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More random questions! Shows: -Is Zarkana any good? Some people seem to think it's not as good as Love/Ka/O. But better than Criss Angel and Zumanity right? If going for free were an option, would it be worth it? -Absinthe is universally acclaimed and awesome right? -My wife and I aren't club people, but shows we like. I'm thinking of doing Zarkana(free)/Absinthe/Penn&Teller/Michael Jackson? Is that a good lineup? Other: -Is the Adventuredome just for kids? We're going to do Stratosphere rides but should we even bother with the Adventuredome? Freemont: -Are there any casino attractions downtown one should check out other than the Golden Nugget's ...nugget? -I'm mostly going on a weekend like a doofus and was wondering if I'd be able to get 5 dollar craps and blackjack downtown on a weekend. If not, I'll wait til the weekdays I'll be there. I'll probably ask some museum questions later. Mostly if I should make time for Atomic testing/Mob museums or if they kinda suck.
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Jan 22, 2014 05:29
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TheReverend posted:-My wife and I aren't club people, but shows we like. I'm thinking of doing Zarkana(free)/Absinthe/Penn&Teller/Michael Jackson? Is that a good lineup? I can confirm that Absinthe and Penn and Teller are good choices.
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Jan 22, 2014 06:48
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TheReverend posted:More random questions! Downtown owns and you should definitely do your gambling there on the weekend. Here's some thoughts from my recent trip (1/10 through 1/14): Gambling: I played craps at several places downtown. Here's how minimums and odds sorted out: Golden Nugget: 3-4-5x odds, $10 minimums on Friday night, Saturday afternoon and night, and Sunday night, $5 tables available at other times. Fremont: 2x odds (boo), $3 minimums available at all times except Friday night. Plaza: 3-4-5x odds, $5 table on Monday night (the only time I went). El Cortez: 10x odds, $5 table one night (Saturday probably), $3 at all other times. It ended up being a very successful weekend. Low rolling allowed me to play max odds at places which really cuts into the house edge. All four casinos generally had good dealers. I had a blast at the Plaza holding down a table entirely by myself and chatting with the dealer crew, and I swear the dealers and pit boss at the El Cortez were all college kids which was kinda goofy (one representative conversation was about the merits of different frozen pizza brands). Penny and nickel slots remained my preferred way to get drinks, and an early $20 win meant I essentially played slots for free all weekend. I can't speak specifics to blackjack but I imagine it's pretty similar. Attractions: -Went to the Mob Museum. It was well done and worth the price of admission. It can drag on a little long...I was ready to sit down by the time I got to the end. -I enjoyed checking out Fremont East and the Downtown Container Park. I work as an urban planner, so I'm guessing a lot of people don't geek out over downtown revitalization stuff like I do, but it's an interesting project. Seems like they have a decent amount of movies/music on the lawn there too. Dining: -Eat was a great place for lunch. Note that they don't do dinner. -Park on Fremont is funky (I'm sure some would accuse it of trying too hard, but I liked it), has a great beer list, and amazing macaroni and cheese balls for bar snacks. Also they gave us flowers for happy hour because why not. -If you like bagels with lox but never buy it because it's really expensive, go to the Golden Nugget breakfast buffet and eat your weight in smoked salmon like I did for like $13.  Downtown: why would you go anywhere else?
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Jan 25, 2014 22:19
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Nice Davis posted:Gambling: I played craps at several places downtown. Here's how minimums and odds sorted out: Main Street Station is 20x. Used to be 100x until not too long ago. I've never seen them without a $5 table, but I don't go Downtown all that often.
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Jan 26, 2014 07:00
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Ok thanks guys! I've been to the El Cortez on a Tuesday or something. I left with emphysema, but it was cheap craps!
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Jan 26, 2014 17:54
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Anyone been to the Downtown Grand yet? Thinking about a visit next month - hotel looks pretty neat and it seems to be close to some of the new development downtown.
