Saving money in Las Vegas can be hard to do. Everyone wants your money, from the slot machines, restaurants, taxis, hotels, shopping and the shows. If your willing to take a little time and stand in line waiting, you should be able to save on those show tickets.

There are now five different locations on the strip, and one location downtown for the half priced ticket booths. The booths open at 10:00am and you need to arrive early for the best selection of tickets. They also may offer last minute deals to shows that are "sold out", so inquire if you are interested in certain shows.

They only take payment in cash and credit cards. Here are the locations of the half priced ticket booths:

Fashion show Mall, at the Las Vegas strip entrance by Neiman Marcus.

North Strip booth, between the Riveria and Encore hotels.

Hawaiian Market Booth, in front of the Polo towers, block south of PH.

Bills Gamblin Hall, front entrance on the Las Vegas strip.

Showcase Mall, enter by the large Coke bottle, by the Coke store and M&M store.

Downtown booth, Four Queens hotel, entrance on Fremont Street.

Hope these locations save you some time and money. And enjoy the show!!!

Spring is right acircular the corner! Take a peek at these early spring deals from some of your favorite Las Vegas hotels. These deals are only acircular for a couple weeks, so make your reservations rapid to save yourself some cash!

Excalibur "Sooner is Better!" Rates from $27/nt. *THE SOONER YOU BOOK AT EXCALIBUR, THE MORE YOU WILL SAVE (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Feb 20 - Sep 10, 2009. Promo Code: XKDLS (Exp 3/4/09)


Excalibur "Family Package!" Rates from $56/nt (2nt Min). *Offer includes: 2-FOR-1 tickets for Tournament of Kings dinner show, 2-FOR-1 tickets to Adventuredome at Circus-Circus, 2-FOR-1 tickets to our Magic Motion 4-D movie ride, 10 Free Play passes at the Fantasy Faire midway, 20% Off Titanic, The Artifact Exhibition at Luxor, 20% off Bodies..The Exhibition at Luxor, and Buy one, get the second admission for 50% to Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Feb 20 - Nov 30, 2009. Promo Code: XFAMBL (Exp 3/4/09)

MGM Grand Las Vegas "Drop Everything!" Rates from $52/nt. *Experience the comfort and excitement of MGM Grand, the resort that delivers Maximum Vegas, plus $25 upgrade per night to Bungalow Suite, $30 upgrade per night to Celebrity Spa Suite (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Feb 20 - Sep 8, 2009. Promo Code: INB253 (Exp 3/4/09)

New York New York "Your Best Rate" Rates from $52/nt (2nt Min). *Book NOW thcoarse December 2009 and receive up to 30% off each night you stay in one of our gorgeous rooms (*See site for additional details and restrictions). Feb 20 - Dec 31, 2009. Promo Code: BRGPRZ (Exp 3/5/09)


Book now, save and have fun!!!

Last week, February 10--12, I tried my first slot tournament. It was at the Venetian Hotel. The total prize package was $25,000.00, with first place winning $7,500.00. I did not have the good luck fortunate enough to win first place or any consolation prizes. But the tournament was fun, and it did not take too much time.

The tournament ran in three playing sessions. One session on Wednesday morning, then again in the afternoon. The final session was Thursday morning. Each session you had ten minutes to sit at your slot machine and attempt to earn as many points as you could get. Then total of your three sessions determined your final score and rank.

I finished about 1,000 points brief of the cutoff line for the final payouts. But it is all luck. Being at the right machine at the right time.

But the tournament was well worth it. The Venetian comped my three nights at the hotel. My option to stay at either the Venetian or Palazzo. I chose the Venetian because I paid for an extra night and the Venetian was a little less. The suites at both are very similar, just the Palazzo is newer.

I think I will attempt do to use more of the slot tournament offers I receive. It did not take up very much of my time. Your room is comped for the days of the tournament, and you have a chance to win money without putting any money in the machine!

If you have not participated in a slot tournament yet, give it a try.

Have fun and good luck!!!

I have been checking my offers from the hotels recently. Many good offers are out there. The discounts on the rooms are good, and the air fares are really down from what they were in the fall. My air fare from Pittsburgh is $99.00 each way on USAIR for a trip in February.

If your a member of the player casino player clubs, you should have some good offers to use. Make sure to check your account online or call the hotels direct for the most current offers.

If your in the midwest or east like I am, winter is a good time to go. It will be a nice change of weather and not too crowded. Of course Super Bowl weekend will be very busy. Then a few weeks of quiet time until the March Madness begins!

Check out the MGM offers I have listed here, or check out the other travel sites I have on the page. The deals are they for you! Take a break, have fun and save a little money!

