How do Las Vegas dayclubs and pool parties work for first-timers?

A dayclub is a nightclub moved to a pool: a DJ, bottle service and a door policy, from late morning to sunset, Thursday or Friday through Sunday from March to mid-October. You pay a cover to get in; chairs and shade cost much more.

The big ones are Encore Beach Club, TAO Beach, Marquee, Palm Tree Beach Club at MGM Grand, AYU at Resorts World, LIV Beach at Fontainebleau and OMNIA Dayclub at Caesars. They run roughly 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; a few go day-into-night on Saturdays.

Getting in

• Age: 21 and over, with a physical photo ID (a passport for international visitors). Photos of IDs are not accepted.
• Cover: varies with the DJ. Often free or cheap for women on quieter days, $20 to $100-plus for men on a headliner Saturday, and it climbs through the week, so buy early.
• Guest lists: a promoter can get you in free or cheap before a cutoff time; you still wait in the line.
• Dress: swimwear with a cover-up and sandals. The upscale clubs turn away baggy basketball shorts, big logos and jerseys, and sometimes GoPros and cameras. Bring dry shoes for the walk back.

Spending

• General admission gets you the deck and a place to stand; most chairs are reserved.
• Daybeds and cabanas are sold on a food-and-drink minimum, from hundreds on a weekday to thousands on a big Saturday, plus an 18 to 20% service charge already built in. The "$500 bottle" is $600.
• Drinks at the bar run $20 to $30. No outside food or drink of any kind, and water costs money.

A good first time

A weekday afternoon at a mid-tier club, general admission, arriving at opening while chairs are free, leaving before the 5 p.m. crush at the rideshare pickup. Drink water; 105°F and vodka do not mix. Families should go to a resort pool instead.

The two kinds of pool and what sells out first are in pools and dayclubs; each club's page lists its days and dress rules, starting with Encore Beach Club.