How To Get More Free Drinks In Las Vegas Casinos (Vegas Hacks)

How to get more free drinks in Las Vegas Casinos (Vegas hacks for drinkers and money-saving tips):

It is getting harder to get free drinks in Las Vegas (free alcoholic drinks) while you gamble. It is like night and day compared to my first trip to Vegas almost 10 years ago.

The information in this article was accurate prior to the shut-down caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.  I hope things will go back to normal in the near future. 

Most casinos have a limited selection for free alcoholic beverages, so don’t count on getting a pina colada or premium whiskey (although getting a blended cocktail is possible in some casinos). Thus, you might want to find a good happy hour to get what you want for a reasonable price (see my blog post about the best happy hours in Las Vegas here https://retirestyletravel.blogspot.com/2020/03/top-12-best-happy-hours-drink-specials.html).

You will get your free drinks fastest and cheapest if you gamble at a $0.05 slot machine right at the bar (if you can find one) because you can play the minimum bet and the bartender is right there. These are more common on Fremont Street. These video lottery machines are often built right into the bar counter top.

I have been told by several people that the waitresses come more frequently and serve you faster if you tip them $5 the first time they serve you and then tip them $1 or $2 each time they come. However, that means that the drinks aren’t really free. I tested this out a few times and it worked, but as soon as I didn't tip for one drink, the waitress stopped coming.

It seems as if the casinos instruct the waitresses to come more frequently to the high-stakes table games, probably because these are their best customers and they want them to enjoy themselves, but also because a few extra drinks may cause them to make a few bad decisions. Thus, you'll probably get more free drinks at the table games in most casinos. 

I don't play poker against other players, but a few of my online friends told me that they get free drinks every few minutes if they want while playing poker both on the Strip and on Fremont. 

If you can’t sit right at the bar and gamble, then try to see where the waitresses go to get their drinks and sit at a machine as close to there as possible and flag the waitress down as often as you can.

Otherwise, you may wait 30 minutes at a slot machine before you order your drink and another 30 minutes to get it served, during which time you will probably lose $40 gambling.  That is a pretty expensive drink and waste of your precious time that could be used exploring the many sights and attractions of Las Vegas.

I also found that there are nightclub promoters wandering the Las Vegas Strip handing out VIP admission cards that often give you free admission and one or two free drinks.  However, once you are there every additional drink will cost close to $20, so you might want to leave soon after your free drink (assuming you are reading this article because you want "free drinks in Las Vegas"). 

If you have any other tips, please share them in the comments. 

Happy Travels,

Kev

P.S. Here are links to my other social media accounts, in case you want to connect that way:
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Top 6 best all-you-can-drink open bar specials in Las Vegas (Vegas Hacks)

Top 6 best all-you-can-drink open bar specials in Las Vegas (Vegas Hacks for drinkers & money-saving tips):

After this self-isolation and social distancing ends, many of us are going to need a drink or two. 

Here are 6 places on the Strip in Las Vegas that will quench your thirst and then some for a relatively cheap, flat fee.

      1.       High Roller at the LINQ – for an extra $15, drink while you spend 30 minutes in the sky-wheel seeing Vegas from above, but don’t drink too much because there are no bathrooms on the pods.

2.       Senior Frogs at Treasure Island – 1 hour of unlimited drinks for $30. Some nights, they offer a 3-hour open bar from 9 PM to Midnight.

3.       Blondies at Miracle Mile Shops - $20 All-you-can-drink beer and well drinks from 3 to 6 PM or 10 PM to 1 AM.

4.       La Salsa at Miracle Mile Shops – 2 hours anytime unlimited well drinks for $30, beer & wine for $24 or call (beer, wine & margaritas) for $45.

5.       Carlos ’n Charlie’s at Flamingo – I found a Groupon for $46 for a 4-hour all-you-can-drink package with one entrée. They also have happy hour from 2-6 PM and 9 PM-Midnight with half-off all drinks. The GO Las Vegas pass also includes a 1-hour open bar with an entry in the price.

6.       Hard Rock Café (near MGM Grand) - unlimited mimosas, bellinis & bloody marys for $15 with breakfast.

BONUS TIP #1 - Almost every restaurant with a brunch menu will offer unlimited mimosas or Bloody Marys with brunch for around $15.  I saw a post recently that South Point Hotel has breakfast including unlimited Bloody Marys for $10. 

BONUS TIP #2 - Almost every buffet restaurant will offer unlimited beer and wine for an additional charge of between $10 and $15.

BONUS TIP #3 - Sometimes the open bar deals are sold on Groupon for half-price.

     BONUS TIP #4 - Get totally free drinks while gambling at the Las Vegas Casinos and read my post on how to get more free drinks in Las Vegas here: 
     https://retirestyletravel.blogspot.com/2020/03/how-to-get-more-free-drinks-in-las.html

Happy Travels,

Kev

P.S. Here are links to my other social media accounts, in case you want to connect that way:
Kevin's Instagram
Kevin's LinkedIn
Kevin's Facebook
Kevin's Pinterest
Kevin's YouTube (You should check out my YouTube Channel for related travel videos)

Top 12 best happy hours & drink specials in Las Vegas (Vegas Hacks)

Top 12 best happy hours and cheapest drink specials in Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip (Vegas hacks for drinkers & money-saving tips);

It is sad and shocking that all of the bars, hotels and casinos and most of the restaurants in Las Vegas have closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Eventually, things will get better and we can resume travelling to Sin City. As of my last update to this post on June 2, 2020, most restaurants and lounges as well as many Las Vegas casinos are set to open on June 4, 2020 with physical distancing and other safety measures in place. No announcement has been made with respect to when night clubs and dayclubs can re-open. 

