Navigating the Local Casino Scene: Practical Tips

Going to the casino is one of the most exciting - and possibly lucrative - experiences someone can have. There’s just something about walking into the casino, seeing the rows of slots, the groups of table games. It’s an experience that is unlike any other. Whether you’re an experienced gambler or just looking to have a fun weekend with friends, there is a lot that goes into maximizing and navigating a successful casino trip. That’s why today, we’re going to break down some helpful tips and guidelines that will help you find your way through. It’s easy to get caught up in all the excitement a casino trip can bring, but by taking a step back and following these tips, you’ll be able to enjoy everything a casino has to offer to its fullest! So let’s dive in!

The Best Times To Visit

Other than choosing which hotel / casino to stay at, choosing the best TIME to visit is one of the most important decisions that goes into planning a casino trip. You might not think it would matter, but choosing the WRONG time could turn your excitement into a letdown very quickly. So let’s take a look at some things you should consider when choosing a time to visit a casino…

• The Weekends or the Weekdays?

Depending on how long your trip is, you might have the choice of either staying on only weekends or weekdays. It’s no surprise that weekends are the busier time. People have off work and school and can afford a short on or two day trip. This means that the casino floor will be more crowded. You might have to wait for a seat at a table or at your favorite slot. You might also have to wait longer for a reservation as a restaurant or bar you’ve been wanting to try out. The crowds will be bigger, things will be livelier. Also, rooms will be much more expensive on the weekend - and that will be the case at every hotel. They know people prefer the weekends since they are off work, so the prices will reflect that.

However, if that’s your cup of tea, then weekends would be an ideal time to visit. If you prefer larger crowds, more players at the tables, more people at the bars, more people at the hotel then a weekend stay is the perfect time for you.

But if you prefer things to be a little quieter and not as hectic, staying on a weekday would be better suited for you. The casino floor will be less crowded, the hotel itself will be less crowded. That means less time waiting for reservations at the restaurant or the spa. And - maybe more importantly - rooms will be cheaper. If you find yourself with a few days off and prefer a quieter casino experience, book your stay over the weekday.

But no matter what day of the week you decide on, if your main objective is to gamble, then it won’t matter what day of the week you pick. Sure, the tables might be busier on a Saturday night compared to a Wednesday night, but the games themselves won’t change. They’ll still be there waiting for you and will come with the same excitement as always.

• Gaming Hours

And speaking of gambling, different times will bring different experiences - you might just need some coffee. If you want to stay away from busy tables, try visiting the casino floor on what they call “off hours”. Those are basically the hours early in the morning or very late at night. The floor will be thinned out and players will find a much more intimate gaming experience. You’ll be able to speak to the dealer and connect with any other players who might be there as well. So if you’re a night owl or an early worm, these two options could be your way of maximizing your casino trip.

• Shows and Special Events

This will again depend on the type of experience you’re looking to have. Casinos will always promote shows, concerts and special events like boxing matches months in advance. If your favorite musical act is preforming then that’s the time for you. However, if not, these shows and special events can bring with them even larger crowds than would typically show up even on a weekend. So if you prefer a quieter trip to the casino, make sure you keep an eye out for any shows or events the casino might be putting on during the time you intend to stay.

Another reason to keep a watch on this is because a highly sought after concert or anticipated boxing match will make room prices go up - way up.

And if we’re talking about Las Vegas, they now have a professional hockey team AND a professional football team - with a professional baseball on the way. Any home game these teams have will bring in more people. People who might decide to hit the casino afterwards. Again, if you prefer a less crowded casino experience then avoiding these dates would be best for you.

• Holidays

The holidays at the casino can be a special time. More often than not, casinos will have special tournaments, special shows, giveaways and a host of other events and promotions that won’t take place any other time of the year. These promotions and other special events can make for a truly once in a lifetime casino experience. Also, holidays tend to be a little less crowded - people tend to want to stay at home with family. So there’s a chance - a good chance - that you can have a casino experience that is both fulfilling and less crowded.

No matter what type of casino experience you’re looking for, there’s a day, date and time for you. All it takes is a little research and you can find the best time for you to enjoy a thrilling and exciting casino experience.

Maximizing Your Budget

It’s no surprise that a trip to the casino can be an expensive endeavor. There’s the gambling, the hotel stay, the travel, the food. It all adds up and can get pretty pricey. That’s why maximizing your budget - in all aspects of a casino trip - is essential. Let’s take a look at how you can do that…

• Gambling Budget

Since gambling is most likely going to be the top activity on your trip, let’s first discuss some ways you can maximize your experience. First off, you want to set yourself a budget and stick to it. That’s the case with any type of gambling - land based or online. Give yourself a predetermined amount to play with and when that’s gone, your playing is done as well. Never, ever, ever chase your losses. That’s they fastest way of turning your casino experience into a disaster.

