traveldk.com

Hotel rates skyrocket when the weather is best – from about mid-March through May and September until the first part of November. However, days can be close to perfect during February, June, and November when rates are generally lower and there is less traffic and smaller crowds. Las Vegas Casino hotels offer much lower rates on weekdays, with rates soaring at weekends and during conventions.

It’s easier for golfers to get tee times during the winter months, March, and November. Although it can be windy, the temperature is usually comfortable for playing.

The three biggest annual conventions in Las Vegas, in November, April, and January, each attract well over 100,000 delegates. Do your utmost not to coincide with them: not only will room rates be at their highest, but traffic is heavy, and the lines waiting for restaurant service are daunting.

As far as clothes are concerned, just about anything goes. Although shorts and T-shirts are the uniform in very hot weather, you’ll see people wearing everything from designer resort wear to jeans and leather jackets the rest of the year. Bathing attire should be reserved for swimming pool areas. Women wear cover-ups and men generally wear shirts and shorts over their bathing suits when going between their rooms and the pool. Upscale hotels provide robes for guests’ use.

While comfort generally rules the dress code, some moderately priced restaurants have signs saying “No shoes, no shirts, no service.” Sport coats (casual-styled jackets) are required at some of the more expensive restaurants, but neckties are not always a requisite. Most people dress up when going to production shows or nightclubs; Las Vegas residents tend to dress more formally (and flamboyantly) than visitors.

The sun shines an average of more than 300 days a year, so pack colored glasses, sun-screen, lip balm, moisturizer, and a hat.

Keep in mind more than just the glorious sunshine: Las Vegas receives an average of only 4.21 inches of rainfall a year, with about half an inch falling during the wettest months, January and August. Humidity ranges from 14 percent to 41 percent. Winter is unpredictable: some days are very cold and windy, while others are warm enough for wearing shorts.

Canadians do not need passports, but must show a photo I.D., such as a citizenship card, when entering the USA.

Citizens from Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, and many other European countries can visit the USA for up to 90 days without a visa, so long as they have a valid passport. They will need to complete a Visa Waiver Form, usually on the incoming flight. Visitors from countries who do need a visa must apply to a US consulate or embassy, and may be asked for evidence of financial solvency and proof that they intend to return to their country of origin.

If you’re among the 43 percent of Las Vegas visitors who fly to McCarran International Airport, check out the airport website for information and maps. The eleventh busiest airport in the USA can be confusing when you don’t know your way around.

McCarran is served by all major US carriers and several international carriers, including Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, with both scheduled and charter flights. It’s worth comparing prices thoroughly before making your reservation.

Fly-drive packages are a firm favorite with people on vacation in the USA. Investigate the so-called “Gamblers’ Specials,” too, which combine air travel and accommodation in Las Vegas.

The airport is 2.5 miles (4 km) south of the city center. Allow 10 minutes to travel by road between the airport and hotels on the Strip. Taxis, shuttles, and limousines wait outside the airport, and there are car rental agencies inside. The cheapest option is to take a bus: the CAT (Citizens Area Transit) bus routes 108 and 109 run between the airport, downtown, and the Strip.

If you have forgotten to bring enough change for transportation between the airport and your hotel, cash machines (ATMs) are located throughout the airport, and these accept standard cards such as Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, as well as other major US cards.

If you are renting a car from the airport, be advised that the rental price may not include three taxes, which total 21 percent, charged on all airport car rentals. If you are in a hurry, use one of the rental agencies with counters at the airport, but bear in mind that agencies with off-site counters generally charge lower rates.

Visitors who plan to rent a car must remember to bring along a valid driver’s license and major credit card, both of which are required by all agencies. Drivers must also be at least 25 years old to rent a car. If your own automobile insurance does not cover rental vehicles, it is wise to buy the rental companies’ own coverage.

Visitors from abroad who plan to rent automobiles would be well advised to familiarize themselves with basic US driving rules and signage before they begin driving. Information is available at most vehicle-rental agencies.

If you are driving to Las Vegas from another part of the USA, you’ll probably access the city either via I-15, which goes from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, Utah, and beyond, or via I-95, which connects Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. Try to avoid peak traffic times on these roads: arrive before 4pm or after 7pm.

Walking may well be the best way to travel the three-mile-long Strip: the sidewalks are wide and the terrain is flat. Since the city covers a large area, however, and is crisscrossed by multi-lane streets, you’ll need a car or public transportation when visiting attractions in outlying parts of the city.

If you are going to be driving, procure a good map (the Rand McNally map, which can be obtained at supermarkets, drugstores, and booksellers, is excellent). The city is laid out on a grid, with only a few principal thoroughfares running obliquely.

In town, be prepared for fast driving and heavy traffic. Avoid driving during rush hours (about 7–9 am and 4–7pm). Congestion on the Strip begins in late morning and continues until after midnight, especially on weekends from mid-March through October and when large special events take place. The city’s major streets are six to eight lanes wide.

Hotel/casinos on the Strip and in Glitter Gulch provide free parking in high-rise garages. Elsewhere they have huge parking lots and/or garages. Almost all hotels offer valet parking. When valet parking is full, preference is given to hotel guests over casino visitors.

When parking on the street, be sure to read all posted signs about parking restrictions to avoid incurring fines or having your vehicle towed away. Fines for parking in disability-reserved spaces without a valid placard range from $100 to as much as $1,000.

Hotel entrances on the Strip and downtown are the best places to find cabs. The standard fare is $2.20 for the first mile, $1.50 each additional mile, plus $0.35 a minute when stopped at a red light or stalled in traffic. In heavy traffic it can cost more than $20 to go from one end of the Strip to the other. Since taxi drivers know the city’s less busy streets, a useful tip is to ask to be taken the quickest way rather than the shortest.