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Jan 27, 2014 08:22
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Bobalbmi posted:Anyone been to the Downtown Grand yet? Thinking about a visit next month - hotel looks pretty neat and it seems to be close to some of the new development downtown. I've walked around inside but haven't stayed or eaten there. It's nice, you can tell they put a lot of money into it, looks like they planned everything out very well... but it's not "special" in a "HOLY poo poo YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS PLACE" kind of way. But maybe there's a restaurant there that would make it a must-see.
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Jan 27, 2014 18:06
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Spike McAwesome posted:I've walked around inside but haven't stayed or eaten there. It's nice, you can tell they put a lot of money into it, looks like they planned everything out very well... but it's not "special" in a "HOLY poo poo YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS PLACE" kind of way. Hmmm...thanks. The place (from the website) reminds me kind of the poor man's Cosmopolitan. Got a cheap rate so might be a good jumping off point into Downtown.
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Jan 29, 2014 00:56
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Does anyone have a preference between the Monte Carlo and Harrahs? prices are essentially the same for the time period I'm going.
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Jan 30, 2014 20:58
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I like Monte Carlo more (both the casino and the rooms) but I like Harrah's location better. If the prices are essentially equal, I choose Monte Carlo but there isn't really a bad choice here.
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Feb 1, 2014 06:44
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Harrah's you are right next to tram, so going up and down strip is a lot quicker. I like Monte Carlo as a casino better though, so it's really six of one half dozen of another.
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Feb 2, 2014 04:46
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Stupid Post Maker posted:Does anyone have a preference between the Monte Carlo and Harrahs? prices are essentially the same for the time period I'm going. I have stayed at the Monte Carlo the last few times I've been to Vegas. Pros: - Food court open 24/7 (mcdonalds, starbucks, chinese food, japanese food, pizza place, etc) - Decently priced table games - Tram connects right to the building and takes you up the strip in no time flat. - Room Prices are relatively cheap - Pub with over 300 beers plus decently priced/tasty food Cons: - Lackluster rooms - nothing fancy about these (but I don't care) - Pool is pretty small
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Feb 6, 2014 00:35
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1)Grand Canyon: Where should I sleep? 2)LAS Rent-a-Car: Which company isn't awful?
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Feb 9, 2014 00:00
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If you're up for staying in Flagstaff then I'd recommend the Hotel Monte Vista. Cool older place right in the heart of downtown with two restaurants and a bar in the lower level. We got the room with the shared bath and never had an issue waiting to use it. The Hotel Weatherford seems like a similar type of place...I can't vouch for the rooms there, but I can vouch for the awesome second floor bar with a corner balcony overlooking town.
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Feb 9, 2014 20:03
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This is a great thread and I have expanded my list of things to do. Next week my wife and I are bringing our exchange students to Las Vegas with us. We'll hit the HD, Zion, Death Valley and the GC. I've got a couple questions. 1) We are staying on strip, any recommendations on things to do with 16 & 18 year old boys? 2) I hear tell of Silverton 2-1 buffet coupons. How do I go about getting a couple of those? Ok, three questions. 3) Does anyone want to shoot guns next week? Thanks Goons.
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Feb 10, 2014 21:45
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simpleranger posted:1) We are staying on strip, any recommendations on things to do with 16 & 18 year old boys? -Indoor skydiving -Bellagio fountains -Mirage Volcano -NYNY coaster -Stratosphere rides. -Sharkreef. -Penn and Teller? -Pinball museum. Most of these are doable on strip or by shuttle/bus or car.
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Feb 13, 2014 06:47
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TheReverend posted:Eh if it isn't too late here's what I would have liked at their age: Thanks. I hadn't considered the Stratosphere for some reason. I'll subject them to the TI show too.
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Feb 14, 2014 00:43
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Stupid Post Maker posted:Does anyone have a preference between the Monte Carlo and Harrahs? prices are essentially the same for the time period I'm going. I just stayed at Monte Carlo. Rooms were very "meh" and the pool was closed most of our trip. It was the winter though. There was also a ton of construction on the front of the hotel and the adjacent NY, NY that kind of ruined the walking experience.
