TOPIC OF THE WEEK: Gambling Budgets

[Steve]

This week's TOPIC OF THE WEEK came from a few members:

What are the weekly and daily budgets the readers have? Do you stick to them especially if you are winning? Do you even have a budget at all?

[kidgarfield]

My gambling budget is $60-$70 a day. for food and shows I dont really have a budget but I know what I am spending and if I splurge one day I check myself the next and make sure I stay at the pool or eat a late lunch buffet so that it lasts through dinner and until I go to bed.
Larry T.

[ASTIDIXIE]

:D ABSOLUTELY have a budget daily & have always stuck to it! I have packets of money with numbers on them, daily I take the appropriate one & budget my money till I hit the room at the end of the day. Any left over money from that day gets rolled over to the next day, IF there is any left........lol :rolleyes:

As far as sticking to a budget IF I win...............I haven't the slightest idea...........I always seem to lose.............not lucky at all when I gamble but I do it just the same...........lol ;)

[diana-al]

of course it all depends on what you can afford to lose-we know we don't go
to vegas to win-usually if you start losing right away you better have a limit-
ours has been $50-we have seen too many people go home soooooo sad because they lost way too much-it ruined their entire vacation-isn't that why
we go to vegas???? to have fun of course-the first time my husband went to
vegas with a buddy, they were on a free junket but you had to gamble-he lost $5000 & still crying about it-yes......you better have a strict limit-

[Boston_Bill]

I really dont have a budget. It depends on how things are going. In general it's a bad idea not to have a budget.

[divefl]

I have a trip budget for gambling. If I start losing I get irked and go to the pool. If I tried to play through it, it would make for a very lean end of trip. But the desire to leave the games I am losing at usually prevents it. Vegas has a lot of non gambling alternatives to switch too. I need more of a budget on my food and drink spending.

[tryon4]

I guess you could say that technically we don't have a daily budget. What we have is a budget for the week. Our budget includes all expenses not just gambling. Some days are good, some not so good. However our last visit in May was the first time in 5 years that we didn't have a win that covered most of our budget. So I figure we are ahead for the long haul.

[YJAJJ]

This week's TOPIC OF THE WEEK came from a few members:

What are the weekly and daily budgets the readers have? Do you stick to them especially if you are winning? Do you even have a budget at all?

Steve, What's a budget??

Shows and food and site seeing is for fun - not budgeting!

As to gambling I guess I have a budget - don't lose any more then I bring with me!

Jim J

[QueenofDiamonds]

You bet we have a budget. Between my husband and me we usually budget about $150 a day. I have bank envelopes and mark every day's date. The envelopes go in the hotel safe (or the room safe). At the end of the day if I have $$ left (not often!), I put it in that day's envelope. Sometimes we take our winnings home, sometimes we spend it at the end of our stay. We spend every (or at least as many as possible) Thanksgivings in Vegas. Kids are grown and they can do their own turkey! We enjoy hot dogs, beer, football and gambling for Thanksgiving. Wish we could afford to go more than once a year. Always stay downtown. Not so crowded and we no longer need all of the glitz -- and enjoy the overhead light show to boot! QueenofDiamonds

[YSinAppleton]

We have a daily budget of 400.00. Each days money is in a separate envelope in the safe, and we only take the one for the day with us, when that is gone we are done for the day. Any winnings go in a winnings envelope and that is put in the safe and brought home with us. If we have money left in our days envelope, we usually carry that over to the next day. We also bring at least 100.00 in ones for tips, and other money for taxis etc. and charge the food to our room.

[kaw]

Just like any vacation you need a budget, we have our vacation savings before we go we figure what we will spend on extra's, meals etc. and our daily gambling budget. Depending on any wins depends on how much we put back, we usually cover our expenses so then we might spend a bit more. One time a while back, I had a pretty big win...we are low rollers but decided to take 100.00 to the high limit slots and play one coin at a time (this was back when they took coins)....I did my 5$ and lost, husband did his and won 20$. We were so nervous we cashed out and ran. We got a pretty good laugh at each other.

[bluestreak]

I don't think it is clear if we are talking about all expenses or just money earmarked for gambling. Also it is not clear if we are talking about a trip budget or a daily limit.

My psychological bankroll just for gambling has changed over the years. This is the point in the day or trip that gets you feeling uncomfortable playing anymore. Ten years ago it would be $50 a day. Then it loosened over the years peaking at about $200 before starting to twitch in a gambling day. Currently, $100 is the benchmark for the day. This is just gambling.

When in a slump it makes sense to get up, get out of the casino and re-evaluate your play be it machines or tables. Are you chasing losses and not having a good time? Or the play still is a good one and you still are having fun?

[charlie1993]

I have a daily budget for gambling only. Everything else (shows, eats ,etc) varies, depending on what kind of trip I'm on. A couple of years ago we went to see O, Mystere, and Danny Gans so the entertainment dollars were way up there! Last trip was three days just to gamble - I probably didn't spend over $100 the whole time on everything else.