The exact fare of $1.50 is required for the Strip trolley (9:30am–2am daily), which stops at all major locations from the Stratosphere in the north to Mandalay Bay in the south. Free trams connect Treasure Island with the Mirage, Bellagio with Monte Carlo, and the Excalibur with Luxor and Mandalay Bay. The monorail operates along the Strip between MGM Grand and Sahara (8am–midnight daily). A one-ride ticket costs $3.

The least expensive way to travel beyond downtown and the Strip is by CAT bus (Citizens Area Transit); CATs have an extensive network of routes. Fares are $2 on main tourist routes, $1.25 on others; seniors and children aged 5 to 17 pay $1).

You may have to pay for the shuttle service between the airport and some hotels, but others offer a free service to shopping areas and sightseeing destinations.

For overall information about the city, including accommodations, attractions, and shopping, contact the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA).

Visitors interested in business in the area can contact the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, which will direct them to the appropriate sources.

Information about Las Vegas’s various ethnic businesses and attractions is available from such organizations as the Asian Chamber of Commerce, Black Chamber of Commerce, and Latin Chamber of Commerce.

If you belong to a worldwide organization such as Rotary International or would like to meet people with similar vocational interests or hobbies, your best source of information is an Internet search engine such as www.google.com or www.yahoo.com.

For insights into places and people who live in the Silver State, read Nevada Magazine , published by the Nevada Commission on Tourism. The magazine contains feature articles as well as information about attractions, special events, and entertainment.

The Las Vegas Review Journal publishes dining and entertainment news throughout the week, as well as a “Best of Las Vegas” section once a year in March. You’ll learn a lot by reading the ads, too!

For information on airlines, rental cars, and accommodations, use your favorite search engine to find websites with a Las Vegas focus. Among those you might find useful are www.visitlasvegas.com and www.vegasfreedom.com.

Bargain hunters will save money by subscribing to the Las Vegas Advisor . This monthly newsletter, aimed primarily at people who like to gamble, includes accommodation and dining deals that are also of use to non-gamblers.

The tourist stations along the Strip not only sell commercial tours, but they also have display racks containing promotional material about various attractions, which may be of use to you.

Count on finding the most interesting upscale shopping in hotel arcades such as Desert Passage at Aladdin, Bellagio’s Via Bellagio, and Appian Way at Caesar’s Palace (see The Forum Shops at Caesars). All these are on Las Vegas Boulevard South, otherwise known as the Strip.

You have several choices for major mall-hopping. Boulevard, Meadows, and The Galleria at Sunset are patronized primarily by locals, while tourists form the majority at two upscale malls on the Strip – The Forum Shops at Caesars and Fashion Show Mall. The best sales at upscale shops such as Nieman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue (both at Fashion Show Mall) are held in January.

For bargains in high-quality merchandise, seek out the factory outlet centers. Belz Factory Outlet World (seeShopping) is just a few minutes south of the Strip, while Fashion Outlet Las Vegas is near the California border at Primm. It is especially worth visiting these stores at the end of summer, when the merchandise is marked down even further.

The city’s greatest concentration of antiques stores is on East Charleston Boulevard, two miles or so from downtown. If you have time to visit only one cluster of stores, go to Antique Square (2014-2026 E. Charleston Boulevard), where a dozen different shops make up the complex.

For the best authentic ethnic shopping, go to the stores that serve Las Vegas’s various ethnic populations such as Asian Market (935 E. Sahara), Supermercado del Pueblo #2 (4972 S. Maryland Parkway), India Sweets & Spices (953 E. Sahara Avenue), Nile Ethiopian Mart (860 E. Twain Avenue), and those in Chinatown Plaza (see Chinatown Plaza).

Swap meets, or flea markets, are usually held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and are a great place to browse for bargains. The biggest meets are Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet (see Fantastic Indoor Swap Meet) and Broadacres Open Air Swap Meet (2960 Las Vegas Boulevard N.).

If you’ve never visited a pawn shop, Las Vegas is your chance. Much of the merchandise comes, of course, from gamblers in search of that little bit more money. The largest operation in town is Super-Pawn, with 12 outlets. A group of pawn shops are located in a street near Glitter Gulch (see Pawn Shop Plaza). If you want to make a purchase, don’t agree to pay the first price you’re quoted. Maybe not the second or third, either!

The larger malls and arcades are generally open 10am–9pm, seven days a week. Elsewhere stores may be closed on Sunday. Some of the Forum shops at Caesar’s stay open until 11pm.

Clark County levies a seven percent “sales and use” tax on most goods. This is added to purchases at the cash register.

Start planning early – the best airfares may require three months’ advance purchase.

Combined air and hotel packages from most US cities to Las Vegas are especially good bargains. Keep in mind that airline fares to hub cities served by a number of carriers are almost always less expensive than routes on which there are few competing airlines.

When Las Vegas is among two or more destinations you plan to visit in the USA, price each segment of your trip’s airfare separately. Visitors from Europe, for example, often save money by buying round-trip tickets from their home country to New York or Chicago and then traveling in the USA by using a combination of one-way bargain air tickets and rental cars.

Time your trip to save money. Hotel rates change from day to day, based on supply and demand. They’re most expensive on weekends, holidays, and during big conventions and important events. The less restricted your travel dates, the more money you can save: a room that costs $200 a night on a busy May weekend can go for $50 in November. Airfares are usually lower during the winter months, too.

Car-rental rates change even more rapidly – sometimes hourly. Since rental reservations don’t require a credit-card guarantee, lock in a reservation when you’re quoted a good price. You can always cancel it later if you find a better deal.

When you arrive in the city, go directly to the information center run by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (see Sources of Information). Collect all the free magazines and brochures you can comfortably carry. Inside are coupons for special offers and money off shows and dinners, etc.

Eat your big meal of the day at noon. Lunch buffets usually cost a few dollars less than those offered at night, with virtually the same food served at both. If you’re an early bird or a night owl, you’ll save money on food: several casinos – notably those downtown and in outlying areas – offer low-cost meals between 11pm and 6 or 7am. These also work well for visitors affected by jet lag.