A good way to do that is to only play with cash. Casino floors are littered with ATM machines, making it very easy for you to reload after a string of losses. Again, that’s asking for trouble. By only playing with cash - and cash only - you can more easily stick to your plan. Once that cash is gone, so are you. And, hey, that cash might not be gone. You could end up a winner! That important thing is that you stick to your limits.

All this goes to the final point on gambling budgets - and that’s knowing when to walk away. If you set yourself limits then that decision should be easy for you to make. If you find yourself on a hot streak and with more money than you started with, knowing when to walk away can be the difference between walking away with profit or walking away with nothing. The important thing is that you never want to lose more than you can afford.

By keeping a strict gambling limit, you can maximize your entire casino experience and make sure the worst you walk away with is a funny story.

• Travel Budget

With so much competition amongst casinos, they are constantly offering deals on hotel rooms. By comparing different hotel and casinos, you can find the best offer which will maximize your travel budget. A lot of hotel casinos will throw in perks like discounts to their restaurants, free gaming chips or discounts to their spas or other amenities. By doing a little digging you can easily find the best deals that work for you.

If you need to fly in, the time of your trip can factor in as well. As we mentioned earlier, weekends are more expensive times to visit casinos. Everything is more expensive. If you can take time for vacations on the weekdays then that’s going to make your dollar go farther. The flights will be cheaper and so will the hotel rooms. There are even travel sites that offer discounts on flights AND rental cars AND hotel rooms. It’s always important to look around and find those deals as they could help make your visit to the casino even better.

• Food Budget

You might be tempted to eat at the best, top rated restaurants. But that’s another way you can easily get your expensive to places you don’t want them to be. There’s nothing wrong with indulging yourself with a top meal, but casinos have SO MANY food options that you don’t have to have a $100 plus meal every single time. Take advantage of buffets, diners and markets that are located within the casino. They’ll often have deals and promotions that will help you both save money AND enjoy a nice meal.

• Take Advantage of the Freebies

You might not think so, but casinos LOVE giving things away. It’s how they attract players and guests and keep them happy and coming back. If you’ve ever been to a Las Vegas casino then you know you can get drinks for free as you play games. Drinks are expensive and can add up, so taking advantage of the free drink service won’t cost you anything - except a little tip to the waiter or waitress.

Other than the free drinks, players and guests can find much more freebies. There are free contests to join with the potential of wining real money. There are raffles and giveaways for free dinners, spa treatments and other amenities. A lot of these freebies are available in a casino’s loyalty rewards program - which we will get into more detail below.

A lot of people might get turned off from visiting the casino because they think it’s too expensive. And while yes, it won’t be as cheap as going to McDonalds, the truth is that you CAN make a casino trip worth every penny. You just have to stick your gambling budget, know when it’s time to walk away, take advantage of all the freebies offered by casinos and search around for the best travel options. Casinos want players and guests, so they’re going to make it easy for you. You just need to find the right time for you and stick to your limits.

Joining Player’s Clubs and Loyalty Programs

You might think that in order to enjoy all the perks of a loyalty and rewards program you have to be a frequent visitor to the casino. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Even if you’re only at the casino for one weekend a year, having a loyalty and rewards card can make a huge difference! Let’s take a look at how these programs can help you through your casino experience…

• They’re Free to Join

This is the best part about loyalty and rewards programs - they’re free! It’s a common misconception that you need to pay to sign up or need to pay monthly dues. Nope! All free. Casinos will have kiosks located all around their casino floor. It’s at these kiosks that you can sign up and start enjoying your loyalty rewards. All you need is a phone number and email. Once you put that information into the kiosk, it will print your card and that’s it! You’re ready to go.

A lot of casinos will often give you a sign up bonus or perk such as free slot play that you can use immediately after signing up.

• How to Use Loyalty and Rewards Program Cards

Now that you know how to get your rewards program card, let’s discuss how to use it. And just like signing up, this is as easy as it gets. Whenever to play a game - it could be slots, blackjack, craps, roulette, poker - it doesn’t matter, ANY game will get you points. All you need to do is give your card to the dealer when you sit down to play. They’ll run it through your system and you will get points for your deposits and playing.

Slots are a little different since you don’t have a dealer. They will have a card reader that you will be able to either swipe or insert your player rewards card in. It will then have all your information and will give you points for each spin - and also will give you the option of using any free play that you might have accrued.

But gaming options aren’t the only way you can get points added to your player rewards card. If you’re eating at one of the casino’s restaurants, grabbing a snack at the diner, a drink at the bar - ANYTHING will get you points. All you have to do is hand your card over and the points will be added to your account.

The idea behind these loyalty and rewards programs are simple. The more you spend, the more points you get back.

