h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Having just returned from LV, here are a some suggestions I found useful:

1. The malls on the strip are horrifically, outrageously expensive selling designer tat to people with more money than sense. If possible travel to a normal mall such as Meadows or Boulevard mall where the prices and products are much more reasonable.

2. Taxi's are not cheap and the traffic jams can make a short trip very expensive. With some planning you can save considerably by taking a public bus ($1.25) or making use of the various monorails and shuttle buses that run between related casinos. For example, a monorail runs between the Monte Carlo and Bellagio while another runs between Mandalay Bay, Luxor and Excalibur.

3. Casinos ply gamblers with free drink. If you look like you're gambling (e.g. by sitting down in the keno or sports book area) you'll be offered complementary drinks in no time. Don't forget to tip the waitress though. Some of the more lowbrow casinos also sell extremely cheap draft beer from the bar to entice people in.

4. The downtown casinos run games with lower stakes. It's not hard to find a 50 cent roulette game here - something nigh impossible on the strip, especially in the evening. The game rules are usually better too, giving less advantage to the casino.

5. Hotel rooms are much cheaper during the week, often half the price of the weekend.

6. If you're looking for a cheap hotel on the strip, try the Excalibur or Circus Circus. Neither offers stunning facilities but the rooms are clean and safe.

7. if your going to gamble do it on the machines very close to the door of the casino, as i found they had better odds to entise people in.

Z P