If you want to save money shopping, take one of the Strip buses to Vacation Village at the south end of the line. Transfer to the free shuttle that goes to Belz Factory Outlet World (see Belz Factory Outlet World). The bus will cost a couple of dollars each way.

The extravagant nightly light and sound shows and street performances at the Fremont Street Experience are all free. Many of the big hotels along the Strip put on spectacular free shows to entice people in (see Free Entertainment). There are also less well-publicized free attractions such as the tropical bird display at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino. People-watching is entertaining, too (see Places to People-Watch).

Plan to see at least one production show (long-running show with spectacular production effects) while you’re in town. A Las Vegas visit simply isn’t complete without experiencing the excitement and professionalism of these top-notch performances. Although shows such as “O” and Céline Dion are expensive, others that cost less than half of their prices are also very well done.

EFX

Most big shows go on twice nightly, with one or two nights off a week (varying from show to show). Daytime shows usually cost less.

Although the trend is toward shows that don’t include meals or cocktails (there are refreshment stands outside most theaters), some hotels feature dinner and cocktail shows. If you can, opt for the cocktail shows: they’re less expensive. Moreover, the food at dinner shows doesn’t tend to get rave reviews.

The production spectaculars aren’t the only shows in town. Other long-running shows in hotel/casino theaters star magicians, comedians, and impersonators. Comedians on their way up also appear on Las Vegas comedy club stages.

If you’re determined to see a particular entertainer perform in one of the city’s famous headliner extravaganzas, order your tickets as soon as you hear about the performance. If you hesitate, you will probably still be able to buy tickets, but they will most likely be for the poorest seats in the priciest category. Las Vegas is a venue where top entertainers typically present just one performance; while the least expensive tickets may cost less than $100, top tickets can cost more than $1,000.

To stretch your entertainment dollars, take in a lounge show or two. You can watch some lounge acts for the price of a drink. Others are free.

If you like to know about the newest, most potentially hot acts, then go to see lots of lounge shows. Many of America’s most celebrated entertainers – including Elvis Presley – appeared in Las Vegas casino lounges on their way to the top.

In a town where entertainment is the name of the game, most Las Vegas visitors happen upon some unexpected treat during their visit. It may be a Dixieland band playing in a hotel plaza, a dance recital at a shopping center, a string quartet playing in a park, or strolling entertainers at the theme hotels.

Several clubs in the area around West Sahara Street south of downtown present adult-only entertainment. With names like Crazy Horse Saloon, Lacy’s, and Palomino Club, they feature topless waitresses, amateur strip contests, and “beautiful friendly hostess dancers”.

To avoid disappointment, order tickets for any production shows you want to see well in advance. You can do this either through your travel agent, by contacting the box office directly (when the production is at a hotel/casino theater, you can phone the hotel and your call will be transferred), or through a ticket agency such as Ticketmaster. It is almost impossible for ordinary tourists to buy tickets to the top shows such as “O” and Mystère on the day of the performance even if they are staying in the hotel where the show is playing.

Tommy Tune in EFX

In cities such as New York, San Francisco, or London, surplus same-day tickets for shows are sold at a discount at a central ticket outlet; this is not the case, however, in Las Vegas.

When you want to see a show and can’t get tickets in advance, you will increase your chances of getting standby seats by arriving early so you get one of the first places in line.

If you’re a high roller, you probably won’t have to worry about standing in line at shows or anywhere else. Just let the VIP desk know what you would like to see.

When it is possible, ask to see the theater’s seating chart. It’s probably true that in the new theaters there isn’t a bad seat in the house. Still, some seats are better than others, and as long as they all cost the same price, it is worthwhile choosing the ones you want.

Tipping the maître d’ or usher isn’t always necessary. A growing number of theater tickets are issued electronically, and your seat is determined before you enter the theater. At theaters that have table-seating, however, guests are seated at the maître d’s discretion. Palming him a $20 bill will usually get better seats, but do it in a discreet way.

Tickets for performances at the Judy Bayley Theater or Artemis Hamm Concert Hall on the university campus can both be secured from the same box office; consult the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority or local press for contact details.

Tickets for cultural programs presented at such venues as community arts centers and outdoor amphitheaters are usually, but not always, available from commercial ticket agencies including Ticketmaster. The yellow pages of the Las Vegas telephone directory list the numbers of various concert venue ticket offices.

People who are interested primarily in seeing Las Vegas shows should consult with their travel agents about tours that include them in their itineraries.

Marriage license requirements in Nevada have traditionally been less stringent than those in other parts of the USA. No blood tests are needed, nor is it necessary, after the license has been issued, to wait a set period before getting married. To obtain a marriage license, both partners must appear at the County Clerk’s office in the Clark County Courthouse. Well over 100,000 weddings are performed in Clark County each year.

Be prepared to produce your social security number and proof of identity such as a driver’s license, certified copy of birth certificate, passport, or military ID. Divorced applicants need evidence that their divorces have been finalized, including date, city, and state where the decree was granted.

People aged 18 years and older do not need consent to get married, but those aged between 16 and 18 must either have a consenting parent present or else produce a notarized document from a parent giving his or her consent.

Couples planning a St Valentine’s Day or New Year’s Eve wedding should get their licenses well in advance to avoid long lines at the County Clerk’s office.

Nevada law requires that couples be married by civil marriage commissioners, justices of the peace, or bona fide ministers.

Civil marriages are performed one block from the Courthouse in the office of the Commissioner of Civil Marriages, for a fee of $35. One witness is required in addition to the person performing the ceremony.

If your decision to have a religious wedding in Las Vegas is not a spur of the moment one, then have your usual minister, priest, or rabbi contact the head of the church or synagogue in Las Vegas where you want the ceremony to be held. That way you can resolve any discrepancies that may exist between different denominations regarding preparation for marriage, publication of banns, and the like.

