Greetings from San Diego!

Hi Everyone,

I work full time in finance and conduct food tours in San Diego and Mexico, and I stumbled onto this site while researching Las Vegas. There's definitely a treasure trove of information on this site, and I can't wait to learn more from all of you. I receive a good amount of vacation days with my finance job, so here I am looking to take full advantage of my time off, hopefully in Las Vegas. I love the idea of a quick getaways for some rest and relaxation from the daily grind. I'm pretty practical and don't spend money on unnecessary things. I absolutely LOVE the principle of "optimizing" to get the most for my money and/or time, and I'm excited to learn different strategies for accomplishing that. I enjoy dining out, working out, walking around and exploring places, and going on road trips. My passions are food, culture, and adventure, and I feel I can find all of that in Las Vegas!

A quick backstory related to my interest in gambling and Las Vegas. In San Diego, I used to visit Barona casino every now and then, and I enjoyed it there. I mostly played blackjack, casino war, and roulette (they have single 0), and I usually lost money. Somewhere along the way the idea of "optimization" struck me. I wanted to either lose less or gain more for what I was already doing. After some research, earlier this year I found that Harrah's in San Diego is affiliated with Caesar's Rewards (previously Total Rewards), and that turned me off completely to other casinos in the area. Why should I play at any other casino in San Diego other than Harrah's if they don't offer comps in Las Vegas? I ultimately want comps in Las Vegas as opposed to San Diego. With Caesar's Rewards I can play at Harrah's in San Diego AND get comps at all the different Caesar's Rewards hotels in Las Vegas. Now that I've optimized to the best players rewards card, I plan to ONLY play casino games with the lowest house advantage such as Craps and Baccarat (I should have done this earlier)--but in addition to roulette because I enjoy playing it. My goal is to earn RFB as comps, with a hotel room being on top of the list.

The most important thing for me now is to devise a good comp strategy. I know to never to play for comps, but I figure comps are a great bonus that add a high value to gambling. With comps, I've received money to spend on nice meals at a restaurant and a $100 gift card to buy whatever, and stayed in nice hotel rooms with a pool and jacuzzi--as opposed to just any inexpensive hotel because it's the most affordable. I also did a staycation at Harrah's with my family recently, and it was a fun and memorable time. I find high value in these experiences that I likely would not have done if I had to pay for them myself. Anyhow, I'm definitely looking to optimize my comps, and I appreciate the accumulated wisdom and advice on this forum.

One final thought: I love the idea of themed hotels. I have a big imagination and can't wait to explore and learn about the little details and nuances of the different hotels in Las Vegas, and yes that includes Downtown for any uniquely themed casinos. I think it's amazing that you can see the Eiffel Tower, watch an erupting volcano and go back in time to the pirate era, and visit the Great Wall of China (2020?) all in one place!

Las Vegas is definitely magical, and I can't wait to learn from everyone. Here's to the next great adventure!

 

What an intro!
Welcome to the Board!

RICHARD

 

Welcome to VMB. Vegas is certainly the Disneyland of ersatz world monuments and experiences! One thought about your plans, though. CET just announced that they are cutting back their comps. So while concentrating your play at one company and playing games with a low house edge is a good idea from a comp perspective, you're going to have to gamble a lot to get true RFB on your trips. The room, that is hopefully reasonable. but if you also want unlimited food and beverage upfront, bring a large bankroll!

Also, if you're focused on low house edge games, I would encourage you to play blackjack as well

 

Welcome Wildfoodie and since you hail from San Diego I would like to know if you have ever heard of my uncle Monsignor Joe Carroll.

 

Hi from central California

 

Unfortunately, themed casinos have been fading away since the late 90's, e.g. MGM losing its Wizard of Oz theme, Treasure Island turning into frankenstein with a smidgen of pirate theme left, Aladdin turning into Planet Hollywood, Mirage losing its Polynesian theme, etc. CityCenter being built didn't help things, either. Luckily for you, there are still some remaining vestiges. Hotels that I would say retain a strong theme are the Paris Las Vegas, Excalibur, New York New York, the Bellagio, the Venetian, and the Circus Circus, so you can visit those.

 

^^^ Luxor.

 

Thank you so much for the welcome everyone! I can't wait to spend more time on this site to learn more from everyone and find out all about Las Vegas!

@UKFanatic Getting RFB is ideal, but what is considered a large bankroll--or small and medium for that matter? And I know blackjack has a low house edge, but for whatever reason I've stayed away from it. I think it's because I don't like the fact that if I hit or stand, it affects how the game will ultimately play out. The thought of getting the evil eye from others when they think your play caused them to lose, is a downer. That's why I'm really leaning towards playing Baccarat where I can choose to play continuously or sit out now and then without affecting others. When I gamble, I also like to use my gut feeling, and it seems that'd work well with Baccarat.

@iamsomedude Thank you so much for bringing up the MGM and Wizard of Oz connection! I had completely forgotten about it, and now I'm even more excited to return to MGM! Wizard of Oz is my favorite fairy tale of all time!

Anyhow, I really LOVE the idea of themed casinos and hotels. Just with a tiny bit of imagination, guests can truly have a ball as they step into fantasyland. Oh I cant wait to learn more about and explore the various themed casinos and hotels!

 

I don't want to bust your bubble, but MGM doesn't have that anymore. Here's a video for reference, though:

 

It depends on the property. But if you play four shoes of baccarat each day, you probably need to average somewhere around $2k per hand to get RFB. And that also assumes you play all or almost every hand in the shoe. Not sure how much you plan to sit out

 

I'm no High Roller and I get room comps from many MLIFE properties. Not so much from TR but they come occasionally. Welcome to VMB.

 

There are definitely some high rollers here! I'm no high roller but have been known to hold my own. Now I have to figure out how to maximize comps with my gambling budget which will probably be $1000-$2000 in Las Vegas and $200-$500 at the local Harrah's in San Diego.

Does anyone have a good strategy of maximizing comps with minimal loss? From now on, I'll likely devote most of my budget to Baccarat, then some on Craps and Roulette, and a tiny amount on slot machines. I'm least familiar with slots, but I'm guessing I could play for a few hours on penny slots for $200 or so? If anyone has any tips on particular slot machines to churn coin in or any other advice in general, feel free to chime in. Thank you.

 

Win more hands, lol.

Seriously, an accurate refrain you will often hear on VMB is don't play (or chase) for comps. In other words, play whichever games you like and any comps you get are a bonus. Minimizing your loss is easy. Play the games with the lowest house edge (which means no roulette). But as you can imagine, the games with the lowest house edge generate the fewest comps. Read the threads in the Comps forum on here. There is good info there about teaser offers, promos, etc., that might help you get better comps (at least initially) than your play warrants