A Dragon In Vegas

It is one of the great paradoxes of my existence. I don’t drink and have never been drunk in my life. I never do drugs. I don’t gamble (with the exception of blackjack). I’m an introvert who hates big parties, dance clubs, and loud bars. I never have sex with hookers. And yet, Las Vegas is one of my most beloved cities in the world, and certainly my favorite city in the United States to visit (the eternally-beautiful San Diego being a close second).

I have been to Vegas more times than I can count. Living in the Pacific Northwest, Vegas is a quick and inexpensive two hour flight from where I live, and sometimes I go several times a year. I was just there last week (the picture above is one I took myself) and I will be going again soon.

I am intimately familiar with the entire town, from Summerlin in the north to Henderson in the south, the entire Strip, almost all the hotel resorts on the The Strip, and have stayed at many of them. I am also familiar with the surrounding neighborhoods, since at one point several years ago I strongly considered moving to Vegas for fun and tax reasons. (At some point I may still get a cheap apartment down there, maybe make that my American oasis when I move to Asia. So tempting!)

Many times I go for work (usually public speaking), but most of the time I go for fun. While high-tech urban Asia feels to me like the place I should have been born into, Las Vegas is like a beautiful, forever-stable, long distance lover, always there when I need her. It truly is one of the best places on Earth, even if you’re an introvert like me. If you have never been, you need to go.

Today I’m going to run down the specifics of Vegas from my perspective, especially for those of you who have never been there. Most of what I will be talking about is The Strip, the main street in Vegas where all the action is, the one you see in all the movies.

1. The hotels are the best in the world.

That’s a literal statement. The Wynn, the hotel I tend to stay at most often, is (or at least was a few short years ago) the most expensive hotel ever built in world history. It cost around $2 billion. That’s a number that would make even Donald Trump puke. (And The Donald has his own residential tower right across the street from the Wynn)

The reason is because most hotels in Vegas also include an entire mall, an entire casino, numerous shops, and several regular shows. Hotels on The Strip are really not hotels, they’re full-blown resorts. You could seriously spend 2-3 days within some of the bigger ones and never leave the place, and be entertained the entire time.

Most hotels have a theme. Treasure Island is the pirate hotel, Excalibur is the medieval hotel, Caesars Palace is the Roman hotel, and so on. Then you have hotels like the Wynn and Palazzo that are just really frickin’ fancy.

Best of all, most of the hotels on the Strip are shockingly inexpensive for what you get. Since Vegas makes most of its money from the casinos, it doesn’t need to charge much for hotel rooms. There’s a handy map with current price specials right here which will give you a good idea of how cheap it all is.

I’m familiar with just about all the hotels on The Strip but my favorites are The Wynn, the Palazzo, THE Hotel (yes, that’s what it’s called) and the Mandarin Oriental. However there’s a ton more I really do like, including Aria, the Venetian, Mandalay Bay, and the Rio.

I’m usually staying at one of those above, though often when I want to keep things on the cheap I will stay at the Excalibur, where you can get a very nice hotel room, right on The Strip, for around $37 a night. Amazing.

That’s my main point here. Going to Vegas is really, really cheap. That’s probably one of the big reasons I like it so much. Even not including airfare, I always spend way more money going to New York, because New York is a fucking ripoff. Granted, New York is a very cool place but it can’t hold a candle to Vegas.

2. It’s easy to get laid in Vegas (though that’s not the reason I go).

This is already common wisdom among night game guys. Vegas is one of the easiest places to get laid in the world, and I’m not talking about hookers. I’m talking about all the hot chicks who go to visit.

It’s true. If you have even mediocre game and don’t mind staying out well past 1am, it’s very easy to get laid in Vegas. In the later hours there are mobs of scantily clad mediocre to hot women of all age groups getting drunk and living it up. I’ve also heard there are good daygame opportunities at the hotels’ many pools, many of which are clothing optional. (You should see all the big fake boobs on display at the Wynn’s pools.)

