Las Vegas Blog

Let's be honest here ... when you book a room on the Vegas Strip, there's not a lot of incentive to leave the comfort of, well, the Strip. After all, there's TONS to see, everyone else appears to be a Tourist (minus employees and pamphlet-slingers) and everything appears to be within walking distance.

Or so you thought ...

As it turns out, no Vegas experience is considered 'authentic' without a trip to one of the off-Strip casinos, most notably one of the Station Casinos. (In this case, we'll be dealing with the Texas.)

OK - confession. There's no doubt that I would've missed this casino completely if it weren't for the fact that my uncle has been a Vegas local for the last 22 years. The Station is his "local hangout", which he proved immediately by engaging in some familiar banter with the bartender as soon as we walked in the door. (And yes, they still asked for my I.D.)

From there, it was a trip to the Blackjack table, where he sponsored me to see whether or not I had better instincts than another unnamed uncle of mine. (I did, by the way, even if it didn't amount to, you know, us making any money.)

Alright, so what did I love about this particular off-Strip casino?

1. The games. We played single-deck Blackjack, which my roommate and I have been practicing for months after a particularly rough stretch in Sin City. Did this amount to us winning? NO. Did it make for exceedingly more banter/fun/friendship at the Blackjack table. ABSOLUTELY. Good luck finding this on the Strip ...
2. The dealers. The ladies in charge were incredibly helpful, engaged in some expert ball-busting, and made the overall experience that much more enjoyable for everyone involved.
3. The minimums. $3? I'm in.
4. The banter. OK, I may have just caught a great crowd, but I can't remember a better string of card players at a table. Let's face it - you're not ONLY at a Blackjack table to make money - you're there to have a FUN, memorable experience. So what are you looking for from a great table? 

• 1.) Great B.S.ers; Card players that are genuinely interested in where you're from, why you're there, and who you came with. (i.e. Me after two beers.)
• 2.) Funny Guys and Gals; This needs no explanation. We surround ourselves with funny people because they're more fun to be around. 
• 3.) Helpful Players; If you're a rookie, these players are more than happy to give you a hand when you're stuck on whether to hit or stay. And, of course, they're ON YOUR TEAM!
•  4.) Friendly Dealers; Believe it or not, dealers make or break the table. If they're not laughing at your jokes or interjecting on terrible moves, they're not worth sticking around for. Find a fun dealer willing to bust your chops and lose a little, then bail as soon as they're gone and you're up $50 ...

OK, so what's the catch? Well, you probably knew this already - the Texas Station and others like it are several minutes off the Strip. So odds are, if you're staying elsewhere, you're not finding an easy way to get to this Las Vegas hotel and casino. (Other than cabbing it.) However, if you're an experienced Vegas vacationer, then you know that off-Strip hotel rooms are cheap, there are plenty of dining options on-site, and the service is great. 

I'm not suggesting that you SHOULD stay at an off-Strip hotel and casino, I'm just saying that they're not nearly as stereotypical as you (or I) had imagined. In fact, if it's where the locals go to gamble - including my Uncle - then that should be more convincing than anything I could possibly tell you.

That being said, did I mention the minimums? ...