Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with casino

VEGAS, BABY!

jason's_planet — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:11:06 -0800

Next month, I will be travelling to Las Vegas. For the very first time in my life. I have a whole bunch of Vegas-newbie questions. I’d like to ask you for your help. 1. What will the weather be like in mid-March? Would a dip in the pool be comfortable?

2. What’s the best car rental spot in Las Vegas? Does it cost significantly more to rent a car with GPS?

3. What’s a good beginner-friendly poker room, preferably one with lower limits? I love poker but the unfortunate reality is that I haven’t played in years. I am not World Series material. Not at this point, at least. If it helps, the model I have in mind is the poker room at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Something like that.

4. For that matter, where can we find casinos that hit the sweet spot I’m looking for, that is – reasonably cheap gambling without being seedy or nasty?

5. What’s a good place to play Keno?

6. Where can we find sports book rooms with a wide range of events? Of particular interest would be sports rooms that allow you to gamble on UK football.

7. You know that place in Minnesota where you can drive a tank? And for a little bit extra, you can crush a car with said tank? Do they have a branch in Las Vegas? (This is a long shot, I know. But I thought it was worth a try.)

8. What neighborhoods should we avoid for safety/crime reasons? I live in NYC. I don’t own a car. Walking is my default mode of transportation. Where do I NOT want to be walking?

9. Where can I find a guide to the personality/vibe/crowd of various casinos? If it helps, both of us are middle-aged kind-of-sort-of bohemian nerds.

10. What is the etiquette of tipping dealers when you win? What’s the standard percentage?

11. If I find myself awake before noon, and not in the mood to gamble, where can I kick back with some good coffee and a decent pastry?

12. Where can I find good, cheap craps tables?

13. Tell me about the Las Vegas art scene. I understand that UNLV has a very good fine arts program. Where would I be able to see some good art by local artists? While I’m on the topic, which casinos have the best art?

14. Is Chinatown worth a visit? Are there any good restaurants?

15. Which of the local shooting ranges would you recommend? I'm looking for a beginner-friendly place with a good selection of weaponry.

16. What else should I know? Any other recommendations, advice, or Vegas-related opinions of any type would be most helpful.

How do I fight City Hall and stop the building of a casino?

storybored — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:15:43 -0800

How do I fight City Hall and stop the building of a casino? I know this is going to be a tough fight but I can't let this go without doing something. The mayor of our city, Ottawa (Canada) is gung-ho to build a gambling casino in our City. Later this year, the city council will vote on it, and failing a public upswell, it'll go ahead. I love this city and I think a casino will cause a deterioration in the quality of life here. Not only that, there is already a casino in across the bridge in Gatineau, Quebec, so the mayor's hopes for windfall profits are misplaced. I'm a newbie at social activism. I've done a little bit of reading and understand that petitions and the like are not effective. What I need to do is get tons of people to call their councillors and complain. What's the most effective and efficient way of getting this done?! I have a circle of maybe a half a dozen sympathetic ears so far. But now what? Aside from general advice, I'd love to hear from other people who know of successful anti-casino campaigns. What worked, what didn't work. Materials, posters, slogans, tactics that I could use....

Where can we play slots in our swimsuits?

Bunglegirl — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 18:47:05 -0800

What magical tropical paradise with beaches and casinos should we take my mom to, within a 4-hour flight of Chicago, for her birthday? Bonus points for a destination with cultural activities for a non-gambler non-sun worshiper. My sister and I gave my mom a trip for her 70th birthday a few months back. She wanted to wait until after the holidays and we're just getting around to planning it. My idea of a fun vacation is visiting ancient cities in Uzbekistan or trekking in Nepal. My sister loves cultural sites too but is more open to beaches and relaxing activities—we're both willing to forego anything we'd like so my mom can have a good time.

Mom loves gambling (slots), goes to the local casinos once every week or two and Vegas once a year by herself. She also likes the beach, ocean and the idea of a tropical paradise. She's a smoker (we are not) and will need a smoking room. The first thing that comes to mind is Atlantis in The Bahamas (I've been for work), but it's really pricey. If that's by and far the winner we're willing to consider it but would like to round up more recommendations. Where would you suggest we take her?

We'll be leaving from Chicago/Denver and are looking into the Caribbean, mainly because it's a relatively close flight (she laughed at my Thailand suggestion). I suggested Belize, but am not sure it would have what we're looking for. We're thinking it would be a 5-day trip, but that really depends on the destination, and can go whenever is best for visiting (ie. avoid hurricane season). Countries/cities/casinos/hotel suggestions as well as general advice is welcome. I have no problem traveling through India myself, but taking my mom to the beach is a much more daunting proposition.

