Columnist: Daniel Sahlin guide to Las Vegas 1/3

This is number 1 of 3 articles from Daniel Sahlin’s guide to Las Vegas

Las Vegas is a must

As you know from my prior article I have spent many years in Las Vegas. Mostly for studying since both of my degrees come from there, but I always make sure I go at least once a year just to be able to smell the dusty Las Vegas air, and feel the heat crawling up my arms.

I almost always stay with my friend when I go, but let me at least give you some advice where to go and spend time in this magical place. This is the first article of a few more that will be about Las Vegas.

Tip one:

I always rent a car for the entire time I am there. This is a no brainer, the city is big and walking on the strip with the big masses gets exhausting, especially with all the detours the casinos have put in place to move you around to the venues they think you like. Obviously you can go to an area with your car and then walk around in that area for a while and use your car as a base point, and then go somewhere else. Even if some of the major casinos have started with parking fees, just having the flexibility makes it worth it.

There are so many place to see; Henderson, Red Rock Park, Red Rock Casino with some great action for Black Jack and Poker. Many nice breakfast places around the town skip the expensive hotel foods. Visit Death Valley and California/LA. It is only a four hour drive from Las Vegas. There are many good casinos off the strip so take your time and visit some of the Station Casinos or the Palms that just made a 690 million dollar renovation. Keep in mind that the Palms cost the same to build in 2001, so I am sure it’s truly a cool place now again.

Tip two:

Avoid playing some of the casino games in the big casinos, they have really lousy rules and is just trying to rip you of. For example Black Jack now only pays 6 for 5 instead of 3 for 2. This move really makes the game lousy and you will triple your disadvantage. You will lose money quick.

They also generally have worse slot payouts than local or less centrally located casinos. The payback % on the strip is generally around 90-92%, while in the local casinos off strip you can find games that have 94, 95 and even 96% payback. The best odds in Las Vegas is in playing two or four deck Black Jack outside the strip, in like station casinos or the Palms Resort. Craps which have 4-10 times odds is also a really good deal in those casinos.

If you like Roulette you are in deep trouble, since most of Las Vegas use double zero wheels, which makes you lose money twice as fast, that is a bummer since playing roulette can sometimes be fun. There are a few single wheels around the city still in motion, but they are most likely hidden in VIP-Rooms with very high stakes as a minimum. I will write more about how to get the VIP treatment in Las Vegas in my next article.

Tip three:

If you are in too partying and big clubs with some huge Dj´s, Las Vegas is the right place for you, but there are some good things to know before you go. Avoid spontaneous club hopping, make sure you make some plans with your friends. In smaller bars this is not a problem, there are many decent places to go too downtown and in some of the casinos. But the big clubs have huge lines, double prices to get in and no place to sit.

Make sure you buy tickets in advance and if you are a big group it is always worth booking a table and a few bottles in advance. The price of let’s say $1400 for a table and two bottles sounds pretty bad, but remember this, most of these clubs cost over  120 dollars to get in too, it makes Ibiza look cheap. So if you are a group of let´s say five people, you probably save money and will have a better time at the actual venue.

In my next article I will go into more specifics about gaming in Las Vegas and focus on some venues, stay tuned and have a great summer.