My gambling budget varies greatly depending on how much time I plan to gamble and how long the trip is. I've budgeted as little as $50 per day and as much as $500 per day. For me, whatever the amount, I find it more enjoyable to break it down into days. If I lose my allotment for the day, I quit. If I end up with money left over, it does in tomorrow's envelope.:D

It's not a fun time if all the gambling $$ are spent the first day!!!!::mad:

[Sherry]

Oh yes, we have a budget. I do this throughout the year because we only go in October. I have seperate envelopes for food; gambling; taxi; and airport parking that I put money into each month. We are senior citizens and only get paid once a month. When and if I win I put the winning into a seperate pocket in my purse and don't use. Sherry: ;)

[lisanevada]

My husband and I never seem to get to Vegas more than once a year so we usually budget around $100 per day per person for gambling. We both prefer table games - mostly craps.

Our budgeting twist is that we take our gambling budget in traveler's checks. That way, we have to physically leave the table in order to buy more chips. It works well for us.

Food and other entertainment are budgeted seperately - we always try to have at least one nice meal and see one show.

Regardless of our budget, we never take more than we are comfortable donating to Las Vegas.

Thanks for asking.

Lisa
who is hoping to make it back to Vegas around Thanksgiving.

[LJG0722]

Hello

I guess I budget similar to the Federal goverment and once there and having fun just keep funding the gambling until I run out of days!!!!:eek:

LJG0722

[hjcma]

I visit Vegas twice a year for a week stay and we(3of us) have a budget usually we take what we plan to use/lose

[Bama]

Since we only get to LV every year or so my wife and I usually spend more than we would, say in NO, Biloxi or Tunica. For a Las Vegas trip I usually budget $400 a day, my wife $100-$200 daily. Our goal is to return home with at least half of our bankroll and we're usually able to do that.....sometimes with a bit more! :rolleyes:

[monsterpocket]

You must set a budget for gambling and the budget also must be flexable with win loss rate. If you are killing the tables or machines adjust your budget upward if you are getting killed quite for a while or for the day, you need to get your head readjusted away from the action. As far as budget I bring $2000.00 a day for gambling and other money for spending. I never mix the two bankrolls. Always with gaming as in life use your head and only gamble what you are comfortable gambling.

[jo45an]

Bill is the one who sets the gambling budget, and the amount depends on our yearly finances. With the last two kids in college, the gambling funds have dwindled!! However, the
whole trip isn't about gaming, so we generally plan ahead for
shows, etc. Even with less "fun" money, we still always have
a fantastic trip!

Joan in PA

[kennyboy69]

i go to vegas at least 3 times a year. i don't follow a strict budjet, but i do keep track of my wins and losses. if i'm losing to much too fast then i switch games. i will bounce around between vp and slots and bj. if nothing is working then it's time for a nap. lol.

[philipj]

I take $5000.00 with me for the five day, four night trips. I have neved used beyound half of the budget. There are times when I hate have all this discipline, but it is healthy. We have only had one loosing trip that I can think of. While we are there for the gambling, taking the lady to nice places to eat, and to the shows = a realy good vacation.

[AnnPedi614]

Our budget is usually $500 for airfare (though that is going up), $150 a night for a room max, $500 a day for gambling and food, we don't really budget that. Budget depends on the length of the trip........Our gambling budget has gone up over the last few years, but we usually do okay and only go through about half of it in a day and end up with money left over....knock on wood, hope it happens again.

[ChicChas]

I definately have a daily gambling budget AND a money management system I picked up from someone in this forum. It works especially well when playing primarily TITO machines.

I take my daily gambling budget and put it in my money clip in my left front pocket. When that money is gone, I'm done for the day.

However, as I cash out my TITO tickets, if I'm ahead for the session, then any winnings above my initial deposit goes into my right front pocket and, since I'm ahead, I can replenish my stake in my left pocket and continue on. The winnings in the right pocket are NOT touched for any reason except to occasionally straighten it out and eventually put it in the safe in my room.

If, by some miracle :rolleyes: I haven't used my entire gambling budget for a particular day, I consider that a win and it goes in that money pile.

I've used this method for two trips now. By not touching my winnings, one trip I came home with about 1/2 my gambling budget and the other trip I came home with a slight profit on the gambling.

I'm looking forward to testing this method again in 25 days.

Other costs - transporation, room, food, shows, etc, are handled out of the wallet. I'm a bit less strict with that.

[dog1dog2]

Since I mostly play poker, I don't usually have a strict budget per se. When I play black jack sessions, I have a strict system in which I usually play only $100 at a time (at $5-$10 a hand). Any time I win a hand, the win $$ (not the bet $) goes into the win pile, not to be spent. When the bet pile runs out, I get up and leave, and take whatever ended up in my "win" pile....sometimes more, sometimes less...but I never lose my entire stake that I sat down with.

[ND Murff]

Usually budget between 300 and 400 per day for gambling, but never budget anything for food. We just go eat where we want, always stay at the Orleans so the lodging is always reasonable. Try to never lose the budgeted amount though or I have a tendency to tap into the next days budget.

