Blog Hiatus

Over the next week, I will actually be in Las Vegas, learning more about the city and generally having a great holiday. The blog will also be taking a vacation but, never fear, there is plenty of Vegas Tips and Tricks action out there if you join us on social media. So check out these links and be sure to subscribe and follow and generally enjoy my trip almost live:

You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/jrswift2001

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vegastipstricks/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vegastipstricks

We will be back in a week with more Vegas Tips and Tricks!

Free Drink Trick

This one is as old as dirt but, every time I watch a person pay full price for a cocktail at a casino bar, I want to shake them and bring them up to speed. Well, I would want to if I cared. Most casino bars feature video poker machines and will comp drinks for players. There is a protocol for how best to make this work for you. First, don’t approach the bar looking thirsty. Look like you are just searching for a game you would like to play and don’t even try to make eye contact with the bartender. Before even sitting down, slip your players club card in the machine and then at least a $20 bill. A $50 or $100 bill or one of those casino tickets is even better. This again makes you appear to be a serious player. Immediately select a game and start playing. Play at least at the quarter level and play the maximum coins as well. The barkeep should approach you fairly quickly and see if you want anything. Look surprised and request a well drink or domestic beer and it should be delivered promptly. Continue playing and, when the drink arrives, no money will be requested but a ticket will be placed in a glass placed in front of your machine. This is where you should place a gratuity of at least a $1 or $2. This should at least work for your first drink but you may need to maintain a consistent level of play to get another one. Of course nothing will stop you from cashing out immediately and moving to another bar and many people do. Just remember that most bartenders have a good memory so the trick probably won’t work repeatedly.

Strip Trick

I frequently get requests for tips and tricks about adult oriented entertainment and tonight I am sharing a really good trick. If you and your crew have decided to visit a Gentleman’s Club, this trick is for you. Don’t catch a cab or an Uber. The clubs pay a bounty to drivers who deliver customers to their door and you get to pay a hefty cover charge. Instead, contact one of the clubs and request a ride. Most will send a Limo/SUV/Town car to your location and take you to the club for free. In addition, most will either provide free admittance or a special deal with a couple of drinks for a good price. They save on the bounty and you save big money too. Of course, you should tip the driver at least $10 or $20 and you will be responsible for getting back to your hotel. But you’ll have more dollars to share with your favorite entertainers!

It’s Not Staying in Vegas

The word “vlog” is short for video blog and is the final (and arguably best) Vegas media out there. The good ones are like your Uncle Bill’s best slide show, only with liquor, poker and Vegas. I have recommended some of my favorites in the past so I won’t repeat them now. Besides, everybody is different and different kinds of vlogs will appeal to different people. I have watched Vegas vlogs focused on hotel rooms, buffets, restaurants, shopping, pools, clubs and shows. And, of course, gambling. There are seemingly hundreds of so-called slot channels where you can experience the highs and lows of casino gaming. You might think they are silly but you might also get hooked on watching them, at least for a while. Simply do a search on You Tube for Vegas Vlog and you will find thousands of videos to enjoy. Some (like mine,) are pretty primitive with shaky camera work and poor sound but others are remarkably professional looking. Each have their place and each will show you people and places you’ll never see in the movie and, more importantly, they’ll give a great chance to enjoy Vegas vicariously.

Following Along

The last two days of “Vegas in Media” week are devoted to relatively new media and the first is the trip report. Here is where joining a Vegas group or message board can really come in handy. Most have a section devoted entirely to people sharing the details of their latest trip with everyone online. They can be long or short, devoted to gambling, sightseeing, eating or general debauchery but they are almost always somewhat entertaining and occasionally provide some real insights into what might be going on right now in the city. Many will also include photographs of things they may have seen or done along the way. In recent years, the so-called “live” trip report has become more common with the “reporter” sharing their trip more or less as it happens, or at least once a day. It is usually pretty easy to tell if a particular trip report is going to be interesting to you after a few paragraphs so you don’t always have to read everything. And, when it is your turn, hopefully you’ll share your trip too! Tomorrow, no reading required!

