Some people are not cut out for playing poker or blackjack. Both games put a bit of pressure on you to be smart about the decisions you make. For those people, playing slots is a better option. You can have fun, gamble, win gifts and relax. You don’t have to worry about someone laughing at you for making a bad decision on a slot machine.
But suppose you go to Las Vegas and you’re not sure where to play slots. A big part of deciding where to play slots involves a bit of self-analysis. What is important to you about a casino experience? Do you want to eat in a big buffet? Do you want to see shows in the same casino where you are playing slots? Or are you just looking for great odds and loose machines?
I can tell you the worst place to play slots in Vegas without even doing your research: the airport. Slot machines at the Las Vegas airport are notoriously tight. I saw a survey (from about ten years ago) that indicated that you could only expect an 85% payout rate at the airport. Heck, you can get better odds by playing roulette. (If the payout percentage is 85%, then the house edge is 15%!)
If you’re looking for good odds on roulette, blackjack, or craps, then the higher value rooms at the more expensive casinos often meet your needs. But with slots, the opposite is true, especially if you are a penny or nickel player. You’ll find better slot machine payouts at casinos like Circus Circus than at the Venetian.
A reasonably nice hotel and casino that offers decent slot payouts is the Hard Rock. It’s not the fanciest hotel or casino in Vegas, but the payouts on the slots are a reasonable amount compared to most other casinos of the same quality.
If you don’t care about payout percentages and are only interested in staying at the fanciest hotel, consider staying at the Wynn. It’s probably as nice a hotel as you’ll find in Vegas. I couldn’t find any information on Wynn’s slot payout percentages, because the property is still too new. But if you can afford to stay there, you can afford to give up a few percentage points in recovery space.
A more moderate option that is still quite luxurious is the MGM Grand. Another option would be the Bellagio. Both hotels are wonderful places to play slots, and the rooms are excellent value for money, too.
