[thuh Freak]

so it looks like the ol' boss is possibly, maybe, kinda, sorta going to be sending me to vegas in a few weeks for some conference. pushing that aside, i'm thinking i'm gonna be all over the casino like stink on a monkey. but, never having been to a casino before, i'm clueless as to where to go. any among us have a favorite casino in that old town. i've watched the travel channel a bit (the gambling shows) and thats as close as i've gotten.

any heavy gamblers among our ai ranks? i'm, of course, looking for easy money, if there is any in that town. or atleast the best odd games. i think i heard that craps had the least house advantage, if you know what you're doing. i, of course, do not. iirc, the not pass line is better than the pass line. bj, if i've been told correctly, has the worst (or one of the worst) if you don't know what you're doing. i know a bit about blackjack, but i've never played against 'the house' before, only against people. the only gambling i'v done really is poker, among friends, and i've done both really badly and really well, in different crowds. i don't know exactly what my budget is exactly for the trip (well, hotel and flight shit is covered by the company, i'm talking gambling budget). so, what games should i hit for the cash?

[HOM]

Blackjack has the 'best' odds for any of the table games, but Craps is close if you know how to play correctly and hedge your bets. I don't really remember the correct strategy to Craps, but there are a ton of books and I'm sure a gazilion web pages with the basics. As for Blackjack there are two basic ideas. The first is card counting, which besides what you may have heard is not illegal. It is only illegal if you manipulate the outcome of the cards or chips, not if you have a gigantic brain and can keep track of hundreds of cards. It's really not that hard. It's more a system of adding and subtracting based on wether it's a face card or not and betting appropriately. The other basic Blackjack strategy is a matrix of possible hands and betting scenarios based on that matrix. You can find those on the internet and the casino that you are staying at will by happy to provide you with one. Some casinos only allow their branded bj cards some allow any. But what it really comes down to is even if you play perfectly based on the hands you are still going to be a net loser over time.

Avoid slots, and most other table games unless you want to try it out and throw away some cash. All dealers will explain the rules of the game to you and pit bosses will happily provide good advice if you ask for it. In a casino's mind, the more comfortable you are at the table, the more you're going to gamble, the more you're going to lose. There is no sure fire way to win any money. Limit what you are willing to spend, ration it out over time, and quit when you are ahead. Seriously, if you're up any significant amount of money based on what you're willing to lose, get up and walk away from the table. Get some food, take a nap, whatever, just don't think you're going to run a hot streak for any serious amount on time. The longer you sit at the table, the more you're going to lose.

Now Vegas is a great city for other things than gaming. Go catch a show, go to one of the famous 'friction' tittie bars, gorge yourself at one of the buffets, do the Star Trek thing, walk the strip, ect ect ect.

Now if you really want to get into the Vegas mood, read Bringing Down The House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions. Seriously, when I finished this book I wanted to head onto a Granny bus to Atlantic City.

[Moogs]

Roulette odds are mediocre at best if you know what you're doing, but I personally think it's the easiest game to make some reasonable coin (say double your money) quickly, and then get out. The problem is, people double their money, stay and then lose it all usually.

[NosferaDrew]

There is no "easy money" as you call it. You will lose money, so don't play with what you can't afford.

I go to Vegas about eight times a year and I started out taking only $100 to blow on a weekend. I'm not even going to say what my "budget" is nowadays. Let's just say that I enjoy having a lot of fun gambling in Vegas and I'm glad that my job pays really well.

Anyway, stay away from blackjack unless you know what you are doing - some people take their gambling very seriously and if you play without thinking or knowing what's going on, they'll probably get preturbed with you very quickly.
If you do play, find a friendly table with a casual crowd of noobs just like you.
Just remember to not sit in the position closest to the Dealer's right. If you don't know what you're doing, you'll probably take the dealer's bust card over and over again and people will begin to a) stare you down, b) vocalize their displeasure with you or c) leave the table.

It's not all that bad, just be aware that when playing blackjack, your actions affect other players at your table. That's why I suggest:

Craps!

Craps is fun! It's a little complicated, but the casinos will teach you if you just ask. Usually in the morning when the casinos are not as active, they'll teach you craps - I highly recommend doing this.

It is such a great game. If you're playing at a table that's really moving everyone is happy, laughing, truly having fun. Plus you can't directly screw up other players like you can in blackjack.
Look online for the basics of craps, then get them to show you when you get there. You will love it. Damn! Now I'm itchin' to make a Vegas trip!

Roulette, like Moogs said is pretty easy and fun too if you're looking for a relaxed game.

Slots are good mindless fun, but echoing HOM, you'll probably not win much if anything. The only way that I've really come out ahead playing slots is to only play $1 slots (you have to bet money to win money) and you have to be dedicated - that means you have to be patient and have a lot of cash to burn. If you are lucky enough to find a slot during it's pay cycle, you sit on it and figure out when you're ahead enough to walk away.

As far as casinos go, on the strip I like the old skool Imperial Palace because it's the first place I stayed in Vegas and Bellagio, Paris and Caesars. Downtown I like Binions the best.

Have fun, but again, don't gamble with what you can't afford to lose. It's very easy to will yourself into believing that you're going to win - there's a 98% chance that you will lose.