My opinion let's start with giving some links to the official web sites supporting Las Vegas tourism. First is Visit Las Vegas, brought to you by the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority. This site is a great tool to utilize in planning a trip to Las Vegas Nevada for several reasons. First, it actually offers the ability to book hotel rooms and other travel related information. Therefore, if you have information about a special or vacation pacakge, or something to that effect, you can use the site to see if the rates are comparable. Second, because this is an offical site of the visitors and convention authority information such as transportation in the local area and other non-commercial information is presented in a very useable fashion. Another website that is fantastic to use is none other than the offical web site of the City of Las Vegas Nevada. Now just so we're clear, this is a web site that is mainly used for people operating businesses in the city or surrounding areas. What I have found so useful about this web site is that it gives the little bit of information that really might be important in going to a city with such a moniker as sin city. This is an information source that offers great facts about local law enforcement, codes, etc. I 'm just saying, if you really have certain things on your mind when you're visiting Las Vegas, this is the kind of information you want to familiarize yourself with.

Now on to my trip. I'm actually breaking the trip up in to a few parts. First off are my Las Vegas Accommodations. I will be staying at the Mirage Casino and Resort located at 3400 Las Vegas Boulevard, and here's a online map of the location. My stay at the Mirage will be from January 22nd to January 25th. Now the reason I did it like this is because I arrive on January 22nd, which is a Thursday, but I check out on Monday the 25th. This does a few things. First, I was able to lock in a good rate for each day because of the multiple day check in, and I'm also not getting kicked in the shins with the weekend rate hikes. I will be getting back to this, but I will be then checking into Mandalay Bay Las Vegas from January 25th to January 28th. We'll get into all the fun things that come along with that change of venue in a second, but now to the Mirage. The Mirage Resort in Las Vegas is a fabulous Multi Start Award Winning hotel and casino property. I'm looking forward to eating at the Samba Brazillian Steakhouse and the the all time Award Winning Spa.

Now heading to the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas is located at 3950 South Las Vegas Boulevard. Again, we're talking about another great Las Vegas property with award winning service, decor, restaurnats and more. One of the fun things I can't wait to do during my stay at the Mandalay Bay is to rock and dance the night away at the Rum Jungle. Also the Mandaly Bay Las Vegas there is some really good entertainment. First and Foremost the hit Musical "Mamma Mia" is ongoing and tickets are available for many dates and times. Check out this link. Also check out Shark Reef which is open daily. For more information about Mandalay Bay Hote Reservations, you will find great information at the accompanying web site. Also, here is some additional information about the Rum Jungle at Mandalay Bay. I know it's the holiday's and we are all looking for the fun that goes along with this time of year, but my trip to Las Vegas is palpable. A little rest and relaxation for after the holiday season and something to look forward to do right in the middle of what I feel is the worst month of the year, Januaryl.

What Harrah's has come up with both ingeniously and both simplisticly is to create a rewards program that benefits everyone for doing just about anything at a property. Of course most of the credits earned in casino comps towards the loyalty program is earned through play at either slots or casino table games, the idea of "just using Harrah's" is front and center.

The Total Rewards program is very easy to understand. Basically anything that you earn casino comp credits for can be used for hotel rooms, meals or even a round of golf. The other beauty of what Harrah's has is that they allow the transfer and use of casino comps and credits at any one of their properties no matter where the casino comp credits are earned. I looked into the program a little more to get some specifics about what they do and it really is easy. Again, I'm getting this off of the official site, but I make no guarantees or warranties that these are exactly how these programs work. For simple slot reel machines, for every $5 spent a customer earns 1 credit in loyalty credits. For every $10 spent on a video poker machine 1 credit is earned. Table games and the credits earned towards loyalty points there are a little different. It works on the following forumula. Again, remember, I make no guarantees or warrantees that this is fact, but I checked out their site and this is what it seems to say. Table games such as craps, blackjack, poker or baccarat are determined by the average bet, what type of game is being played and the overall average length of play. For each level of credits earned the customer gets more perks. The basic break down of the program is Gold, Platinum, Diamond and Seven Star.

Because Harrah's has such wide range of reach across the country, from New Jersey, to Louisiana, to Nevada, I suggest looking into this program a little more. Information about the Harrah's Total Rewards Program can be found by going to the link provided.

We will be coming back with more information about casino comps and some inside tips to getting more out of these programs.

Really great Las Vegas Vacation Deals can be had if you can navigate your way through the casino comps process. There is truly a treasure chest of specials, discounts and freebies awaiting you by doing some of these little things that can really make a difference. Once such thing is tipping your dealer well and the right way. Now let me get this out of the way. Tipping your dealer will not influence the outcome of your comps, your winning percentage or anything like that...but that being said, taking care of these people can get you "prefferred service". It's not necessarily and directly related to comps and other things like this but your experience and service will directly reflect the level of tips, normally, when it comes to your dealers. The subject here is how to get the people working for you, to feel excited about you being at their table. There are many ways to tip a dealer, but one of the best ways I've come across is to actually involve the dealer in your play. Yep, you can get the dealer involved in your play by actually setting money down and putting a bet for him or her. I can tell you more so than not, whether it be mojo, the force, good luck or something in between, tipping your dealers seems to always pay off in the end.

There is more to come as it relates to getting the most from your casino experience in the days to come. I've received a few posts that have asked for some real inside tips to get comps, and I'm thinking about how to go about first collecting this info and distributing it. Stay tuned, there is more to come.

Ah, see how I segweyed into that. The next discussion of this subject matter for casino comps is how to understand the casino rate. Now just so I don't confuse all of you out there, I'm tallking about the rate you can get as a player at a casino on room stays and not the rating process. So I'm sorry if there was some kind of confusion. To that end we have some quick info about how to get the elusive discounted room rates that the casinos offer to their players. First and foremost, casino rates for rooms aren't just thrown out to people for showing up at the casino. The general rule I've seen is that casino hosts and the casino marketing departments that manage the player development process require that gamblers and casino players gamble at least four hours a day and also gamble a minium level of bet. That's half the battle as far as I've seen, because many people believe that just being in the casino should allow them to get the casino comps. Now on the other hand, when it comes to slot and video machines the rule generally changes and the fact is that each casino sets it's own limit as to the amount a player is betting through the machines each day the play. Again, it has to be a minium level of some cash value.

The goal is to understand the rules of the casino comp game to get the casino rate. The ultimate goal, no doubt is to get the elusive free room and or suite at the casino, but as I stated, getting a casino rate where the room is deeply discounted is also an option and a much easier thing to obtain. The strategy is very simple. If you're going on vacation to say a Las Vegas Casino Hotel, call up that hotel and as to speak with a casino host. They will explain to you the rules and the levels of play you need to have in order to qualify for free and or discounted rooms. It really is that easy. Remember, the casino hosts are there to get you into the casinos to gamble and play so you're not putting them out. Being prepared to get the most out of your stay at the casino hotel is the best way to understand how to get the most from your casino comps.

We'll be coming back in a few more days to discuss more perks that come along with casino comps. Don't miss out.

The opinion of this writer is that there is far more issues that face the gaming industry today. No doubt that the economic downturn keeps people from spending money. That's an easy one to analyze. The issues I'm seeing are that for whatever reason, the jursidictions, the states, the very people that have benefited economically from legalizing these businesses are more than half the problem. Tighter legislation, laws that actually negatively effect the industry such as anti-smoking, and other efforts on the part of the populace of many of these jurisdictions just are hindering any rebound.