What's The Best Way To Get Free Drinks While Gambling In Las Vegas?

It's time for one of the most important conversations you'll ever have about Las Vegas:

Free drinks.

As OutKick readers know, I'm a huge fan of Vegas, and I already have my next trip booked and ready to roll. I go at least once a year, and you'd need the military to stop that from happening at this point.

It's always a trip for the boys full of gambling, beer and questionable decisions. Speaking of beer, what's the deal with free drinks while gambling?

How do free drinks in Las Vegas work?

It seems like the topic of free drinks in Las Vegas pops up every few months on Reddit and goes viral. That's exactly what happened with a thread posted late Sunday night.

"How do you know when you can get free drinks while gambling in Vegas? Not really looking for anything fancy. Just want to get free jack and coke etc and not seem like I have no clue what’s going on," a Reddit user asked.

A handful of responses are below. Take a look and hit me with your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com:

• You can always ask the dealer for cocktail service if you’re playing table games and haven’t seen a waitress in a while. Slots you’ll have to wait for someone to come around. Service varies wildly from property to property and another tip for faster service on slots is to play at the bar as the bartender will take care of you. Don’t forget to tip.
• Sit at the bar and play video poker- The bartender will come up to you and ask you what you want. Jack and Coke is absolutely comped. If you're not sure, ask. "Can you comp me a shot of so-and-so?" Also, ABSOLUTELY tip for comped drinks. On Fremont, $1/drink is fine and they will keep coming back. Throw an extra few bucks in there every few drinks. They will remember you when you come back if you're a decent tipper. So many people throw money around like it's going out of style but they get bent out of shape for spending a few bucks on a "free" drink. Tipping for comped drinks is the only part of "tipping culture" that I don't have a problem with.
• The light system on vp machines at the bars are prevalent. You have to run enough money through the machines for the light on the back to turn green to show the bartender you’ve played enough to get a comped drink. Some bartenders are lenient with it though.
• The best bet is to find a bar with machines at the bar (Video Poker / Keno / Slots). I love the Center Bar at NYNY for this! Tip well.
• Simple. If a waitress comes by and says "drinks?" or similar, say "I'd like a Jack n Coke please". When she returns, tip her 1-2$. Note: if you're wanting to sit there a while and get GOOD service, make that first tip a $10.
• Look for the lady with the tray. Be polite. Do not yell. Once you have ordered it takes a while for the drink to get to you. Minimum tip $1 per drink.
• The cocktail girls come around. Order a drink, it’s free. Just be sure to tip them.
• Long and short of it is simple. If a waitress comes and asks if you want a drink, order what you want, it’s comped. Ask her name and remember it. When she comes back, tell her "thank you (name)" and tip her $5. Use her name and tip $5 every round and she’ll be by more often than you can put the drinks back. Have a blast in Vegas!
• You usually only have to pay for top shelf, liquor, but please remember to tip every time, the drinks are free, but the waiters and waitresses still need to make a living.

Let me lay this all out for you because it's really not that complicated. Not at all. In fact, I'd argue that free drinks is the easiest part of the equation, but it, clearly, just intimidates newer people.

There's not a casino I know of in Las Vegas that does not comp drinks while playing. Whether it's slots or table games, if you're playing, a cocktail waitress (I've never seen a guy do this job once in my life) will come around, ask what you want, bring it to you and then you should tip a couple bucks. I like to do $10 or $5 on my first drink, and then $2 for every drink after that.

Where things get a bit complicated is when it comes to the quality of alcohol served. If you're playing at a low level property on the Strip, do not order a mixed drink expecting something great. It's likely pre-mixed and coming out of a gun. Stick to bottled beer. Bottled beer should be your go-to whenever possible. That's what makes El Cortez having a beer cart right in the pit so clutch.

When it comes to higher end properties like Wynn, Cosmo, Bellagio, Venetian or Resorts World, you can get some very nice stuff comped if you're on the floor playing large hands and 100% if you're in the high limit rooms at those places. I've never done it, but I've heard Wynn and Cosmo high limit rooms are downright insane for comped drinks.

Maybe I'll try it on my next trip…..for business purposes, of course. I bet OutKick would love if I tried expensing high limit gambling just to review the drinking experience, but I digress. If you have the money to play high limit at a high end casino, you can order anything you want. If the casino doesn't have it, they'll even send someone out to go buy it if you're playing high enough hands.

How do free drinks work in Las Vegas? (Credit: Getty Images)

Go in with confidence, order what you want knowing there are definitely limits based on the property and what you're gambling and just have fun. Don't overthink it. I never do and have never once not had anything other than an epic time in Las Vegas.