I think you should get a patch just for riding the elevator! We saw a lady coming down the sky jump and it looked like she had maybe thrown up on her shirt, that's when I decided I didn't need to try that drunk.
We only looked for BJ at the casinos near us (Caesars, Paris, and PH) - Craps tables at Caesars were all $25 so we were playing at PH - Even though that place is a little trashy I like it. But I had memorized that "basic strategy" and really wanted to give it a whirl. I am trying to get a group of people to go to Blackhawk so maybe Ill give it a shot there.
They also had swim up black jack at the Caesar pool but those were $25 minimums.
If I make it there without the women next time I am going to go back to the stratosphere , I thought it was a fun casino and the minimums were my style ($5)
I play fairly vanilla craps, just mainly bet the pass line and then the Big 6/8 every now and then. I probably haven't done near as much as you but so far my boring style seems to keep you even keel, but its a slow game. There was a dude showed up next to me, dropped $500 and started throwing chips everywhere, he was done in around 45 minutes - probably walked away with less than $100 of his original. - I also still like that machine craps we played the last time we were there but it was also full - & full of some strange ass people..
The $5 blackjack tables can fill up pretty quick. In Vegas I usually play $25 blackjack--a $500 bankroll is usually sufficient for that, but you have to be prepared to lose it all. Heck, a couple years ago at the Brass Ass in Cripple Creek, CO I lost $100 playing $5 blackjack in about 10 minutes. It just depends on if you get on a good streak or a bad streak. If you haven't played a lot of basic strategy then it's probably good to practice a while at $5 to cement the strategy and get a feel of the rhythm of the game. To me a good dealer makes it a lot more fun. In Vegas so many of them don't really speak English very well, which isn't as much fun if you can't understand them.
A $25 craps table is insanely expensive. But doesn't surprise me at Caesars, they think they're pretty high end there. How did you like your room there anyway?
We like PH too... enough that we got married there! We've been focusing more on Mlife properties lately though.
The best bet in the casino is the odds bet on the pass or don't pass line on Craps, since it has 0% house edge. At a 3x/4x/5x $5 table you're putting $20 to $30 on the point ($5 on the pass line plus $15-25 in odds). Then as you said it goes slow if you're only playing the pass line, so I end up playing a few come bets (which are essentially the same as the pass line). If you make 3 or 4 come bets with full odds, you've quickly got $100+ on the table, which can be completely wiped out by a 7. But if you get a good shooter then you're just rolling in money. The nice thing with the machine is you can play at your pace, and they take a little lower minimum bets. I don't think I put more than $20 in that machine at PH and walked away with an extra $100 or so.
What's a good off strip hotel that has some good amenities? When we go in October were just going to do 2 days at MGM and then head to Antelope Canyon and then come back and stay a night off the strip and avoid the chaos of the strip (wifes idea)
If you're going to Antelope Canyon, I'd suggest taking a detour to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on the way. It's a lot more laid back than the South Rim.
Off strip, Red Rock Resort on the west side of the Vegas valley is really nice. I've never stayed there, but the facility is nice, with a big pool, and the rooms aren't very cheap so I assume they're nice. Lots of good options for food too. A friend of mine stayed at South Point and said it was nice too but I can't vouch for his opinion. Also Palms was just remodeled and is supposed to be pretty nice if you want to be near but not ON the strip.