Going To Las Vegas? – Don’t Lose Your Shirt

If it hadn’t been for the casinos and gambling Las Vegas would probably still be a couple of farms in the middle of nowhere. Nowadays, of course, Las Vegas is almost a synonym for gambling. If you’re planning a visit there and you’ve never set foot inside a casino before, here are a few tips to help you keep your shirt firmly on your back.

Plan your visit

There’s something about human nature that makes us want to win all the time and when we lose we want to get back what we lost as quickly as possible. If you go into a casino with that sort of thinking then you’d better have a big wallet. Better to set aside a sum that you’re happy to lose and think of it as paying for your fun, just as you would pay for a meal. Then, when you lose, as you inevitably will, you haven’t lost at all; you’ve simply paid for your evening’s entertainment.

Don’t outstay your welcome

The tip here is similar to the one above. If you’re not having any luck at a game or table, move. Don’t just sit there expecting your luck to change. You’re there to have fun and you don’t have any fun if you’re losing all the time.

Keep away from the “sucker” bets

Now this tip can be a bit controversial. For example, betting on one of the numbers on roulette can be exciting but the chances of winning are 38 to 1 against you. You probably won’t win too often. Not only that, but if you win the casino will only pay you at 35 to 1, not the 38 to 1 that would be the true odds. In the long run you’re going to lose your shirt. You’ll have a lot more fun and lose your money a lot more slowly if you stick to betting on odd/even or red/black. At least on these you only lose if a zero pops up.

Some of the other casino games offer you a better run for your money. Blackjack, for instance, offer a real chance of coming out on top after a few hands if you know something of the game.

Practice

Before you leave home for Vegas, join up at one of the online casino websites. There you can have fun playing all the casino games using “play” money. This gives you the opportunity to get used to how the games work without losing any cash. And you won’t feel like such a raw beginner when you step into Caesar’s Palace for the first time.

Keep your head as well as your shirt

Be aware that the Las Vegas casinos can be very generous – not with the gaming odds but with plying their customers with free food and drink. They want you to relax of course, so that you abandon your usual caution and frugality. With a few glasses of wine or beer inside you, you’re the perfect customer. Seriously though, keeping a clear head is important if you want to stick to your plan and not lose more than you set out to. It’s amazing how a couple of drinks can loosen your inhibitions and make you think you’re James Bond, incapable of losing.

Best of luck!

I hope you find some useful advice in the paragraphs above which will ease your rites of passage into the world of Las Vegas gambling. Most of the tips I have given you have been discovered by me the hard way. Take it easy, enjoy the fun and even if you lose you’ll come out a winner!

Written by George Cuthbert, a travel writer for Low Cost USA, who specialise in holidays to the USA. No matter what type of holiday you are looking for, 5 stars or budget, we will help you get the most from your trip. You will be sure to find the ideal vacation for you among our range of Las Vegas holidays.

First-time Visitor Guide to Tampa, FL

Tampa, Florida, is a favorite vacation spot for tourists from around the world because it offers a perfect combination of relaxing beaches, stimulating cultural attractions and vibrant nightlife. The city, with is situated on the Gulf of Mexico, is proximate to Clearwater Beach, Indian Rocks Beach and St. Pete Beach. Visitors favor the beaches near Tampa because they are known for having calmer water and whiter sand than the beaches on the Atlantic side of Florida.

Tampa has a long menu of theme parks for visitors to choose from, by my personal recommendation for first-time visitors is Busch Gardens. This classic American theme park brings together the best of two worlds: the zoo and the amusement park. Families and couples are both are guaranteed a good time because the park offers activities to suit every taste. Animal-lovers and thrill-seekers alike will be awed by the Serengeti Safari, which takes visitors on a 30-minute ride through a re-created African plain. Brave souls who exceed 54" in height won't want to miss the one-of-a-kind SheiKra roller coaster, and for visitors looking for a tamer experience, Busch Gardens features 4-D theater shows.

Animal attractions are definitely a recurring theme in Tampa. Other popular Tampa sightseeing destinations include the Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center, Big Cat Rescue, the Lowry Park Zoo and the Florida Aquarium, which is my personal favorite. This aquarium takes visitors "behind the glass" and allows them to actually interact with the animals. Sample experiences include a SCUBA reef adventure, a behind-the-scenes shark-feeding tour and even a "meet-the-penguins" tour.