Good luck to everyone!!!

I arrived at the Venetian on Monday, the 15th of December. I flight out was a little longer than usual. But when I arrived at the baggage carousel I only waited a couple minutes for my bag. Much better than usual. I rode the shuttle bus to my hotel. Did not take too long, as the Venetian was the first stop.

My room was alert when I checked in a little after 11:30am. So it was nice so unpack and rest a bit before heading down to the fun. Went to the Venetian restaurant area for the rapid foods. Had a "Johnny Rocket" burger and fries. It is a good place for a rapid meal to eat there or take away. I thought the pizza place was too expensive, $4.99 for one slice of pepperoni pizza, and not a enormous slice.

It rained all day, so I only played at the Venetian and Palazzo casinos. Not much luck on the slots. Tuesday I went to the Fashion show Mall and walked and walked some more. It is such a enormous shopping mall!! Did not purchase anything, was looking for the Apple store, but never found it. So I went to the Apple store at the Forum Shops in Caesars Palace. I bought an Apple Ipod Touch to take on the trip with me. Just needed a little advice about WiFi and how to set up some services. I listened to songs on the Touch on both flights, good sound with the Bose earphones.

Not much luck on the slots Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Did not get very many bonus games at all. But did have some luck again playing video poker. At the Palazzo playing triple double bonus poker. I was dealt a pair of threes and kept them. Then hit the discount button and the magic words appeared, call the attendant!! I picked up the other two thees and four for the kicker card for a $2,000 win!! Was quite a astonishment on hit in a pair of threes!!

Thursday i went to see the Beatles Love show again at the Mirage. This time with a half price ticket at the 10pm show. A little different than the last time I saw the show. but I still think they should remove the "Blackbird" song, not funny, and many more songs that are much better.

The new and improved volcano at the Mirage. Ho hum, not much different. Not worth the millions they spent on it. Did not care for the dance beat music with it. Much prefer the the jungle sounds and volcano rumble of the old volcano. Don't waste your time making a special walk down just to view it.

And of course, I was there doing the big Vegas snow storm! I was just out walking about, so was not a bother to me. Was different seeing the snow falling on the bright neon lights of the strip. But you could only see about half mile during the early evening when the snow was falling heavy. Here is a link to use if you want to view some photos and video of the snowstorm: http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/snow/2008/


It was a good trip, nice being away from work!!

Merry Christmas and good luck to everyone!!!!

Sorry nothing new on here for much too long. Busy with too much overtime at work and the holiday season. The economy may be suffering, but I have been having overtime every week for the last three months. Bank just refuses to hire more people. But that is a story for another blog.

But I did just return from four days in Vegas. So I will post a report and finally post some updated MGM Hotel offers. I know everyone wants to attempt to get a discount and save a little money!!

Are ya alert for a party? Check out these offers from MGM for the Luxor, Excalibur and NYNY. These offers expire October 15, so act rapid if you want to join the block Party!!!

I have only stayed at Luxor twice, both times in the Pyramid. I enjoyed my visits there. And it is now quite different from when I stayed there. The major renovations are complete, the new bars and clubs are open. Stop in and take a look.

The NYNY and Excalibur have also added new clubs and restaurants. The NYNY has done major renovations down on the casino floor and shopping areas. And it is easy to walk between all three casions. So make your reservations today, save a little money and have fun at the block party!!!


Luxor "BLOCK PARTY OFFER" Rates from $59/nt. *Plus, --AT THE LUXOR: 50% off Fantasy Ticket, 25% of Carrot Top Ticket, Free appetizer at CatHouse or Company American Bistro with the purchase of any entrée, and VIP admission to LAX -- AT THE EXCALIBUR: 50% off show tickets at Tournament of Kings, Louie Anderson or Thunder from Down Under, Free appetizer at Dick’s Last Resort with the purchase of any entrée, and $10 in free Midway games with purchase of 10 games. -- AT THE NEW YORK NEW YORK: 25% off Zumanity Ticket, 2 for 1 Breakrapid at Il Fornaio, VIP admission to ROK Vegas, and VIP admission to Coyote Ugly. (*See site for details and restrictions) Oct 1, 2008 - Jan 31, 2009. Promo Code: PBLOCK (Exp 10/15/08)

