If you’re planning a trip to Vegas, here’s the breakdown of where to go to play what game.

If you want to play poker: Head to The Mirage first. The atmosphere is a little calmer than the most lavish, craziest hotels like Caesar’s, Venetian, Bellagio, etc… but it’s head and shoulders above the lower-end joints like Circus Circus or Harrah’s. If you’re looking to be in the middle of the Vegas “action” so to speak, head over to MGM. There’s always a show going on there, the poker floor is always bustling with people coming and going, and somebody is always screaming for joy or heartache somewhere in the casino. Some people prefer a quieter spot, though, when they’re trying to concentrate on the game. Of course, if you’re looking for history, you must take the trip to Freemont Street and head on into Binion’s Horseshoe Casino.

Blackjack: Take a 180 from the poker recommendations and find one of the no-name, no-door places hidden on Freemont Street or further down the strip. The places where the gum residue on the floor offers a perfect bridge between the street and the carpet of the casino. The carpet’s dirty, there’s no air conditioning in the places, but you can waste away the whole day on cheap, cheap liquor and $2 blackjack tables. The atmosphere in these establishments is a little dingy, but it’s still great, and it tends to keep away the tourists. You probably aren’t a blackjack genius, but even you want to stay away from tables that attract these disasters waiting to happen. If you want someplace a little more on the map for blackjack, give Rio a try.

Roulette: For the setup alone, and the ambiance, the only place I’ll spend hours playing roulette is at the Paris hotel. It’s all state of the art, comfortable seating, brightly lit, bunch of tables set up together…just a good place to let the ball roll. Most roulette players aren’t that picky, though, and as is the case there really isn’t any on particular place to avoid.

Slots: Everybody has the loosest slots in town, didn’t you know that? Honestly, there isn’t a casino anymore that doesn’t have what everyone else has. So a good rule of thumb is this: if you’re only planning to run quarters into a machine all day, find a place with the best buffet and restaurant options. The Monte Carlo is a top pick here. Trust me, after a few hours of pulling the lever, grabbing three quarters, rinse and repeat (do they even have levers anymore?) you’re going to work up an appetite. New York, New York also has the best junk food, so it’s a good slot machine destination, as well.

I learned something very interesting about blackjack recently. And yes, I’m still learning. As we all are. Although I might be a little further behind the blackjack curve than I am in poker or, let’s say PS3 gaming, I still play quite a bit. Usually it’s undisciplined, hence my interest in taking a more in-depth approach to my preparation and knowledge before saddling up to the table.

The first thing I’m resigned to is the fact that, like most casino games on Full Tilt Poker, the odds are stacked against me no matter how smart I play. But given that, the goal when learning should be to make the highest percentage of correct moves, not earn the most money. Although it make seem like the money is the final indicator of how well you’re progressing, making the right call to discipline yourself is far more important.

So, I gave myself a test of 20 total hands and, through checking the correct play for each situation I faced after I made a decision, gave myself a grade. After 20 hands, and something like 25 or 26 decisions, I scored a 92%.

I was pretty pleased, even though I made two mistakes. The first one was careless, since I knew I made the wrong call. It was just a brain lapse.

Second mistake made: Split on a pair of 6’s if the dealer shows less than a seven. That’s what you should do. I stood when the dealer had a 4. And now I know I won’t do that again.

I didn’t even figure how much I would’ve lost or gained, although I’ll be honest and tell you most of the hands when I made the correct call, the dealer seemed to pull some pretty handy 20’s and 21’s out.

But that’s Blackjack on PokerStars.com, and unless you’re counting cards, no matter how well you seem to be doing, the longer you play, the greater the odds of you ending up in the red, and I don’t mean hearts or diamonds.

I then tried this method of self-teaching again, only ramping up the difficultly with a self-imposed five-second limit per decision. I fared a little worse…somewhere around 72%. Not the most realistic of restrictions to place on yourself, but it does force you to think quickly, and recall the rule as fast as you can. That helps pound these rules into your head over time.

Anyway, my one big mistake on GoldenCasino.com was: Double down when you have 11, unless the dealer shows an Ace. I only hit with the dealer showing a Jack.