How To Do Vegas Like a Pro: 22 Secret Las Vegas Hacks

Planning an unforgettable trip to Las Vegas? We’ve put this guide together to help you. Whether you’re visiting Vegas for the first time or you’re a regular around here, these 22 insider hacks will help you get the most out of your experience. From how to get around to the common pitfalls to avoid, here are all the secrets you never realized you didn’t know.

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1. Drinks Are Free When Playing Slots

If you’ve got $25 in your pocket, you can have a pretty good night out in Vegas. How to do it? Put that $20 bill into a slot machine at a casino of your choice, ensuring that your machine is located close by the casino bar from which the cocktail waitresses are serving.

They’ll come around and take your cocktail order, then bring you a free drink. Tip the waitress a couple dollars and she will keep coming back. You just need to be playing the slot machine to be served free drinks. Slow down the pace of your gameplay to a snail’s pace if you need to.

We featured this hack in our article on how to do things in Vegas for free!

Bonus tip: you can legally carry an alcoholic drink with you on the Strip, so take it with you on your adventures!

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2. Sign Up for Players Cards

Every casino in Las Vegas has a players club desk that issues players cards. These little cards keep track of your spending in their casino and, depending on how much you spend, can end up offering major perks and rewards. Sign up for a players card at every casino you go to, especially at the hotel you’re staying at.

Stick that card in the machine any time you play or hand it to the dealer when playing table games. Present your players card at any hotel restaurants you dine at, or when paying for any amenities, just in case you can collect points for your spending. Check your mailbox in about a month and you’ll likely receive offers from the hotel like free room nights, free gameplay, and more!

For more about players cards, see our article on ways to save money in Vegas.

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3. Download Uber and Lyft

You might have a preference already for which ridesharing app you like to use, but trust us: download both. Any time you need to get somewhere, open up both apps on your phone and compare pricing. You’d be shocked how different the 2 prices can be sometimes for the exact same trip.

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4. Practice Gaming Before You Arrive

Excited to play at a Vegas casino? We highly recommend learning the rules and strategies of the casino games you’re planning to play. This will ensure that you don’t lose all your gambling money while learning the ropes at a real table or machine. You can have fun and learn how to win by playing our free online gambling practice games.

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5. Stop at a Convenience Store Before Your Hotel

Buying snacks and drinks at the hotel gift shop costs an arm and a leg (we’re talking $7 for a candy bar). On your way to your hotel, make a pit stop at an off-strip gas station or convenience store and stock up on snacks and drinks for your hotel room. You’ll thank yourself when you get the late-night munchies.

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6. Use Online Check-In

Most Las Vegas hotels have an online check-in option, allowing you to check into your room before arriving at the hotel. When you get to the hotel, simply pick up your room keys at a dedicated desk and avoid standing in a long check-in line. Some hotels even have a mobile room key that you can scan from your smartphone, eliminating the need to pick up keys.

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7. Check In Using a Credit Card

When checking into your hotel, be sure to use a credit card NOT a debit card. Even if you have to move money around to do it. Why? The incidental deposit you pay when checking in takes up to 7 business days to appear back on your debit card after checkout, but it shows back up immediately upon checkout when using a credit card.

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8. Drink Lots of Water (But Not the Tap Water!)

Las Vegas temperatures get up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer. It’s a dry heat, so you may not notice yourself sweating and getting dehydrated. Fill up a refillable water bottle before you go out exploring each day and keep sipping on it all day. A word of warning, though: don’t drink the tap water. Vegas tap water tastes and smells terrible and is hard on your stomach.

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9. Ignore the Timeshare Salespeople

At some point in your Vegas visit, you’ll probably get approached by a timeshare salesperson. They dress in slick business attire so you might think they’re hotel staff asking you how your stay is going. Simply say “no thanks” and keep walking, unless you want to spend an entire day of your limited time in Vegas sitting at an awkward sales presentation.