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Feb 14, 2014 00:49
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simpleranger posted:Thanks. I hadn't considered the Stratosphere for some reason. I'll subject them to the TI show too. Nice Davis posted:Sirens of TI is permanently closed: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/nov/25/sirens-ti-pirate-show/ e: Seconding pinball museum pig slut lisa fucked around with this message at 05:02 on Feb 14, 2014 |
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Feb 14, 2014 01:02
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Pinball Museum is pretty much the best thing ever. I'll never get tired of it.
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Feb 14, 2014 05:19
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Australian here about to embark on my first step off this horrid island late April. My partner and I (both 25) will be staying in Vegas for 4 nights. We don't have anything planned at the moment and my girlfriend is keen to just wing it but I like to have a good idea of how to maximise the time we have. So far I was thinking of staying at the Rio because I really want to see Penn and Teller. I understand that you don't have to stay at the place of the shows you want to see but the price seems reasonable and discounts that show. What else is on at the moment that is really worth seeing (broad question I know, surely 100s of shows on)? Is the Rio a good place to stay or would somewhere else be better? FWIW, accomm + show tickets for our dates is approx $350. I'd like to do a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon, preferably one that lands. Any recommendations? I'm not huge on gambling but I do enjoy the atmosphere. Is it suspect to just want to wander around a casino and not play? We will have a car during our stay so getting around is no issue, with that in mind what kind of attractions are there off-strip that are worth going out of our way for? I understand my questions are probably extremely vague given the enormity of Las Vegas but I'm just trying to make the most of what little time we have.
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Feb 14, 2014 12:46
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4 Days is actually a pretty good length of stay for Las Vegas. What days are you going? What is your budget? I think you could do better than the Rio. You could probably stay on-strip at a nicer hotel for not much more. I feel like I'm pretty good at shopping hotels so let me know the dates and budget and I'll help you if you like. Gambling: All the casinos from the dinky smoke filled basement ones to the luxury casinos will have cheap machines to play if you just want to play a little. You could easily make it worth your while to play nickel slots and get your money's worth on free drinks. If you want to play table games, then avoid the luxury and strip casinos. Go Downtown, you can play table games for less over there. But yeah you can totally just wander around. They want you to do that so maybe you impulse-play a game or get a drink from a bar or go to a restaurant/shop etc. My wife and I walked around the Wynn and Encore casinos just because they're beautiful. Car: Go Downtown at least once. It's a whole different vibe. If you like to drink/party though you might want to take a cab so you're not intoxicated. I feel a little slighted I didn't get to spend as much time down there as I wanted to last time I went. Other non-strip places to see: -Pinball museum -Atomic Testing museum. -Red Rock Canyon
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Feb 14, 2014 17:40
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How much of a buy-in / blinds are at most tables on the strip?
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Feb 14, 2014 19:29
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TheReverend posted:What days are you going? What is your budget? Awesome, thanks for all that. We'll be there the 21st-25th of April which will be Monday to Friday. Budget is flexible, just nothing too ridiculous like Caesars Palace (priced it around $800 for the 4 nights). TheReverend posted:Other non-strip places to see:
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Feb 14, 2014 23:04
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I'll keep searching, but I found a few proposals. On mlife (the MGM Resorts loyalty program, you can join for free) I see that for a stay of 4/21/ to 4/25 -NYNY 221 for basic non strip view to 289 for a strip view deluxe room with a few option in between -Signature at MGM Grand $361.25 NYNY is absolutely 100% on the strip. I've never been in the rooms but the casino was alright. The Madison Ave is their nicer room and for a strip view for 4 nights under 300 isn't a bad deal in my opinion. Look up the madison ave rooms online. Let me explain the Signature at MGM Grand. MGM Grand is the giant emerald colored structured structure that holds 8000 rooms. The Signature is a group of three luxury towers kinda behind the emerald super structure. Because of this it's technically "off strip". However I stayed there last year for my birthday and it takes just a few minutes of walking to get to the MGM Grand casino. Also, the rooms were baller. Separate Jacuzzi tub, TV in the bathroom, etc . You don't even have to go outside there is a series of moving walkways. The cool thing about staying at MGM Grand is that there is a monorail station there. A lot of people make fun of it, but I liked taking it to the north strip and walking back as a drunk madman. Anyways, it's late and I need to go to bed so here's a brief summary. NYNY seems like a good deal, esp if you are content with just having a nice place to stay and don't need over the top luxury. You get the benefit of going from room to strip in a short amount of time. Signature @ MGM is slightly pricier but you get a really really nice room. Everyone there treats you like a king. Takes a little while longer to get the strip. 361 for 4 nights is a really good deal. And as always, every single room in Las Vegas in price exclusive of stupid resort fees. I'll look at CET rooms for you tomorrow.