You need $50 – in cash – for the license. Budget $75 for the use of a wedding chapel in a no-frills ceremony, $50 for the minister, plus any flowers, music, or costume rental. Weddings featuring an Elvis impersonator as minister start at $150. Make arrangements for a wedding-chapel ceremony in advance: they can’t oblige drop-ins when fully booked.

With more than four dozen chapels, hundreds of churches, synagogues, public parks, ballrooms, and scenic spots, the number of wedding venues is limited only by the imagination; some officiants may be unwilling to perform skydiving or helicopter ceremonies!

Since honeymoon packages are offered by virtually all of the hotels in Las Vegas, it definitely pays to shop around. The basic packages usually include an upgraded room, a bottle of champagne with souvenir champagne flutes, optional breakfast in bed, and dinner at one of the hotel’s restaurants.

Whereas wedding licenses cost $35 year-round and chapel fees remain fairly constant (St Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve being exceptions), honeymoon package prices are affected by the dates you choose. For example, a week-long honeymoon during the annual giant Comdex convention, with its 225,000 delegates, may well cost two to four times what it might during the preceeding or following week.

Little Church of the West

If you fancy getting away from the crowds and bright lights, investigate bed-and-breakfast honeymoon packages and houseboat rentals (see Houseboating).

Explore your options on the Internet. Each major hotel has a web-site, as do many of the smaller ones. Most of these include information on package deals.

You may feel that rather than opt for a lavish package you can make your honeymoon more special by doing it yourself, finding a regular hotel package and adding your own romantic touches – a box of Ethel M. gourmet chocolates (produced in Las Vegas), dining at an intimate restaurant such asPamplemousse and seeing the shows you choose.

As far as accommodations are concerned, the general rule is that the further away you are from the Strip, the less expensive the rooms. There are, however, two deluxe exceptions to the rule – the posh Regent Las Vegas at Summerlin and the exceedingly romantic Hyatt Regency at Lake Las Vegas (see Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas).

Las Vegas Weddings has been arranging weddings and honeymoons in the city since 1973.

Save some of your trousseau money for lingerie shopping in Las Vegas. The little nothings sold at places like Bare Essentials and A Slightly Sinful Adventure are definitely unusual!

For an inexpensive souvenir of your honeymoon, have your picture taken in costume at the photo concession on the second level of Excalibur, or have your faces put on a magazine cover at Cashman Photo in Desert Passage (702 792 3686).

If you’re planning to gamble, join a slot club. Almost every casino has one, which anyone over the age of 21 can join for free. These clubs give players various rewards in relation to the amount of gambling they do, whether they win or lose.

Compare clubs to determine which one has the prizes you like best and the most advantageous point system. For example, while the number of points required for similar rewards may be the same at two clubs, one of them may award two points for every five dollars that goes through a machine while the other requires only one dollar. You can join as many clubs as you like, but experts advise that you join only one so that you accumulate enough points to earn rewards.

Insert your plastic membership card (issued upon registration) to get your points registered. When accumulated, these points can be exchanged for meals and discounts on rooms (or even free rooms), as well as logo items such as mugs, T-shirts, athletic bags, warm-up jackets, and caps. Some casinos offer cash rewards, too.

Almost every casino employs “slot-club hosts,” who circulate around the casino. If you have questions about how to play various machines, ask them; ask, too, how long you have to play the machines to be “comped” for lunch, dinner, or entertainment in the casino’s showroom (theater). This is accepted procedure, so don’t be shy about asking.

Couples who are in Las Vegas for one trip should sign up together, since they will be issued two cards with points accumulated on the same account. Those who plan more trips to the area, however, will profit by signing up singly: casinos send offers such as a certain number of nights at reduced room rates; by signing up as individuals, the couple may be able to take advantage of twice as many nights at the reduced rate.

Choose machines with the best payout schedules. These schedules are found on the front of each machine and indicate winning combinations and the number of coins paid out when a combination is hit. As experienced machine players are aware, the video poker and slot machines in any given casino have varying payouts as well as pay-back ratios (the average percentage the machine pays back to the player).

Remember that in every casino game the house has the advantage (even the 100% and better return on the best-paying video poker machines is predicated upon perfect play). Losing $50 to earn a $6.95 buffet award is not a bargain.

Many casinos include table games in their slot clubs. If you play table games at one of them, contact the pit boss to be sure your playing is included in the point count.

Keep an eye on your watch when you plan to redeem your points. Many slot club booths close before midnight and don’t open again until the next morning.

Gamblers should contact various casinos to determine if any gaming tournaments are planned for the time they will be in Las Vegas. These tournaments range from daily free events and those with low entry fees to four-day tournaments. Blackjack, slot machine, and video poker tourneys are the most popular.

Count on a good deal of free time during four-day tournaments, since actual play takes up only two or three hours. Entry fees usually include lodging (or rooms at reduced rates), some meals or food, and beverage credits for the entrant and a guest. Although entry fees may run into the thousands of dollars, typically they’re in the $199 to $599 range. Prize money in the high-stakes tournaments can go as high as a million dollars.

Keep in mind that the casinos’ primary reason for putting on tournaments is their belief that participants will gamble in the casino during the time when they’re not competing. Most regular slot or video-poker tournaments consist of three rounds of 20–30 minutes each at metered machines and require no money to be spent during tournament play. Winners of each round, as well as the players whose aggregate scores for the three rounds are highest, are awarded prizes.

The amount of prize money varies, but the majority of tournaments award cash to a large percentage – perhaps a quarter – of the entrants.

If blackjack’s your game, you’ll find that tournaments generally consist of three rounds, with round winners advancing to semi-finals and finals. The entry fee usually covers a certain number of tourney chips, issued at the beginning of the tournament and again before the semi-final and final rounds.

