Years ago, I was a serious player of Blackjack, usually in Las Vegas. The way I played it, I usually won but it required a helluva lot of time, study and concentration, and it eventually came to feel not just like work, but work that I did not enjoy. At the time, I was way ahead but well aware that if I continued to play, at some point my luck would turn bad and I'd give back all my winnings and maybe more. I knew that if that happened, I'd feel compelled to keep playing until I got ahead again, which would be even less pleasant work.
So just like that, I stopped playing. Gave it up. I continued to go to Vegas because I like Vegas but my last dozen trips, the only gambling I've done has been a few bucks in slots, just to see how some of the new model machines worked. And I never went for Craps or Roulette or any of the others in the first place.
If I hadn't retired from Blackjack back then, I might do so now. Several of the casinos have quietly changed their rules, generally on single deck games, so that a "natural" (Ace plus a 10-value card) no longer pays 3:2. Now, it pays 6:5, which may seem like a teensy change but really isn't. This article will explain why it's harder to come out ahead now than it used to be. Since they seem to be getting away with this, you can expect more rules and payoffs to change in the house's favor.
Creeping exploitation is occurring in many areas of the town. There are still cheap places to stay and eat, but buffet prices are rising and a lot of the newer hotels and fine restaurants are amazingly expensive, given that it's Vegas. Meanwhile, most of the major showrooms are continuing with an unofficial policy of sneaking ticket prices upward. The best Lance Burton tix are now $66 each, the Cirque du Soleil show at the Bellagio is $99-$150, and Danny Gans, whose show consists of one guy on a stage backed by a small band, charges a hundred bucks a seat. A hundred is what you'll pay for the worst seat to Elton John's show, which has a top of $250. So far, the price increases do not seem to be hurting attendance at most ongoing shows so the hikes will probably be ongoing, as well.
A few years ago, the conventional wisdom was that with so many casinos opening all across the country, Vegas might be on the cusp of extinction. Now, even without Bill Bennett's money, the town is doing better than ever and a dozen new "megaresorts" are planned. What may be extinct is good, cheap shows and buffets. That, and winners at Blackjack.