I am in Vegas periodically for family reasons.

I have grown to enjoy the town in as 'adult playground' sort of way. Lots to do, see, experience outside of gambling.

If you have a basic amount of impulse control - you can have a great time and not lose your shirt. Gambling - within reason - is just another form of entertainment if you can maintain some discipline. Stay within your budget like anything else.

The issue is - for people without that self control - as Hudson put it : its an express elevator to hell - going DOWN !

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Originally posted by Georgeair:

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He gave me a great book about Reno and Vegas. "They All Want to Leave Winners". Interesting read about old Nevada in the 40's to 60's.

Sounds interesting. Not on Amazon. Any chance it's a different name?

I thought that was the name...Can't find my copy either. Let me do some looking...

I am not a gambler at all. I may only buy a lotto ticket once a year.

I tell people I won a miter saw at the local casino. They always look confused. We were at the casino for a friends birthday. Wife says just play $100 and when its gone its gone. Instead of loosing the $100 gambling I just watched everyone else loose and the next day bought the miter saw.

The big problem I see with card games is the casinos dealing out of the auto shuffling machines using multiple decks of cards. Your playing black jack and there are six 2's showing on the first deal.

Same thing here in KY at the track. Everyone is always "ahead" for the meet. It's all BS of course.

I went to Las Vegas in June, for the first time ever, with some buddies for a few days. It ate me alive, but I had fun!

Went to Atlantic City with ex wife, played a lot of holdem. Paid for the entire trip with winnings and came back with $1,500 extra in our pockets. Never been back since. Don't think I could ever duplicate it and I fear the gambling gods want their money back.

Still play poker at house games. I win more than I lose, but not much more. A fun chance to drink beers and hang out with the guys.

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Originally posted by gpbst3:
The big problem I see with card games is the casinos dealing out of the auto shuffling machines using multiple decks of cards. Your playing black jack and there are six 2's showing on the first deal.

One of my ex girlfriends can count a six deck chute, while drinking and socializing at the table. She's like RainMan that way, and is a forensic accountant in her day job. We met at a Poker tournament, years ago, and went to Vegas and other casinos together a bunch.

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Originally posted by Skins2881:
Still play poker at house games. I win more than I lose, but not much more. A fun chance to drink beers and hang out with the guys.

That's the extent of my gambling. $5 buy-in friendly games with friends.

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Originally posted by RichardC:
Lots of people going to Vegas and not gambling.
Is the Chicken Ranch open?

Just a different kind of gambling...

Years ago I had a client who owned a local bar and and long-term hotel above the bar. Everytime he owed me money, he’d go to Wendover, Nevada, and play the games. Not once in several years did he not come back money ahead - after he paid me. He was old gentleman that simply knew how to play.

Because people are liars, and are even lying to themselves when they say that they beat the house, day in and day out.

I don't like gambling. I played blackjack at the cheapest table in New Orleans once. I didn't like it, and I have never been back. (I lost money - about $40.)

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Originally posted by BB61:
Years ago I had a client who owned a local bar and and long-term hotel above the bar. Everytime he owed me money, he’d go to Wendover, Nevada, and play the games. Not once in several years did he not come back money ahead - after he paid me. He was old gentleman that simply knew how to play.

Then why didn't he just play casino games all day as a full time job? You can't "know how to play." There is no such thing when playing against the house - the odd are not in your favor, and you can't alter that by the way you play.

The only exception is a card counter in blackjack, and they'll throw you out quick once they figure that out. Know how they figure it out? If you consistently win over time, you have to be counting cards, because in "normal" play, you can't win over time.

Only time I ever really won at gambling was in the NCO club in Teheran. They had a bunch of slots there. One day I went there for lunch before heading back out to the field team.

Playing quarter slots.

Won a few coins here and there and then hit a jackpot. Long time ago, but I think the jackpot was $37.50. Moved to another machine went thru a few quarters and hit again. Rinse and repeat for the 3rd jackpot. Quit at that point. And have never played them again.

Saw a lot of guys drop their pay on slots when I was working part time at the NCO club in Frankfurt.

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Originally posted by Skins2881:
I fear the gambling gods want their money back.

Oh they do...

A co-worker of mine seems to never lose more than a hundred dollars but he often wins thousands. If he actually wins as often as he says, I would expect the casino to ban him for life. Most of the gamblers I've spoken to tell the same story. There must be some really generous Indians running these casinos.

I look at casino games as entertainment.

I play only one thing: Don't Come Line at the crap table. If the player makes a point, I back up the wager I made at true odds. It is the ONLY even bet in the house.

I budget a certain amount, say $200, and I can play all night until I go broke. Rarely, I will hit a streak and go home with slightly more than I arrived... rarely.

Wife and I did quite well on our honeymoon in Vegas. She hit a slot for $400 once and multiple times hit for a net gain of $50-100 roughly. Overall I was up around $500 for the week. Our next trip we gave it all back plus a few hundred. Last trip I think we left a couple hundred there too. She had fun and I had fun watching her so no big deal.

We only lost a few hundred over the few days we were there years ago. I was more interested in seeing the insides of the casinos and the architecture than gambling. It is amazing at what can be accomplished if enough money is spent.

I left $650.00 there the last time, but I had fun doing it, up one day down the next, food and beers were good as well! Want to go back sometime next year. A good friend of mine goes up during Superbowl week and says the atmosphere is made for a fun time, everybody seems happy! Well maybe until after the big game...

So no one here will Mention the Drugs and Hookers ? are we talking about the same Place ?