Do you gamble differently when you first arrive?

[rob889]

Packing up for my Vegas trip and it got me thinking...I tend to gamble a little bit more aggressively in the beginning of my trip, but at the same time after a few quick losses I will get into preservation mode and will tone it down. One thing I noticed I always do at my first session of craps, whether it's the first thing I gamble on for the trip or even if it is day 2 or 3 if I just happened to gamble elsewhere first, is I will always put a lot more money than normal on my place bets and I will play much more aggressively with my come bets for that buy-in. If I happen to lose then I'll tone it down and get back into my normal routine.

Most people have a routine or certain habits when it comes to how they gamble, but do you have anything specific that you do when you first arrive and place your first bets? Most gamblers tend to see each new trip as a fresh start, or if they had a winning trip previously they may be a little more aggressive since they can still see it as playing with the house's money. If you're a $1 slot player will you throw some money in a $5 slot to see what happens, or are you on the other end of the spectrum where you'll play a $.25 slot to help maintain that healthy bankroll.

A few of the different categories I can see someone falling into include those who make a big bet right off the bat while their bankroll is still fully available to draw from, almost setting the pace of what the trip is going to be. Others may feel like they have all this money they brought to gamble but they are in a more defensive mode because they don't want to lose it too quick because hey, there's a lot of trip left and why blow it all now? Then you have those who use the envelope system so there really isn't any chance of them going too crazy unless they substantially increase their bets knowing they may lose it all and will have to wait until the next session.

So what do you catch yourself doing when you first arrive?

 

[Rush]

I play conservatively on day one. I know I will be there for awhile, and don't want to be short banked right off of the bat. When I go local, I will take a flyer right away, and I can't think of one time where I had a run, but I sure seem to lose $4-500 right away!

 

[deansrobinson]

We don't play as much on day one...as we spend a good deal of time developing an itinerary and reconnaissance runs to other properties. I think it's a relief to get out there and the realization that it won't be closing so there's no need to dive in.

 

[tringlomane]

Another vote for conservative on Day 1, especially if I'm on a 6-7 day trip. Also I historically suck on Day 1 as well. Last trip, winning $45 might have been a Day 1 record!

 

[Multifarious5]

We are SO routine, its bad.

Always hit an 11:30 am (pacific time) direct flight.

Light breakfast before leaving house.

Bloody Maries at airport. (With a jalapeño infused vodka for me!!!)

Bell limo share or uber to hotel.

Check in around 2:30pm.

Open a decent, packed bottle of wine in room.

Each have a glass (probably two) and soak up the view of Vegas for an hour or two, just relishing being back.

Go downstairs and hit 550 pizza for their Gotham pizza.

Relax and enjoy and eat, then go play around 6:00 or 7:00 pm. I set a daily soft limit, so I tend to ease into playing, starting slowly and building up.

So, conservative on first day, but this is from someone who can play for hours on end (and our trips are 8-11 days), so pacing is crucial, and I enjoy ramping up, versus going in hot, and having to ramp down!

 

[rob889]

So, conservative on first day, but this is from someone who can play for hours on end (and our trips our 8-11 days), so pacing is crucial, and I enjoy ramping up, versus going in hot, and having to ramp down!

My trips are usually 3-4 days so the pacing is a little bit easier but I completely agree with ramping it up being the superior option. Every trip I seem to protect at least half of our gambling budget for the last 24-36 hours. I keep a decent running tally of how much we've won/lost at different machines/tables and that helps keep me grounded but for some reason it is always easier to play a bit more aggressively at the front end than the back end of our trips. I think subconsciously I see how much of our bankroll is left and I want to protect it and save what I can for a spontaneous future trip that needs to be planned immediately after the current one. That said, when you've got 50% of your bankroll left and only 1 day to use it you can sure have a lot of fun swinging for the fences while still making sure you bring some home.

 

[Chuck2009x]

I do have a little pent up demand when I arrive, and I do tend to front-load my play during each leg of a trip, but there is a little bit of logic to it - at CET, it's to take advantage of the daily TCs bonuses. At other places, it's mostly because I like to go-go-go for a couple of days and then crash and do next to nothing for a couple.

 

[Multifarious5]

My trips are usually 3-4 days so the pacing is a little bit easier but I completely agree with ramping it up being the superior option. Every trip I seem to protect at least half of our gambling budget for the last 24-36 hours. I keep a decent running tally of how much we've won/lost at different machines/tables and that helps keep me grounded but for some reason it is always easier to play a bit more aggressively at the front end than the back end of our trips. I think subconsciously I see how much of our bankroll is left and I want to protect it and save what I can for a spontaneous future trip that needs to be planned immediately after the current one. That said, when you've got 50% of your bankroll left and only 1 day to use it you can sure have a lot of fun swinging for the fences while still making sure you bring some home.