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10. Avoid the Casino ATMs

ATMs on the casino floor always have hefty withdrawal fees – sometimes upwards of $20. Keep that money for having fun in Vegas by withdrawing your money at a bank ATM or as cash back on a small purchase at CVS or Walgreens.

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11. Consider Renting a Car

If you’re planning to spend all of your time on the Strip, you won’t really need to rent a car for your time in Vegas. If you want to explore the rest of the city or plan on taking an amazing daytrip outside of Vegas, having a rental car is really worthwhile. Check our list of hotel parking fees so you can figure out where to park for free.  

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12. Make Restaurant Reservations in Advance

Vegas is different from other cities in that you can’t just walk into a restaurant on the Strip and be seated. That’s a sure-fire way to end up wandering the Strip getting hangry. Restaurant reservations fill up days, weeks, or even months in advance, so make your dinner plans part of planning your itinerary.

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13. Get a Spa Day Pass

Las Vegas has some of the most luxurious spas in the world, offering extravagant services like gemstone facials and chakra-aligning massages. Many visitors to Vegas don’t realize that you can often purchase a day pass to these spas for $50 or less, giving you access to the Jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms, showers, and relaxation rooms with refreshments.

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14. Budget Out Your Daily Allowance

Vegas is a city where your money can disappear right in front of your eyes, leaving you in shock and disbelief. Set a daily spending allowance for yourself before you leave your hotel room, and bring only that amount of money with you. This ensures you won’t spend all your money on your first day here.

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15. Wear Comfy Shoes

There’s a lot of walking involved in exploring the Las Vegas Strip, so be sure to wear comfortable and supportive shoes. Flip-flops may be tempting because of the heat, but trust us, they’re not the way to go. Platform shoes and high heels are also a bad plan.

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16. Get on a Nightclub Guest List

If you’re looking forward to checking out some of the hottest nightclubs in Vegas, you might get a bit put off by the expensive cover fees and the huge waiting lines. You can bypass the line and the cover fee by getting added to a VIP guest list. Simply Google search “VIP host” then the name of the club you want to go to, and you’ll find lots of club hosts eager to help you.

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17. Go To The Buffet Before 3 PM

If you’re planning to dine at one of the best buffets in Las Vegas, plan to arrive at the buffet before 3 pm. This means you’ll be paying lunch pricing but you’ll be welcome to stay for the more extravagant dinner offerings when they come out at 3 pm.

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18. Get a Suite Upgrade

If you choose to check into your hotel room in person, ask the front desk person if you can get an upgrade. The “$20 trick” that many websites claim works for upgrades is just a myth – in reality, you’ll need to pay an upgrade fee. But you might be pleasantly surprised how little extra it costs to upgrade from a standard room to a luxury suite.

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19. Dine at Off-Peak Times

When you’re making your dinner reservations, aim for times when less people will be dining (avoid 6 pm – 8 pm reservations). When the restaurants are slower, you’ll have a better chance of scoring one of the best seats in the house, some of which have amazing views.

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20. Take Advantage of Public Transport

If you’re staying on the Strip and want to explore the city, there are some very convenient public transport options available to you that can save you from spending a lot of money on Ubers. The Deuce bus will take you all the way from the South Strip up to Downtown Las Vegas, and the monorail has stops at many of the main hotels on the Strip. There’s also a free monorail that runs from Excalibur to Luxor to Mandalay Bay and back.

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21. Plan a Midweek Vegas Getaway

If your travel dates are flexible, consider visiting Las Vegas between Sunday and Thursday. Hotel room rates and flights will normally be significantly cheaper on these days than on the weekends. You’ll also be able to avoid the weekend crowds and chaos.

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22. Don’t Forget Downtown Vegas!

The Strip isn’t all there is to Las Vegas. If you don’t check out Downtown Las Vegas while you’re in town, you’re definitely missing out. Located just 10 minutes from the Strip, Downtown Vegas is the retro part of Sin City where you can find vintage casinos, delicious dining, exciting attractions, and the famous Fremont Street Experience.