On The Plane or at The Pool

If you are looking for a way to kill some time by the pool or on the airplane, what really beats a good book? If you agree, why not read something with a Vegas theme! Tonight just a couple of good reads you might consider. Several have also been made into movies but don’t cheat. Take some time and enjoy the stories in the exquisite detail only the printed word can provide. Along those lines, check out Casino by Nicholas Pileggi. It is the book the movie was based on but you learn much more of the story. And, while Hunter S. Thompson is sometimes hard to grasp sober, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas comes close. Even if you haven’t seen the film, you’ll love this quick read. Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich is the story of a group of MIT students who figure out how to turn the tables on the casinos. It plays out like a suspense novel but it is real. Another real story is Positively Fifth Street, a story or murder, intrigue and the World Series of Poker. James McManus is the author and surprising hero of the book. If you want to read the thoughts of several famous authors about Las Vegas, check out the anthology Literary Las Vegas. It is all short pieces and includes people like Tom Wolfe and Joan Didion. Tomorrow, more Vegas media.

Watching Vegas

Well, I guess you could literally watch Las Vegas or its much earlier predecessor, Vega$, two of the most successful television series set (loosely) in Las Vegas. Both featured Vegas themed programs with Vegas-y guest stars and plenty of exterior shots of the city. Neither really did much shooting around town though and arguably the best show set in the city, CSI, didn’t either. Of course, most every sitcom ends up sending its characters to Las Vegas at some point and it is almost always faked and terrible. Modern television reality shows, whether all that “real” or not have frequently been set in the city. The Real World has done two seasons there and there is nearly a decade’s worth of Pawn Stars available and it frequently appears in reruns all over the place. I’m leaving out all the poker shows but there have been several. But even better are all documentaries out there, many available on Netflix or Amazon Prime, that feature the Strip and Fremont street. The older ones are occasionally priceless with all the old footage and retro feel. If you are feeling Vegas withdrawal, they are a great antidote. Tomorrow, we discuss some Vegas books you might enjoy.

More Celluloid Adventures

There are a great many movies with at least some Las Vegas content. Remember Honey I Blew Up The Kid? I’m sorry. There was Con Air, that classic Nicholas Cage vehicle in which he crashes a plane over approximately a 7 mile stretch of town, out of order of course. In fact, one of the most irritating things about a lot of Vegas media is the strange sequences you see. Someone drives past the Stardust, then the Plaza, then Ballys as though that’s how the Strip is laid out. Speaking of Ballys, it figures prominently in that awful film, Honeymoon in Vegas. The Las Vegas Hilton gets plenty of screen time in an even worse movie, Indecent Proposal. A movie I enjoyed but was rather depressing was Leaving Las Vegas. It also features Nick Cage and the lovely Elisabeth Shue, drinking themselves to death all over town and featuring an appearance by the fabulous Glass Pool Inn. Another weird and wonderful Vegas film is the movie version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It isn’t for everybody but it is something to see. And who can forget Showgirls? I don’t know, but I’ve tried. And I am only scratching the surface here. There are dozens more if you are hungry for more. Tomorrow we’ll look at Vegas on the small screen.

Vegas on Film

I saw a movie being filmed in Las Vegas once. It was at the Riviera and the movie was called 3000 Miles to Graceland. It was a pretty awful movie and I may be the only person besides the filmmakers and their friends/family who watched it. There are quite a number of good movies that, one way or another, are about Las Vegas. Here’s a few to check out. Casino is based on a true story of mob violence and intrigue back in the 1970’s. There is plenty of Vegas footage and a lot of history and the film won Sharon Stone a Golden Globe. It is very violent so definitely not for the kids. Vegas Vacation is preposterous and only occasionally funny but it has a lot of Las Vegas in it. The Mirage in particular gets a ton of air time and it includes Wayne Newton and a keno lounge! Oceans 11 has a ton of the Bellagio in it and is consistently entertaining. It beats the original with the old Rat Pack, though that one is also kind of fun. Swingers only spends part of its time in Las Vegas but its portrayal is realistic and bittersweet, just like the city. The Hangover is another ridiculous Vegas movie but it is pretty funny in parts and there are plenty of exteriors. Tomorrow a few more Vegas movies, some of which you should probably skip.

Vegas Entertainment

It is all fine and dandy, you might say, to keep telling me about all the fun things to do in Las Vegas and how to get the most out of my next visit, but what if I’m poor? What if my next trip to Vegas is years away and all I get to do is dream? Where do I get my Vegas fix? Well, fortunately, there is plenty of Vegas-related entertainment out there to enjoy and that’s what we will be talking about this week. Movies, television, books and more. There’s probably more of it (and some of it is pretty good) than you could ever manage to consume in a lifetime. So sit back, relax and take good notes. There may be a quiz later. Tomorrow: the big screen!