I personally don’t do any of this when I go to Vegas. It’s very rare I have sex while there (unless I bring a woman with me) because I’m too busy doing all the other fun stuff, and I don’t like staying out later than about 11pm or midnight. I get plenty of sex in my usual day-to-day life so I don’t see any big need to bust my ass to ignore all the fun Vegas stuff just to get another notch.

Regardless, the overall point here is if you want to go to Vegas to get laid, it’s definitely the place.

3. The shows are awesome and inexpensive.

Every night there are scores of shows going on, most of which you can go to for under $40. There are magicians and stand-up comics (both my personal favorites), plays, dance shows, tributes (Beatles, Michael Jackson, etc), strip shows, comedy shows, weird shit (Blue Man Group), interactive shows, operas, musical acts from A-list musicians and/or actors, you name it, it’s in Vegas, and it’s good.

I don’t go to the shows that often, since most of my fun time in Vegas is spent exploring. That being said, I have been to many shows, and I have never seen a show in Vegas I disliked.

Usually there is a free magazine in your hotel room outlining all the shows available over the next week or two, so they make things very convenient. (Again…they want that cash in your wallet.)

4. Yep, there are hookers, so be careful.

While prostitution is legal in most of the state of Nevada, it’s technically illegal in downtown Vegas. Moreover, the huge corporations that run Vegas now have become militant, at least to a degree, about keeping the working girls out of the casinos.

However, despite all of this, Vegas is still swarming with hookers. If you spend any time alone in a casino after about 7pm, you’ll either be hit on by one (especially if you’re dressed nice or look married) or see someone close by be approached.

I don’t have sex with hookers, but being a libertarian and a high sex drive man, I have a strange sort of respect for what they do. They provide an extremely valuable and necessary service the free market demands. What would all those millions of betas and too-busy-to-date Alphas do without hookers?

The first time I ever saw a Vegas pro I was playing blackjack, and a much-too-nice hot chick sat down right next to me and started flirting with me hard. I knew something didn’t smell right (sober women just don’t hit on guys like that) so I rebuffed her. She simply smiled and started talking to the dude next to me, and older guy. He just grunted at her. So she moved on to the third guy at the table, an overweight Asian dude. He smiled at her and they started talking. After the shoe was over, they left together. I laughed. Now that’s a professional saleswoman. (Vegas hookers could make some serious cash as corporate sales trainers.)

I’ve had some hilarious interactions with the hookers in Vegas. Usually they’ll approach you and are way, way too nice. They will often identify themselves by asking where you’re from or if you’re local. They want to determine if you’re visiting and not from Vegas.

I’ll do things like when she asks “So where are you from?” I’ll immediately answer, “How much!?!” with a big excited smile on my face. I’m not going to have sex with any hookers but it’s fun to play around with them. Sometimes they sputter, and it’s fun. Usually they’ll be coy and give a “Well…it depends” type answer. Fake-flirting with professional hookers is great woman-practice.

I like to push the envelope. One time I started negotiating with a hooker at the Bellagio and it was hilarious. I said, “Okay, so, what if I just wanted to have sex with your ear? Just for fifteen minutes. How much would that cost me?” She said something like “You can do whatever you want, sweetheart.” Then I started touching her ear and examining it like a doctor (hooker-kino!), saying things like “Hm…I don’t know, my cock is pretty big and your ear is pretty small…”

Anyway, hookers aren’t for me but if you’re into that kind of thing, go ahead. If you’re like me and would rather not, just have fun with them and consider it part of the Vegas experience. Get in some dating/pickup practice. Of course if you are never alone you’ll probably never have to worry about them, since they seem to only approach lone wolves.

5. Gambling is everywhere, but don’t be stupid.

Other than blackjack, which I enjoy playing a great deal, I never gamble. I never do slot machines or roulette or baccarat or table poker or any of that crap. However, Vegas is designed to make you want to gamble, and it’s very effective.

The usual technique of “just take $100 and plan on losing it, and if you lose it, fine” can work, but it only works if you have a great deal of self-control, and most people do not, as evidenced by the huge profits gleaned by casinos not just in Vegas, but all over the world.

