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"So how did you do?" everyone always asks.
This is a difficult question to answer, but this time is the first time I have actually taken account of most of my expenses for the trip; I did not take count of tips. I expect I tipped somewhat over $100 this trip, but that is an estimate rather than an exact amount. I also did not count what I bought in stores. That does not seem to be part of a vacation as I spend money shopping at home too. This time I guess I bought about $69 in watches at the Laughlin Riverside Watchman store (4 nice watches) and a few decks of cards for the local poker games. Not much shopping. Too hot.
I spent 12 days in Vegas, sleeping 11 nights. I decided to figure my average daily expense by using the 11 night figure since one day on each end was cut in half for traveling.
AIRFARE - This was a free one, earned by the Southwest Rapid Rewards charge card by charging everything possible and paying each month so no interest needed to be paid. There was a $59 a year fee, and a $5 travel fee but I got three free flights this year, so I'll give this trip a $25 expense for air travel or $2.00 a day.
FOOD - Adding all my expenses for food and drinks (excluding tips) I averaged $3.32 a night. Usually I just eat one buffet a day and snack, but I had so much free food this trip that actually I overate on that amount of money. The "only eat if it is nearly free" is usually a way I can do buffets without overdoing my diet, but it did not limit me this trip. Still, I did not gain weight. Go figure.
HOTEL - My hotel fees averaged just $12 a night. Only two free nights were based on previous play. Those were at the California based on Main Street Station play.
TRANSPORTATION - My trip from the airport to downtown after Laughlin could have been a $1.25 expense, but I got the day pass at $2.50. Add in the $109 for the shuttle to Laughlin and back and a $4 river taxi fee and one more bus day pass at $2.50 and you get $10.72 cents a night for transportation.
GAMBLING LOSSES - In the eleven days I lost $709. This may to some experienced gamblers look like I was lucky in spots or did not gamble very long. I was not lucky. My greatest variance was one VP session in which I dropped $300 and another live 3/6 session in which I lost another $300. Both happened in the same day. The rest of my gambling just about broke even. In fact, if you take off the little bit of slot play I did here and there, I would be even except for those sessions. I gambled probably 80% of my time. Live poker sessions included four all nighters, one ending at 7:30 AM which I had started 14 hours earlier with just one break for a comedy show.
ENTERTAINMENT - I just did not do much besides gamble, swim, sleep and eat this trip. I spent an hour watching a great jazz band. That was free. I saw a $20 comedy act. So my entertainment expense was under $2 a day.
So total trip expense without gambling was $28.31 per day.
Total with gambling losses figured in was $94.76 a day.
I often have a conversation with non gambling friends who shake their heads at the thought of losing $700 by gambling. I hope this kind of mathematics will convince them that my extravagances are minor compared to their vacations where many will spend $100 on a single meal. Advantage player gambling reduces losses during losing sessions and increases winnings during winning sessions. What is a $700 loss one trip may easily change to a $700 win another because the mathematical mean of my own style of gamblling falls pretty close to break even before comps. And while some of these savings this time are comps or points earned other trips, I also kept up my daily average at Main Street station and seeded the VP at Aquarious and River Palms so that I hope to get some newbie generated free room offers. I walked away from the River Palms poker room with four certificates for free nights good even on weekends. So whatever points I used up this trip from previous gambling may be offset by gambling this trip to establish similar comps next visit
We are limited on works for each post. On my blog are more details arranged in categories like: Hotels, Food, Transportation, Meetups, Comedy and Jazz, laughlin, Characters of the El Cortez................just skim for interests.
on my blog: http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/
This is a difficult question to answer, but this time is the first time I have actually taken account of most of my expenses for the trip; I did not take count of tips. I expect I tipped somewhat over $100 this trip, but that is an estimate rather than an exact amount. I also did not count what I bought in stores. That does not seem to be part of a vacation as I spend money shopping at home too. This time I guess I bought about $69 in watches at the Laughlin Riverside Watchman store (4 nice watches) and a few decks of cards for the local poker games. Not much shopping. Too hot.
I spent 12 days in Vegas, sleeping 11 nights. I decided to figure my average daily expense by using the 11 night figure since one day on each end was cut in half for traveling.
AIRFARE - This was a free one, earned by the Southwest Rapid Rewards charge card by charging everything possible and paying each month so no interest needed to be paid. There was a $59 a year fee, and a $5 travel fee but I got three free flights this year, so I'll give this trip a $25 expense for air travel or $2.00 a day.
FOOD - Adding all my expenses for food and drinks (excluding tips) I averaged $3.32 a night. Usually I just eat one buffet a day and snack, but I had so much free food this trip that actually I overate on that amount of money. The "only eat if it is nearly free" is usually a way I can do buffets without overdoing my diet, but it did not limit me this trip. Still, I did not gain weight. Go figure.
HOTEL - My hotel fees averaged just $12 a night. Only two free nights were based on previous play. Those were at the California based on Main Street Station play.
TRANSPORTATION - My trip from the airport to downtown after Laughlin could have been a $1.25 expense, but I got the day pass at $2.50. Add in the $109 for the shuttle to Laughlin and back and a $4 river taxi fee and one more bus day pass at $2.50 and you get $10.72 cents a night for transportation.
GAMBLING LOSSES - In the eleven days I lost $709. This may to some experienced gamblers look like I was lucky in spots or did not gamble very long. I was not lucky. My greatest variance was one VP session in which I dropped $300 and another live 3/6 session in which I lost another $300. Both happened in the same day. The rest of my gambling just about broke even. In fact, if you take off the little bit of slot play I did here and there, I would be even except for those sessions. I gambled probably 80% of my time. Live poker sessions included four all nighters, one ending at 7:30 AM which I had started 14 hours earlier with just one break for a comedy show.
ENTERTAINMENT - I just did not do much besides gamble, swim, sleep and eat this trip. I spent an hour watching a great jazz band. That was free. I saw a $20 comedy act. So my entertainment expense was under $2 a day.
So total trip expense without gambling was $28.31 per day.
Total with gambling losses figured in was $94.76 a day.
I often have a conversation with non gambling friends who shake their heads at the thought of losing $700 by gambling. I hope this kind of mathematics will convince them that my extravagances are minor compared to their vacations where many will spend $100 on a single meal. Advantage player gambling reduces losses during losing sessions and increases winnings during winning sessions. What is a $700 loss one trip may easily change to a $700 win another because the mathematical mean of my own style of gamblling falls pretty close to break even before comps. And while some of these savings this time are comps or points earned other trips, I also kept up my daily average at Main Street station and seeded the VP at Aquarious and River Palms so that I hope to get some newbie generated free room offers. I walked away from the River Palms poker room with four certificates for free nights good even on weekends. So whatever points I used up this trip from previous gambling may be offset by gambling this trip to establish similar comps next visit
We are limited on works for each post. On my blog are more details arranged in categories like: Hotels, Food, Transportation, Meetups, Comedy and Jazz, laughlin, Characters of the El Cortez................just skim for interests.
on my blog: http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/