How much cash are you bringing?

[Nidan]

This may be a personal question, but how much $$ do you bring? I budget about 1000.00 per day, max 3 days in Vegas. Still small time compared to the whales :D I remember reading that the avg visitor gambles 40.00/day.

[jsa898]

That's exactly how much I'm taking. $3000 total to gamble for Friday, Saturday, Sunday, leaving early Monday morning trip. In fact, this weekend.

[shamrock77]

More then my husband knows about ! Try to save 2000 for LV trips.

[egazuara]

There is no minumal or max amount....you can manage your money well with 300 dlls gambling per day, or with a hundred or with 5000 or more.it depends how long you want to play or to walk....

Psychologically, it is good to always have money in your wallet or in your room safe, and to come home with money....

MANAGE YOUR BUDGET.

I have spent in vegas 300 for gambling or 3000....

henry

[krysia]

It seems the older I get, the more I bring and the less guilty I feel. Lately have been about 400 per day

[account_deleted]

$1,000 a day??? depends on,, how fancy you plan to eat? your liqure bill? Will you be dropping $150 for a front row seat in a show? How long do you plan to gamble? at what level?
If you play $5.00 slots it can go quick. Video poker your pleasure, Well if you have not been practicing on the computer with the proper trainning program That can go quick even on a 25 cent machine. Black jack suit your needs, but you never read a basic black jack strategy book you will need the card god smiling at you, even at $5.00 a hand. If you have not learned to get up and walk with a profit, it doesn't matter how much you bring.
A smart gambler, having practiced, read books about his game of choice, watching where he eats, what he spends on a show. should be able to work a few comps and have a wonderful time on a $1,000 a day.

[Vegasfan]

You only need to bring a few hundred with you for traveling expenses. I apply for credit at the casino I will be staying at and my money stays at home in my bank account. When you sit down at a table just ask for a $500.00 marker and they will give you $500.00 worth of chips to play with. What you don't use or lose you can cash in at the cage and spend the money at some other casino. I've been doing this for years and it works great. This way you don't have to carry large amounts of cash with you while traveling, and when you leave, just write a check to the casino for the amount you lost.
I've found that the casinos tend to treat you better comp wise if you do this.

[dead money]

I take 500 a day. It's broken up like this: 200 for poker, 200 for table games, 100 for slots. On any of the three, when I lose or double I'am done with that for the day. Some days are short :o some days are long :D

[AnnPedi614]

We usually gamble about $500 a day between the two of us. A $150 a day for food etc. We tend to get alot of play out of our money, but then I play BJ and VP and have gotten software to teach me both. We have yet to blow a whole days gambling budget while in LV and we gamble a lot.

[fungirl]

For us it really varies. It usually is around $1000 for the weekend for the two of us. Sometimes more. Depends on how much we spend on food that day too. We love good food but if we don't make it to a fancy dinner/lunch then we have that much more to gamble with! LOL!

[Nidan]

Gambling is entertainment, I bring whatever amount of I am willing to part with, that doesn't mean I will max out my bankroll every trip. Sometimes I come back with more than I started with :) , sometimes less. :mad:

[sonntex]

We usually take too much. $750.00 to $1000.00 per day for each of us. We always get comped rooms and food. Sometimes we will pay for shows. Occasionally we eat somewhere that we don't get comped. We have come back with more that we took, but usually we don't. :(
Dee from Texas

[smmoo]

We only have $100 a day each to spend on gambling and have not paid for our room the last 10 trips. We stay at Boulder Station, love the friendliness, call it our second home. We always rent a car(no we don't drink and drive) and travel all over the valley. :)

[FUN-4-US]

We bring a few hundred dollars in cash for traveling expenses and tips, and the rest in Travelers Checks. We have found that if we are not having a good night in a particular casino, it's not worth the effort to make the trip to the "Main Cashier Cage",( where they usually handle the Travelers Checks) to cash in another check. Thus, more money left in our pocket and not at that casino.