[cookiep]

We have a budget. We take between 600 to 1000 each a day. He usually loses and I usually win more than he loses. We go several times a year and have both lost maybe twice. Our budget does not include meals, tips, etc. etc.
We never pay for a room so that helps. Only take what one can spend and the trip will always be fun.:D

[kayc]

I budget a max of $300/day just for gambling - but I only take it daily from the ATM since I have a bank limit of $300/day from ATM. Love the ticket machines because any winning over $100 I get a ticket and stash it away - never to be touched until I cash in just before departure. VP is my game and minimum I play is quarters. This method has worked out well for me since ATM only gives me $20's so I pay attention to machine return more closely than if I shove a $100 bill in. And the $3.00 ATM charge is well worth it for the control.

[momviolett]

We always take $1000 each for a 5 day 4 night trip. That covers food, shows, gambling, & everything else we might need. Thats up $500 each from 5 years ago. Take only 1 credit card no bank card & one check in case of emergency. Have never gone home broke but most of our winnings go back to the casino. Never carry more than $200 at a time with us. If the room doesn't have a safe we use the hotels safe deposit boxes.

[kimimurad]

Yes, we always do the envelope thing too. Sometimes, however, we rip into tomorrow's envelope a day ahead, and have to play a little lighter towards the end of the trip. But alot of the time, it's that extra money that gets you the big hit. No guarantee -- as there are no guarantees in Vegas. We usually take $300-400 per person per day. Our food and rooms are usually comp'd, so we don't need to worry about that. When the money's up, I shop and when it's down I sightsee and relax. If you don't budget, you'll likely spend much more than you realize. It is a vacation, but when your gambling, budgeting is a very sensible idea:rolleyes:

[letacraig]

Just got back from our fifth trip (once per year). Taught the girlfriend to play blackjack long ago. Big mistake because now she is hooked.. Now that two of us are playing , a cold table can take two peoples cash pretty quick. Hence a $500 nightly gambling limit or the two of us would never be able to play more than 15 minutes. We will stay at the table until the money is gone for the night or until we get cockeyed, which ever comes first. After all, Las Vegas is pure fun no matter what the pain. As for shows and food, its all extra.

[kimimurad]

i go to vegas at least 3 times a year. i don't follow a strict budjet, but i do keep track of my wins and losses. if i'm losing to much too fast then i switch games. i will bounce around between vp and slots and bj. if nothing is working then it's time for a nap. lol.

Makes good sense!

[Souette]

I normally allow $150-$200 a day for gambling.
This summer, I splurged and went to shows. I spent close to $600 on show tickets. I won't do that any more. I'd rather gamble.
As far as taking money home...I put ALL my winnings back into the machine or roulette table.
I'm in Vegas to play and the winnings allow me to play longer.

[billfarr]

We have a $100 each per day Anne usually gets travelers checks and we hit the casino cage right after breakfast:-D. Any winnings go into the rat hole or the 'Left Pocket' or her 'MAD $' usually for something extra when we get home. Last time it was some new fairway golf clubs for her and a new (used) set of Irons for me. Now that doesn't seem right! Well she did win more than I did so I guess I'll let it slide this time:D and probably the next 10 or 12 times too:D. I may be dumb but I ain't STOOPID:D :D.
Bill

[James]

$60-80 for the tables. then i have $20 set aside for slots/vp. this way if(when) i lose my daily budget money and still want to gamble, i stretch it out at a nickel slot.

[smmoo]

$100 per person is what we budget for gambling. Airfare fortunately has never been more than $450 RT for two tickets, our room is always comped, we try to see one high priced show and one budget show(comedy club type) each trip. Meals are where ever, but we are not into foo foo so they don't cost too much. We go 2 to 3 times a year for 7 days each time and the whole trip, including rental car, parking, flying, hotel, food, shows, tips and gambling never go over $2500, and always paid out of savings, not charged.:D

[charlievegas]

My wife and I have a budget for gambling, the amount varies by the frequency of our trips to Las Vegas. We keep half in cash and half in travelers checks. We each take a daily amount and use that for gambling. Any winnings are rolled over for the next day. The goal is to return with at least half of the gambling budget.
We don't have a budget for shows and meals. We just decide what to do as we go along.

[LINDABO]

THERE ARE TWO OF US AND WE GO FOR A WEEK. WE PLAN ON $100/DAY EACH FOR MEALS AND GAMBLING, ALTHOUGH WE DON'T USUSALLY SPEND THAT MUCH ON EITHER. SEEMS LIKE YOU SPEND LESS FOR A WEEK IN VEGAS THAN YOU DO FOR A DAY IN THE EAST AT AN INDIAN RESORT OR RACINO.

[unclemikey]

I try to bring 100 per day for gambling. Food and shows are extra. Most of the time I go by myself, so I spend most of my time people watching.:cool:
I seem to have all my luck on the crap tables at I.P.

[VivaLasVegas]

We spend around $200 a day between us but not budgeted. I find $100 goes very quick some days. Within hours. If we manage to win then we spend it and don't spend our daily amount. Roll over the winnings and keep playing that until it is gone on the same pace.