Learning How to Play Blackjack at a Casino

DMan — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 11:06:34 -0800

I'm going to a casino in a few days, and I want to play blackjack. However, I've never played any of the card games at a casino, and I'm pretty ignorant about the strategy to use for blackjack, as well as any etiquette I need to be aware of. I've been to casinos many times, but haven't ever played any of the card games. I want to change that this time, and I was thinking about trying blackjack because my understanding is that the rules are simple and I'm playing against the dealer rather than other players (is that true?).

I understand the very basics of the rules, but any game strategy tips would be greatly appreciated. I'm also completely unsure as to how the etiquette works--for example, how do I join a game? Is it always acceptable to leave once a hand ends, or is it more polite to wait for a certain point to leave? And how much should I tip the dealer, and when should that happen?

Thanks for the help all--I don't have any optimism about winning it big when I'm so clueless, but I think if I understand what I'm doing I can at least have some fun with it. Also, if there are any other card games with a low barrier of entry, I'd be happy to hear other suggestions, as well.

Gambling odds question

glenngulia — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 10:44:43 -0800

How would one (legally) take advantage of the change in odds of a given NFL team to win the Super Bowl? Say you placed a $100 bet before the season started on the Arizona Cardinals to win the Super Bowl. The odds were 150-to-1, so if they won, you'd win $15,000.

Currently, the Cardinals are 30-to-1 to win the Super Bowl. So the same $100 bet would only pay $3,000. If this was the stock market, you could trade out of your postion and pocket $12,000 (net of transaction costs).

However, since you cannot legally accept bets like a casino, what bet(s) could you make now to guarantee yourself something close to $12,000 (excluding transaction costs)?

Gambling in Macau on the cheap?

reductiondesign — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:15:29 -0800

I'm going to Macau and I'd like to see a few casinos and gamble a bit, but I'm also a poor student. What are the best games for me to play to get the most time and fun for my money, or to have the best odds of winning (impossible, I know)?

Casino Statistics

Partario — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:57:51 -0800

Help me figure out how much the average casino gambler (anywhere) spends/loses per hour. I've been googling for a couple hours, I've gone through statistical reports for Vegas, Singapore, South Africa and Canada but I cannot get a stat for loses per hour. The closest I can get to any amount is budget per trip, or amount lost per month or year. Are there industry terms that might help me in my search? Is this info even out there?

What are unconventional things to do in Vegas?

JJkiss — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:41:59 -0800

What are some unconventional things to do in Vegas? I've done just about everything obvious. Halloween activities could be especially fun. I'm going there for my birthday and have been about 15 times. I recently discovered some hidden gems (such as the oldest mechanical horse racing game in MGM) and would like to find more. Think I'll try the machine gun range but what are some other things I could do off the beaten path? Abandoned towns? Would have loved to go to Star Trek bar when it was open.

Cashing in casino chips.

Taurid — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 21:11:41 -0800

Why did the cashier give me these two particular five dollar bills at the casino? I recently visited one of the casinos in Niagara Falls Canada. I went to cash in two five dollar chips at the cashier. I told her I'd like to exchange them for two five dollar bills. The cashier took out a wad of five dollar bills ( maybe twenty five or thirty of them) and proceeded to "fan them out" in her hands. They all looked like they were identical. After thumbing through them she took two from somewhere in the middle and handed them to me. They were back to back in her "fan". It looked as though she was looking for something, but I don't know what. Why did I get the two fives she gave me and not just any two? This same thing happened on two different nights. I can't remember if it was the same cashier.

How to access and license sports betting odds?

Imhotep is Invisible — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:24:23 -0800

There are a number of websites that show the odds and (if I'm using the term right), the "lines" for various sporting events that physical and online casinos offer (linking would be spammy, but a quick search of "vegas odds" or some such thing will turn them up). My question is how do the site owners obtain the data from the casinos? I have to imagine the data is provided subject to a license agreement (and I would expect there to be some sort of schema to prevent sudden changes to the format of the data presented). How would one go about getting access to the feed of the odds and the payout ratios (?) from one or more casinos without getting rampaged by hoards of angry lawyers? Contacting the casinos has, unsurprisingly, proven fruitless given the difficulty explaining what I'm looking for to a non-technical support representative ("So you want to know how to gamble online?"). NB: I've never bet on sports, so apologies if my lingo is off. I appreciate any help and guidance!

