Gambling

Please bear with me while I develop this further. In the meantime, check out Wizard of Odds' guide to slots for more information. Or play some free slots on myVEGAS…

Now that you’ve got your gambling budget set and your players card printed, you’re ready to pick a game and start gambling (and earning comps)! But which one should you pick?

There’s two main ways to gamble: table games or machines. Each of them have their advantages and disadvantages, so as with everything in Las Vegas, it’s up to you to figure out what you enjoy the most. Check out my post on table games and my post on machines for a crash course in what to expect, and then head back here to figure out which game(s) are best for you!

Everyone has their own preferences when gambling, so here at Viva Las Value, I’ve decided to break down gambling into a variety of indexes so you can choose the games that are most in line with the experience you’re looking for. Of course the best way to see if you like a game is to try it yourself, but I hope my Viva Las Value Index will help give you some initial direction. I will rank all games on the following scale:

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Going to the casino can be overwhelming, especially the first time. Your senses are constantly stimulated; bright lights are flashing, tables erupt into boisterous cheers against the constant buzz of slot machines whirring, the sense of possibility is palpable in the air, and you can almost feel the excitement of a big win as you tip back your free drink.

Here at Viva Las Value, I’ve got your back! Here’s your step by step guide on what to do (click on the blue links for more details on each step)! (more…)

You know how it seems like you’re rolling in the dough when your paycheck gets deposited? But then you pay your cellphone bill, car insurance, rent, and student loans, and the next thing you know you’re broke and counting down the days until your next paycheck? They can be a long 28 days…

You should set your gambling budget before you leave home. While this is money that you are considering as already spent, it sucks if you lose all of it in the first hours of your trip, leaving you with a couple of days in Las Vegas and nothing to gamble with. This is where effective bankroll management can come in and save you from your degenerate impulses.

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Players clubs are kind of like filing taxes.

We all do it, but most of us have no idea what the hell we’re doing. There’s no tax class in high school or college, so nobody really ever learns how to do them; I can tell you that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, but I have no idea what the difference between a W2 and W4 is. It’s just assumed that we all know how they work, and most of us don’t, to our disadvantage.

Those who are in the know take advantage of loopholes, exploiting them to get huge refunds. Meanwhile, those who are new to filing don’t know what they don’t know, and end up leaving tons of free money untouched. Efforts to self-learn are intimidating, since forms ask for jargon that isn’t even taught in college microeconomics courses and differences from state to state make it hard to even know what to ask.

While I can’t give you advice on sheltering money in the Cayman Islands, I can help you make the most of your gambling and entertainment budget.

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Think of the last time you were hungry and went grocery shopping without a plan.

We all like to kid ourselves into thinking we have self-control, but that responsibility goes out the window the second you see the junk food aisle. Next thing you know, you’re inhaling a sleeve of Double Stuf Oreos. It feels great in the moment, but even more awful once the regret starts to set in.

There’s an easy solution: making a grocery list before you go to the store and sticking to it.

Just like walking into a supermarket with no plan and an empty stomach is the best way to ensure you’ll leave with a full cart, walking into a casino with a full wallet and no plan is virtually guarantees that you’ll leave with an empty wallet (like I did the first three times I went to Vegas).

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