LV in 18 days!!!

[batteryman]

My wife and I allow $200 per day each for gambling. We play slots and VP only. Any big wins ($500 or more) go towards the next trip.

[Podie1956]

This is a topic near and dear to my heart because we're leaving for LV in six days and I'm having the normal argument with my inner self.

"It takes money to make money," one side of me says. Meanwhile, the other (smarter) side says, "Remember how depressed you were after that one trip, when you lost all that money!"

I usually make it to Vegas every other year. In the past, I've simply taken my ATM card and hit the machines whenever I wanted. Even though I do keep a declining balance in my account when I do this, the truth of how much I've spent doesn;t hit me till the last day.

This time, I'm planning to budget $150 per day for gambling AND food. (My husband will bring a little gambling money for himself, but he enjoys watching me play even more than playing himself) Considering we're happy with a slice of pizza, or 2 for 1 buffet deals, food won;t even be $50 per day.

I'm even thinking of doing the envelope deal, and leaving my ATM card at home! I'm still trying that on for size in my mind, though - not sure I can survive without that card! Maybe I can have my husband hold it...:eek:

[vegasgirl]

I have a budget just for my gambling,not spent on anything but gambling $250-300 a day, whatever I end with at the end of the day I seal back up in a separate envelope and put back in my luggage to go home with. I also divide each day $$ into 2 parts,day and night. This has worked for me,because how many times have you said," I was way up on the first day and gave it all back the second".With a little self discipline this works. I've even left an envelope in my suit case on accident and found it before the next gambling trip,I felt I'd won already. I also keep the envelopes of my gambling money sealed until the next trip.

[vegasgirl]

We have a daily budget of 400.00. Each days money is in a separate envelope in the safe, and we only take the one for the day with us, when that is gone we are done for the day. Any winnings go in a winnings envelope and that is put in the safe and brought home with us. If we have money left in our days envelope, we usually carry that over to the next day. We also bring at least 100.00 in ones for tips, and other money for taxis etc. and charge the food to our room.
This has worked well for me for years. Great idea.

[Hockey53]

My gambling budget is about $100/day and if I win over that I put my winnings in a seperate place.Then I use some of that for food and other items.Will be going the weekend of Sept.24th. So hopefully, I can pick up some of the money of the posters that are going before then have left behind.:D Have a safe trip and good luck whoever is going before then.

[irelandvegas]

Well we are small time gamblers. We have a total budget of about $300. thats a grand total, not including rooms. Gambling is about $50.each per day of that 300, the other 200 covers meals tickets and tips etc. last two trips have been at Paris, I am pretty sure when we checked out we said " well we cant wait to come back" and i think the check out clerk said " oh, no hurry folks........" Ok that part is 100% made up, but i know we dont show up on the radar, but we do get the mailers and we do use them, our average room rate was less that 100 per night. Not a bad price for that hotel.
budget buster this time was Blueman group, decided on at last minute so we could save the 46 entry fee to the Musuem. we are all about the "packages" when we can!

Our next trip is when our son comes home from Iraq! he will be 21 and has wanted to go to Vegas his whole adult life! GO ARMY!

[stevevarro]

I learned very early on my first trip to Vegas that I'd better have a money management system if I was going to enjoy myself.

On my first weekend trip to Vegas from So. Calif I told my friends I was going to Vegas for the weekend and that I'd be returning on Sunday evening. I took $300.00 with me. I filled up my gas tank when I arrived in Vegas, and then I hit the casinos.... in 30 minutes I was broke and shocked! With my tail between my legs, I headed home that same evening. I had four hours of driving to do a lot of thinking about what just happened and how to keep it from ever happening again. My friends were shocked to see me back and said; I thought you were going to Vegas for the weekend?" To which I replied; "I did, and 30 minutes later I was broke!"

Here are a couple things that have worked for me.

The first thing I do is establish how much "fun" money I'm taking with me. That does not include meals and lodging, but "fun" money is for gambling and shows. For example, If I'm going to be there 6 days and I have $300.00 "fun" money, I divide it into six stacks of $50.00 each. These stacks go into envelopes marked with the days I'm going to be there. If I was taking $600.00, then $100.00 would go into each envelope, and so on.

Each day I take that days "fun" money and off to the casino's I go. When that amount is gone, I head back to the room. Sometimes if I win, then I'll take the winnings and put it into the envelope, seal it and take it and the money home with me at the end of the trip. Other times, when I have a big win I'll take the original amount and put it back into the envelope and play with the house money for as long as it last, or until it's large enough to seal in an envelope and take home. If it last several days, then I may never open any more of the daily envelopes.

Here's another idea that I've tried and it has cut my losses and increased my wins in many situations. If I'm playing a slot machine and I put in a twenty, I'll run it through to see how well I do and then cash out and put that ticket or cash into a separate envelope, then I go on to the next $20.00.