How can I keep from looking like a big dummy at the blackjack table?

laze — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 13:43:58 -0800

In a few months, I'm heading to Las Vegas for a conference. I am absolutely not a gambler, but figure I'll spend an hour or two checking out some of the gaudiest casinos and maybe playing some slots. But, for some reason, I also have an urge to try playing blackjack. My question is twofold: 1. What can I expect from the blackjack-playing experience? I've only played slots before and have never interacted with anyone at a casino. How can I keep from looking like an idiot? 2. Any recommended resources for basic blackjack strategy?

Daddy needs a new game of choice...

who else — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 21:45:07 -0800

On a single round of betting at a casino what is the best odds? (One that doesn't require skill such as BJ or Poker. Something where I can just walk up and put a chip(s) somewhere like Roulette or Craps.) I know nothing about gambling but I was recently in Vegas for the first time and I thought I had better not come all this way and not gamble. So I bet on red/black which pays 1:1, and I figured it ought to be close to 50/50 odds minus the 2 zeros which gives the house a slight edge. Then my friend told me that if I bet on 1-12 and 13-24 at the same time I've got 24 out of 38 numbers covered and the total payout will still be 1:1 if I win on one of them and lose on the other.
Anyway, what's the best bet I can make?

Chinatown (NYC) bus to Foxwoods

dorisfromregopark — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:41:31 -0800

Info needed on taking the Chinatown (NYC) bus to Foxwoods. Friends, I will be travelling to the MGM Grand at Foxwoods a few weekends from now and, to get there, I am interested in taking the Chinatown bus from Manhattan. This website lists the beginning points for a few bus lines, but I cannot find any information beyond that. I called Foxwoods and they simply gave me the number for Lucky Star. I have not called Lucky Star yet, but their site does not mention the casino.

Does anyone have any experience with taking a bus from Chinatown to Foxwoods? A schedule and price would be most helpful (as well as any advice for when/where to buy tickets and arrive for departure).

Greyhound from the Port Authority is an option, but if a Chinatown bus is cheaper and quicker (no stops), then I'm compelled to go with the latter.

Question about casino record-keeping

Anonymous — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 21:06:38 -0800

Question about casino record-keeping. Let's say I need to prove what someone did at a major national casino on a certain day, approximately two years ago. The person used his player's club card on every game he played, and he used the player's club card to get comped on one meal. The more detailed information I can get about his activities, the better. My question is two-part: (1) Can I expect the casino to still have detailed records of what this person did, or would the records have been purged/destroyed by now? (2) What will it take to get the casino to release the records? (You can assume the person will sign a release for me to get the records, but will not go to the casino in person.)

How do casinos in Las Vegas get their glasses back?

hutta — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:36:46 -0800

How do casinos in Las Vegas get their glasses back when you walk them down the strip? Las Vegas seems to have no problem with you walking around on the street with any type of alcoholic drink, and there have been a few times I've inadvertently walked out of a casino with a whiskey glass and deposited it in a different casino when it was empty.

I usually feel bad about this, but I see many people doing the same, so I figure there must be some kind of system in place to deal with it. Maybe there is a glassware-sharing program, maybe the casinos agree to sort them and deliver them back to their rightful owners, or maybe losing glasses is just part of the overhead of running a casino and they're just written off.

Keeping my fingers crossed

mbd1mbd1 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 07:30:26 -0800

Do I have to show up in person at a casino sportsbook to redeem a winning futures bet? Back in September, I placed a futures bet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. If my team wins the NCAA basketball tournament in April, will I have to fly back to Vegas to redeem my ticket in person? Or can I mail it in, or redeem it online, or something else? Googling for anything gambling related is next to useless. I got Duke at 10:1, by the way - Go Devils!

I'm not paranoid, just curious.

qvtqht — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:26:23 -0800

Advanced facial recognition in Reno casinos? I recently spent three days in Reno, Nevada. Since there isn't much to do, I spent at least half an hour in just about every casino. I mostly just walked around, but I played some penny slots too.

At the first casino I entered on my first day there, I was approached by someone in less than 5 minutes and asked for my ID. This didn't happen again, not once, over the next three days!

Was this just a coincidence, or are the casinos cooperatively running some kind of automated facial recognition software that flags people who haven't been IDed yet?

I usually get carded by anyone who checks IDs, and I was dressed in jeans and T-shirt.

How do people climb the ranks working for a casino?

JamesJD — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:36:02 -0800

How do people climb the ranks working for a casino? Do casinos recruit at top schools? Is it mostly nepotism? Can you break in as a lawyer and eventually take control? Are you supposed to have a background in probability or advanced math? Are you supposed to have worked before as a card dealer?

