Vegas Trip Information for anyone looking to go this year.

[Simon Galloway]

I don't gamble enough to get any comps, however, I  certainly do a fair bit of money in F&B over the course of a trip, and I am going to bang every meal on my room next time.

It might not get me anything, but worth finding out if I can get anything free, even if it's only a scooter

Have set up an Mlife account and as expected a lot of floor play missed, so emailed them about it. Regardless, the reward for getting through Sapphire and Pearl into Gold should have generated more.

They did discuss a room comp but we had an up front package and so I told them they wouldn't refund me cash before we discussed how many nights I might get back.

I have a sneaky feeling the vast majority of people stay on Tier One throughout their stay and that the money spent this time might buy far more leverage for next time.

Will keep you updated but Markys idea seem good thinking.

We've talked about it a fair bit spread out over the thread, but if there is any potential for significant (size and duration) pit gambling, then booking a room with the hotel direct is strongly preferable to going via 3rd party vouchers for the very same purpose of getting comp'd nights.  Likewise, items charged to the room can get picked up much easier than getting "cashback"

For those interested in the subject, a couple of books spring to mind.  Comp City (Max Rubin) is a pretty nitty and probably outdated look at how to optimise comps, whilst Whale in the Desert (Steve Cyr) covers the subject from the other side of the fence and is a decent read.

I personally don't give much pit action in Vegas and when I do, it falls into 2 categories.  The first is playing for drinks, e.g. some cheap pai gow or similar in a nice casino where you can sit for an hour or so and get well and truly kick-started on the evening drinking top shelf stuff for free, whilst giving up a mere fraction of the drinks cost in EV.  The other style is once those free drinks kick in later on  This usually means high buyin shots for extremely brief amounts of time.  The former can surprisingly add up to $100 of comps in little time and is basically free money (as long as you charged $100 to the room at some point..)  The latter is generally worth nothing, as often you won;t even get a rating for it ~ but ofc sometimes something happens and you get booked in as "$200/spin" player and then they don't notice you left if it is busy and you get 40 minutes clocked.  And ofc once in a blue moon, you actually hit something hard and have a bit of a spin-up with the profit... this usually will lead to future room offers as well as possibly a personal introduction from a host looking to pick you up.

[Marky147]

Guy who posts on Vegas Message Board as BeeJaaay started posting his TRs on 2p2 as well, and he had a good run of comps from a moderate bankroll.

For a few years he could get rooms and promo credit at most of the high end strip properties. It tooks years before they finally started to downsize the offers, and he stopped heading out there every month

I like sitting at the bar drinking, and don't really have the patience to be plotted up at a blackjack table with a load of other people. I don't mind a spot of casino war, but haven't seen that in the Nugget.

[KarmaDope]

Guy who posts on Vegas Message Board as BeeJaaay started posting his TRs on 2p2 as well, and he had a good run of comps from a moderate bankroll.

For a few years he could get rooms and promo credit at most of the high end strip properties. It tooks years before they finally started to downsize the offers, and he stopped heading out there every month

I like sitting at the bar drinking, and don't really have the patience to be plotted up at a blackjack table with a load of other people. I don't mind a spot of casino war, but haven't seen that in the Nugget.

I had a night out with BeeeJay on my last trip. Was absolutely immense. Those guys can party and drink at the same time.

[Marky147]

Guy who posts on Vegas Message Board as BeeJaaay started posting his TRs on 2p2 as well, and he had a good run of comps from a moderate bankroll.

For a few years he could get rooms and promo credit at most of the high end strip properties. It tooks years before they finally started to downsize the offers, and he stopped heading out there every month

I like sitting at the bar drinking, and don't really have the patience to be plotted up at a blackjack table with a load of other people. I don't mind a spot of casino war, but haven't seen that in the Nugget.

I had a night out with BeeeJay on my last trip. Was absolutely immense. Those guys can party and drink at the same time.

Quality

I arranged to meet up with him July 4th one weekend when we were both staying at the Wynn, but he ended up having to change to Bellagio, and although we had exchanged numbers prior to getting to Vegas, never managed to get together.

It's on the Vegas bucketlist  next time he's there July 4th weekend though

[tonytats]

There's still what seems like some good deals to be had I had an e mail off Expedia this morning and had a look

Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, NV
from £1,029 per person
includes flight + hotel, taxes & fees


Direct flight too

[KarmaDope]

There's still what seems like some good deals to be had I had an e mail off Expedia this morning and had a look

Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, NV
from £1,029 per person
includes flight + hotel, taxes & fees


Direct flight too

What dates was this for?