If you’re a high roller, be sure to get on the invitation list at your casinos of choice. Several casinos don’t publicize their tournaments, but instead invite high-end players whose names have been selected from their databases. Complementary accommodations, food, and beverages are generally the properties’ finest, and entry fees range all the way from zero to thousands of dollars.

For people with finite resources, it is more practical to play in tournaments that have entry fees than those with no fee but participants play with their own money. At tournaments with unlimited buy-ins, players may pay additional money to buy more chips or machine play as the tournament progresses.

When you’re competing in a gaming tournament that depends on a combination of luck and skill, stay ahead of the game by sticking to soft drinks and bottled water, rather than complementary alcoholic drinks.

Don’t expect the machines on the casino floor to hit winning combinations as often as the tournament machines. High scores and frequent jackpots create excitement, so as a rule the machines used in tournament play are set to produce lots of action.

Blackjack (which is also called “21”) is the table game at which players have the best odds. Other popular table games include craps (dice), baccarat, roulette, poker, and three games based on Five Card Stud poker: Caribbean Stud Poker, Let ’er Ride, and Pai Gow.

Many experts believe that slot machines (slots) are addictive. They’re the big money-earners for Nevada casinos. Some – video poker, particularly – involve an element of skill. Others are purely games of chance. Newer machines incorporate elements that make them more enticing than the traditional slots.

Inserting $10 or $20 bills into slot machine receptors – instead of playing coins one at a time – allows for more rapid play, since players need only push a button and the selected amount of coins is deducted. When winning combinations are hit, payouts are added to the total rather than being ejected from the machine.

Many people who are new to slot machines don’t realize that you aren’t able to win the highest jackpots posted on a machine unless you insert the maximum number of coins the machine will accept. This means you have to decide whether you want to risk larger amounts, or would prefer to be disappointed if you hit the big one and don’t have enough coins in to collect it.

Odds of winning at keno are the lowest of all casino games. The game is based on selecting certain numbers (from 1 to 80) that you hope will be among the 20 numbered ping-pong balls ejected from a hopper during each game. Pay-outs are based on the number of “catches” (matching numbers selected). Most casinos have keno lounges.

It is helpful to know at least some of the casino jargon. Hand pay: winnings paid by casino workers rather than machines. Stickman: a casino worker who uses a hook-shaped stick to move dice around a craps table. Shooter: the player whose turn it is to roll the dice. Tokes: tips given for services rendered. RFB comp: complimentary room, food, and beverages (usually given to customers who spend a lot). High roller: someone who wagers large amounts. Bust hand: in blackjack, a hand that totals more than 21.

Remember when gambling at the tables that chips are not “play money.” At all Las Vegas casinos, $5 chips are red, $25 chips are green and $100 chips are black. The colors of higher denomination chips may vary.

Take advantage of casino two-for-one or other coupons only if you plan to gamble anyway. Don’t let them take advantage of you by enticing you into gambling.

Remember: gambling is a business. The house almost always wins. Think of it as an evening’s entertainment, not as a way of making money. Decide in advance what you are willing to spend, and quit as soon as you have spent it. If you do win anything but want to keep playing then cash in frequently (put your original stake, plus part of your profit, aside) to come out ahead.

Don’t gamble nonstop. Gambling can be mentally and physically exhausting. If you spend more than an hour deciding whether to hold’em or fold ’em, or two hours hunched over a slot machine, gamblers’ fatigue is bound to set in. Taking a break – perhaps a short stroll outside – will go a long way toward making you feel refreshed.

Some gamblers have the idea that since a slot machine hasn’t paid any jackpots for a long time, it’s due. Not true. Each spin of the reels is an independent event and has nothing to do with what has gone before or will come after.

Beware of nickel multiple-coin machines. Casinos make more profit on these machines than on any others. Most of them have nine pay lines, which means that nine coins must be played if you want to gamble on all the possibilities. How this translates in practice is that playing the maximum number of coins on all lines amounts to $4.50 each time you push the button.

Don’t boast about your winnings anyplace where strangers might hear you. You never know who they might be – con artists or worse.

Resist the cocktail waitresses who circulate throughout the casinos frequently passing out free drinks to gamblers. People who drink excessively don’t play as well as they might and have even been know to leave buckets of coins behind them when they go.

If you don’t like smoking, don’t put up with smoke-filled rooms. Some casinos (usually the newer ones) have more effective mechanisms than others for getting rid of smoke. With so many casinos in the city, it isn’t hard to find one of them.

All sorts of inducements – free drinks, free pulls on slot-machine handles, chances to enter drawings (prize draws) for cars and even houses – are offered so that people will cash their paychecks at casinos. Why? Because once a paycheck is cashed, it’s easier to spend.

Don’t neglect to set limits on the amount of money you can afford to lose. Conversely, it’s not a good idea to set goals on how much you are going to win before you quit. Probabilities are that it will cost more than the goal itself to reach the goal. It’s true that some people do win – at times enormous amounts. But the multi-million and billion-dollar hotel/casinos provide vivid proof that more money is lost than won.

Resist the come-ons some casinos offer of $40 or even $100 in slot play for $20. Play is allowed only on specific machines, and it’s only after paying their money that “suckers” learn the real rules.

To overcome new-player jitters, it’s wise to take lessons in the games you want to play. These are usually available at the casinos listed Monday through Friday: they last about an hour and are free.

Even if you play poker or baccarat regularly with friends, the benefit of lessons is that you will learn the procedures and protocols of casino play. Not knowing the rules can be embarrassing.

You’ll get more out of gaming lessons if you take them in the morning. Casinos – the setting for most lessons – tend to be much noisier and distracting as the day wears on, which can make it difficult to concentrate on what the instructor is saying.

Although there is no charge for the classes, your instructor will appreciate a tip. Any amount between $2 and $5 would be appropriate.

Since the Riviera discontinued its legendary friendly and low-key gaming lessons, the best, most diverse, and informative lessons can be found at New York– New York, Aladdin and Excalibur casinos.