Playing the slots is fun. (I've been practicing video poker on the computer so watch out Vegas). We usually plan on $500 a day. Last trip we came home with most of our Travelers Checks, but some trips weren't as lucky. It's nice when you win enough and the trip pays for itself.

We fly in and stay 7 or 8 days, (want some R 'n R on this trip too) so our budget has to last longer than the long weekend stay. We always rent a car and plan at least one long day trip in our Vegas Vacation. ...Fascinating scenery amazes us everytime we're in the Southwest. Even if it's Red Rock Canyon only 25 miles outside of Vegas. Usually see several shows a trip and we have a big breakfast and nice dinner daily. (snacking in between)

It all depends what you want to do and how long you are there, and what you feel is affordable for your budget. Have a great weekend! :D

[YJAJJ]

Last Trip I Came Home With $3600.00! People Said Nice Win, I Said I Took More Then That Oh!!
My Point Is Never Take Any More Then You Can Afford To Lose!
That Means Even You Out There That Think You Have The Game Mastered As The Cards Will Get You!
Take As Much As It Will Take To Have Fun! $5000. - $10000. Or Enough For Cab Fare! It's Fun In Life That Keeps Us Going - Lose To Much And You Never Have A Good Time!
Jim J Mi

[wildpitcher]

My wife and I each bring about $100-150 per day for gambling. Food budget varies widely depending on what we're in the mood for, but another $100 or so a day for both of us would be typical, I guess. We normally go during the week and rarely spend more than $60 or so a night for the room.

[Hope Wile]

Wow! Alot of really good replies, and common sense too. I like Shamrock 77's answer - it hits home with me. I try to take enough to pay cash for meals and shopping and NEVER go to an ATM. I also walk away when gambling's not going well. Can always find something else (free) to enjoy. I l
ove the penguins at Flamingo!

Hope

[lisanevada]

We bring a few hundred dollars in cash for traveling expenses and tips, and the rest in Travelers Checks. We have found that if we are not having a good night in a particular casino, it's not worth the effort to make the trip to the "Main Cashier Cage",( where they usually handle the Travelers Checks) to cash in another check.

Too cool - I thought we were the only ones who did the traveler's check thing - its a great way to budget.

As for how much, we bring enough to cover roughly $100 per day each for gambling. We plan on a couple of nice meals over a four or five day stay and a show if we can agree on something.

We are slow gamblers - playing mostly poker, craps and bingo (my guilty pleasure) where small bets can last a while.

As others have said, take only what you can comfortably afford to lose.

[Hoss_Lass]

I usually average around $100/day, +/- $25. I gamble for entertainment and really do try to at least break even, which is doable when you play penny and nickle slots :D ! Some days we hardly gamble at all because we're busy sight seeing, eating or going to shows. Handsome hubby usually plays more dollar and up slots so he'll go through around $300/day. One day I sat with him as he played a $5 slot and watched a hundred go away in 10 minutes, my stomach was in knots :eek: esp when I can play for hours on $30 at the penny slots. We are learning to get up and walk away when we get a decent win (win starting money back or get ahead by $10+) and that really helps the mindset. Next trip, I'm planning on tackling some table games, esp early in the morning before too many drunks appear on the scene. :)

[Cllctbear]

We call ourselves minnows. We budget $600/day for expenses including gambling. Our rooms are comped. Food is usually comped. So we pay tips or shows or souvineers as well as gambling out of that. I can only recall one trip when we didn;t bring any money back. Of course we rarely come home with MORE than we bring. Gambling is our main entertainment in Vegas. We never bring more than we can afford to donate to the casino and we always have a great time donating.

[gerrybl]

I usaually take between $300-500 per day just for gambling.

