Win £2K! Poker, Bingo & Gambling Tips

David C. Reynolds asked:




Some of these tips apply to every destination but since Las Vegas is such a unique and highly popular destination, a primer on what to expect there makes for a great article. These are steps you can take to streamline your visit which should make it all the more enjoyable.

Getting a good air fare is primary. Because Las Vegas is so popular, usually booking at the last minute will cost you much more than booking in advance. However, booking TOO far in advance might cause you to get trapped by the airlines desire to get higher rates until they find they need to lower fares. Traveling on a Saturday is usually less congested in Las Vegas and most fares are lower on weekends or when they require a Saturday stayover, but the offset is that hotels in Las Vegas are usually priced MUCH higher on weekends and particularly Saturday nights than on any other nights. One way around this is to just stay at a motel far off the Strip for Saturday night and avoid the Strip crowds completely that night. Rates for the luxury properties in Las Vegas are presently offered at a huge discount and hotels normally charging $200-$400 per night might be as low as $79-$129.00. Many offer a 3rd or 4th night free on regular rates and if regular rate is $150, this is akin to getting it for $100 per night.

Be careful of Third Party ‘package’ deals. They can save you some money sometimes but generally they offer lower rated, less popular properties and flight times that would alarm a night owl. Like 6:00 am or 11:30 pm. If you are a frequent visitor to Las Vegas, you should be a member of hotels reward programs or at the least, sign up for Players Club type programs at casinos. Their promotions can often save you money for these as well.

Lastly, look into online discount coupons and promotions and show tickets reserved in advance. This may be your only way to score a hot ticket other than dealing with scalpers and you should be aware that the fraud rate for tickets is fairly high in places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. So you definitely do not want to buy tickets from a guy “at the fountain” who is giving you 30% off.

If you are generally not a big gambler and have all day to explore the town, you might consider a day tour. In summer, you can only spend so much time at the pool in the hot sun and walking the Strip is usually going to have you back in your room exhausted within a couple of hours. Look for Strip shuttles to downtown if you like more pedestrian gambling. For dining, even if alcohol is free at casinos, restaurants are usually expensive so what you save on one hand comes out of your other pocket eventually. Buffets are usually recommended for budget travelers but many of the better buffets are as costly as restaurants. You should check out delis in hotels for hot dogs and pizza (for the kids of course) and for less expensive but filling pastas and sandwiches.

These travel tips should save you money and stretch your vacation dollar just a little bit further.