24 replies to this topic

[FutureScratchGolfer]

Hey guys, I was fortunate enough to qualifying for the National Collegiate Golf National Championships out in Las Vegas this weekend and my scramble partner and I have some free time while we are out there. We are staying at the Imperial Palace and playing the Paiute Snow Mountain Course. Anyone know what the best place to drink and gamble is near Imperial Palace. Looking for those who have actually been, I've been reading so many reviews my head is spinning. Thanks guys.

[llamont]

What is your party budget like?  The Imperial Palace is near the center strip so your drinking/gambling options are darned near infinite.

Edited by llamont, 08 November 2012 - 12:56 AM.

[TheMackDaddy]

The question is where isn't there a good place for gambling and drinking. Las Vegas sucked for me when I went because everything was roped off for minors because of alchohal and scantily clad women.

[llamont]

Just venture outside of your hotel and go with the wind...  Surely you'll find something to get into.  I don't gamble but some popular clubs include: Marquee (the Cosmo); Xcess (the Wynn); Tao (the Venetian); Pure (Caesars Palace); etc.  I asked about your budget because it can cost $50+ to get into the clubs depending on the night and demand.

[Sean2]

If you're playing in a big tournament, shouldn't you be going to bed early and sober? :-)

[FutureScratchGolfer]

Whew probably not going to try to spend $50 to get into a club. Would rather spend my money on gambling and alcohol. Im pumped to be right in the middle of the strip. Can't wait. Oh and MackDaddy, that's why you need to be 21 years old like I am. :-)

[ParOrBetter]

Imperial palace is kind of a dump but it's not bad. If you are looking for somewhere really high end and nice (lots of good looking women) check out Cosmopolitan or Aria. Caesars is overrated in my opinion. Bellagio is nice. If you are looking for cheap gambling and even cheaper drinks Casino Royal is my favorite. It's a complete dump but I like it for some odd reason. 1$ michelobes and 1$ frozen margaritas. Also check out the waitress at Margaritaville my god they are gifted. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions pm me. I love talking Vegas.

[mctrees02]

remember...drinks are free while gambling in Vegas!  It all depends on your budget.  If you want to play $10/hand then there's one set of casinos...if you want to play $25/hand then there's another set. If you want to play less than $10/hand, your best bet is to head downtown as table minimums are much lower.

If you're going to be gambling a while, hand the cocktail waitress $10-20 when she first comes by, order your drink and ask "please bring me another one every time you come by."  Then continue to give her $1 per drink every time she comes by and you'll have something to drink all night long until you're done playing.

[half lung]

FutureScratchGolfer, on 08 November 2012 - 12:32 AM, said:

Hey guys, I was fortunate enough to qualifying for the National Collegiate Golf National Championships out in Las Vegas this weekend and my scramble partner and I have some free time while we are out there. We are staying at the Imperial Palace and playing the Paiute Snow Mountain Course. Anyone know what the best place to drink and gamble is near Imperial Palace. Looking for those who have actually been, I've been reading so many reviews my head is spinning. Thanks guys.

I played in that tourney in 2010 and we played the wolf.. As far as casinos go, they all are nice but most on the strip will be 10-15 dollar minimums.  I personally liked ballys and spent a lot of time there.

The high end casinos that are nice to walk around in and see everything are often the homes of higher limits.  They include: Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, Palazzo, Aria, Ceasars.

You will have a great time even though it will be a busy weekend.  When we were there, the wind was blowing so hard that the pins were close to ripping the cups out of the ground.  It was hard to stand up during some shots.

Is there a pre tourney party at an arcade for you guys?  If so, it is a blast and you get to choose your starting hole for the tournament.

Edited by half lung, 08 November 2012 - 11:11 AM.

[half lung]

https://www.youtube....h?v=QbQSYEozlhI

Edited by half lung, 08 November 2012 - 11:24 AM.

[bppry]

If you are going to gamble on sports head to the Hilton. Its off the strip a bit but the tram goes there. It is the only casino in Vegas that gives you unlimited free drinks for betting on sports. Doesn't matter if its a five dollar parlay. You sit in the book area and the waitress may ask to see your ticket when you first order. Show her and tip her a five the first time and she will be back all night if you just give a dollar a drink. All other books will only give you a drink voucher per bet.

[highergr0und]

Good advice from bppry..... Find someplace that will hook you up.  There are a few bars around that you can sit at and play video poker and get free drinks.  Not a bad deal, especially if you drink expensive stuff.  You might be hard pressed to get drinks if you're playing the low end tables at the big casinos.

