My family and I are making our first trip to LV and as we have led 'sheltered lives' we are completely unfamiliar with gaming in general. Any tips on which types of gambling to try and is there anywhere in LV that you can go to be 'taught' how to play the games. We are so 'innocent' none of us have ever played poker even! And no we're not escapees from a monastery before you ask. Any ideas would be gratefully recived.
Thanks in advance.

Play slots,as many coins as the machine will take,not one at a time or roullette,pick a number ,high or low odd or even or a color.Most casinos offer some sort of clinic around 11 am eveyday.Good luck!!

my first trip to LV i stayed in downtown, and boy, was i glad! the minimum table bets in downtown are lower than the strip, and late-night when the tables are slower (and the min. bet drops further) the dealers were happy to show us how to play. don't forget to tip them when you're done. i couldn't quite get the hang of pai gow poker, but sat down anyway, and the dealer and other people at the table were happy to explain the rules.

otherwise, just read up on the card games and watch people playing, you can pick them up fairly easily. beware, if you are on a slot machine some people can get pretty mean...i didn't realize one lady was spinning three machines at once!

have a great time!

There are lots and lots of book out there on blackjack and video poker. There are also downloadable games on the Internet for at least the above games and probably others. I think lots of casinos have blackjack 'lessons' in the mornings.

Best advice is DON'T

When you check in, start calling the "slot clubs" of all the casinos near you asking if/when they have lessons. A few do. I think Monte Carlo and Barbary Coast have craps lessons. I'm sure many others do also. I wouldn't recommend playing blackjack unless you know the game. The other players at the table get mad if you vary from what's called "basic strategy" because they think you are causing them to lose by taking their good cards. I find, on the strip, that even $5 shoe games have fairly educated players. I've never played downtown. You can practice at blackjackinfo.com and it will tell you when you make a mistake.

One of the old casinos (Riveria or Stardust) had an old dealer who taught us how to play craps. You will never figure that game out just by watching, because there are so many ways to bet and so much going on at once. Anyway, after about 45 minutes of "lessons" with play money, he walked us over to a real table and for $20 each gave us each $22 worth of chips. It was our first time ever, so we both were lucky rollers. About a hour later we stopped and had turned our $40 into over $300 (totally beginner's luck, of course!)

My advice is to set daily limits (on how much you are willing to lose) and don't be afraid to pick up your money/chips and move on if the table isn't hot. I never let more than four hands go by without winning or I leave.

Good advice is to get a card and use it in the slot machines wherever you stay. That gets you "rewards" for "gambling" even if it is just quarter slot machines. Las Vegas can be intimidating, stand and just watch the other people for awhile. Wait and go to a blackjack table that is not full and might have a nice dealer, some can be quite friendly. Play for the lowest amount to get a feeling of it.
Don't bet more than you want to lose.
It is fun, but don't do it expecting to win.
There are places that they will teach you but I don't know them.
I would avoid Roulette and Craps tables.
Have fun.Good Luck!

What is the general rule of thumb wrt tipping the dealer? Which games?

Many casinos offer free gambling lessons--a lot of them are on the strip, which makes for a more lovely setting. When I first learned to play craps a few years ago, I practiced during the day at the Horseshoe.....I forget what the minimum bet was on this one table, I think it was 25 or 50 cents.

Otherwise, I would try to practice at home first on gaming software, if that is possible.

My limit on losing is $100 a day. IF I lose up to $100, I quit for the day. But as my mother always tells me, "But you are not here to lose, you are here to win!!" haha OK, actually, realistically you cannot expect to win all the time. If you go to Vegas fully expecting to win all the time, you might as well stay home. Just keep telling yourself you are engaging in a form of entertainment, and are paying to play. And if you win, so much the better.

Nice summary, Melissa.

Point one for anyone going to LV for the first time is: if you gamble, you will lose.
Not maybe you'll lose.
Not if I'm really smart I won't lose.
But you will lose. Period.
(Assuming you're talking about gambling over several trips).

It's entertainment.
That's it.
If gambling becomes more than entertainment...if you go trying to or expecting to win, you're a fool and LV was built from the money of fools.

