Okay, I bluffed... it's my second time. First time was for about 1hr in New Orleans, so I'm not counting that.

A buddy and I are taking a trip out to Reno and staying at the Grand Sierra early next month. We'll be there for 5 nights.
I'm mostly excited about playing hold 'em (maybe a couple daily tourneys), but I'm looking for any general advice about being at a casino that people are willing to share.

Do's and Dont's
What to watch for
Comps
Table etiquette

The one thing I have heard several times is that I should check out some Craps tables!

The goal of the trip is just to enjoy being away from work for a few days, have fun playing some cards and experience something new.
Thanks in advance for any advice!

I think you can start here https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/2...-poker-647725/

Most importantly set a daily budget of what you are willing to lose each day so you don’t run out of money to play with do fun things with by the end of your 5 day trip. Assume you will lose that and consider it an entertainment expense for your trip. Stick to that budget. If you run out of your daily amount, do something else besides gamble until the next day. At the end of your trip if you have done that you won’t feel badly about it, and if you’ve actually won money or lost less than you budgeted, even better!

Thanks! Will give it a read.

Yes, great advice. I appreciate the reply.

What about just general casino advice...not necessarily specific to poker?

Do a search in this forum looking for the word "first" in the thread title. There are several good threads on this topic, as well as the guide posted above.

Get a players card first thing. Use it everytime you gamble. Charge all food and purchases to the room - it the only way to get it comped based on play if you have no history/offers.

The envelope (daily budget) approach is very important I think. Five days is a lot of time for a newbie to be exposed to a casino.

Ask questions, understand your wagering ... you might even get some time with a casino host.

Limit yourself to 2-4 bets at a time at craps so you can keep track of them. It can be an overwhelming game. Don't 'press' your bet after the first win, but maybe consider it after the second since it's all profit at that point. I only play 'come bets' (3 max at a time) and stay out of the middle ... rarely play the field either. But a lot of the fun at craps comes from those bets.

Take a day and drive around Lake Tahoe (if you can, sometimes roads are closed for the season) .. at least go see the remnants of the Olympic village from 1968.

Definitely get a Player's card and use any benefits it offers. Typically you wont get too many comps your first trip but maybe. GL

Miscellaneous craps etiquette:

- Don't say "seven" at the craps table, people consider it bad luck. Call it Big Red. Also "eleven" sounds like "seven" so people call it "yo."

- Playing pass or come is known as "right betting" since you're hoping the shooter wins. Playing don't pass or don't come is known as "wrong betting" since you're hoping the shooter loses. Don't whoop it up if you wrong bet and win.

- Feel free to decline to shoot if you don't know what to do or you don't want the pressure. Practice at an empty table if you're embarrassed. Sometimes the casino will have lessons in the mornings when it's super slow.

- Don't take chips that aren't yours. This may seem obvious, but at busy tables there are zillions of chips flying around, and you may not be able to keep up with the action but the dealers absolutely do. If you're unsure which of the ten chips that flew in your general direction are yours, ask. And don't use your neighbors as a guide - as soon as people get paid, the regs are throwing chips back in to get in the action, they may not pick up their bets right away. Again, it helps if you pick a slow time to play your first few sessions, because the fun tables (the ones where it's shoulder to shoulder) are ridiculously chaotic.

Thank you!

Great insight, thx.

Good stuff, appreciate the response.

Craps -Once the dice are passed to the shooter, keep your hands above the rail.

Take breaks to go eat, get your own drink, walk a lap around the casino, anything to just stop gambling for even a few minutes every now and then. If you smoke, take a quick walk outside to smoke occasionally.

When I first started going, I found that these things helped me to focus back in, and not start degen betting random things as much. Also, as others have said, the envelope trick works well. Stick to it. Don't lose it all in one day. Make it a trip that consists more of just casino all day.

Yeah for sure!

We are staying at the casino and plan to do a bit of gambling, but are both pretty casual players.

We also want to see a bit more of the area, see what else is going on while we're there and just enjoying being away from work for a bit.

I have a $$ that I'm willing to lose as part of the experience....considering it just part of the expense of the trip.