For example if I put a twenty dollar bill in and I'm playing a dollar a spin, I'll only spin 20 times, then I cash out. Sometimes I cash out more and sometimes less, but more often than not, I'm a few bucks ahead. When I do cash out more, I may put another $20.00 into the same machine. and make twenty more spins. As long as I cash out ahead, I'll keep playing the same machine, but if I cash out short, I'll move on to another machine.

Play safe, Have fun, Win big!
Steve :)

[jayhawk1]

My wife and I take $200.00 per day each, this for gambling, food, and whatever. We mostly play slots, wife does play blackjack. We never put our winnings back in the machines, (or on the tables).

[rambler]

i divide my bankroll by the number of days i'am in L.V. i then divide the days money into sessions,marked morning,afternoon and evening. This way i'am covered whenever i go into the casino. If winning i up my bankroll by 50% putting the rest away for another trip. I keep food and entertainment money seperate.I also purchase any high dollar show tickets before going to L.V.

[10x'spay]

Am I missing something here or did the question ask specifically "how MUCH do you budget?
Personally, it varies from $50 per day to $500 per day. But with $500 per day I would try to get in something special like a 1/2 day massage.
Now for the real truth of the matter. My last trip on the 4th of July found me out of control and out of my whole trip allotment within 24 hours of my arrival. I found myself at the atm paying fees of $2.50-3.00 each. I would also walk accross the street to Walgreens to make a purchase and get cash back. I really end up spending much more than I had budgeted. I swore that I would call gambler's anon as soon as I got home.

[magicfish]

My budget depends whether I am taking a trip with spouse, sans spouse, with firends or siblings, or more commonly- with spouse for part of trip. I go to Vegas (all trips combined) about 4 times a year, so a budget is very important - if I want to go often. I'm not much for slots, so I budget very little for them for myself.

I am almost exclusively a low stakes blackjack player. Several years ago , I got a little unexpected money which became an initial stake that I keep separately, on an ongoing basis. The money is always kept (whether at Vegas or at home) in a separate wallet. Win or lose, whatever's in the wallet goes home with me. Luckily, I am still up from my original stake. Last visit, however, was my first big losing visit. Don't know what I'll do if (or more realistically -when) I lose it all!! :( My husband loves to give me a hard time about "my" blackjack money -but he's glad that he hasn't had to fund it for a long time. :p

When my hubby and I travel together, it all changes. He never plays table games, just slots and VP. I spend a little more on slots when we are together, but I still spend most of our "machine time" watching him, and spend some "table time" on my own.

We often stay at a non-gaming all suite hotel when we travel together, so breakfast is often covered in the room cost. One more meal a day does the trick. We mix inexpensive with more pricey meals, so our average is pretty reasonable. Because of the gambling, the majority of our drinks are free.

We have a yearly travel budget (as part of our overall household budget), so we project each trip out ahead of time - cash spent, hotel & flight costs, car rental, gasoline, airport parking, gambling, everything. When the budget's used up - no more trips that year.
No, I didn't give actual amounts - after seeing some of the posts here, you'd find my gambling budget quite low. Let's just say I'm pretty cheap. But I have a ball!!!

[Tammy]

After reading almost from everyone the average seems $100.00.
I feel like I have an addiction. Makes me feel like I don't have a budget.
We take a set amount to gamble with for the length of time of our stay.
We pay for our airfare, hotel in advance (or put that money aside) and put everything else (shows, food, shopping, etc.) on a credit card and pay it off in two to three months.
We stayed at the Wynn in June and it worked out well for us.
We stayed an extra day than usual and felt we had enough a day or two before we had to leave so we didn't run out of our "gambling money". We didn't win either.
I don't like to hold back too much when I go to Vegas because I don't know when we can visit again. When I go on vacation..... I do vacation. :D

[jbueng]

I've been to Vegas six or seven times, I used to do the envelope thing. I always bring 300.00 per day. I have never spent all 300.00 in one day. Last 4-5 trips though I have been taking half my money in Travelers checks, half in cash. Then I try to avoid using the travelers checks at all. Meaning I come home with at least one-half my cash. Most places I stay don't have room safes, so I carry the load with me. Usually I put the daily money into a money clip in my front pocket. I count the cash each day as I still like to know overall how I am doing. I went out to the IP in March and only came home 170.00 down after 5 days. Very happy with that! If I stayed out of the Spearmint RHino on the last night I would have been even for the trip. Later in August I am bringing my GF out for the first time, so, we will be sightseeing, going to shows, and stuff like that as she don't gamble, or drink. So, I don't really know how much to bring with her along. Guess I'll have to do some figuring.

[gcw]

I haven't been to Las Vegas in a few years, but I used to allow about $200 a day for food, gambling and anything else I might want. I would love to see more shows but my mother has no interest in them and I don't like leaving her alone even in the hotel casino. A cousin has moved to Henderson and I could save hotel costs that way - I better start saving! :D

[PinkFloydActuary]

I bring $150 a day for gambling and small purchases (i.e. bottle of gatorade, deck of cards, etc.) Meals go on the credit card. I'm small stakes - 25 cent VP and $5 or less BJ, so once I start to approach $100 in losses, I'm pretty fed up anyway and don't exceed the budget.