I like Freemont street.  If you're going to people watch, gamble a little, and drink a little it's fun.  It's the old school Vegas and everything is much cheaper.  Another decent option that will have you gambling less but saving money overall is to walk the strip and just get some beers from the 7-11 or other party stores.  A bottle of Bud Light in most of the strip casinos costs more than a 6 pack.  You get to see all the casinos at night, see the crazy stuff like the fountains, treasure island show, etc and will hardly spend any money.

[bppry]

Higher ground makes another good point. Booze can be brought anywhere. If you want to go cheap get a case of beer for your room and when you leave take 3-4 with you and go walk. When you come back by grab some more. I lived in that town for 3 years and could pen a novel on how to do it cheap. We used to go to circle bar at hard rock and have a case in the car to walk out to and reload when empty.

Enjoy a few sake bombs at imperial too. Before I moved there it was the place I would stay due to location. You can make Vegas anything you want. Remember your odds of winning are they same at all casinos. So go to a place that you enjoy and that appreciates the level of money you are playing.

[SilverBullets]

whenever i head to vegas, my wife and I just casino hop and get bombed.... my trick, if i've already lost my gambling money or just dont feel like gambling.. is rolling to the penny slots... finding the waitress... putting a buck in the machine shes closest too, order a drink, get said drink, cash your $1 out (or lose it) and head to the next casino drink in hand

[OrangeCrush]

2 words  Spearmint Rhino.   thats all I got to say!

[Shrapnac]

There's this place called Gambledrink, it's on the corner of Anywhere and Duh in Vegas. Hope that helps!

Sorry, no real suggestions, but I hope you find a place where the drinks are cheap and the slots are loose, and that goes double for the women there.

[Mschumacher]

OrangeCrush, on 08 November 2012 - 04:42 PM, said:

2 words  Spearmint Rhino.   thats all I got to say!

Bring money.

[ParOrBetter]

Sapphire has always treated me well.

[uscfandan]

Side note: A few good places to eat are the Hash House a Go Go at the IP and also Ellis Island Casino back on Koval. Ellis had a good deal on a nice steak and baked potato with a Microbrew for under 10 bucks.

[Johnny4379]

mctrees02, on 08 November 2012 - 09:29 AM, said:

remember...drinks are free while gambling in Vegas!  It all depends on your budget.  If you want to play $10/hand then there's one set of casinos...if you want to play $25/hand then there's another set. If you want to play less than $10/hand, your best bet is to head downtown as table minimums are much lower.

If you're going to be gambling a while, hand the cocktail waitress $10-20 when she first comes by, order your drink and ask "please bring me another one every time you come by."  Then continue to give her $1 per drink every time she comes by and you'll have something to drink all night long until you're done playing.

This is great advice

If you play slots, you can play them anywhere, but if you play tables, downtown has lower minimums and the drinks are stiff.
Another free drink trick at any casino is to find a busy craps table, slide into one of the empty spots and just stand there and watch. waitress doesn't know who's playing or not, or who's waiting to play, and brings a drink to anyone that orders it.
And don't be afraid to order shots, they WILL bring them to you.

BTW Paiute is awsome , you'll enjoy it

[hebron1427]

Mschumacher, on 08 November 2012 - 05:19 PM, said:

OrangeCrush, on 08 November 2012 - 04:42 PM, said:

2 words  Spearmint Rhino.   thats all I got to say!

Bring money.

a lot of it.

[hebron1427]

Vegas is my favorite place to go on vacation. been there roughly 2x per year for each of the last 3 or 4 years. stayed at IP, Rio, Venetian, PH, Palms, and a few others. there is A LOT there, and your budget will determine which experience you go for. for me, it's all about the gambling--blackjack, poker, craps--the games are where it's at. there's a ton of good food, yes, but nothing is cheap. the stuff that is cheap, you get what you pay for. Someone said Ellis Island...i would say no way. I went there on my first trip to vegas back when i was a broke college student. they made us wait for like 1.5 hours to sit so we could get the steak/potato special for like $5. it wasn't good. further, when we got inside the restaurant, it was half empty. it was apparent to me that they made us wait so we would have to play their table games and slots to keep ourselves busy. we ended up losing more than it would have been to get a good buffet at bellagio.

if you've got cash to burn (bankroll about $1,000 or more), stick with the main part of the strip. aria is incredible, though out of my price range on the weekends, it's good to play blackjack in the mornings or on weekdays, and the atmosphere there is awesome. Venetian is where i've spent most of my time the last few trips. it's classy, there's a ton to do just inside their resort, and the games are good for the most part. bellagio is awesome and should be visited at least once. caesar's palace is actually disappointing. i haven't foudn it to be all that nice, but you may think otherwise.