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Feb 15, 2014 08:08
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The Reverend posted:Pinball Museum Nice Davis posted:e: Seconding pinball museum Minty Swagger posted:Pinball Museum We have a winner! Thanks!
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Feb 15, 2014 14:04
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I've stayed at the Rio on a comp before- the rooms are big and that's pretty much it. Sparse furnishings, meh service, and CET isn't sinking any more money into that place any time soon, so it's only downhill from there. Although you'll have a car, you'll probably have a better time staying on strip and just driving/ cabbing/ shuttling over to Rio for P&T. The Flamingo is prime center strip location and the rooms are nice (just make sure you get the GO rooms and not the FAB). As a plus, you'll be right next to the new LINQ area that's up and running. I just stayed at the Cosmopolitan in December and it was ridiculously nice. I have a feeling you'll be spending a decent amount of time hanging out there, so you might want to check out the rooms there - they might push the max of your budget, but they regularly run decent promotions on their facebook page. For example, I got the wraparound terrace suite for ~$190/night on a buy 1 night get 1 free promo.
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Feb 15, 2014 19:55
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Supposedly the following do not have resort fees. Alexis Park Ambassador Strip Inn Travelodge Americas Best Value Inn Arizona Charlies Boulder Arizona Charlie's Decatur Best Western Bill's Gamblin' Hall Bluegreen Club 36 resort Buffalo Bill's California Hotel Claremont Hotel Clarion Hotel Courtyard by Marriott Desert Rose Resort Elara (PH Tower) Emerald Suites Cameron Emerald Suites Las Vegas Four Queens Fremont Hawthorn Inn Holiday Inn Express La Quinta Inn M Resort Main Street Station Marriott Platinum Hotel and Spa Primm Valley Resort Renaissance Las Vegas Residence Inn Royal Resort Siena Suites Hotel Skylofts Super 8 Koval Vegas Club Whiskey Pete's Wyndham Grand Desert http://www.lasvegasdirect.com/las-vegas-hotel-resort-fees.html Re: Length of visit, I have decided 2 travel days + 3 "in Vegas" days to be just about right.
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Feb 17, 2014 20:27
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TheReverend posted:
kri kri fucked around with this message at 08:01 on Mar 2, 2014 |
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Mar 2, 2014 07:54
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The best answer is to shop around. Vegas.com got my and my wife from ATL to LAS for 3 nights in the signature for 900 dollars. Your problem is going to be twofold. 1)You're less than 30 days out. I think the best time to buy airfare is around the 60 day mark. Not always true for everyone but you're getting mighty close to your travel days and the airfare is going to be more expensive. 2)You want to do it on a weekend. So does everyone else (and all those weekender fuckheads from SoCal [I'm secretly jealous as I'd love to be one of those people] ). If you can be a little flexible you'll save some. For example, on the first weekend. The airfare from MSP to LAS and back is 470 at the cheapest nonstop. If you come back on Monday it's only 388.
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Mar 2, 2014 17:57
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TheReverend posted:2)You want to do it on a weekend during March loving Madness. Fixed that for you.
