When to Change Casinos
Overview
Sometimes the quickest way to end a losing streak is to walk
When to Change Casinos
If you’ve watched our YouTube videos before, you’ll know that we’re not afraid to get up and move to a different casino if we’re having an unlucky streak.
Many people never leave their “home” casino, where their hotel room is located. That’s fine, but it negates one of the amazing benefits of staying (and paying) for being on the Strip in Vegas—there’s usually another casino right across the street.
When to Move
Winning streaks and losing streaks will always happen and that’s part of the allure of gambling. Since our hotel rooms at MGM properties in Las Vegas are comped, we typically gamble in that resort’s casino the first day.
The only exception is if we’ve lost a significant amount of our bankroll, in which case we won’t hesitate to head straight for the nearest exit.
Visiting a neighboring casino is also a way to find a particular slot. For instance, MGM removed one of our favorite slots from Mandalay Bay (Cleopatra), but Luxor still has it.
How Far to Go
On the Strip, the two casino behemoths are MGM and Caesars. They operate the majority of the casinos in the mid- and south-Strip with only a couple of exceptions.
MGM operates the…
- Bellagio
- Cosmopolitan
- MGM Grand
- Aria / Vdara
- Excalibur
- Luxor
- Mandalay Bay / W hotel
- Caesars Palace / Nobu
- Horseshoe
- Harrahs
- Flamingo
- The Linq
- The Cromwell
- Planet Hollywood
- Paris
If you change casinos on the Vegas Strip, it’s highly likely you’ll just be moving to another casino operated by the same company. Does it matter? Nope.
On our last Vegas trip, we weren’t winning at Aria (MGM) so we made a five-minute walk to the Cosmopolitan (also MGM). Our luck changed. Even though both casinos are operated by MGM, MGM doesn’t control a guest’s wins and losses.
Another reason to change casinos is that it allows you to take a break from gambling, tally your win/loss, have lunch, and lick your wounds.
NOTE FOR VEGAS NERDS: Complicating things even further is the fact that the Venetian, Caesars Palace, MGM Grand, and Mandalay Bay are owned by the same company, VICI Properties. MGM Grand is operated by MGM, but it’s still owned by someone else. Changes in ownership in Vegas happen constantly.
Pros & Cons
The only caveat when changing casinos is whether they feed into the same loyalty program. This is no small decision if you also want free hotel rooms.
Where Do the Slotbears Go?
We’d share a list of which casinos we prefer within MGM and Caesars, but perception is always colored by losses. For example, we got a first-spin handpay at Bellagio (MGM), but then had a terrible losing streak the following day.
One casino you’ll often see us move to is the Wynn at the northern end of the Strip. There are a couple of reasons we’ll pay for a taxi to the Wynn: a) the slots pay better and b) it’s the largest casino in Vegas.
We’ve also tried several off-Strip casinos: Sunset Station, Green Valley Ranch, Durango, Red Rock, etc. We’ve had good luck at all of these. Casinos located in the Boulder Strip area of Las Vegas have a ~3% higher RTP then Strip casinos.
Final Notes
We think trying a different casino is a good idea if you find yourself losing. If the weather is good, it’s one of the big benefits of paying for a pricey hotel room on the Vegas Strip.