Despite what the Chamber of Commerce says, the main attraction of Las Vegas is gambling. Forget all that crap about fancy shopping, fine dining, roller coasters, art museums and natural wonders of the desert. You can get that anywhere. Well, not in West Virginia, but you get the idea.

The trick is to have the fun of gambling without the risk of ending up homeless. Want to play craps, blackjack or roulette without losing your ass? Check out this lis to make your little eyes pop out of your heads of cheap table games.

Any of the spots below will keep you entertained for at least a few hours on the tightest of budgets, and could even net you a couple of bucks.

One Dollar Blackjack

Blackjack can offer the best odds of any game in Las Vegas, especially if you leanr yourself a little Basic Strategy.

Finding a seat at a dollar game can be a real challenge at times, but well worth the effort when you walk away after two hours of fun, with your heels cooled by the free drinks you scored. The following place is the only one left that always offers at least one dollar table:

Poker Palace - This is a small place in unsavory North Las Vegas. for you tourists, that means you take Las Vegas Blvd. past downtown and keep going north into some somewhat unsavory neighborhoods. But who cares how dangerous it is when there is a good $1 game to be had? There are several $1 tables. The last one we played at was a goofy dealt-to-the-bottom-of-thedeck game with bad rules, and a leak in the roof that dripped water on the table.

Two-Dollar Blackjack

Even two-dollar blackjack is getting hard to find, and that's just plain sad. Seriously, that bums us out. But these places still throw it.

Eldorado - If the Joker's Wild is too nice for you, head to Old Town Henderson and fritter away the hours in the low-slung, cheap casino. The coffee shop is dirt cheap, thge tables are too, and the live entertainment is downright lousy.

Joker's Wild - Out in Henderson, the Joker's Wild sits like a roadhouse on a desolate stretch of Boulder Highway, enticing gamblers and local drunks with cheap games.

Klondike Sunset - Once again, you're headed out to Henderson for the cheap games. The Klondike ain't pretty, glamorous or even near much of anything. But, they often have a two-dollar shoe game going. And we'll travel a long way for that.

The Longhorn - Out on Boulder Highway is the Longhorn, which is one of the most cramped, creepiest and smokiest casinos in the world. If it weren't, the blackjack would probably be three bucks, so be thankful it's so crummy.

Slots-a-Fun - Circus Circus's dingy little cinder block outpost has some cheap games if you don't mind waiting to get into them. The $2 blackjack usually has a crowd, and if it's a busy time, only one table at this low, low rate. Still, you're on the Strip and the cocktail service ain't bad.

Dollar Craps

Although playing craps with a dollar minimum technically is about our limit for high-rolling, the overwhelming sensation of being a big-shot more than makes up for it. And besides, the quarter games have all dried up as hard and shriveled as a cocktail server at the Western.

El Dorado - Way out in Henderson, this place offers a dollar game during the only time its table is open (3 p.m. to 11 p.m.). They have 10x odds! Is it worth the time it takes to get out there? Only if you're a complete loser with nothing better to do. In other words, you'll find us there until eleven, at which time we will be headed to...

Joker's Wild - ...which stays open later, like midnight on weeknights and one a.m. on weekends. The Eldorado's sister property out in Henderson is the Joker's Wild. It's a small, sort of smokey place without a lot of ambience. But, they offer a dollar game with 10x odds . Then they close the damn table, even if you aren't drunk yet! On weekends, they jack it up to $2, we guess because they think they're the damn Bellagio!

Slots a Fun - Bottom line here is that they claim to have dollar craps, yet we never seem to find it. Whenever we're there, it's two bucks.

Some people insist on spending their time with this game that has terrible odds. If you're one of these people, get yourself down to the Slots-a-Fun, Casino Royale or Klondike. The dime wheel at the Klondike is the cheapest, so it's a good place to test out your scam system before selling it to the unsuspecting public. The El Cortez seems to have several tables of it running all the time. Of course, our old stalwarts of the Eldorado and Joker's Wild may go as low as a quarter. And the Gold Spike will too.