When you’re ready to tackle Pai Gow, Caribbean Stud, and Let it Ride poker, phone Aladdin or New York–New York for their lesson times.

If you want to keep away from the Strip, then Lady Luck is one of the few downtown casinos that offers gaming lessons.

Further afield – and a good choice if you have a car and don’t want any parking hassles – Palace Station Hotel and Casino is reputed to have good gaming instruction.

Most gaming lessons are conducted in English. San Remo Las Vegas Casino, however, also offers classes to Japanese visitors. Go between 4:30pm and 11:30pm for instruction. Each participant gets a free deck of cards.

Las Vegas is perhaps the world’s most accessible city for people with disabilities. If you have any questions or any particular needs, have your travel agent contact the hotel’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator prior to your visit. Every major hotel-casino has one, responsible for ensuring that the facilities are accessible.

Airport shuttles equipped with lifts are available at the airport baggage-claim area doors 1, 3, and 4. You may have to phone for a lift-equipped taxi, but direct-line phones are located in the baggage-claim area. Find out if car-rental company shuttles to their lots are lift-equipped, and let them know in advance if you need rear van seats removed and a ramp.

Bellagio, the Mirage, and Imperial Palace hotels have the reputation of being the best equipped for people with disabilities. All hotels, however, are supposed to have some rooms especially equipped for disabled guests. You may have to hunt around to find such specific amenities as rollin showers, assisted-listening devices, vibrating alarm clocks, or televisions with telecaption devices.

Every casino has accessible slot machines, and many have lowered tables with wheelchair access. Most bingo parlors have Braille and large-print game cards, and many casinos, if asked in advance, provide sign-language interpreters for gaming lessons.

Most hotels have lifts to assist guests into swimming pools; some of the pools with sand beaches also have wheelchair-accessible beach entrances.

All Las Vegas venues for production and other shows (generally referred to as showrooms) have special areas for wheel-chairs. Let personnel know in advance, since wheelchair users are often seated first.

You can expect all public buildings, attractions, and hotel-casinos to be ramped and to have restrooms for the disabled. Curbs on most streets have been modified so that they are wheelchair accessible. City buses are fully accessible, as are some taxis, trams, shuttles, and the monorail. It is also possible to rent motorized carts (mechanized one-passenger carts used in lieu of wheelchairs).

If you need to take medication at certain times, wear a watch – there are no clocks in casinos.

Don’t worry about having to climb stairs at overhead pedestrian crossings. They can be reached by elevators or escalators.

Opinions vary as to the degree of acceptance of gays and lesbians in Las Vegas. While the city is outwardly liberal and permissive – camp, even – its straight citizens are considered by some to be ultra-conservative in their views. Having said that, the city recently elected its first openly gay representative to the State Assembly. Many Las Vegas businesses, too, allow for what is euphemistically described as a “domestic partner” in their health-insurance plans.

There are more than 75 gay organizations active in Las Vegas, representing all sorts of interests, from singing to motorcycling.

The main gay section of Las Vegas, containing a number of gay bars and clubs, is in the Paradise Road, Harmon, and Tropicana avenues area, just east of the MGM Grand.

If you feel at home with the younger crowd, head for Gipsy. Keys, meanwhile, offers sing-along piano-bar entertainment. Snick’s Place has become something of an icon, being Las Vegas’ oldest gay men’s bar.

The Las Vegas Lounge is the city’s only transgender bar.

You can get information about gay and lesbian venues in the city from several websites. Try www.gaynvegas.com for listings of accommodations and restaurants that are gay-owned or gay-friendly.

The Gay & Lesbian Community Center (known also just as The Center,) sponsors frequent social events and is a venue for meetings of various gay and lesbian groups. It also offers free and confidential tests for HIV on Thursday afternoons from 3pm to 4pm.

Get Booked, the city’s small but well-stocked gay bookstore, is open seven days a week.

For local gay-related news, pick up copies of the Las Vegas Bugle and Out Las Vegas . Both publications are available at local bars and at Get Booked bookstore.

Most banks are open from 9am to either 5pm or 6pm Monday through Friday, and 9am–1pm on Saturday. Branches located in supermarkets tend to have longer hours and stay open all day on Saturday and on Sunday afternoon.

Check-cashing services, located at various places along the Strip and downtown, charge large fees, so it’s best to try to use alternative methods of getting cash. Cash advances on credit cards are available from cash-advance machines at all hotel-casinos, but again the service will cost you: the typical fee is 5 percent (that’s a $50 fee for cashing $1,000), with larger percentages for smaller amounts.

Most hotels will cash guests’ personal checks, provided they are in US dollars. It is not general policy, however, to cash checks for non-guests.

For many simple money transactions, drive-through banking (often spelled “drive-thru” on signs) is the most convenient method. The windows are usually open for an additional half-hour at the beginning and end of the bank’s regular business day. Drive-throughs usually have cash machines (ATMs), too.

Using ATM machines for cash and credit cards for purchases usually ensures the best exchange rates for foreign visitors. Be prepared to pay a small fee, which will be charged to your account, for using an ATM at a bank that is not your own. Instructions for use should appear in English and Spanish, and sometimes Japanese.

Unlike banks in Europe, only a few Las Vegas banks handle foreign currency. Most convenient of these is probably Bank of America. Many hotel-casinos will exchange foreign currency from major countries, but they charge a fee in addition to the hotel’s own exchange rate.

Traveler’s checks can be cashed at any bank or hotel-casino. Try to get the checks in US dollars to avoid paying an exchange fee each time you cash one; if you do use checks in a foreign currency, try to get large denominations to save on fees when you cash the checks.

US bank notes come in denominations as low as $1 and as high as $1,000.

If you are unfamiliar with US banknotes, take heed of the fact that they are notoriously hard to differentiate; pay special attention to this when handing over money to taxi drivers etc. A $1 “bill” is just the same size and color as a $20.