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Mar 3, 2014 01:53
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Spike McAwesome posted:Fixed that for you. Oh poo poo didn't think of that.
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Mar 3, 2014 01:57
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Spike McAwesome posted:Fixed that for you. Good point. Its not set in stone so I might push it back a week or so, thanks. Kayak has a pretty good package feature, I am finding some pretty good deals.
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Mar 3, 2014 02:47
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Are there any games that I can enjoy at some $50 / hour? Slots can go as low as 1c/ spin but they are mindless, it's not even a game. No limit poker is $100 buy in at least, live roulette is $10 per spin... The closest thing I found is electronic roulette at $3 per spin but if you play every spin even that won't last an hour.
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Mar 3, 2014 13:05
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Doctor Malaver posted:Are there any games that I can enjoy at some $50 / hour? Slots can go as low as 1c/ spin but they are mindless, it's not even a game. No limit poker is $100 buy in at least, live roulette is $10 per spin... The closest thing I found is electronic roulette at $3 per spin but if you play every spin even that won't last an hour. Learn the basics of craps and bet on the pass/don't pass line. Pretty much break even odds.
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Mar 3, 2014 14:16
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Doctor Malaver posted:Are there any games that I can enjoy at some $50 / hour? Slots can go as low as 1c/ spin but they are mindless, it's not even a game. No limit poker is $100 buy in at least, live roulette is $10 per spin... The closest thing I found is electronic roulette at $3 per spin but if you play every spin even that won't last an hour. theOctagon posted:Learn the basics of craps and bet on the pass/don't pass line. Pretty much break even odds. Seconding this. In addition to being super fun, craps has the best odds of any table game in the casino. A lot of people miss out on this because they're afraid of how confusing craps looks, but it pretty simple (especially the pass line). If you don't know how to play, I would recommend heading downtown one morning and watching the daily class at the Golden Nugget. Then cross the street to the Fremont or a couple blocks down to El Cortez and start playing the pass line at $3 with 2x odds. You can throw down another $3 come bet now and then and take 2x odds on that. A pass line bet with those odds has a per-roll house edge of 0.18%...insanely low. So at ~150-200 rolls per hour, your expected loss would be around $30/hour. Stay away from sucker bets like hardways unless (until?) you're feeling flush. If that was a lot of scary numbers (and believe me, I get feeling nervous about craps), just head up to a slow table, stand near a dealer, throw $50 down, and tell them you'd like to play the minimum on the pass line. They'll help you out. Edit: actually I think I hosed up my math and your expected hourly loss would be more in the neighborhood of $5. So...even better! pig slut lisa fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Mar 3, 2014 |
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Mar 3, 2014 14:40
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Doctor Malaver posted:Are there any games that I can enjoy at some $50 / hour? Slots can go as low as 1c/ spin but they are mindless, it's not even a game. No limit poker is $100 buy in at least, live roulette is $10 per spin... The closest thing I found is electronic roulette at $3 per spin but if you play every spin even that won't last an hour. Maybe video poker? It's not completely mindless like slots, at least.
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Mar 3, 2014 16:31
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The bovada.lv practice craps game is actually pretty good if you want to dick around with how it works.
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Mar 3, 2014 16:43
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Pai Gow poker is about 40% to push, so money can last a long drat time... assuming you avoid betting the bonus, etc.
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Mar 4, 2014 10:52
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Spike McAwesome posted:Pai Gow poker is about 40% to push, so money can last a long drat time... assuming you avoid betting the bonus, etc. Seconding this, unless you run into my luck. Harrah's has Guiness and Newcastle, which ain't bad choices considering the other swill most Strip casinos throw at you when you ask for a beer while gaming. And no one besides the dealer will judge you if you end up shitfaced at the table. At least it never seemed that way to me.  Although, now that has me wondering: If one were to game at Monte Carlo, say, and wanted to drink beers from the Pub, could a cocktail waitress feasibly do that? For the right price, I'm sure. Would probably be more worth it to just get up and get it myself and carry it back.
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Mar 4, 2014 19:31
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