What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas...yeah..the Money Part

Two weeks ago I received free $50USD to play poker again, whoopee! Being able to have a 60% ROI (return on investment) in this two weeks *(i jinxed it...lost 20% right after writing...only 40% now), I was surprised my urge to go to Vegas did not rise up to haunt me like it did before. I have to thank my mentor Jon, who made $50USD - $30,000USD within the span of his 4 university years, for teaching me the skills of poker.

I asked him: Why don't you ever play in the casinos? Why don't you go enjoy the thrill of playing the game live or gambling on other games like Blackjack or Roulette?

Jon replies: My thrill comes from earning money, not gambling.

Image via ThunderKiss

Notice Jon used the word "earn", and not "win". By earning the money, it means he deserved it, through proper play and/or deception. "Winning" money has a large luck factor involved, it means you do not deserve it, and you were just lucky that you won it. I admire Jon's discipline and self-control, although, it can get boring at times, but what the hell, he made 30k from this "Part-Time" job.

Why am I rambling on about this? Because Las Vegas is one of the TOP destinations to go to in the US West Coast. When people think of Las Vegas, they think it as Sin-City, where there is sex, gambling, incredible buffets, and a place to get drunk (The Hang Over). However, there are healthy ways to go about doing this activities so you don't have to say to your buddies "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" because we know that never happens. The only thing that does stay is our precious CASH.

Image via jezarnold

Here are some pointers on how I "win" money in casinos/Vegas.

1. Roulette - This game is pretty much, GO BIG OR GO HOME! You can only bet once, on the 48/48% sections, which are Black/Red. The longer you play in this game means more money is draining out of your pockets. My rule of thumb is setting a quota for yourself, eg. Losing $100 for the day, and just bet all that $100 on Black or Red. Whether you lose or win, just move on, don't stare at the number board 1 second longer. I've done that, and its not cool at all to puke back the money that you won initially, or worse, lose 4x your initial quota. Right Mr. Chiu?? ;)

Image via acaben

2. Blackjack - I'm not a pro at this game, in fact I'm fairly noob at it. But let me tell you my experiences, so you may not be surprised by the environment when you play. When you play BJ, 70% of the time you will have some old Chinese lady playing beside you. Most of the time, it isn't very cool when that happens, because they will start bitching at you for making the wrong moves. You ask "Me losing money is my business..why does it have to do with you?" However, these Chinese ladies think if you don't play "your" cards properly, it will cause them to lose as well. Sure, if you are a MIT student that can count cards, you can bitch at me all you want, but I doubt anyone with that caliber will bitch at you too, cuz they are too busy counting cards.

3. Slots - Just don't touch this...you can't beat this...at all~ Why don't you just donate money to Yen's Poker Foundation instead :p

4. Live Hold'em Poker - If your in Vegas playing Hold'em, and want to "earn" money, pick the smaller casinos, such as Luxor. In smaller casinos there are no professional poker players. All the pros hang out at the plush hotels like Bellagio, because that is where the rich folks go to burn their money. I was able to "win" $500 bucks at Luxor, fairly lucky that night~Paid for all my hotel stays and food for that trip!

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If you've got some tips or your personal mantra for visiting casinos, feel free to share it here.

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