Useful entertainment guides include What’s On , Where , Today in Las Vegas , Vegas Visitor , Las Vegas Today , and Show Time . Look out for the discount coupons for meals or shows.

The city’s principal newspapers, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and the Las Vegas Sun , are both published daily, the former in the morning and the latter in the afternoon.

For the most inexpensive public Internet access, ask hotel personnel to direct you to the nearest eKiosk: there is a growing number of these facilities throughout the city. The typical charge is just $0.20 per minute, with a $2.00 minimum. Other Internet-access points are listed in the directory on this page; Kinkos is an outlet with several Las Vegas locations open 24 hours.

To place a call within Las Vegas and environs, omit the 702 area code. When telephoning outside the area, you will need to dial a 1, followed by the appropriate area code and seven-digit number. Local calls cost 35 cents for three minutes. The easiest way to pay for long-distance calls is to insert your credit card. As elsewhere in the world, calls made from hotel rooms cost a great deal more than those made from pay phones.

You’ll find public telephones, or pay phones, outside supermarkets and gas stations, and in restaurants, hotels, and casinos all around the area. When they’re inside buildings, phones are usually located near the restrooms.

If you want to rent a cell phone during your stay, consult the local yellow pages or have the hotel concierge obtain one for you.

Most major hotels have business centers for guests’ use (although not for free) equipped with the latest computers; some also offer secretarial services and have guest rooms equipped with “dataports” for computers, fax, and internet usage.

If you need to send international telegrams, ask hotel personnel where to find the nearest Western Union office. You can also use Western Union for wiring funds.

You can have incoming mail sent either direct to your hotel or to “General Delivery” at any US Post Office in the city. Two post offices that are conveniently located for visitors are the Downtown Station and the General Mail Facility.

Any street intersecting with Las Vegas Boulevard South means slow traffic, but drivers should avoid the Tropicana–Las Vegas Boulevard intersection altogether, if possible: it is the busiest intersection in the city and can take 15 minutes or more to get through.

Although the Strip and the five-block Fremont Street Experience pedestrian mall are considered safe at any time, certain areas in North Las Vegas and on S. Maryland Parkway, around Sunrise Hospital, are not. The area north of Las Vegas library on Las Vegas Boulevard North is perhaps the roughest neighborhood in town. Do not walk there.

Rings of confidence tricksters – men and women – frequently operate in Nevada, with all sorts of scams. They prey primarily, but not exclusively, on the elderly. Beware anyone who approaches you with an offer that seems too good to be true, and never agree to collect jackpot winnings for another person on the promise that you’ll be paid for doing so. Card sharps in particular look for suckers. Don’t be one: if a deals sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Men are lured inside with bold promises, persuaded to pay extraordinary amounts for watered-down drinks, then sent on their way, not necessarily with the promised sexual favors. Prostitution is legal in the state of Nevada except in five counties, including Clark County. Las Vegas is in Clark County, so apprehended prostitutes and their customers are subject to fines and imprisonment.

Don’t wear expensive jewelry: it alerts robbers or pickpockets to the fact that you would be a lucrative target. Keep valuables in your room safe if there is one, or in the hotel’s safe if there isn’t. Keep your belongings with you at all times: the excitement of the bright lights, music, and carnival atmosphere can be distracting. If you win a large amount of money, ask for it in the form of a check rather than cash. Casinos will also provide security escorts for customers who request them.

Do not allow youngsters under the age of 16 to go out on their own; children under 12 should not go without adults to malls or game arcades, even if they are in a group.

Avoid poorly lighted garages and parking lots at night, especially when they seem deserted. Lock your car doors even when you are driving. Put all packages and luggage in the trunk. When you leave your car at valet parking, it’s wise to remove anything of value and have only your car and trunk keys on the key-ring.

Cold soup and warm potato salad are potential sources of food poisoning, so when eating at buffets make sure that the food that is supposed to be hot is hot, and the food that is supposed to be cold is cold.

It’s up to you, of course, whether you give money to panhandlers (beggars), but you might consider contributing instead to charities that provide food and shelter for the homeless.

Give your body a chance to become acclimated upon arrival before engaging in strenuous activity, especially if you have traveled a long distance or from a much different climate or altitude. Because of the dry weather, for example, people prone to nose-bleeds may experience problems.

Nevada’s low humidity means that you must drink plenty of fluids each day (alcoholic beverages don’t count), especially during the summer. Dehydration and heat stroke account for many emergency medical service calls.

Slather on the sun-screen whenever you go outdoors, not just when at the hotel pool. Even when the Nevada sunlight is filtered through clouds, it can burn.

Pollution caused by blowing desert dust, vehicle emissions, and microscopic grit from construction sites can be a problem for people with respiratory problems.

Temperature gauge

People with allergies to dust and sagebrush may have a problem in Las Vegas. However, most people with arthritis find that the low humidity is more comfortable for them than climates with higher humidity.

Drinking too much is easy in the casinos’ party atmosphere of bright lights and free drinks. It’s up to you how much you indulge, but do not even think about driving afterward. Under Nevada law, the blood alcohol level at which a person is presumed intoxicated is 0.1 percent and can bring about a court appearance and heavy fine if the driver is stopped by police. In the case of an accident involving fatalities, it can result in imprisonment.

Travel insurance may not be mandatory for visitors to the USA, but it is emphatically recommended because emergency medical and dental care can be extremely expensive. In most cases, people incurring medical expenses are required to make payment (or arrangement for it) before leaving the clinic, hospital, or physician’s office.

Remember that there are no clocks in casinos: the excitement of gaming may make you forget to take your regular medications. (Also be aware of those that shouldn’t be taken with alcohol.) To have prescriptions filled, go either to drugstores (pharmacies) or the pharmacy departments of supermarkets, several of which are open 24 hours.