Excalibur "Block Party!" Rates from $41/nt *Plus -- AT EXCALIBUR: 50% off show tickets at Tournament of Kings, Louie Anderson and Thunder from Down Under, Free appetizer at Dick's Last Resort with the purchase of any entree, and $10 in free Midway games with the purchase of 10 games. -- AT THE LUXOR:50% off Fantasy, Free appetizer at CatHouse with the purchase of any entree, and VIP admission to LAX. -- AT NEW YORK NEW YORK: 25% off Zumanity, 2-for-1 breakrapid at Il Fornaio, and VIP admission to ROK Vegas. (*see site for details and restrictions) Oct 1, 2008 - Jan 31, 2009. Promo Code: XBLOCK (Exp 10/16/08)



NYNY "Block Party Offer" Rates from $65/nt. *Plus, -- AT THE NEW YORK - NEW YORK: 25% off Zumanity Ticket, 2 for 1 Breakrapid at Il Fornaio, VIP admission to ROK Vegas, and VIP admission to Coyote Ugly. -- AT THE LUXOR: 50% off Fantasy Ticket, • 25% off Carrot Top Ticket, Free appetizer at CatHouse or Company American Bistro with the purchase of any entrée, and VIP admission to LAX. -- AT THE EXCALIBUR: 50% off show tickets at Tournament of Kings, Louie Anderson or Thunder from Down Under, Free appetizer at Dick’s Last Resort with the purchase of any entrée, and $10 in free Midway games with purchase of 10 games. (*See site for additional details and restrictions) Oct 1 - Dec 24, 2008. Promo Code: BLOCKEB (Exp 10/15/08)

Back from my most recent vacation in Las Vegas, September 20--27. I stayed three nights at the Flamingo and four nights at the Palazzo. Flight was no problem. I used the airport shuttle bus to the Flamingo. I think a good discount at $6.00 a ticket. Check in was fine. Had a room available for me at 11am. The room at the Flamingo was the basic deluxe room. Strip view right across from Caesars Palace. Good enough for sleeping and storing my luggage.

I don't eat my meals at the Flamingo. Usually go to Bellagio, Mirage, Planet Hollywood or Paris to dine. The gambling at the Flamingo was ok. Not too much in the loss column and did get some good play on the slots. Casino was crowded every night. Nice to stroll and relax in the Flamingo gardens and view the pink flamingos!

Tuesday took the taxi down to the Palazzo. My third visit too the Palazzo this year. They also had a room available at check in. I was checked in and unpacked again by 11am. Up on the 21st floor and the end of the hall. But the walk was not too bad. Had a good view of the Mirage volcano, unfortunatly it is still being renovated.

Went to the Bellagio Tuesday for some slot play. Usually have some good luck there. Did hit on the Bonus Frenzy slot for $1,000.00 hit. That was a big help in making up for some losses! I like the new dollar Deal or No Deal slots. Played at Bellagio, Planet Hollywood, Mirage and Venetian. A little luck, nothing great.

Thursday night playing at the Palazzo i hit my largest jackpot so far. I was playing a dollar triple double bonus video poker machine. Put in $100.00, on fourth hand I was dealt three aces! Kept them and hoped for the fourth!! I got it!! And a four for the kicker card!!! A nice payout of $4000.00!!! Made my night and trip!!!


Bellagio, Venetian and Palazzo were good to me on this trip!!! Not much good from Caesars, not done well there lately. So this was a very fun trip, always better when you go home with extra money!!!! I highly reccomend you visit the Palazzo. Great place to stay and the casino has a nice layout. Time to start thinking about that next trip!!!

The college football season has started. The NFL season starts this weekend with a full slate of games Sunday and a double header on Monday night. The NY Giants started early on Thursdays with a win over the Washington Redskins.

Football weekends are very popular and busy in Las Vegas. So expect to find the bargains hard to find during the season. Many people fly in to Vegas so they can place bets on the games. The sports books are a fun place to be if your a football fan. Always a crowd to watch the games on the big screens, and cheer on their favorite team. and to cheer hopefully for a winning outcome on the game and their wager!

My favorite sports books are at Caesars Palace, Bellagio, Venetian and the MGM. The sports book at the LV Hilton is also very large and popular. A place like Bill's Gamblin Hall is a good place to go if the other sports books are crowded and your brief on time to place your bet.

Bet on one game, a parlay, a future bet like the superbowl winner or an action bet like who will score the most points in a half. Just remember, like gambling at the slots or tables, adhere with your budget.

Have fun and good luck!!!

While we are thinking about planning a fun holiday to Las Vegas and forgetting about our problems for a few days. We should not forget about all the people being displaced and impacted by Hurricane Gustav. These people will need the basic everyday supplies, food, water, medicine, shelter, clothes. And many will have lost much more.

Please attempt to donate what you can to help out. I made my donations to

http://www.redcross.org/ and

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org

These are the charities I prefer, you may have others. We all need a little help sometimes!! Thanks!!!!!!!!