• Benefits of Loyalty and Rewards Program

These programs are tiered programs. This means that the more you spend at a casino - whether at the slots, tables or other amenities - you will earn points. The more you earn the higher up in the program you will move. Each level or tier will have different perks. They could be anything from free slot play, cash prizes, free diners, discounts on hotels, free hotels, free tickets to shows and concerts, birthday surprises and many more.

If you ask any professional gambler, they’ll tell you that having a loyalty and / or rewards card is a must. The casino will pay handsomely to players that continue coming back. And since signing up for these programs is free, it’s really a no brainer. Before you know it, you’ll have earned enough points and will be enjoying free game play, dinners and much more.

Navigating Casino Etiquette and Rules

If there’s a quick and easy way to get yourself thrown out of a casino it’s by not respecting the etiquette and rules. Knowing how things work and how to act is a major component to enjoying a positive gaming and casino experience. Let’s dive in to the different ways you can accomplish this…

• Respect the Dealers and the Staff

Dealers and casino staff deal with hundreds or thousands of players DAILY. They often work long hours and are required to be on the feet most of the time. They’re also there to ensure that the games are being played fairly and properly. They’re there to help YOU enjoy your casino experience. Therefore, it’s essential that you treat them with respect. Tip when you can afford to tip. Be polite.

And never blame dealers for your losses. Gambling is a game of luck. Yes, some games like blackjack and poker require some skill and technique, but the dealer is not the reason you lost. The games are not fixed against you. The house may always have an edge, but they are never going out of their way to make it so you lose. That’s why it’s important to never take your frustrations or anger out on the dealer. They’re simply doing a job.

• Know the Game Rules

Not every player that walks into the casino is going to be a professional. However, knowing the basic rules and how to play table games will go a long way in making sure you have an enjoyable and positive casino experience. If you’re a novice, the best thing to do is start at smaller stakes tables. These are tables where the players will most likely be there for fun, enjoying themselves and not taking the game too seriously. The stakes will be low and people will be having a good time. These are the tables where the dealers are more likely to offer tips and give you quick refreshers on the game rules.

Higher stakes tables are not those kinds of tables. The stakes are much higher and because of that, the players are much more serious. They’re playing for big time sums so they expect that everyone who is playing will know the rules. And not just the basic rules but all the ins and outs. They will be much less forgiving if you slow things down or make mistakes.

There’s nothing wrong with being a novice - everyone starts out as one. But when it comes to playing at a casino, you want to make sure that you aren’t ruining someone else’s experience. Find the tables and the games that are easier to understand or come with lower stakes.

• Respect Your Fellow Players

Not everyone will be having the same type of experience. If you’re on a hot streak then there’s most likely a player who is not. Never show off or brag to another player. What you’re doing has nothing to do with them. It’s very likely that your hot streak will turn into a cold streak, so it’s best to enjoy it by yourself. There’s nothing wrong with celebrating with your fellow players on big wins, but never go out of your way to disparage or put down a fellow players. You’re all there to have fun and enjoy yourselves, and having a friendly environment will go a long way to accomplishing that.

• Watch Your Alcohol

As we mentioned - and if you’ve ever been to a casino then you know this is true - alcohol is free to players while you’re playing games. So it’s important - paramount - that you watch your alcohol intake. This is important for a variety of reasons. First off, you’ll be much more likely to control your budget if you aren’t impaired. If you’ve had too much to drink then any limits you may have set yourself are much more likely to be thrown out the window. And as we already stated, that’s the quickest way to getting into serious financial trouble.

Another reason that you will want to watch your alcohol intake is because it’ll go a long way to helping your respect both the dealer and your fellow players. We all enjoy a beverage here and now, but having to much can turn a fun, enjoyable gaming experience into a disaster. No one likes a belligerent player. You’ll ruin the mood and most likely get yourself kicked out of the casino and potentially banned from every coming back.

Respect others costs nothing. And just because casinos are full of gabling and alcohol doesn’t mean that you should throw every proper etiquette out the window.

Conclusion

Navigating a casino can be seen by some as daunting. They are big, bright places where money is being gambled, won, lost and there’s a lot of energy in the air. It’s fun, exciting and thrilling. But it doesn’t have to be daunting. If you use these tips, you can enjoy a casino trip and make sure that you’re getting the most out of it. Whether it’s setting a gambling limit for yourself, finding the best deals, respecting staff, or signing up for player rewards programs, there is a laundry list of things you can do to make sure you both navigate and enjoy your next casino trip. So no matter if you’re going to Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Europe or even noggin onto your favorite online casino, make sure you put these helpful tips and guidelines to use.

Remember, gambling is a form of entertainment. You should treat it as such and by following this tips, you’ll be doing just that!