if you've got small cash (under $500 bankroll), your best bet is probably to spend most of your time up on fremont street. the golden nugget is nice. el cortez is really cheap. they have $3 blackjack most of hte time, if you can get a seat (although the odds of that table suck) and quarter roulette, if roulette is your thing. fremont is dirtier, seedier, and generally less safe than the strip. oh, and the "talent" on fremont is not great...."talent" on the strip will blow your mind. if vegas were only fremont street, i probably wouldn't be as into it. fremont is kind of a throwback to the old days, and you can kind of feel the whole "the mob owned us" thing. the strip is much more corporate and better planned.

wish i could tell you about the clubs, but, it aint my thing. playboy lounge at the palms i know is a hot spot, as is toa at venetian and the wynn's beach club, but i dont konw a whole lot more than that.

looks like most of your golf will be planned, but if you can drive to mesquite and play wolf creek, it's well worth it. http://thepowerfade....ek-mesquite-nv/ . I've played the course 4 times now. amazing each time.

Also, for experiences, if you like lookouts, go up to the top of the stratosphere. they charge you $25 to ride up to the observation deck, or you can just tell them you're going to hte sky bar (yes, they have a restaurant and bar up there). the drinks are overpriced, but it's less than paying to ride up. also, if you're a thrillseeker, you can do a bunch of rides on the top of the stratosphere. they have a "roller coaster" (which is really just a straight track) that hangs off the side of the stratosphere. they have a spinning seat thing that hangs you over the side. and you can actually pay to jump off of it on a guy wire....yah...that freaked me out just watching people do it.

#1 rule is knowing when to quit. if you have a budget, stick to it. don't get carried away. the cards are not out to get you...it's just odds. have fun, and good luck!

EDIT: one more thing....be smart about how and where you spend your money gambling. part of the reason i rarely go to fremont street is that they don't give out comps like on the strip. knowing which hotels are affiliated with each other is an important aspect. no, you can't get comps by playing $5 blackjack, but if you get going and start betting $100/hand, you might get a free stay on a return trip, depending on where you're throwing that money out on the table to play. know who is affiliated, and try to stick within that group if you're going for comps. caesars, harras, ip, PH, bally's, rio...i think that's it....are all affiliated under the harras group. MGM, luxor, TI, mirage, bellagio, aria, cosmo, NYNY, excalibur, mandalay bay, and a few others are under MGM. venetian is under las vegas sands. wynn and encore are under wynn. the remaining hotels are basically on their own. so don't go throwing down cash at casino royale, because you wont get anything good to come from it, and the games aren't that different from a place like harras.

PM me if you have specific questions. i love hte place.

Edited by hebron1427, 09 November 2012 - 09:57 AM.

[Mschumacher]

Johnny4379, on 09 November 2012 - 12:40 AM, said:

mctrees02, on 08 November 2012 - 09:29 AM, said:

remember...drinks are free while gambling in Vegas!  It all depends on your budget.  If you want to play $10/hand then there's one set of casinos...if you want to play $25/hand then there's another set. If you want to play less than $10/hand, your best bet is to head downtown as table minimums are much lower.

If you're going to be gambling a while, hand the cocktail waitress $10-20 when she first comes by, order your drink and ask "please bring me another one every time you come by."  Then continue to give her $1 per drink every time she comes by and you'll have something to drink all night long until you're done playing.

This is great advice

If you play slots, you can play them anywhere, but if you play tables, downtown has lower minimums and the drinks are stiff.
Another free drink trick at any casino is to find a busy craps table, slide into one of the empty spots and just stand there and watch. waitress doesn't know who's playing or not, or who's waiting to play, and brings a drink to anyone that orders it.
And don't be afraid to order shots, they WILL bring them to you.

BTW Paiute is awsome , you'll enjoy it

Tip her $1 or 2 and she will keep coming back non stop

[half lung]

How did it go?  Was the wind brutal when you were out there?

[tocino]

hebron1427, on 09 November 2012 - 09:32 AM, said:

Mschumacher, on 08 November 2012 - 05:19 PM, said:

OrangeCrush, on 08 November 2012 - 04:42 PM, said:

2 words Spearmint Rhino. thats all I got to say!

Bring money.

a lot of it.

lol! had my bachelor party there. we got there around 9:00-ish so we got a lot of extra attention. It ended up getting way too packed later (it was a friday night)

If you want to maximize your drinking while gambling I suggest finding a pai gow poker table. you push so much that you'll end up staying at the table for a few hours without losing (or winning) too much while enjoying the benefits of all those free drinks they give you