If you plan ahead, getting to Tampa can be just as relaxing as the vacation itself. Tourists who choose to drive enjoy the beautiful Florida scenery, but cheap flights to Tampa Bay on discount airlines are readily available. Spirit Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest and AirTran all offer reasonably-priced flights to Tampa Bay International Airport from major U.S. cities. If you're an international visitor, flights to Tampa are plentiful as well. British Airways offers flights to Tampa from London, with prices peaking during the popular summer travel month of July.

Once you're on the ground, you'll find myriad transportation options available. Lots of rental car services have desks at Tampa Bay International Airport, including Avis, Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Enterprise, National and Thrifty. If you're not planning to rent a car, though, SuperShuttle provides a convenient and affordable way to get to your hotel. If you're willing to wait a few minutes for the next bus to arrive, you'll save quite a bit over a taxi, and you can also book your return shuttle trip at the same time.

Many visitors stay in the Clearwater Beach area in order to be as close as possible to the ocean, but staying in downtown Tampa will place you closer to the city's sightseeing attractions. If you're looking for luxury, the Hyatt Regency, Sheraton, Marriott and The Westin all have locations in downtown Tampa. Wherever you call home, you're sure to have a great time in Tampa.

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Honeymoon Phuket - Thailand

We had an absolutely fantastic time in Thailand, we stayed at Marina Phuket Resort in Karon. It was about a 15 min drive from the airport, they picked us up for free. We travelled Air Asia and the trip was about $600 return each from the Gold Coast which is great value.

The hotel was one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of staying at. It was half price as well because it was the rainy season (not that we saw much rain). The hotel is located in an old coconut plantation which is now a lush rainforest backing onto the beach.

The hotel food was amazing, a free American breakfast with a staggering array of fresh fruit. There was also French pastry and Thai food each morning.

The local baby elephant visited every day and we enjoyed the $8 hour long massages available on the beach or the local parlor. The local food was also great value and really hit the spot. Local beers also went down a treat, Chang being my favourite. We also sampled cocktails down by the pool.

I'll be posting some more blogs of our day trips and adventures soon!

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Great books while on the road

When travelling it's a fantastic time to get stuck into some great books. I have found audio books great on the train, plane or bus when relaxing and it might be difficult to read a physical copy.

For the last year I have been entering in what I have read on weRead and thought the blog would be a great place to share some of my favourites with you. Feel free to comment with any recommendations or reviews.

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Northern NSW

We recently holidayed in Yamba and visted Balina, Evans Heads and Lennox Head. We had a fantastic time and got to see a lot of beautiful places especially Angourie. We stayed at Yamba Waters caravan park and the rates were great and the staff very friendly. We will definitely be coming back.

We are heading to Thailand in a few weeks so come back soon for further updates!

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Gold Coast War Museum

After visiting numerous military museums in Europe I wasn't expected much from this local one but I was very surprised with the quality and variety of the collection. There was vast amounts of memorabilia from past conflicts including vehicles, aircrafts, weapons, uniforms and equipment. There was plent of WW2 era memorabilia and a great collection of australian posters which I hadn't seen before, the "Avenge our Nurses" poster was very poignant.

I would definitely recommend checking it out. ou can view how to get there from here.

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Tower Bridge - Eurotrip Mosaic Project

After arriving back from London I wanted to somehow get some more use out of the 30,000 photos we had taken over the last 3 years and I came up with the idea of a mosaic. I searched the net and found a fantastic program called Andrea Mosaic which made the whole process pretty simple.

You point the program to a directory or directories on your PC and then it scans them into its database. I used a collection of 30,000 photos from our trip, I then selected the main photo which was Tower Bridge. After that I decided to use 2,000 photos in the image and made a few changes to the lighting, rotation of photos etc. Then pressed the start button. The mosiac was finished within a few minutes, after looking at the photos close up to ensure there was nothing too dodgy I put it on a memory stick and took it to get printed and framed. It turned out fantastic and now we have a perfect way to remember our time in Europe.