[Mr. Papageorgio]

My wife and I seem to average between $400 to $500 a day. Shows that we go to are prepaid so that expense is already covered. With the coupon books and other deals, such as free shuttles, it makes the money stretch further, i.e. more gambling money. :D

[Polar bear Bob]

I LOVE Las Vegas and go there often, the last couple of years its been one or two long weekends a month. In ten years I haven't gambled anywhere near $1000, total for all my trips. I always have a great time there. So my answer to the question on how much to bring is, as much as you care to spend. I eat well, see the shows I want, shop, site see and relax. My trips cost me an average of $100 to $200 a day for one person, depending on where I stay and if I had to pay anything for my plane ticket. That is for a rental car, airfare, 4 meals, hotel, shopping, tips and gaming. Needless to say I DON'T get comp’ed but I do use coupons and look for ‘deals’. I always tell people back home that I drop a couple hundred in the slots. They think I'm a big spender, mostly because I'm always flying to Vegas (I live in upstate New York). I gamble at the Western on Freemont St. They are the only place I've found that has coin in / coin out penny slots. The sound of winning is about the same if pennies are falling as it is for other coins :D You can also experience the true 'colors' and people of Las Vegas. I've been able to play till my finger hurts for less than two dollars (200 pennies, hence the two hundred I tell people about). If I win I give my winnings to someone out front that needs something to eat. If I loose I go to the Golden Gate and eat a couple shrimp cocktails to forget about my losses :) I’ve stayed at almost every hotel/casino on ‘the strip’, all the ones downtown and on the Boulder Highway. I think I have 4 or 5 to go before I complete my goal of staying at them all. That is if they don’t build anymore :) Have fun, stay safe!

[cindyinnj]

My husband and I average $300-$600 per day gambling. Our shows are paid for and most dinners and shopping are on the AE card. Breakfast or lunch are usually buffet, which leaves us more $$ to gamble!

[grannyvegas]

We are with the $100 per person per day group.
sometimes a bit more. Usually try to do 1 main show.
Love to spend the evenings at a good lounge show.

[andrea]

what a bad idea to carry thousands or even hundreds of dollars on your person. instead, budget your funds and use your atm card. if you need and can afford more than the typical $300 per day withdrawal limit on most atm's, contact your bank before you leave and tell them you would like the limit raised. but never carry your whole cash stash with you. it's too risky. i once saw a purse-snatcher grab a woman's bag from right in front of her in one of the very high end hotels here. so be very careful because even with all the high tech surveillance in the casinos, they can't do much to prevent this kind of thing.

also, those zip bags that people wear around their wastes can be dangerous as snatch and grab thieves travel with scissors or cutting devices and cut them right off and run.

this is what i do: i have a small leather business card sized case. in it, i put my driver license, social security card (in case i get a dreaded W2G) my bank card, a couple of business cards and my folding money. small though it is, it's held as much as 20 hundred dollar bills on a rare good night. i put this in my front pocket (usually wear jeans or slacks when i go to play) and when walking, i try to keep my hand in that pocket.

and NEVER--and i mean NEVER--put a package from your shopping excursion on the empty seat at the slot machine next to you. that just begs a snatch and grabber.

don't mean to sound like an alarmist because of the more than 30 million visitors to this town each year, very few ever have an incident. nonetheless, i wouldn't want me to have one--or you.

enjoy. andrea from las vegas

[gamalicious]

2 hours at penny slots playing 1 coin per spin - $2
1 Shrimp cocktail at the Golden gate- $1 ($.99)
1 hour of nickle slots at 1 coin per spin - $2
Steak and Eggs late night - $5 ($4.95)
My weight in booze I finagled off of cocktail waitresses - Free

My budget x 5 days staying there = $10 per day x 5 days

Well looks like a $50 dollar trip to me.

Anyone think I'll be comped for my generosity to the monetarily ailing casino owners?

~Stupid Kid (see, now you all think I'm REALLY stupid):D

[sonntex]

Hey, Gamalicious-- Are you stupid? Maybe, but if you can pull it off, more power to ya.

[gamalicious]

My Bad. Sarcasm doesn't have an emoticon associated with it...yet.