Love it Rob, and I do the same on a running tally. I use an envelope per hotel/stay, and I write starting and ending bankroll each day on each specific hotel. I actually am going to bring a small, bound notebook next trip to do this, as I'd like something more permanent as....

a) a threshold for follow up trips, and

b) for a tax account in case I win a little, since the IRS frowns upon win-loss statements. (Why a self-written journal that anyone can fudge is more credible in the IRS' eyes is beyond me, but hey.)

I stick pretty close to my budget (despite being a degenerate and playing for hours on end), and I find it just makes the trip more pleasurabe if I'm not nickeling and diming myself at the end.

P.S. I ease into it conservatively at FIRST on the first day, but I don't go light. Like Chuck said, most of us have a bit of the Vegas bite when we first arrive, I just like to get the lay of the land before I go full steam ahead!

 

[vegasdev]

I have started something new. for the longest time I avoided the airport slots. now I give them $20-50 play when I land and again when I leave. usually WOF. when I get to my hotel casino, I am pretty routine. vegas machines have never really been good to me so I don't get that urge to splurge too much. pai-gow is my favorite table game $10-15 per hand plus bonus bets, all routine.

 

[Film-Noir]

The depravity starts at McCarran, upon arrival my wife always hits WOF,
& more than 70% in a few hits, gets a spin.
/then off to grab luggage & hit the car rental center Bus.

After check in, we eat, relax & don't play usually until the next day of our normal 6-7 day trips.

 

[eksantirik]

My first day or two is usually spent on freeplays, coupon runs, promotions such as WIN cards etc. Hence I usually don't gamble much of my own money (of course play a little here and there but not too much). And because of this, I usually start the real gambling sessions with a profit.

 

[flyguyfl]

I always plan to start slow but it doesn't seem to work that way. I hit the high limit room for use of free play (plus a hundred or so) on slots with the hope of a big win to start with.
Then I cool it with VP at the bar until later in the evening when I start table games. If I lose big the first day, I will scale things back and cuss myself.

 

[kkinwi]

I always seem to hit pretty hard the first night, and now just budget for it. Like many, I tend to lose. That puts me in preservation mode for the rest of the trip, which is fine. Because on day 2, I get up, look out at the Vegas morning, and know I have all day to enjoy whatever I want to do (which includes things other than gambling!)

 

[Jaygee77]

I always stay on the strip when I go, but last trip we Deuced it over to Fremont Street the first night, to take advantage of lower limits. This allowed us to be ahead of our budget pace even if we were losing a bunch of hands. Being ahead of the curve made me not have to worry about budget the remainder of the trip.

As I get older (mid-30s), I'm having to begrudgingly deal with the transition away from gaming on the main strip, so I find that the parts of Vegas I fell in love with fifteen years ago are a bit more pure downtown. I'm still not ready to commit more than half an evening to Fremont yet, though.

 

[aronius]

I start slow and continually ramp up until the end of the trip. I can handle losing but I think being down big early would weigh on me a bit.

 

[Lovegas95]

I can handle losing but I think being down big early would weigh on me a bit.

This.
Being down big too soon puts a damper on my mood and it's hard to shake the feeling that it'll be a losing trip . As such, I've had to temper my degen approach and go hard on the FP, top it with a hundy or so and call it a night if I crash and burn. Mrs. LV and I generally arrive early so there will be SOME gambling. This trip we get to Vegas around 10 PM so it'll be easier to start slow and increase degeneracy daily.

 

[TrewBrew]

My much better half likes to get totaly unpacked when we arrive anywhere. So when we get to the room I put the luggage on the bed and pace around acting like I am helping she eventually tells me to go. I like to walk the casino floor and drop play slots $20 each at random machines if its a $2 max I play 10 spins and cash out if its 3.50 max I play 6 spins and run until she is done and we go grab something to eat.the other days on slots I usually drop $100 at a time and still do the limited number of spins or play table games.

 

[vegasqc]

I used the enveloppe system on my last trip but for the 1st day i set an extra 200$ aside to just scratch my itch, i didnt care to lose all of it i just wanted to play.

 

[waltomeal]

My gambling is pretty rule-based. so no big difference on day 1. The only time it changes is if I blow through most of my bankroll with plenty of time left on the trip. Then I'll pull back a little to make it last.

 

[leo21]

I try to keep to my gaming budget on a trip so i am right Day One. I also focus more at my home base first and last day. I get a little looser in the middle, especially if I am casino hopping.