A smart person goes to Vegas and does not gamble, thereby taking advantage of all the super-low hotel prices made possible by all the idiots losing money at the casinos. Moreover, since I only play blackjack which has the highest statistical odds of beating the house out of all forms of gambling, and since my blackjack winnings usually exceed my loses (over time and on average), often my blackjack winnings pay for some or all the cost of the trip.

For example, on this particular trip I won $190 profit playing blackjack, which pretty much paid for my plane ticket. Not bad. But again, I do NOT play any other gambling game when in Vegas and I have an extreme level of emotional control when I play blackjack. Which means I get up from the blackjack table and leave when I’m winning, which is, again, something most human beings don’t have the ability to do. (One of the many advantages of having emotional control over your actions is that things like blackjack can become a source of net income.)

So gamble if you wish, but buyer beware.

That’s Las Vegas in a nutshell. I will be going back at least two more times this year. I’m even tempted to do a Blackdragon seminar down there one of these days. We’ll see.

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6 Comments
  • Mike
    Posted at 07:16 am, 13th March 2014

    Hey BD, I’ve been thinking about buying a condo in Vegas and moving there. Where are the best neighborhoods in Vegas to buy a condo? Also what do you think of online dating in Vegas? Thx

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 09:39 am, 13th March 2014

    Someone who actually lives in Vegas right now could probably answer that question better than I could, but in general, just about anywhere in Vegas outside of Henderson is super cheap right now. I know someone who just picked up a very nice (though on the small side) apartment for $55,000 about 10 minutes west of the strip. Nice.

    Online game in Vegas would be fine. Its overall urban area has about 1.8 million people…plenty for online dating. Also, I know guys who live in Vegas who do nothing but sarge up visiting women at the hotels for ONSs, and they get LAID A LOT (if ONSs are your kind of thing).

  • Tyler
    Posted at 11:37 am, 14th March 2014

    I’m glad to know even introverts can enjoy Vegas! I’m introverted for sure, and heading out there in May. I’m curious, if you don’t drink, do drugs, have sex or go clubbing, what do you do in Vegas? (other than blackjack)

    I would love to hear some specific recommendations for activities and places to hit up. (Possible fodder for an e-book?)

  • Bryan
    Posted at 05:48 am, 15th March 2014

    I am very similar to you in that I don’t drink and gamble but I love Vegas! The overriding theme, like so many big cities, is just the energy and stimulation of the senses. This effect is magnified if you come from a small college town in the south like me.

  • Blackdragon
    Posted at 10:22 am, 15th March 2014

    I’m curious, if you don’t drink, do drugs, have sex or go clubbing, what do you do in Vegas? (other than blackjack)

    I would love to hear some specific recommendations for activities and places to hit up.

    Here’s what I usually do, in order of how much time I spend doing it:

    1. Walk around and look at the crazy architecture of the hotels / resorts and the indoor and outdoor attractions.
    2. Play blackjack.
    3. Do the “cool fun stuff”. Examples would be things like the big roller coaster (New York New York), the shark tunnel (Mandalay Bay), the Statosphere attractions (top of the Stratosphere), etc. There’s probably 100 of these things and I haven’t even scratched the surface. The next item on my list is to rent a Lamborghini…they let you drive one around for 30 minutes (it’s costs you about $80 though). There’s a helicopter ride I also want to do also.
    4. EAT. Some really, really fantastic, world-class food there, some of it expensive, some of it cheap.
    5. Go to shows. Usually when I go I see one or two.

    Those items above will more than fill 3 days there.

    Also, I work whenever I travel, so a few hours a day in Vegas I find a classy, cozy spot with a nice view, whip open my laptop, and work for a little bit. I wrote the above post overlooking the strip from the top of the Mandarin Oriental sipping Chinese tea.