[gamalicious]

And also...yes... I am stupid. That's why I call myself the "Stupid Kid"...

[kestral]

For alot of good safety advice. I do have to object to one thing you wrote, though - about carrying your social security card. We had a talk about identity theft at work, and one of the things they strongly emphasized is to never, ever, carry your SS card with you - either around your home town or on vacation. Your SS# is the magic key to all sorts of personal ID, to an identity thief doing things like opening up credit cards in your name and ruining your credit. Would cost you a lot more than losing the money!

I have heard casinos are now happy to have you just supply your SS number for the w2g, since they now know authorities say don't carry your card.

[tjdealer]

i usually bring about 5000.00, stay 5-6 days, YOU NEED TO HAVE AT LEAST 1 LINE OF CREDIT AT A CASINO , JUST IN CASE, AND OH BY THE WAY -- I AM NOT WILLING TO PART WITH ANY OF IT.

[andrea]

i can understand your concern about the ss card. but, given the way i carry and where i carry it, i don't feel nearly as threatened as i do by, say, leaving my car registration in the glove box of my car with a garage door opener in it. another good safety tip. always lock the door that connects your house with your garage. but i digress.

to carry a social security card or not is a hard call to make. most people don't need it that often when they gamble (i've used mine only once this year, and huny has used his about 20 times). if you play lower denomination games, i'd say your good without it as most jackpots don't exceed the $1200 limit. but i did hit my W2G on a penny machine, so go figure.

thank you for reading what i wrote. i respond to many of the readers' concerns and am delighted that you let me know you read it.

enjoy. andrea from las vegas

[smmoo]

Memmorize your SS#. I have known mine for 40 years and my husbands for 26, our SS#cards never leave the safe. I have not had anyone insist I produce it yet anywhere, they ony ask what is your SS#. :)

[sonntex]

I don't carry s/s either. Never had any problem in casinos.

[tf2725]

We usually bring $500 a day. That includes our slot play and whatever we eat. We usually have alot of buy one get one buffets. We try to book our shows ahead of time but always check out the 1/2 price places to see if anything interests us. I always take some extra the wife doesn't know about.

[rje]

My Vegas spending budget for food, entertainment and gambling (not including hotel and airfare) is usually about $1000, for a 3-4 day trip.

[Pops904]

First 4 day trip for me and wife, although we took much more, we found that we only spent $900 total for all food, gambling, fun, shopping, etc, without cramping our style...we never had any big winning sessions, but neither did we have any big losers...we won enough to gamble almost constantly, me on nickle and quarter slots with an occasional whack at a dollar machine, and my wife on $5.00 (or cheaper when she could find it) blackjack.
Now heading for our 3rd trip, we are only planning on taking around $1,500 for the 2 of us for 5 days...we've already checked, our bank has an ATM within .8 of a mile from ANYWHERE in Vegas or Henderson, so if we need more, we are going to get more. We thrive on seeing how much fun we can have without spending our own money, so we will try really hard to come back UP (first choice!),EVEN (if we can't come back UP!) or Down AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE (last resort!) You can have mega-fun in Vegas without spending a lot! Using coupons, comps, deals, whatever, is just as much a fun part of wagering against the casinos as putting the chips on the felt, to us...nobody is going to be impressed by me playing higher limits, so why not low-roll? My drinks taste almost as good as everyone else's, and I don't loose the farm while enjoying the party. But that's just me...

[JerriAnn]

I take $100-$150. a day. And if I win any I try and keep
it to take home. I won $1000. one year and my husband had a fit I didn't save it all to take home. So I won't be telling him I won anything till we go home! LOL

Just take money you can afford to not come home with.
It is entertainment . Just like hockey tickets, round of golf
concert tickets that my friends buy instead of going to Vegas. But for some reason they don't see it that way.

[vu-doo]

i take out a second mortgage on my house and pawn all my belongings.
and bet it on the big six wheel. if i win i party if i lose i find the nearest homeless shelter.:eek: