VEGAS!!! Part 2 of several

As I was saying, I started with CheapoVegas because the site pretty much walks you through everything. There are sections for "bargain bin" airfares and hotel rates which show $12/night hotels and $150 round trip airfares.

One of the links/partners/whatever on CheapoVegas is i4Vegas.com which, from all my research, including all the main travel sites: Orbitz, Travelocity, etc., had the best hotel rates and the prices included taxes and fees.

Again, the bottom line: total outlay - total winnings = net profit/loss -- where, total outlay is the price of travel, lodging, transportation, and meals plus the bankroll.

I checked around everyday and the lowest airfare I found from the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (MIA/FLL) area was $127 round trip (RT) on Spirit Air. But, I messed around and let that one slip by because I wasn't positive about my dates. FYI: I booked about three-and-a-half weeks prior to departure. And, the middle of October in Vegas is supposed to be slow.

I did, however, get almost as good of a rate about a week later at $148 RT plus a $2 fee of some kind...so $150 RT;non-stop on Spirit from FLL...FYI the Ft. Lauderdale airport is about equidistant from North Beach/North Miami/Aventura as MIA. At the very least, you don't have to deal with the clusterfuck of the Miami Airport.

A word of caution: I have never flown Spirit. I am only taking a carry-on bag. I did not "purchase" a "seat" in advance. This could have potentially added about $30 to the price.

I think all that stuff is a bunch of bullshit anyway. But, my reasons for not doing this are only partly related to an extra $30. For one, I don't care if they seat me between two screaming kids -- I intend to be drunk or asleep for the entire flight. And two, I intend to gamble and drink, not take in a show or lounge by the pool. My itinerary requires about three changes of clothes. All of which fits perfect in my Timbuk2 Messenger bag. Hell, I could fit my laptop and all that stuff in that Messenger bag.

Lastly, I booked three nights at the El Cortez through i4Vegas.com at a rate of about $17/night plus taxes and fees...I was charged a little less than $62. The most I expect to pay in "unexpected" fees is possibly the Nevada resort tax. That might end up being another $20 or so.

The point: the El Cortez is in the downtown/Fremont Street area north of the Las Vegas Strip. The gambling is cheaper downtown. That is, about the only time that a player is "even" with the house is when betting the odds on (behind) the Pass Line at the craps table. And, the House loses more edge as the amount of odds the player can bet goes up. On the Strip, it seems that 5X odds is about as good as it gets. Downtown (and elsewhere off-Strip), however, the odds can be 10X or better. For a more complete explanation of odds on casino games see The Wizard of Odds.

Furthermore, I don't intend to use that room more than about five hours a day to sleep and shower.

At this point, total outlay is $150 + $62 = $212. Another FYI: I could never find a "package deal" for airfare/hotel on any travel site that was less that this number.