it up to the Mrs. as to where she wants to stay, she is a lower roller than me to say the least, but since we are out and about so much when we are there, the room is just a crashing and prep pad for us.

We both loved Monte Carlo as we go every trip to Brand Steakhouse and the wife and GF's loved that pool also since it was a foam party MDW 2012 when we stayed there. More low key which is good at times. Rooms are comfortable and no problems at all. Would probably make it my home base but with all the options we would rather move around and mix it up.

Trying to convince the Mrs to do Vdara but she is eyeballing MGM or Wynn. The rule Happy Wife happy life may come into play since the guys will be out numbered on the next trip by wife, other wives and gf's.

 

I am transitioning from CET, too, and my choice was Boyd. I had a great time staying at Gold Coast and I get good offers from time to time from them and Orleans.

 

Us low rollers are having our 1st stay at 4 Queens in a a couple weeks. Of course, price was a factor and to avoid the damning resort fee. Hope it works out.
CET has been pretty generous for us in terms of free rooms over the past years so we continue to stay at one of their properties. This time doing Bally's. Have not yet stayed there either, but shortly after we booked we heard about the upcoming remodel, which really turned out to be in our favor. Hope that works out as well.
When CET stops comping our rooms we will then look elsewhere. I just figure that any $$ we save in room costs gives us more ching-ching in the slot machine or BJ table.

 

Are you simply looking for cheap places or places where low rollers get better comps?