Since Las Vegas has more tourists than any other US destination, the medical professional is especially mindful of the need for in-room service (not usual in the USA). If you develop a condition that requires medical attention, Inn-House Doctor, Inc. offers free telephone consultations and the doctors make hotel visits if necessary. Harmon Medical Center offers a walk-in clinic and is open 24 hours daily; you will need medical insurance and some ID to use this service. House Call Physicians specializes in in-room care for most types of medical problems.

Be sure to carry drinking water. A gallon per person per day is suggested. The outdoor enthusiasts’ greatest dangers are from hypothermia (extreme over-cooling) and heat-stroke (extreme over-heating). Preventing dehydration helps avoid the latter. Carry water for your car, too. Even the radiators of new cars can overheat when outside temperatures hit 120°F (nearly 50°C).

Be sure your car is in good mechanical condition and that it has a full gas tank. Stay on paved roads; do not drive on the shoulder, if possible, because there is danger of being trapped in the sand.

Don’t try to drive through flooded areas. If water begins to rise over the road, it is actually best to abandon your car and move to high ground.

Never venture into the desert alone, and don’t go hiking without a map and a good compass, even if you have a Global Positioning System (GPS).

Whenever you go hiking in the desert, advise a park ranger or other responsible person of your destination and estimated time of return. In case you become lost, search and rescue teams can work more effectively if they have information to guide them.

Layered clothing slows dehydration and minimizes exposure. Summer temperatures up to 125°F (52°C). are not uncommon, and winter temperatures can plunge below freezing. During the course of a typical day and night, there may be a huge variation in temperature.

Always carry a first-aid kit when hiking. Every hiker over the age of 12 should know CPR and basic first aid.

Beware of rattlesnakes and scorpions. Before you go, learn how to treat their bites (getting medical help as quickly as possible is recommended). Other dangerous animals and insects that live in the desert are gila monsters, mountain lions, wild boar, bears, killer bees, and centipedes. Wildlife may seem tame but will attack if they feel threatened or that their young are in danger.

Wear a hat to help prevent heatstroke whenever you are subjected to the desert sun’s rays in the middle of the day – even when it is overcast. Even if you spend only minutes outside, you should protect your skin with sunscreen and use lip balm. Moisturizer is helpful in the desert climate as well.

Camping in city parks is generally not permitted. Camping in state and national parks is permitted in spaces designated for that use, and some off-trail overnight camping for hikers is allowed. Most state and national park and recreation area campgrounds have a first come, first served policy, so arrive early to have a better chance of getting a site. However, since other campgrounds require reservations, you’ll need to contact them in advance. Be sure to obey all campground rules regarding fires, keeping pets on a leash, and the disposal of trash.

There are only 15 tent sites at Red Rock Canyon but if you are lucky enough to find one free you can stay up to 14 days. There are also tent sites at Mt. Charleston and campsites around Lake Mead.

Make reservations at privately owned campgrounds as far in advance as possible. As camping increases in popularity, it is more difficult to get a space without reservations. This is especially true during the summer when schoolchildren are on vacation and in the early autumn, a favorite holiday time for seniors.

It’s especially important to reserve early if you want to stay at one of the casino camping facilities. Circusland RV Park is adjacent to Circus Circus on the Strip, and Sam’s Town RV Park is near Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall.

Laughlin is the most RV-friendly area in southern Nevada. Recreational vehicles can be parked in its casino parking lots overnight and there are several recreational vehicle parks on the other side of the Colorado River in Bullhead City, Arizona.

If you would like to rent a recreational vehicle while you’re in Las Vegas, you can choose from more than half a dozen rental companies. You will find them listed in the yellow pages of the Las Vegas telephone directory and on the Internet.

Never camp in or near a dry wash (the course water takes when it rains) because of the potential for flash floods. Do not camp on the top of a large hill because of the danger from lightning and extreme winds.

If you are camping in the desert when heavy rains begin, move to high ground immediately – at least 30 to 40 ft (10 m) above the canyon floor or bottom of a dry wash is recommended.

To rent a houseboat, contact either Seven Crown Resorts or Forever Resorts well in advance. The Forever Resorts marina at Callville Bay, the closer of the two, is about a 45-minute drive from the Las Vegas Strip.

Take your personal travel style into consideration when choosing where to stay. If you like action and don’t mind noise, you will want to stay on the Strip or downtown. If gaming will play only a minor part in your holiday, you will be better off staying at a hostelry that doesn’t have a casino.

The easiest way to reserve Las Vegas rooms is by having a travel agent book them for you. However, travel agents often do not have access to money-saving resources or time to access them.

Almost all major Las Vegas hotel/casinos have their own Web sites on which they offer online bookings and advertise promotions. These are listed under their main entries within this book.

Explore the many airline/ accommodations packages. The least expensive of these are gambling junkets that usually include airline flights and two- to four-night hotel stays, based on double occupancy. There are often, but not always, several hotel choices in various price categories.

To make the most satisfactory room arrangements, phone the hotel directly to talk with a reservationist. By discussing your needs with a person who knows the hotel intimately, you have more assurance of getting that room with a certain view, on a lower (or higher) floor, or near the elevator, etc.

For rock-bottom Las Vegas room rates, time your stay to coincide with the days preceding and following New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (or the entire weekend if New Year falls within one), as well as the days between the National Finals Rodeo and Christmas.

Room rates are usually higher over weekends and can more than quadruple when there is a major convention at the hotel or nearby (see Ways to Save Money).

National parks in the USA have become extremely popular in recent years – especially those in the American southwest. The effect of this is that booking accommodations within the parks, as well as whitewater rafting and mule rides at Grand Canyon should be made at least a year in advance. Otherwise, you will have to stay in an outlying area.

Accommodations in Laughlin, Boulder City, Mesquite, and areas within the Las Vegas orbit are not as difficult to obtain nor as expensive as most of those in Las Vegas or Henderson.