Many thanks to everyone who replied to my posting. You were all very helpfull and informative. We will take your advice and hopefully wont lose our shirts! By the way If we do win big you are all invited to our 'high roller' suite for a drink, if not, any one got any spare change?

Dealer tipping:

I know that you are expected to tip Blackjack, Craps, and Slots (when an attendant does whatever they have to do when you hit a big one). I don't play slots but it's supposed to be some % of the jackpot, maybe 5-10%.

As for Craps and BJ, you should only be expected to tip when you are winning. That's not to say that the dealer should bear the brunt of the losers, but the winners should bear the brunt of the losers and compensate the dealer essentially on behalf of the entire table. Any good dealer will not expect tips from losers.

Craps: Many people place a bet for the dealers and usually choose very risky poor odds bets. Most dealers would rather you just place a pass line bet for them, or even just give them the tip outright. Place it on the table and say "for the table" and they will be very appreciative. Now, I'd recommend not waiting until then end of your play to tip because the dealers will assume that you WON'T tip but by tipping small amounts throughout the game, the dealers will treat you better, let you know when you make mistakes, ask if you're "In" when you forget to place your typical bet, and so on. As long as I'm winning, I'll tip 1/2 to 1X my bet every few notches I go up. For example, if I'm betting $10 on the line and win 10 and loose 5 (so I'm up $50), I'll throw out $5 for the dealers. So I guess, about 10% of my winnings.

Blackjack, very similar but I always place a bet for the dealer (on my hand) rather than hand him/her a tip. I like the dealer having a vested interest in my success When winning, I'll usually place a bet for the dealer after winning a BJ or after getting a few hot hands and being up overall, probably equaly to 1/2 my standard bet. My tipping probably is about 10% of my winnings.

When I lose I usually don't tip. I'll make a joke with the dealer that "Your play is too strong for me" which is what the casinos say to suspected card counters as they oust them. As long as the winners are taking care of the dealer, I feel no guilt.

This also depends on the extent of my winnings and alcohol consumption which should be inversely proportional but I've been pretty lucky so far. I think I'm an average to above average tipper in Vegas for a low limit player.

Countrymouse/virgin gambler: would you like to stop by my house for a few hands of poker on your way to Vegas??

Naughty naughty Miss/MrX would you take advantage of a poor 'virgin 'gambler? I may be green but I'm not stupid!

Country Mouse: playing poker with me would be far less painful than what will happen to you in Vegas!

Countrymouse,

There's a lot of good advice here (especially from Mike) but I would add these tips:

1. For a first-timer, most of the hotels DO offer free clinics that are pretty informative. Games like BlackJack may look easy and mindless but many people are serious about them and you'll be doing yourself (and the other players) a favor by learning the basics before you sit down at a table.

2. Players who know nothing about the game they are joining can actually screw things up for others at the table.

3. If the clinics are held at an inconvenient time for you, find a casino where the tables are slow, ask for the pit-boss and tell him/her you'd like to learn how to play craps, etc. They will often take the time to teach you enough to win a little money because they know it makes for good "press."

4. Never gamble with a man who has a city for a first name.

5. Never date a woman with a tatoo of a dagger on her thigh.

Have fun,

DJ

Thanks DJ I'll bear that advice in mind, but I'm sure you're the exception that proves the rule and although the 'tattoo' thing is good to bear in mind I doubt if it will be a problem as my husband disappproves of me dating other women! Yes I know he's a killjoy but he's oldfashioned like that. But the pit boss tip is very useful. What a helpful man you are.
Regards
CM

Lots of good advice here. There are a few "cheap" casinos on the strip that offer lower priced table games. Casino Royale next to Harrah's usually has $2 Blackjack and craps. Also try Westward Ho and Slots-a-Fun at the north end of the strip. Casino Royale is smoky and dark but you can play a long time for your money. Try the "Haywire" slot machine against the front wall (there's only one of them), it's always been a good payer for me when I need a few dollars to head back to the crap table. Have Fun !

Hey, Denver Jim!

Is this THE Denver Jim, winner of the Millenium "P & BJ" games?