[tonytats]

6 th June to the 16 th

[tonytats]

http://www.expedia.co.uk/changeflight?usePS=1&packageType=fh&pqtp=1028.18&originId=6139104&ftla=LON&curc=GBP&ttla=LAS&numberOfRooms=1&toDate=16%2F06%2F2014&featuredDeal=3818880%2C203096713%2CFreeFlight&hlrId=0&dest=178276&fromDate=06%2F06%2F2014&defaultFlights=541aebf31f69e8128eefccc28aeae1cb%2Caa2b2b371ce00c810825aa4966b19908&destinationId=178276&adultsPerRoom[1]=1&part=0&currentFlights=541aebf31f69e8128eefccc28aeae1cb%2Caa2b2b371ce00c810825aa4966b19908&packagePIID=67a0adaa-8b14-45d6-b7b7-f00512e8e08a-0#&usePS=1&packageType=fh&pqtp=1028.18&originId=6139104&ftla=LON&curc=GBP&ttla=LAS&numberOfRooms=1&toDate=16%2F06%2F2014&featuredDeal=3818880%2C203096713%2CFreeFlight&hlrId=0&dest=178276&fromDate=06%2F06%2F2014&defaultFlights=541aebf31f69e8128eefccc28aeae1cb%2Caa2b2b371ce00c810825aa4966b19908&destinationId=178276&adultsPerRoom[1]=1&part=0&currentFlights=541aebf31f69e8128eefccc28aeae1cb%2Caa2b2b371ce00c810825aa4966b19908&packagePIID=67a0adaa-8b14-45d6-b7b7-f00512e8e08a-0&ajaxRequestType=

[Kmac84]

Booked 4th to 13th November for the other halfs birthday.  Cannot wait. 

[Mark_Porter]

Last day of the Virgin sale today.

2nd December to 10th December in The Mirage with direct flights for £686pp looks good for a pre Christmas break.

[Simon Galloway]

Thought this was a good look at 'prohibition vegas' with lots of snips I haven't seen before...

[MLHMLH]

This almost sounds too good to be true, but I've treble checked with 3 and it's 100% true!

3 have got a feature on their network that allows you transfer your call, text and data allowances from your existing 3 pay monthly contract or 3 pay as you go (PAYG) account for use abroad (inc USA).  It's called Feel At Home.  

I'm not on 3 at the moment, but here's what I'm going to do before I go to Vegas in June:-

1.  Order a free PAYG Sim card from the 3 website - https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order
2.  Buy an unlocked 3G or 4G phone from CEX or similar or buy the LG Optimus L1 II for £49.99 from 3 (3 have confirmed that this will work with their PAYG Sim card in the US and it's the cheapest option if you want a new phone rather than a 2nd hand one)
3.  Create a My3account, link the SIM card to it and register a debit/credit card for topping up purposes
4.  A few days before I go to Vegas, log into My3account and top it up on either the £10 or £15 All In One deal (see details of the 2 different deals here - http://www.three.co.uk/Store/SIM/Pay_As_You_Go) - the £15 one is better as you would expect!
5.  Put the SIM card in my unlocked phone and check that I can surf the internet on it using the SIM.  If it doesn't work, some of the phone settings my need to be changed - see here http://support.three.co.uk/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBISAPI.DLL?Command=New,Kb=Mobile,Ts=Mobile,T=Article,varset_cat=payasyougo,varset_subcat=4125,Case=obj(4091)


If I do all the above then I will be able to use this phone/SIM in Vegas and my usage will simply be deducted from the minutes, texts and data allowance I get on the All In One deal I've selected.  I'll be going for the £15 deal as it gives you All you can eat data, 3000 texts and 300 minutes.  The £15 top up lasts for 30 days, so if you're in Vegas for longer (lucky you!) after the first 30 days has expired, you can simply go onto the internet, log onto your My3account and top up using the card you've already registered to get another 30 days.  

Once you come home and the 30 days expires, you are under no obligation to use the Sim card again.  You don't need to keep topping it up.  You can of course keep it for your next visit to Vegas or other foreign country!  There's a list here...USA, Italy, the Republic of Ireland, Austria, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau.

There are a couple of drawbacks:-

1.  You will have a different number when you're abroad, so you'll need to give your temporary number to your contacts.
2.  You need to assume you are in the UK when using your phone in the US, so in terms of making outgoing calls, if you're ringing a UK number (including a UK mobile phone that's either in the UK or the US at the time) then it's included in the 300 minutes allowance on the £15 All In One deal.  If you are calling a US number, it IS NOT included and would be charged at £1.40 per minute.

You can also get a PAYG Sim for use in an ipad or tablet etc!  There's a bit more info in the comments at the foot of this page...http://blog.three.co.uk/2013/12/04/feel-at-home-now-includes-the-us-of-a/


Below is the chat I had earlier with 3 about this!

