Las Vegas is probably the most tip-centric city you'll ever visit. A general rule of thumb is: Tip everybody you can think of. If it's a situation where the service is ongoing — such as ordering drinks — tip the person early and tip them a little more than you think you ought to. More than anywhere else I've ever visited, service in Las Vegas is directly correlated to how much cash you spread around.

Here are a few guidelines of commonly encountered tipping situations:

• Tip cab drivers somewhere around 15 to 20 percent. What I do is estimate what a 15-percent tip would be, then round upwards to the nearest $5. If you get unlucky and get one of the rare cab drivers who lie and claim there's a mandatory 15-percent gratuity (there's no such thing), then stiff the guy with a 10-percent tip if you feel like it.

• If you have anyone load, unload or store your bags for you — shuttle drivers or the hotel bag check, for example — slip them a couple of bucks per bag.

• At regular bars or when ordering from cocktail waitresses while gambling, tip them about a buck a drink. Note that once you've established a pattern of tipping, don't feel bad if you miss slipping the waitress a gratuity on one or two of her trips. She knows you'll average things out. Also remember that casino chips are as good as cash when tipping, and often a lot handier than reaching into your wallet for bills.

• At super-hip nightclubs, slip the bartender or waitress a 20 with your first order and let them know you'll be ordering more throughout the night. Then tip them a 10 every other order or so.

• When gambling, tip a friendly dealer by either placing a bet for them when you hit a hot streak or simply put a few chips on the table — but not in the betting area — when leaving the table and let them know it's for them. Don't feel like you have to tip a surly dealer anything. On rare occasion you'll even run into a surly dealer actively trying to get you to tip them. This is called "hustling tokes" and it's pretty much universally hated. Just leave that table.

• If you have tickets to a show that does not have assigned seating, but instead has someone to seat you, passing along $10 or so along with a request about where you'd like to be positioned can go a long way to moving you away from the exit and closer to the stage.

• Drop a dollar or two to the attendant at the pool whenever you pick up new towels.

• At a low- to mid-tier hotel, leave 10 bucks or so for the housekeeping staff when you leave. At a very nice place, bump it to 20 or more.

• If you visit a strip club… well, they're going to end up with all your cash, no matter how much or little you start with.

You're going to end up spending quite a bit of money on tips, but it's kind of fun. Spreading cash around can kind of make a person feel like a big shot, and, in the overall picture, it doesn't really add too much to the price of the trip.

Betting on an English League Two soccer (just accept that nobody is going to call it "football" in the States) team? That's kind of doubtful. Many major sports books offer bets on Premier League games, but once you get below that you're not likely to find action in Vegas.

So what to do if you decide to wager a few dollars on a Premier League game? The Bellagio sports book is a great place to start. Other good choices would be Caesars Palace and the Las Vegas Hilton. Start by taking a look at the giant tote boards to see if odds are listed, but don't be surprised if you don't find any there. That does not necessarily mean the sports book is not taking bets. There will be a lot of basketball games going on during your stay, and those lines may take up most of the available space on the board. If you don't see soccer listed, just ask one of the clerks if lines are available. They'll either point you to where handouts are available or print out lines for you.

Now that you've placed your bet you may want to watch the game… which you probably won't be able to find on any of the screens in the sports book. The Crown & Anchor pub — about a $15 cab ride away from the Bellagio — is the place to go for English soccer. Sorry, though, even they aren't likely to air League Two games.

First off, the hotel: Ballys will probably be just fine for you. The hotel isn't in the top tier of luxury places, but it's nice enough and has a very good central-Strip location. Rooms in the North Tower are a bit larger and nicer, but rooms in the South Tower generally have a better view of the Strip. So if you prefer cushier accommodations, the North side is for you. But if you want a nice perspective to watch the Bellagio fountain show, ask for a South Tower room that looks that direction.

Now about the gambling: Las Vegas isn't much of a bingo town — traditional games bring in a lot more money, so casinos usually focus on those — but there are a handful of bingo halls in town. None on the Strip, though, and only one Downtown. The rest are all in Off-Strip locations, meaning expect more locals and fewer tourists.

If you want to play, you might consider visiting the one Downtown location, the Plaza, where you can at least mix in a little sightseeing of this old section of Vegas with your bingo-playing. While you're there, make sure to pop into the Golden Gate for a shrimp cocktail from their deli in the back. That's a personal favorite of mine.

All the other bingo halls will require a cab ride from Ballys. These are all well-known casinos, so all cabbies should know how to get there.

