Feature Barney Vinson
Vegas 101 (continued)
Everything You Need to Know to get the Most Out of Your Trip

If you really want to save money, look for funbooks and coupons which are yours for the taking in Vegas welcome centers or noncasino motels around town. Or, check inside one of those freebie magazines you can find in any hotel lobby. Coupons are redeemable for all kinds of discounts, two-for-ones and free souvenirs. Some travel agents and package tour reps also hand them out when you book your trip.

Ask the hotel where you’re staying for a refrigerator. There’s usually a minimal charge for this service, and now you can keep drinks, fruit, sandwich meats and leftovers in your room. If your hotel doesn’t have coffee makers in the room, bring one with you and save more money by not using room service every morning.

Catch your favorite sporting event in a casino sportsbook. The chairs are comfortable, the drinks are free (sometimes they even have free eats), and you don’t have to make a bet unless you want to. Use the CAT (Citizens Area Transit) bus system or trolleys to get around town. The trolleys look like old San Francisco cable cars, and stop right at the entrances to all casinos on the Strip.

Remember, too, that the days of cheap eats in Vegas are long gone. Many of the casino restaurants are leased operations that don’t participate in casino revenues. Therefore, their pricing reflects the true cost of operations like it does everywhere else in the country. Buffets are the way to go now, and every casino worth its salt (and pepper) has one. You get to eat as much as you want, and—unlike some gourmet restaurants—you get the food during the same calendar year. Another great food bargain is the early morning breakfast, available in some of the smaller casinos between midnight and 6 a.m. In order to get you inside the casino, these places put out a lavish breakfast for as little as 50¢. Check newspaper ads or hotel marquees.
If you want to do it right, though, plan one special dinner in a special place. It will be a night you’ll long remember, even after your trip to Vegas is a distant memory. Not sure which gourmet restaurant to try? Ask someone at VIP services, or another casino employee. Most of them will be flattered if you do. A word of warning: Order iced tea with your dinner, and take advantage of free refills. You’ll save big bucks by not drinking wine or mixed drinks, which is where restaurants make much of their profit. Unless, of course, good wine is a priority for you—and there are plenty of great wine lists in town.

Las Vegas is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. Approach your trip with the idea that gambling is nothing more than entertainment, in its rawest and purest form. So if you jet to Vegas expecting to lose a few dollars and have a lot of laughs, chances are you won’t be disappointed. Not when you hear an avid blackjack player tell his friends, “It’s easy to win, you just have to be the cards.” Not when you see a furious pit boss yank the dice off a crap table after six passes and smell them. Not when you watch a slot player put a solitary coin in the money tray before playing… for seed.

Not when you realize that when you buck the casino, you’re like David going against Goliath, only Goliath’s got the slingshot. Of course, the casinos can quote from the Scripture, too.
“Lo, he was a stranger, and we took him in.”

Barney Vinson’s new book Ask Barney is filled with hundreds of questions and answers about Las Vegas. It’s available at bookstores everywhere, or from Bonus Books at 800-225-3775.

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