Just got back from Vegas and first time up to the strip in a couple years; been staying downtown to play there. Wow, things have really changed from a gaming perspective, at least at the Caesars properties (Caesars, Flamingo, Harrahs, Cromwell, Rio, Linq, Ballys, Paris, PH) where I played.
I had already heard about the conversion of the casino bar video poker machines to red light / green light on when they feel you've earned yourself a free drink, but I didn't think it would change the attitudes of the staff, or be so restrictive. I played $1 bet machines in a few different places and the bartenders would basically ignore you completely until the machine decided you'd earned a drink, and that first drink seems to have nothing to do with how much you've lost, because my first attempt was probably 20+ games over five minutes, down $14, and it still hadn't turned green. I finally get a bartender over, he's like play max bet a few times and it should let me give you a drink. Seriously; I just spent $14 and I don't deserve a drink.
Anyway, where things have really turned to sh*t are table games, particularly craps. They no longer grandfather your table limits in, so if you started at a $10 table, whether you've been playing for five minutes or five hours, if the table goes to $15+, you have to as well. They do this with no warning, and several times even interrupted an active roll to inform everyone their additional bets during that roll would now need to go up. It was ridiculous. Side note is they've also set the field bet 12 to double payout now instead of triple. Really makes me not want to go back to the strip but sometimes I really like to be in walking distance of all the fun things to do. My trips where I just plan to gamble the whole time will probably head back to Fremont.
Married in Vegas - June 2011