vegas Vs. local casinos

[cook1947]

I am at the point with the casinos in the midwest area (St. Louis, Tunica. Indiana etc) that it would be better payback wise, to limit my casino trips in this area, and spend the extra $300 in airfare to go to Vegas, rather than spend money here. I can drive to any of those three for a tank of gas, but I know that the chances of winning are less than going to Vegas. Does this make sense?  I lived in So. Calif for 50 years, and either went to Vegas or Laughlin. If I didn't  win, it was a surprise. I now mainly go to St. Louis, and am surprised if I DO win. There are so many "in the know" players on this site..does my synario make sense?

[shadowman]

What games do you play? I don't think Las Vegas is anything special these days. In fact, the strip is probably worse than wherever you now play.

[cook1947]

Oh, good..I was hoping it was you shadowman..I play .25 vp, mainly bonus, ddb, and wild deuces (sometimes). I always played downtown at California, Main Street (my favorite), Sams Town and  never went out on the strip. I do like Red Rock and some other local places that I have played forever. Always vp, never slots! Like i said, a royal was usual, 3 in one night was pushing it as one of my best, but 9 out of 10 times, I carried money home. If I just brought home money that I had taken with me and not lost, I counted it has a good trip. Since we moved out here to Kentucky and started tripping down to Tunica or St. Louis (Harrahs), it has been very brutal. Some royals, but sometimes getting 4 of a kind is time to celebrate. It is cheap to drive to either Tunica or St. Louis, and sometimes I just feel that spending the extra money for air fare would almost be better than to continue to do what I am doingl I am retired, so I can go when i want, but it hasn't been much fun lately. I went to LV in Feb. and hit 4 aces without a face for 7500, plus a royal. This all happened at Main Street .Do the few casinos in St. Louis and Tunica have the same paybacks as Las Vegas? I don't want to give up VP, but if the payouts continue to tighten up . I will have to find a new hobby!! Thank you for answering me. I read most of your posts and I will rely on what you say.

[shadowman]

The places you mentioned in Vegas do have some good paytables. Probably better than anywhere around you. Of course, the FPDW is likely the best play at the quarter level. Sounds like you've had better than average luck in Vegas so going with a winner is never a bad idea.
 
I'm not up on the paytables in your area but I know MS is limited to less than 100% and since you mentioned Harrahs they seldom have good paytables. There may be some high 99% return games in Tunica. I have played there several times but the last time was many years ago before Harrahs took over the Grand. They had some OEJs that were over 100% at the time. I think they are gone now. I was lucky enough to hit two RFs in two days on one my of trips there.
 
Maybe some other members will be able to give you more up to date information.

[kjohn]

Hi cook,
I could have written you post.That is exactly my experience....I'm in Mo. and have also traveled to Tunica, St. Louis, KC, OK. .Then Allegiant Air starting running direct flights from our city and now I go to Vegas on a regular basis..Like you I never seem to win in our area, although LL just won at one of my least favorite casinos, Downstream in the Miami area...It's not just the lack of winning the big hits it's that personally I don't seem to get any "play" for my money...I don't mind loosing some if I at least get to play for a long time on my money which to me is the entertainment factor.....I'm not out to get rich but I also don't like seeing my money vanish in a flash, which seems to be the norm in the above mentioned area..

In Vegas I play at RR, GVR or the M and sometimes some of the other local casinos and I almost always break even or at least get to play for a long time on my bankroll..Even if I come out behind it's not because I never hit the 4awk or a royal but because I played it all back...which beats watching a movie or reading a book...We spent a month in Vegas last winter in a condo and I got to play as often as my heart desired, which was quite a bit..I still came out just about even. No place like Vegas. I played at two places Shadow had mentioned previously..One was The Cannery and I can't remember the other...If you can catch a cheap flight and get free rooms skip the Midwest...I stay and eat free at Red Rock and usually fly for around $250. I love retirement!!!

[cook1947]

kjohn..you got it absolutely right. I just can't, for the life of me, figure out what the casino owners are thinking when they screw the machines so tight, it is a miracle that you can win. For me personally, in the 90's, when my Mother lived on Desert Inn Road, my brother and I just felt that we HAD to go see her at least once a week, (at least that is what I told the husband), but I usually won. Now, it just isn't any fun to keep chunking in the money without getting ANYTHING to play with. I would think that the powers that be in the casino industry, would realize, that if you give some back, people will come. I LOVE to play, but now that we are on a fixed income, I just don't feel good about $500 or $600 losses every time I go. I understand that in Vegas that if one casino is tight, the locals will know, and leave it alone. Those local places are often difficult to find and off the path, so they have to pay something or they are gone. Harrah's St. Louis is where I usually go, and I just write off the other casinos that are in the area. I used to like Tunica, but that bites now too. Allegiant Air does not fly out of any area near us, so its St. Louis or Nashville where we fly out of. Now that we are retired, I can't afford my hobby. E-gad, what do I do now? Well, this for one. Thanks you for hearing me whine

[kjohn]

Casinos are in the business of making money..The casinos that cater to locals, at least in Vegas, offer more chances to win and Better pay tables. People would disagree with you about tight machines...The predominate belief is that all VP machines are the same and it's just the pay tables that are different....I'm still not convinced but the logic is there..If you play at Harrah's see if you can catch one of their free trips to Laughlin...You surely play with a reward card if you can get a free trip take it...Laughlin is fun and cheaper than Vegas...Good luck..Whine all you want..Harrah's also has the Grand in Biloxi and flys people there...The Grand casino isn't that great but you can catch a little shuttle and go to other casinos...Good luck..

[EDC1977]

  Kjohn, there's 7-8 casinos in a small stretch on Boulder Highway starting with Boulder Station, Az Charlies, Sams Town, Eastside Cannery, Skyline, Longhorn and a couple others. They all have good paytables. I don't know about hitting 2-3 RF's a nite but thats above the average unless you play all nite and have exceptional speed. I've had good and bad trips to the local injun casinos so i know they're random. Search around. Many small vp parlors in the Vegas Valley. Good luck

[cook1947]

EDC, I used to play at Skyline quite a bit, but the smoke in the smaller casinos is tough to deal with, but thats what I mean about the Local's hangouts. If their paybacks were as tight as many seem to be, they would be gone. When I play at a machine and 9 out of 10 hands are 5-3-7-9-2, how do you make a hand out of that? When you put in a $20, and you don't even get a pair back, that makes me very cranky. I realize casinos are trying to make money, but when the economy is in the tank, you would think they would re-evaluate things. Take for example, 2 casinos, both fairly goodsized, same paytables, but one "seemingly" allows you to win more than the other, which would you choose? That is one major reason I played downtown, as opposed to the strip. I am sure that MANY people favored the strip, but I never did. I don't think there was one casino, since I started playing at the old Maxim Hotel, that I did not play in. Sands, Riviera, Dunes, Hacienda, etc., but they are not as tight as they are now. By tight, I mean the ratio of outcome, as opposed to ingo!!! My innies are far more frequent  than my outties!! The casinos are in business to make money, but I have the money and they won't have a business if they don't adjust to somehow give the customers some type of a break. Thank you for allowing my rant for the day!!

[josey]

Going to Vegas in a few weeks and staying on the strip.  From what I am reading is there any point of playing vp anywhere on the strip?