[garfield1]

I start with $100/day budget but don't follow it & borrow on my credit card.
When I hear bells ringing, I think that I can win too, & I can't stop.
I used to stick to a budget, but then won big 5 years ago,
& have gone overboard ever since. I lost $800 on Sunday & feel so bad.
Thanks, members, for posting your responses. If you can stick to budgets, then I can. I'm hoping that if I see this in writing, it'll wake me up to stick to a budget and leave the credit card in the car.

[nswanzy]

We take about $200 each per day to gamble. Should we "win" anything, the original $20, $50 or whatever goes back into the daily budget, and the remainder of the winnings gets "ratholed" as we call it. Sometimes we use the rat cash for some unplanned extra ( extra show, shopping etc), usually we bring it home.
Show Tix, and entertainment are usually paid for in advance, so thats no issue, and food is usually minimal as we do coupons and cheapies except for the one "extravagant" meal / evening out each trip.
We have been fortunate enough to come home pretty close to "even" most trips, bringing back about what we took, and often with enough over to cover most of the trip price too....save for 2 trips that we lost our $%@ !!
Happy Gambling,
Nan:cool:

[bevierose]

It's almost a joke for me because I have nobody to answer to but myself. My cousin or friends and I do our own thing. I try to bring a lot more than I would gamble, but the last time I wouldn't stop playing one of the poker machines. I won some, so it hooked me. Then I started losing, so I refused to let that happen. As it turned out I went to the ATM machine and spent about $300 more than I had hoped to do. Later on that night we were leaving and I played a dollar machine for the heck of it. I won back a few hundred dollars and left about even! All in all I play maybe $150 a day, take in a couple of shows, eat at least one meal in a great restaurant and maybe do buffets and less expensive other places. I have fun and going back on vacation on Sunday. Wish me luck!

[pat.agnew]

I have been going to Vegas once a year for the last 20 years. I stay about 10 days so I have to budget my money. I take $40- out each day & lots of matchplay coupons & try to get any free slot play money I can by joining players clubs. I put the $40- in my right pocket at the beginning of each day & use it in slot machines or on the tables. After I have run money thru a slot machine I take out any winnings & put them in my left pocket if there are any. As I play backjack I put my chips on the right & stop playing after I have put them all on the table. As I win I put it on the left. When all chips on the right are gone I walk away with my winnings from the left & put them in my my left pocket. I stop gambling each day when my right pocket is empty. At the end of the day I track my winnings or losses & start over the next day with $40-. I have always been able to break even or win some with this method. You can use any amount of money but the same principle.

I stay a average hotels. This year I am at Sahara $48- per nite/Plaza 2 nites for & $79/ Binioins 2 nites for $53-/Imperial Palace $65- per nite including buffets/matchplays.

My husband & I eat & drink for under $20- per day with 2 for 1 buffet coupons & hot dog & lighter items. we usually have 1 buffet per day & lighter items if we get hungry.

[neil]

Greetings, I'm kind of amazed that hardly anyone wants to put a dollar & cents figure to their gaming budget. I bring $200/day, to include dining & drinks & other costs. I stick to it fairly well, the exception being sometimes charging meals to the room on a credit card-with the hope that my playing will get me a comp. Sincerely, neil fahey

[PatSprouseYo]

Anyone who goes to Las Vegas should always start FIRST with making a budget; before the tickets, the hotel, the show, before anything, we should all always start with a budget.

That said, I generally start with a budget of $600 per person per day. ($1200 a day) of "Entertainment Fund." That would include bungee jumping, or sand duning, and gambling (shows and meals don't come out of the budget, and generally we give our casino enough "play" to comp the room $5-6k in a day). Usually it leaves us with $300-$500 each person for gambling throughout the day. If at the end of the day we have money left over, we roll it into the next day's budget. I separate the budget into envelopes for each day (my fiance just keeps a stack of bills in the safe and peels off what she wants or needs).

Usually I pick-up enough scraps at the craps table to build out budget up and splurge each day on shopping. But the Rule #1 of gambling is never gamble money you can't afford to lose, so I never belly up to a table without fully expecting to lose every penny I cash-in. Rule #2 is walk away when you're up!:)

[gstrohm]

I generally budget $400.00 per day. If I happen to win one day, (which happens rarely), I still come back the next day with $400.00.

[Steve]

I never set up a budget but know when to say "enough is enough" which luckily for me hasn't been too often.

I also have to figure into this equation that I am lucky enough through contacts made from the newsletter that I usually do not have to pay for most shows, food or rooms.

Steve

[MHIROTSU]

I am limited by the cash in my pocket (which ain't much), my ATM card (which ain't much) and the fact that Suzy will make me spend an equal amount on her against the amount of money I lose. Needless to say, knowing that I always lose double the amount of money, pretty much keeps me in check as to how much money I gamble.