  • Yonatan
    Posted at 12:36 am, 18th May 2018

    I’m leaving the Pacific Northwest and planning on moving to Las Vegas because of its Libertarian friendly laws.  I am pro-gun, pro-weed, pro-booze, pro-women, want separation of church and state, low taxes, pro-business and pro-freedom.  I have a small software business and I am trying to launch my own online business type of software, among some other ventures.  I grew up in Oregon and sadly, both my home state and the state of Washington are declaring war on gun owners and businesses. These states have become cesspools of communism and fascism.  It is sad but I have to bail, as Oregon and Washington are going to try to pass the first gun confiscation bill in the history of the USA.

    So, after researching this the only states that seem to work for me are Nevada, Alaska and Maine.  As much as I love the beauty of Alaska and Maine, I know the weather would be way too cold and dreadful for me most of the year. However, if I ever get wealthy I may consider buying a summer home in Alaska or Maine.   One thing I sure miss living in Washington and Oregon most my life is sunshine.  I hear Vegas has great weather and has Central A/C in most places for the scorching summers.  In Portland you get Vegas temperatures sometimes but no A/C and more humidity and it can be dreadful.

    Anyway, I have decided in my older age (turning 40) that I don’t really want to live a lifestyle of just going from woman to woman for sex.  Rather, I would like to try to achieve what you have done and have 4 or 5 women for a polygamous relationship.   I’m looking only for an open relationship with multiple women and they would have to be accepting of the fact I am wanting a polygamous relationship.   Anyway, I know I have ZERO women now and have a lot of learning to do, but I think my game is not terrible, but hardly great.  Sadly, I live in the South Puget Sound and almost every girl is married here with multiple kids by 20.  Living near the Ft Lewis military base makes it hell as almost every girl here quickly tries to find a soldier and quickly gets married.  Most soldiers try to find a girl to marry as quick as possible and have kids, since they know they could be deployed at any time.

    I ended up in the South Sound for various reasons, but I am dreading this place and want out as soon as possible.  Seattle would have been more fun, but it is so ultra liberal, the women are kinda ugly and go out of their way to be as unsexy as they can be.  As well, the liberal radicalism coupled with insane cost of living, homeless problems, etc makes Seattle pretty miserable these days.  Great to visit, not fun to live.

    So, I am wondering if a 40 something guy can find a nice array of 20 to 30 something females in Vegas?  I’m not the most attractive right now, but plan on getting back into shape, lifting weights, slimming down.

    I was overjoyed to hear that Vegas is your favorite city in America and you are even considering moving there.  Well, if you do move there and have seminars I would like to attend them and since I will be living there, I probably could afford at least one a year.

    My fear is that I may be lonely there and that all the single women may just be tourists and it could be hard to find local women to date.  The two places I have lived, Boise and Tacoma/Lacey are utter sausage fests and the men in my age group outnumber women 60% to 40% .   Tacoma has the highest number of men of any city outside of Alaska.    I definitely would like to go to a place where there is a higher number of

    I want to go and make a fool of myself, start day-gaming, meeting women  and doing everything I can, but that is down right dangerous is Olympia and Tacoma.  I am too busy working 70+ hours a week and don’t have time/money to go up to Seattle and I would have to literally stay in a hotel which is expensive.    SO, going to Seattle isn’t an option for me living here.   The women in Olympia (city, itself) are downright gross.  I’ve never seen women so gross, they have ugliest tattoos, very pale, too many piercings, ugly hair styles and they don’t shower much, they stink!   Almost every woman in the South Sound is hitched and if you end up having an affair (even unknowingly) with a military wife the guy will definitely come after you and put a bullet in you.  I’ve heard many stories of it happening here.  Anyway, I got to get the fuck out of this atmosphere and Vegas is sounding nice.    Of course, the fact Washington is going to criminalize gun ownership and is pushing for all types of horrible taxes are the main factors I am leaving, but I have wanted to get the hell out of here for a long time.

    So, would Vegas be a great choice and do you think I have opportunities to pursue my goal of a polygamous relationship?   I’m a firm believer that monogamy will not work in Western society, but I would like to have a meaningful relationship with a few different women.

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