I've done this off and on for a while now. I spend winters in Vegas and summers in the Pacific Northwest, chiefly because I can't stand winters in the Pacific Northwest or summers in Vegas.

Recently, the cost of extended stay lodging has zoomed WAAAAY upward, which probably has a lot to do with the massive influx of new residents. There is still a wide variety of choices, from horrifying to relatively luxurious. My fairly low standard is to stay in a halfway decent (decent is too expensive) neighborhood and stay away from the lowest tier of accommodations (so no Siegel properties or Budget Suites).

Since I always have a car, location isn't that important and transit access doesn't matter. If you know your way around, you can get to just about anywhere in the Vegas valley within half an hour--the road and freeway network is pretty good. I do like to be relatively near a lot of dining options, and that's easy to do. Mobility has enabled me to grind effectively. I've pretty much paid all my living expenses, year after year, with a small profit left over. And that's everything--internet, car insurance, food and lodging, etc.

This actually isn't a bad way to spend the winter, especially since I'm a sports fan. I like to bet $20 on a game and then watch it in a sportsbook, slurping down free beer and eating cheap hot dogs. Bottom line, when Vegas starts heating up and I'm outta there, I return to the PNW with at least as much money as when I arrived.

Anyone else done this sort of thing? I'll be glad to return after having had to skip 2020.

The phrase "I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid," comes to mind.

I think it's neither. You might enlighten us with your wisdom as to why you think it's either.

And of course, whether a given activity is something that YOU would want to do is the sole metric anyone else should use for whether that activity is worthwhile for them.

You asked if anyone else had done this sort of thing and I was answering for myself and no one else.

Sounds good to me.
How many years have you been doing this?

What's the purpose of wanting to do something like this, waste time until the trust fund kicks in?

So it's either free or $20 for beer and cheap hot dogs?

Well, then, you didn't actually answer the question, did you? No worries, you didn't have to. You comment was actually extremely insightful, erudite, and helpful. Not to mention organic and non-fattening.

Off and on, about 15 years. It used to be a total free-fest, and even pretty profitable, as I would rent a P.O. box and become a "local," and be inundated with coupons and offers. Now that the casino sphincters have tightened up, it's more along the lines of "break even and pay living expenses." Still beats some crummy job shoveling Trump all day long.

Well, I think people can figure out my answer even though it was not in a yes or no form.

Although, I have been a $1/$2 grinder, it was not until I puked.

I don't consider time spent enjoyably to be "wasted." And stacked up against many of the alternatives, it's a pretty good way to make a living (in that you're paying your living expenses and have food, lodging, amusement, etc.).

You ostensibly have to have placed a bet before you get a drink toke, but the reality is that if you're just sitting in the sportsbook and watching the game, the cocktail waitress will bring you a drink. However, you almost always can get two or more drink tokes (little coupons) just by asking the sports writer. Tip him a couple of bucks and he'll give you five of them

Most of the locals-oriented casinos roll out a cheap hot dog cart during the games. The best combo is South Point, with awesome $1.25 dogs during the daytime, seven days a week, and right next to the book.

from an EV standpoint his expected loss is about $2, that's a pretty good deal.

Not even that, it's more like $1! And that's ignoring the value of the free beer and the entertainment value

(For the latter, I refer not to the game itself (which I could go home and watch on my cable teevee) but rather, the antics of all the bettors screaming at the big screen as if the athletes, 2,000 miles away, could hear them).

Another bit of funsies I didn't mention is stuff like Monday Night Football "parties," where they have drawings and giveaways and such and the cheap food offerings are often quite extensive. And if you're in town for the whole season, free football contests, which have an EV of about $0.13 a week but hey, freeroll!

Sunday is Fun Day in Vegas in the fall

You should look into the Desert Manor extended stay, walking distance to the Golden Nugget and I think its only $800 a month.

Sure, but not to turn this into a personal finance thread, but you also want to make sure you're socking away something for the future, if possible. That's not something that is attainable for everyone, but I wouldn't grind 1/2 by choice for half the year if I had other alternatives that allow me to accumulate something.