I'm mostly just academically curious about the dynamics/hierarchy at casinos. I don't intend to work at one.

ANYTHING in Vegas...except a room at a casino hotel with a kitchen!

hal_c_on — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:28:44 -0800

VegasFilter: What hotel can I cook a dinner in? Yes, cooking a dinner in Vegas. No the basis for this isn't a radically different diet, a distaste for Vegas dining or anything like that. I'm going to Vegas soon, and I need a kitchen in my room (suite, villa, whatever the heck you want to call it) to cook a dinner. Thats all.

Here are the requirements that I have (which seem pretty basic, save the kitchen):

1. Its a casino hotel preferably ON the strip...if not, something close to the strip would be great as well.
2. Kitchen NOT a kitchenette or wet bar. I don't need all Viking appliances, but I dont want a microwave sitting atop a minifridge.
3. Multiple bedrooms connected to room is fine, but I DON'T want to pay something like $4,000/night for a fantasy suite at the Palms.

I simply can't find something that fulfills my requirements. I'm SURE there is an answer to this that doesn't require me to negotiate on the requirements above. I just can't seem to find it.

I have found TONS of places that fulfill 2 out of 3 requirements, but they don't have a kitchen or are out in BUFU and not connected to casinos.

So any help getting me closer to this room would be appreciated. And yes, I have called hotels directly and I still haven't found anything. I'm guessing there are a few people "in the know" about vegas on metafilter.

For a city where you can do anything...I'm kind of stumped, as are the reservations desks for the hotels I've called.

Thanks, mefites!

oddly tragic voting radio story

amtho — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:07:02 -0800

NPR-story-with-little-to-go-on-filter: Several years ago, I heard a radio story involving a tribal election in which one candidate was represented as being for re-investing funds in the tribe, while another was for direct payments to tribe members. An tribe member, interviewed, said he'd vote for the latter, although even he didn't think it was best for the tribe or for him in the long term -- because he wanted the cash. I think the interviewee said he's probably spend the money on alcohol or something like that. The funds were, I think, from a casino. The story may have been about how casinos do or don't benefit tribes, or it could have been about that particular tribe's election.

It struck me deeply how this sort of decision-making is so deeply ingrained in us that it's really, really difficult to get past it. The reporter may have been leading him a little, but the interviewee just ended up almost baldly stating that he was going to vote in a way that even he didn't think made sense. It was a weird moment.

This bit was toward the end of the article, I think.

Does anyone else remember this? I'm not sure how to search for it.

Common baby! Daddy needs a new pair of boots!

thetenthstory — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 04:42:45 -0800

What should I expect in the casinos in London? Is there a dress code depending on where I go? Should I be expecting the James Bond types or Vegas Vacation types?

Is there a slot-machine ambient tone?

pt68 — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 18:15:45 -0800

Any information on the ambient tone that seems to emanate from many casino slot machine halls? It seems to be consistent from casino to casino, and I can't tell if it comes from the combined sounds of the machines, or if it is an underlying tone.

Online Casino?

SBMike — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 14:08:18 -0800

Anyone know of a good online game of casino? I'm looking for an online version of casino. Google isn't really helping because "casino" gets misinterpreted. Anyone know where I can find a version to play?

Vacation Filter - Panama City, Panama

maniactown — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 16:35:10 -0800

I'm going to Panama for a short (6 days) trip and am looking for recommendations for how to spend my time. Originally this was going to be a mostly sport-fishing centered trip, but the boat we were planning to visit was damaged in a recent storm and needs to be repaired. It looks like we'll be spending more time in or near Panama City, Panama than we originally planned and I'm looking for recommendations on what to do or see in the area. Bonus points for recommending good casinos that spread low- to medium-stakes No-Limit Texas Hold 'em poker games. Thanks!

How are casino cards designed?

ardgedee — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 06:05:40 -0800

I know somebody who has the opportunity to design casino-worthy playing cards. What does a playing card need? For whatever it's worth, the client is going to have their own trademarking on the cards, as part of a promotional campaign. The goal isn't to clone a casino's deck, but to design a deck that could be used in a hypothetical casino. The client will be providing design requirements, so this curiosity, not business research.

There are obvious design traditions. Presumed goals include inhibiting cheating by players and impling trustworthiness of the house. For example, casino decks have rotationally-symmetrical backs, presumably to make telegraphing and marking a little harder.

Are there commercial or regulatory standards for casino card designs, or does each casino have its own design requirements? If the latter, what design requirements are common to all/nearly all casinos?