06:01:54 PM [Visitor] I'm interested in the Pay As You Go - All in One deals, but I need to know a few things
06:02:23 PM [Mohsin] We appreciate your business and would love to have you as a customer.
06:03:24 PM [Visitor] If I order a PAYG All in One £10 SIM card today, it's asking me to pay £10, so when does the 30 days become active?
06:03:37 PM [Visitor] Today or whenever I insert the SIM into a phone?
06:04:01 PM [Mohsin] I'll help you with your query in regards to getting the pay as you go sim today as well as the start date.
06:04:11 PM [Mohsin] While I help you with your query, may I please know your home postcode to check for coverage and to update the same in our system?
06:04:30 PM [Visitor] I already know I have coverage
06:04:43 PM [Mohsin] That's great.
06:04:47 PM [Visitor] I just have a few questions to help me decide if I want to go ahead
06:05:13 PM [Mohsin] Your 30 days start on the day you receive the package.
06:05:33 PM [Visitor] Is the PAYG All In One a contract? Am I tied in beyond the first 30 days?
06:06:34 PM [Mohsin] It's not on contract as it's a pay as you go deal.
06:06:56 PM [Visitor] Can I activate Feel At Home on the All in One PAYG, as long as the SIM has been active for 30 days first?
06:07:07 PM [Mohsin] After 30 days you need to top-up and convert that into add-on in order to get the above allowance.
06:08:26 PM [Mohsin] Yes you can use the sim in our feel like home country right away and you don't have to wait for 30 days.
06:08:51 PM [Visitor] I don't have to wait 30 days? I'm sure it says on your website that I do
06:10:03 PM [Mohsin] That is only applicable to our pay monthly sim only deals and not pay as you go.
06:10:17 PM [Visitor] right ok thanks
06:10:36 PM [Mohsin] Do you want me to summarize the deal for you?
06:11:06 PM [Visitor] So isn't the All In One a SIM plan?
06:11:15 PM [Visitor] Your website says this....
06:11:17 PM [Visitor] Is Feel At Home available to all Three customers?
Yes – you just need international roaming to be activated in order to pick up a signal when you go abroad. International roaming is activated automatically for all customers.

If you’re a new SIM Plan customer, you need to have been with us for 30 days before you can use your SIM abroad. After 30 days, roaming will automatically be switched on.

06:12:05 PM [Mohsin] Yes that's for a pay monthly sim contract.
06:12:36 PM [Visitor] right ok
06:12:40 PM [Mohsin] You are going with a pay as you go sim where there is no contract.
06:13:53 PM [Mohsin] Our Sim card will only work in any of your unlocked 3G or 4G compatible phone so which phone you'll be using?
06:14:13 PM [Visitor] I'm going to buy a 2nd hand unlocked phone
06:14:35 PM [Mohsin] That's great.
06:14:55 PM [Visitor] What's the cheapest compatible phone you sell that would work in USA with an All In One SIM?
06:15:14 PM [Mohsin] Sure let me check, give me couple of minutes.
06:15:42 PM [Visitor] I need to be able to use the Internet on it
06:15:59 PM [Visitor] so it needs a browser
06:16:44 PM [Mohsin] I can offer you Samsung Galaxy Fame for £64.99 + choose your £10 or £15 add-on in the Basket.
06:17:00 PM [Mohsin] The Galaxy Fame is a new mid-range phone from Samsung which offers a full smartphone experience at an affordable price. The Galaxy Fame is compact and stylish with a 3.5 inch touchscreen display, 3GB of internal storage and a fast 1.0 GHz processor to provide seemless browsing, gaming and downloading.
06:18:26 PM [Visitor] OK that's a little bit more than I wanted to pay. I will have a look at 2nd hand ones.
06:18:45 PM [Mohsin] I have one more option for you.
06:18:49 PM [Visitor] ok
06:19:44 PM [Mohsin] I can offer you LG Optimus L1 II for £49.99 + choose your £10 or £15 add-on in the Basket.
06:19:57 PM [Mohsin] The Optimus L1 II is easy-to-use and offers an excellent touch experience on its 3" capacitive touchscreen in addition, you get a 2MP camera with voice activated capture, long battery life and a powerful 1GHz processor which provides all the multitasking power you need to make the most of your phone.
06:20:17 PM [Visitor] OK thanks, I will think about it.
06:20:39 PM [Visitor] Can I order a free SIM online today and then go online and upgrade to the All In One later
06:20:40 PM [Visitor] ?
06:21:04 PM [Mohsin] Sure I'll help you with the link for a free sim.
06:21:19 PM [Visitor] Thanks
06:22:04 PM [Mohsin] Click on the link https://www.three.co.uk/Support/Free_SIM/Order
06:22:12 PM [Visitor] So once I've upgraded the SIM to All In One and paid my first £10/£15, do I need to do anything to get International Roaming to work and to activate Feel At Home?
06:22:58 PM [Mohsin] You don't have to do anything as you can use international roaming right away.
06:23:03 PM [Mohsin] Sounds good?
06:23:26 PM [Visitor] Yes that's great. Sounds almost too good to be true!
06:23:54 PM [Mohsin] Wonderful, that's the benefit of having a pay as you go sim.

[tonytats]

My mate in USA is buying us a 20$  USA pay as you go each from wal mart  9.99$ top up  so we can stay in touch

http://20somethingfinance.com/tracfone-review/

[MLHMLH]

My mate in USA is buying us a 20$  USA pay as you go each from wal mart  9.99$ top up  so we can stay in touch

http://20somethingfinance.com/tracfone-review/

That's fine if you just want to text and call, but not if you want to get on internet and not if they don't have them in stock (which they tend not to have in June/July!)

[tonytats]

Ye I was just saying what three of us are doing as a cheaper way of staying in touch
personally I've got an American sim for my I pad for internet n stuff