EXCLUSIVE | Las Vegas: Resources

This Travel Guide was last updated 5/08. There may be places that changed since then. Call ahead, and please let us know about any corrections or new places of interest.

The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada (953 E. Sahara Ave., Suite B-31; 702-733-9800) has a variety of events throughout the week and a slew of resources for lesbian and gay visitors. The Lambda Business Association (702-593-2875; www.lambdalv.com) provides professional referrals and lists a number of gay-friendly businesses.

Q Vegas (702-650-0636) is the local gay paper, published monthly and distributed at bars and other gay-friendly establishments. More of a bar rag, the monthly Las Vegas Night Beat (702-369-8441) is also distributed free at most gay bars and businesses.

For excellent insight into all things LGBT in Las Vegas, pick up a copy of Gay Vegas: A Guide to the Other Side of Sin City (by Steve Friess, Huntington Press, $19.95), published in 2007 and chock full of info on virtually every gay-specific and gay-popular establishment in town.

For detailed general travel advice and ratings, you can't do better than the Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas (by Bob Sehlinger, John Wiley & Sons; $18.99), a bible of objective information on hotels, dining and entertainment. On the Web, an excellent gay resource is www.gayvegas.com -- detailed and current.

VisitLasVegas.com is the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority site, with excellent general tourist information; you can also contact them at 702-892-0711 for brochures and free visitor's guides. Reservation and show information is available on 702-847-4858. Gay-friendly Adventure Las Vegas (888-846-4747) offers individuals and groups adventure tours of the desert surrounding Vegas, with trips as far as the Grand Canyon.

LAS VEGAS LINGO
Boxman: The craps table dealer who sits over the drop box and supervises bets and payoffs.

Casino boss: The person who oversees the entire casino.

Comp: Short for free or complimentary.

Coupons: Redeemable for nearly everything from a free meal to a free pull on a slot machine. (Ask the hotel whether it has a coupon book.)

Drop box: A locked box located on live gambling tables where dealers deposit paper money.

Eye in the sky: A one-way mirror surveillance in the casino area. Be sure to smile! Mirrors or dark glass that circle casino ceilings conceal people assigned to watch the casino action to prevent cheating by players or dealers. There are also cameras behind the decorative-looking glass. They record action at the gaming tables.

Fruit Loop: The gay neighborhood around Gipsy and FreeZone.

High roller: A casino customer with the reputation for wagering large sums of money.

In red: A comped customer's name usually appears "in red" on a maitre d's reservation chart.

Limit: The minimum or maximum bet accepted at a gambling table, established by the house.

Marker: An IOU owed the casino by a gambler allowed by the hotel to play on credit.

Pit boss: The person who oversees numerous table dealers

RFB comp: The casino is impressed with a customer's credit rating and has ordered that he/she be given free room, food and beverage (RFB) during a hotel stay.

Shoe: A container from which several decks of cards are dealt on the baccarat and blackjack tables, meaning the dealer does not deal the cards from his/her hands.

Shooter: A gambler who is rolling the dice on a craps table.

Stickman: The dealer who moves the dice around on a craps table with a hook-shaped stick.

Toke: Tip or a gratuity


Related Articles:
Las Vegas: Intro
Las Vegas: Where to Stay
Las Vegas: What to Eat
Las Vegas: Where to Play/Meet
Las Vegas: What to See & Do