Given the reduced capacity due to physical distancing and the fact that these establishments need to make back some money that was lost during the shut-down, some of these drink specials and happy hour specials may not resume at first or possibly ever. However, the Vegas restaurants, bars and lounges will also need to have some promotions to bring the customers (which may not return in large numbers at first) back. The information below is based on research done before the shut-down as well as personal experience from trips I took before the pandemic. 

I have found that the best places for inexpensive drinks in the Las Vegas Strip are in Miracle Mile Shops, near the Link Promenade, near Flamingo Resort, or on Fremont Street. Otherwise, the further you get from the Strip, the cheaper the drinks generally are.

Most of you probably want to stay on the main Strip, so here is a list of some places where you can save 50% or more off of the prices elsewhere on the Strip.

      1.       Most bars & lounges offer discounted appetizers during happy hour from 3 to 6 PM. 

2.       Bird Cage Bar at Flamingo - $0.50 beer from 5-6 PM. Get there early or you won’t get a table. $4 draft beer & $5 cocktails from 10 PM to 2 AM.

3.       Jimmy Buffet’s at Flamingo – Mon-Fri from 3 to 6 PM. $4 drafts, $5 well drinks & $6 margaritas.

4.       Stage Door Casino (near Flamingo) has $1 & $2 beers & $2 ¼ pound hotdogs all day.

5.       Tequila Taqueria Bar at Bally’s – Happy hour from 3-5 PM and 10 PM to 2 AM plus all-day drink specials at the bar ($3 tequila shots, $4 draft beer, $ 5 margarita & sangria).

6.       O’Shea’s at the LINQ - From 11 AM to 2 PM, O’Shea’s has $3 Miller Lite and Coors Light drafts and $4 Guinness drafts, $6 shot specials that includes Jameson, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire, and $3 Jell-O shots.

7.       Hash House a Go-Go at the LINQ - 3 PM to 6 PM at the bar. $5 appetizers and $3 beer, well cocktails & house wine.

8.       Coyote Ugly at New York, New York - 6 to 9 PM. $4 Jell-O shots & $6 beer and cocktails.

9.       PBR Rock Bar at Miracle Mile Shops – 2-6 PM. Half-price draft beer & cocktails.  They also sometimes do an all-day open bar.

10.   Cabo Wabo Cantina at Miracle Mile Shops – Mon-Fri from 3-5 p.m. Half-off regular margaritas, red or white sangria, draft beers and select appetizers. $21 for 50-oz margarita or sangria.

11.   Ocean One Bar & Grill at Miracle Mile Shops - sells most drinks 3-for-1 for $10 all day and has $5 lunches.

12.   Peppermill Fireside Lounge on the Strip between Wynne & Riviera. 3pm - 6pm. Special pricing on well drinks, select beers, and house wines. This is an old-school Vegas lounge that gets rave reviews and is popular with employees & entertainers who work on the street and locals.

BONUS TIP #1: The cheapest way to drink on the Strip is to bring a backpack cooler and load it up with $1 beers from one of the many stores on the Strip (drug stores are usually cheaper than liquor stores) or just buy a beer whenever you pass a drug store. It is okay to have open liquor and drink it on the Strip as long as you don’t have a glass container. See my other blog post about the Top 10 things you probably didn’t know about Las Vegas.

BONUS TIP #2: Some smaller casinos off-Strip, including Slots-a-Fun at Circus Circus, Casino Royale ($3 beers and hotdogs), Cromwell ($5 for 3 chili dogs and a soda), and some casinos and restaurants on Fremont Street have cheap prices on food and drinks all day. Try the $2 hot dogs and $0.99 famous shrimp cocktails at Lanai Deli at the Fremont Hotel.

BONUS TIP #3: This is expensive ($20), but the Chandelier multi-level lobby bar at the Cosmopolitan (surrounded by a $30 million chandelier, which is the largest in the world) has a secret, off-menu unique drink that makes your mouth numb & tingly called Verbena or the szechuan flower drink.

BONUS TIP #4: See https://seeingvegas.com/happy-hours-las-vegas-2018 and https://vegas.eater.com/maps/best-happy-hours-las-vegas-bars-restaurants for many more.

BONUS TIP #5: See my article about the best open bar (all-you-can-drink) specials in Las Vegas here https://retirestyletravel.blogspot.com/2020/03/top-6-best-all-you-can-drink-open-bar.html.

Happy Travels,

Kev

P.S. Here are links to my other social media accounts, in case you want to connect that way:
Kevin's Instagram
Kevin's LinkedIn
Kevin's Facebook
Kevin's Pinterest
Kevin's YouTube (You should check out my YouTube Channel for related travel videos)