Mike

[dscs007]

We usually budget $150 - $200 per day each for gambling and the rest of our trip is either pre-paid or on a credit card. Sometimes that isn't enough for me but as my wife holds on to the ATM card, it is kinda hard to get her to give me anything extra ................. lol ( my credit cards are VERY low limit and VERY hgh fees ).

David

[cindyinnj]

My budget is to not to go over $300 a day. If I win, then I put the winnings in the safe and continue playing with my own money. My hubby does not have a budget. He gambles whatever amount he wants, and how much he wants. If he's doing well, he continues on, but if he's losing, he'll gamble much less the following day or two.

[dean_1492]

$300-$400 a day, of course everybody likes to win...i havn't the last 2 years..lol
Are all the loose machines gone?

[gglawman]

As we have gotten older, we go to LV more times per year. We are going out the 16th for a week. As the years have gone by, we have also increased the amount of money we take for gambling. Because our rooms are comped and we can use built up reward credits for food and shows, gambling, tips, taxi, and transportation are the chief expenses. Sometimes we have driven, but now Allegient Air is cheaper than driving--$200 round trip per person.

We take $1000 per day for gambling, divided into three sessions. By using the money management system learned from a site through this newsletter, we put back any win of 40 credits or more. Then we start over with whatever we just put into the vp machine (or other machine, occasionally.) We therefore quit when our stake runs out, even if we have put back more than we started with. My husband plays table games more than I, and he doesn't "budget" as well as I. Sometimes, he just keeps on playing until he loses, even if he has gotten well ahead at one time. He now says he wants me to keep all the money and only hand him $100 for the present game he is playing. We have been quite fortunate here in La. lately by hitting a few progressive royals. However, I am a firm believer in the percentages, so am prepared for just as big of a losing spell. Even though we take more money, we seem to come out better because of the money management, and we certainly get better comps. I know better than to count on continued good luck, though. Once we get a really bad series of sessions, we'll find something else for entertainment.

[Alohafri]

I try to stick to a budget, but when you have a trip like I did this past June, it can be hard to stick to it. "Okay, it is 10:00 am and I have already lost 80 dollars. What do I do the rest of the day?"

[sean]

I try to stick to a budget, but when you have a trip like I did this past June, it can be hard to stick to it. "Okay, it is 10:00 am and I have already lost 80 dollars. What do I do the rest of the day?"


Play nickel slots and drink plenty of beer.

[James]

Play nickel slots and drink plenty of beer.

definitely. i always set $20 a day aside for nickel slots in case my regular budget gets diminished. then if the waitress comes around enough, i consider myself a winner

[dreamcatcheril]

gambling budget depending on the trip and who I am going with is $3,000 or $4,000

I am there to play, about 12 hours per day for a 4 night 5 day trip. I don't want to run short of session money and have never run out yet.

At the $5.00 bj table, $300 for the session buy in for $100
At the $25. bj table, $500. for a session buy in for $300
this may last for hours or if feeling uncomfortable 5 minutes I walk. Start out on the down side depending on time played and some how I get lucky and back up to even I walk just earning comp time. Start out on the up side, I keep playing, when things turn bad I walk with a profit. A profit is a profit weather it's $5.00 or $500.

When I walk away from the BJ table it is usually right to a VP machine. Same buy in $100, same budget $300, same rules as BJ when I should be walking.

When I walk from VP, you guessed it. It's to the BJ table. I will bounce back and forth between the 2

[Eileen]

I don't always have the same gambling budget for each trip. But whatever I have, I divide by the number of days that we will be there and that is my budget for the day. If I lose that amount in one day, I stop. If I win, I just add to that day's amount don't take out the next day's money.

Eileen

[wildpitcher]

I try to stick to no more than $100 per day lost at the tables. I'm willing to win as much in a day as they will let me, though.

[hipster818]

My wife and I have a set budget, Anytime we win we set that money aside and we make sure not to touch it. If we blow though our cash before the end of the day then we tend to do other things, like hitting the pool or just relaxing. We tend no some how have money left over because we tend to take risk when we think we can win or are on a roll.

[Bevhill1]

I have increased my budget over the years from $50.00 per day to $100.00 per day just in July 2006. My las big win in Vegas I won $600.00 playing video poker and I wanted to cash it in so bad and go shopping or become a 30 min high roller, but what I did was cashed out with the ticket and held on to it until my last day right before I was going in for the night. I feel that if I come home with money its a good thing.:D

[parisbill]

My gaming budget is $300 a day but I tend to violate that rule when I have a losing spell. On the other side of the coin.... I have learned to not limit win sessions until reality sets in. An inexact science at best

[Kilarney Queen]

My husband always makes fun of me when I'm planning a vacation. especially our annual Vegas trip. I have an envelope system. Depending on where we're going, I decorate them. This year for Vegas it's Flamingos,even though we're staying at Paris.I have a certain amount for each day. I keep the same amount daily even for our arrival/depart days.What's left over goes in a seperate envelope. That usually guarantees we have some money when we go home.Our budget is $500/day for both of us,that includes food,etc. Hubby constantly checks to see how the envelope is doing for the day. So it makes budgeting fun.So far I only have 3 envelopes filled and have 3 to go by July:eek: Joann

[PatSprouseYo]

We take anywhere from $800-$1200 a day for gambling, split between the two of us.

