A post for the lower stakes Strip gambler

I've noticed that this board seems to be heavily frequented by heavy gamblers - rightfully so, of course. However, I'm wondering if there's a less vocal group of gamblers like me - those who are content playing at the lowest stakes possible while still remaining in the heart of the Strip. Don't get me wrong, I will always be on the lookout for a 3:2 blackjack table, but I just can't justify playing at a $25+ table when my 3-day gambling budget is only $900 (since I'm not willing to cross the mental $1k threshold just yet).

With that said, any tips or recommendations on how to make my budget last at the tables? I'm already planning to spend part of the first night gambling downtown to take advantage of lower limits, and I try to play cheaper tables in the stretch between Cromwell and Venetian during the day. Other thoughts?

 

People frown on it but we had good luck and fun at Hooters on our last trip. Gambled there during the evening, before it got busier (say 5ish onwards), cheap fun tables and fairly loose slots, good swift drinks service and overall good value.

 

Don't game on the strip. There are casinos off strip that want your business and will treat you well from beginning to end. Either pay to stay on the strip and go elsewhere or leave it altogether. If you are going to stay on the strip, break up your sessions with more sightseeing and shows even If its at the expense of your gaming budget. It will fill out you day and you won't feel deprived if your gambling budget doesn't last.

 

Take a stroll to Ellis Island or a shuttle to gold coast/orleans.

Other than that it is mostly about willpower and timing. Limits will be lower at less than peak times, and a lot of strip properties have a bunch of sucker tables, and either one table or pit for the discerning gambling who can tell the difference. Find your good table or move on. Doing the first night downtown is a great idea.

If the budget is holding up well, you might want to increase your buy-in/min bet range on the last day of the trip. It could be a big loss, but could be a big hit.

Remember than in expected value, you'll lose less in the long run at a $25 3:2 table than a $10 6:5 table. Not recommended for day 1 due to the swings of course.

 

I very seldom do tables, but keep to the lower limit slots and VP. I can have a great time playing without getting into financial trouble.

More and more I enjoy off the Strip better. This year we started at Sams Town and then moved up (??) to Caesars for the final few days. There were very few machines at Caesars I even wanted to play! Most were the so-called "latest" slots which were supposed penny machines but had a minimum of the better part of $1 per spin. These annoy me to no end, and it seems like most Strip properties are phasing out the true lower-limit slots. I did find a number of them at Planet Ho, Flamingo (M'ville area) an Linq.

 

If you want to stay on the strip this is your best bet really. I don't play too much at the CET properties because I have no interest in their hotel rooms, however it seems that from Cromwell down to Venetian you should be able to find lower mins during the day. You will probably have to gamble during the day and do other things at night to keep to $5 and $10 mins. I know I have seen $5 craps at most of those during the day. I don't tend to look at the BJ tables all that much except in Aria where I typically stay. I just look to see what the 3:2 table are as I hardly ever play. Too much of a grind for me, I want to think as little as possible when I gamble.

I think this board has a really good mix of players actually. Yeah there are a few that a playing yellows, but most are not. If it were only black, purple and higher players here there would be no one complaining about resort, parking and other fees. The sttrip still can be a lot of fun for the lower limit gambler, you just have to look a little harder to find what you are looking for.

Good luck and report back where you played so the otehr low limit folks can follow your lead.

 

table games + low budget+ strip = no a lot of choices

I play a lot of quarter VP on the strip. Only play craps when I've had a few cocktails in me. LIR can be a lot of fun.

 

How does the math on that work out? 3:2 carries a 0.5% HA, and 6:5 carries roughly a 2% HA? So an expected loss of $0.125 per hand at a $25 3:2 table, instead of a $0.20 loss per hand at a ten-buck devil's twenty-one table?

Somebody check my math...

 

More or less. The bet on $25 is 2.5 times bigger. The house advantage on $10 is 4 times bigger. Easiest way to figure it. Usually on the strip even the $25 games will be H17 though, which is more like .65. Which makes it closer, but the $25 game still better if you can handle the variance.

 

If you have $100 dollars to gamble though and you have your heart set on playing blackjack at the Bellagio, I would always say play $10 6:5 over $25 3:2. You need to sit down at a $25 table with at least $300 to even have a chance IMO.

 

SLOTS-A-FUN if it is not too far for you.

 

Absolutely, that's why I suggested it only for the final day and only if the bankroll is in good shape.

 

Typically I like to buy in for $200 at a ten dollar table, unless I'm doing some hit-and-run style daytime gambling. But is there a separate thread for recommended bankroll sizes/units needed to weather the ups and downs? Specifically for BJ and craps...

 

Idk if there is a separate thread. I've always used 30 times the minimum bet as my rule of thumb for blackjack and 50 times the minimum bet for Craps

 

In all my trips to Vegas, I've never left town any better off than "slightly down". Presumably because when I'm running close to even on that last day, I'm still reluctant to pull the trigger and green chip it. So maybe that changes next trip.

 

On the strip, I've had luck finding 3:2 blackjack at $10 and $15 minimums at Bally's, Paris, and Planet Hollywood, for example. Also if you like craps, I've played for as low as $5 minimum at Cromwell, and they offer 100x odds (not that I ever stack five black chips behind my single red...)

 

Save some 20 dollar bills for video poker bar hopping on the strip and play table games off strip or downtown. As you probably know that 6/5 blackjack is awful - I get not being able to handle the swings of $25 minimums but long term losses of 8 TIMES as much isn't worth it.

 

Actually, vp at a bar on the Strip is usually equivalent to 8/5 JoB (97.20% return) whereas off Strip you can find 9/6 JoB (99.54% return) or better! That's losing your money at a Strip bar at 6x the rate you would lose playing vp off of the Strip. I can't see playing vp on the Strip. If I want to play on the Strip I will only play $5 or $10 craps with double odds and one come bet. At least they haven't destroyed a basic craps bet...yet.

 

Treasure island has had 3:2 $10 BJ tables every time I have gone in there day or night.

 

It depends on what you want from your vacation experience and dollars. If you like the feel or ambience or services of a particular property over another, a fractional drop in expected value could mean nothing to your enjoyment in the long run. If I'm looking at the real value (to me) of comps, I could care less if an Arizona Charlie's has 10/7 DDB and a faster accrual if Arizona Charlie's ain't floating my boat as a vacation destination.