Las Vegas bingo halls (list as of Jan. 10, 2010)

• Plaza (Downtown) – 11am-9pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Arizona Charlies Decatur (Off-Strip) – Round-the-clock, sessions start on odd hours
• Arizona Charlies Boulder (Off-Strip) – Round-the-clock, sessions start on odd hours
• Boulder Station (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Cannery (Off-Strip) – 8am-10pm, sessions start on even hours
• Fiesta (Off-Strip) – 11am-7pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Fiesta Henderson (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Gold Coast (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Palace Station (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Red Rock (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Sams Town (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Santa Fe Station (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• South Point (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Suncoast (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Sunset Station (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Terribles (Off-Strip) – 11am-9pm, sessions start on odd hours
• Texas Station (Off-Strip) – 9am-11pm, sessions start on odd hours

Note that session times are subject to change and some casinos may decide to no longer host bingo, so it's a good idea to check with your hotel concierge before heading out.

The answer is very simple for Michelle: No, your daughter will not be allowed to join you at the gaming table. Nobody under 21 is even allowed to linger in casino areas, much less sit at a table. In practice she's not likely to draw much attention if she watches over your shoulder for a hand or two, but young-looking folks will eventually be asked for an ID.

Kelly, the general rule of thumb for you is also a no. Seats at blackjack tables — and all games — are meant only for players. Sit down and you'll be asked to either bet or get up… usually. If things are very slow in the casino — early in the day, for example — and there are only one or two players at the table, some dealers don't mind if a non-player sits for a little while. As soon as the table begins filling, though, you'll be asked to move.

Craps is so much fun to play. It's far and away my favorite table game in the casino and some of my best Vegas stories take place at a crowded table on a hot roll. Unfortunately it's a game that scares away many new Vegas visitors because the table layout looks so complicated and the frantic action seems intimidating. Your plan of starting your son on a slow-paced table is the right way to introducing the world of dice.

Unlike most casino games that can be learned almost entirely through theory learned from books or online lessons, there are really two parts involved in learning craps: the rules of the game itself, and the game works in the reality of a bustling and loud table. Both parts are equally important, but the first part is easier. Start by having your son read the FirstTimeLasVegas.com section "The very basics of craps." By working through the short lessons there, he'll come away with a base understanding of of what the game of dice is all about.

But the second part, how craps tables work in reality, can only be learned through real-world experience. I hold that the very best way to learn is to find a mini-craps tub and start there. A mini-craps tub is a small version of a craps table shaped like… well, shaped like a tub. This scaled-down version of a craps table is manned by a single dealer who handles all the work, instead of the four people who typically work a large table. Instead of standing-room only crowds of players, the tub has seats and usually only six or eight spots. Craps purists hate these tubs, but they're ideal for beginners. With only a single dealer the game moves much slower and with fewer players reaching and grabbing it's a lot easier to follow the flow of the game and payouts. The chairs are also a plus. My first, best craps learning experience was a 12-hour marathon at one of these tables, so my knees were grateful for the place to sit.

Unfortunately it's getting harder and harder to find a mini-craps tub in Las Vegas. Circus Circus and Ellis Island (which is about a block off the Strip behind Paris and Ballys) still have tubs, but the one at Circus Circus seems to be rarely open. If you want to start your son's dice education at a tub, I'd try Ellis Island first.

If you can't find a tub, the early part of the day is a good time to play. Tables usually aren't busy then — you may even be the only players — and the dealers aren't in such a rush, meaning they'll usually help out by answering any questions your son may have. Most tables in Vegas are $5 minimum now, but you can sometimes find cheaper tables at Circus Circus, Casino Royale, O'Sheas and Imperial Palace on the Strip; Binions, the El Cortez and the Golden Gate Downtown.

Once your son feels comfortable and you're ready to move up to a table in full swing, how about trying some of my favorite places. Here's the list of my favorite places to shoot dice in Las Vegas:

Main Street Station (Downtown) – A stylish casino with a nice airy atmosphere and they offer 20x free odds bets. The dealers are solid and I love the feel of this place.

El Cortez (Downtown) – The pace of the game may move a little slower here because often the dealers are in training, but there's no casino in Las Vegas that draws the same oddball cast of characters as the ones who frequent the ElCo. You're bound to see something interesting here. Possible off-duty hookers, the drunkest man in America who seemed to only roll numbers, to a dice shooter who looked remarkably like one of the Vogons from "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," I've played with all these people at the El Cortez. It may be the best casino for people watching.

Casino Royale (Strip) – It's not a classy joint and the tables get extremely crowded, but this low-dollar casino offers 20x odds on most of its tables and a fantastic 100x odds on one table.

Caesars Palace (Strip) – The gambling isn't cheap — good luck finding a craps table with less than a $10 minimum — but I love playing here. Caesars still has the best vibe on the Strip, as far as I'm concerned. A great combination of old-school Vegas and modern opulence.