Never been to Vegas , never will . Not my thing .

That's what I used to say. Then one day we went. Changed everything. Love the place and go back as often as we can.

When I was working, Vegas was a mandatory stop 2-4 times per year (conventions). Yes, I gambled. Sometimes heavily to the point of comped rooms and airfare. I've won tens of thousands and have the IRS forms to prove it. I've lost more tens of thousands, but there's no mandatory paperwork for that. Other than sitting by a campfire late into the night, sitting at a blackjack table late into the night, is the most relaxed I've ever been. If I was still working, I'd still be playing blackjack but sadly, blackjack was not in my retirement plan, so I am relegated to the campfire in the woods. No regrets.

My worldly advice...if you want to keep a casino from getting your money, don't go there.

We've been going to Vegas 2=3X/year for 30 years - in-laws retired there and BIL/SIL live there. In the beginning it was a great trip - hitting the strip, going to show, gambling (my BIL was a pit boss at various casinos and knew everyone). Watched it go from a gamblers paradise to a 'family friendly destination, back to a gamblers paradise. Grew to despise the trip - hated the strip and walked away from gambling - I guess I was one of those that habitually lost. In-laws have passed, BIL/SIL still live there but I told the wife I'll never go back.

I was in Vegas several weeks ago.

The only thing worthwhile there is the Sphere. If you get a chance to go to a concert there, then go.

Oh, the all-you-can-eat at the Wynn isn't too bad either.

Other than that, the whole strip smells like weed and it's dirty.

I go to Vegas on occasion. I’ve come back home up sometimes, but down more times. However, the mindset that I have is that I never actually win. I consider all the money I brought to gamble to already be spent on entertainment. If I win, that is just a discount on my entertainment bill for the trip. Sometimes the discount is so big it helps pay for other stuff like travel bills or the hotel room, but that is it. Overall, I have not made money by going to Vegas, but I’ve had a lot of great food and seen some fantastic shows, and that is why I really go. I’m not there to make money, I’m there to have fun.

- Bret

Live in Reno. I popped into a local large Casino, played a particular machine and hit 600. Went back a month later, same machine, and hit 800.
Freaky

quote:

Originally posted by MisterMadde:
Live in Reno. I popped into a local large Casino, played a particular machine and hit 600. Went back a month later, same machine, and hit 800.
Freaky

That sounds like my dad. He has an unusually good record with slot machines. I had been sitting at one for maybe 20min playing, waiting for him to come down so we could head to dinner. When he came down, I decided to use the restroom before we left, and he sat down at the machine I was playing to wait. In the time it took me to pee, he managed to hit the jackpot on that machine ($1000.) Now, $1k isn’t a lot in terms of slot machine jackpots, so this wasn’t quite the same as a progressive slots win or something like that, but still: the guy sits down for under two minutes and gets the top prize, while I’ve been sitting there for 20 and am down a few bucks! Needless to say, he paid for that dinner.

- Bret

Edit: Also, welcome to the forum! I didn’t notice that was your first post!

Just remember that the odds are with the house.. If not they would not be able to stay open.. I have a a belief that if I was to go that I would have to have a set amount set aside and if losing it it would be time to get up and leave... ......................... drill sgt.

The only time in my life I’ve gambled regularly was during my tour in Korea, and then it was frequent Saturday night nickel, dime, and quarter poker. I kept track of my winnings and losings and when I left after several months I was up about $8. Did I play because I thought I was going to get rich or even win all the time? No, it was because it was something I enjoyed doing in the company of others; winning was nice, but hardly necessary or important.

In any discussion about gambling many people assume that anyone who gambles does so because they are convinced they’ll win enough to come out ahead. Although that’s true of some compulsive addicts, that isn’t true of everyone, and therefore sermons about odds and house advantages don’t mean anything to everyone.

Gambling by playing a lottery or something similar doesn’t offer the same “experience” of a poker game or even a casino visit, but again I strongly suspect that the expectation of winning isn’t the reason. I submit that much of the motivation for buying a lottery ticket rather than or in addition to a sixpack of beer and a pizza to consume while spending hours on a couch in front of a teevee getting the thrill or disappointment of seeing one’s favorite team succeed or fail is the anticipation of winning, i.e., “How would I spend it if I did?”

And by anticipation I don’t mean expectation. From time to time we even see that here on the forum when someone asks, “What would you do with [some fabulous sum of money]?” I very seldom buy lottery tickets, but when I do my thoughts usually stray into that question. Such thoughts alone give me some enjoyment and satisfaction, and for me personally much more than what I’d get from being a couch potato for an afternoon. When I check the numbers and not a single one matched my ticket, Oh well, so what?

None of this of course applies to compulsive gamblers any more than having a couple of beers on a hot afternoon applies to alcoholics who can’t control their behavior either. If we think no one should be allowed to gamble or drink alcoholic beverages because sometimes bad things happen as a result, then we shouldn’t object to banning gun ownership because sometimes bad things happen as a result.

I spent three months in Las Vegas, member of a team of engineers for a project. One evening, a group of us were standing in line for a show. Of course there were a bunch of slot machines right near the theater entrance.

My boss kept feeding coins into a nickel machine and kept losing. I, being a smart-ass, told him that his problem was that he was putting the nickels in, incorrectly. To demonstrate, I turned a nickel over, so that "heads" was on the right instead of the left. Pulled the handle, and with my first nickel -- JACKPOT! Boss was royally pissed at me.

THAT is funny, ha !!

can't stand the noise or the smell of a casino, I just see lonely people spending their ss checks.

my first trip to vegas as adult was to the mirage when it first opened it was neat to stay there for a few days, a couple of conventions later, just lost all interest and a few hundred bucks.

Went to Vegas in 95, Honeymoon. Great time. Won enough to pay for the trip
and a bit more. Won all of it on slots in the two hours before we headed for
the airport. Haven't been back. A vice I don't need.

quote:

Originally posted by bobtheelf:
People consider losing 5% as breaking even.

Casinos view that as a windfall.

That is the genius of it. Sure, I'll take a dollar from you, and give you back 95 cents. All day long. I'll even give you a free buffet supper.