Right off the bat let's make one thing very clear, you're not going to win money. Nope. Won't happen. Everyone dreams of heading to Vegas and hitting it big, but it doesn't happen. Never, ever, ever.

OK, maybe "never, ever, ever" is inaccurate and overly dramatic. Every once in a while you'll have a trip where you make money at the tables on on the machines, but it doesn't happen often. Certainly not frequently enough to count on it happening to you. Casinos love to post big pictures of slot machine mega-jackpot winners, but rarely do they mention the hundreds of other players who contributed to paying the electric bills and the salaries of the pit bosses wearing Italian suits.

So get comfortable right now with the idea you're going to lose money. In fact, don't even think of it as truly "losing," think of as paying a fee for your entertainment, just like when you buy a ticket to the movies or a fork over a cover charge at a club where the pretty people gather.

Having accepted that you're not going to win, your goal is to lose your money slowly — getting as much entertainment and fun for your dollar as you can — and maybe even go home not having spent all the cash you had budgeted for gambling. Your best chance of making this happen is to play tough and play smart. This means:

Knowing which games to play and which to avoid.

Some games, like blackjack, put the player at only a small disadvantage to the house when played correctly. Others, like Caribbean Stud Poker, give a huge edge to the house.

Knowing at least the very basics the games

Already you have learned that the house edge is small in blackjack. But that bit of knowledge does you no good if you don't know when to hit and when to stand. There's a lot to know, and if you're new to gambling you won't be able to learn it all before heading to Las Vegas, but we can teach you the bare essentials. Which, as you'll learn once you've played a while, is far more than many Vegas visitors know.

Understanding money management and proper bet sizing

One of the biggest mistakes new gamblers often make is to bet too large, especially if they get on a small hot streak. When you bet too large all it will take is a short cold spell — and you'll always run into a cold spell — to lose all your money. Here's a rule of thumb that will make your budget last longer: When in doubt, bet smaller than than you think you ought to, not bigger.

Staying away from "betting systems" that seem like sure winners

The most famous of these — and the one that casinos most love to see gamblers using — is called the Martingale System. See "Don't Do This" for more information on this disaster waiting to happen.

Finding out which games you most enjoy

You're not taking this trip to get rich, you're taking it to have fun. If it turns out you have a great time playing one of the games with odds that aren't so great, so what. If you really like it, play it. No matter what anyone tells you or how much unsolicited "advice" you get in Las Vegas (trust me, you'll get a lot), never forget you're playing with your own money and are entirely free to risk it in any way you see fit.