I generally play for keeps, and I wouldn't be able handle swings unless I had enough cash. In the end, we always come home with plenty of money, so maybe it's overkill...but I usually tell my first timer friends to at least take $300 a day. We've actually reduced the amount we take over the last few years, because it seems we don't even put some of it in play.

[mysweetevie]

My budget is about 250 a day....I walk along the strip and hit alot of casinos. This doesnt include food$$ either. I go to vegas to play play play...but most times the machines eat up my $$$ so fast it makes me want to make it 400 a day :eek: But i wont up it.....:rolleyes: not yet!

[Hockey53]

My budget is between $150=200 a day. Of course when I win some money then it changes alittle bit.:)

[peedee3]

Twenty-four days and counting. Yes we budget the air fair and hotel rooms are all pre-paid and atleast one show. Like this year we arrive on the 14th Aug and fly out the 21st. so we will leave home with 10,000 (wife and me) 100 for parking at the airport and then it starts 2,000 emergency money (medical, have to change stay etc.) we have been told to evacuate the state when IVAN came through Mississippi on our second day of vacation. So basically we have 8,000 for the 8 day vacation which means $500 dollars a day each for the wife and me. That's for food, shows, shopping and gambling. Each morning we start with only $500 if we had any leftover from the day before if it is $5 or $5000 (ha,ha) we still only take the $500 the rest goes in the stack.
The only time we will not follow this strict rule is if our friends meet us. Then the highest winner for the day pays for dinner (if you only lost $100 and everyone else lost $150 your still the winner.) Last years dinner that I won was $400 Plus a $75 bottle of wine for the four of us. The following day they were winners and dinner was more (we went back to the same place again). but their good friends I've known them over 30 years and the wife introduced them to each other about 40 years ago. He is a retired executive chef and she was a department VP for a drug company in calif. where they live. He expects to be treated like a high roller.
Anyway during the day I do use the left and right pocket half of the winnings goes in each pocket and once it goes in the left pocket that does not get touched till we are back in the room for the night. then it goes in the stack. So far "knock on wood" we have gotten home with about half of what we went there with.

[CeeJayRocker]

I'm always with my brother's in law, so I don't have to worry about a group budget. I plan to spend $200 per day, which I usually don't spend. That covers food, beer, tips, cab fare, bus fare, monorail fare, parlay cards, craps and race bets. There's really not another thing to spend your money on in Las Vegas, is there? If it's an expense that'll cover the whole stay, like a bus or monorail pass, it still comes out of the day's budget when I buy it. Anything left over for the day goes in the safe, and a fresh $200 comes out the next day. Lose the whole $200, and it's pooltime or bedtime. The only time I deviate is if I hit big, and then I'll have a very, very, nice meal. Using this system, I've always come home with money, even if I don't win . . . :cool:

[lhswayne]

I say I have a $500 daily budget for gaming, food and entertainment. If at the end of the day, I still have funds, I add $500 to it for the next day so I have more than $500 to spend. If I have over $500 at the end of the second day, I do not add anymore funds for the third day and just use what I have left over from the second day for the third day. If I have fallen under $500 at the end of the third day, I add another $500 for the fourth day. This goes on for however long my trip is. If I am really lucky, I do not add anything to my initial $500 and bring home the majority of my gaming, food and entertainment budget.

[luci5]

We don't have a budget as we're really low rollers. I did budget on my very first visit to Vegas and kept well within it.

We only play penny machines and keep putting 20's in. However I did notice on our last visit that we had spent/gambled in 24 hours what we would normally gamble in 6 days so we took a break and reined in a bit.

[Tango Bunny]

I've never been to vegas before and don't have a clue what to budget food/drink wise.
I don't intend to gamble as such just stick the odd coin in the machine as I'm passing.....hubby may have the occassional flutter but not so much as we need to budget for gambling.
How much do you recon we'll need for 3 of us per day to eat and drink??

[Dkoehn]

Tango Bunny:

Depends on what you like to eat and drink. You can go cheap and eat fast food and specials (like the 99 cent shrimp cocktail downtown, $4.95 steak special at Ellis Island, or two-for-one coupons) and get away with $25-30 a day on food, or eat buffets and nice restaurants and spend $100 a day or more. We do a combination of cheap, deals, buffets and restaurants and probably spend on average about $50 per person per day.

If you are buying bar drinks it will cost far more than getting drinks with tips (usually $1 tip per drink) while playing slots. If you are not drinking alcohol, soda and bottled water are not cheap ($2?) but again if you are gambling you just pay the tip.

Count on the "occasional coin in" to be a greater than expected expense- maybe budget $50-60 a day for that if you can. Don't bet single coins in slots where the jackpots are significantly higher with max coin in. There are plenty of 2-coin machines (25 cents and up) around if you look for them.

Hope this is helpful.

Donna in Ohio