Taxis in Las Vegas

Even though it looks like it's only a few blocks from one place to another in Las Vegas, the heat will make everything seem like much further away. You'll find that as you stay longer in Las Vegas, you'll take a cab more and more often. Walking is just too exhausting. If you must walk, make sure you're on the side of the street where the shadow is, that's usually on the east side of the strip. The side where the Flamingo is, the Venetian, the Wynn, and the Giant Coke Bottle.

When you take a taxi, you'll notice that the first thing the driver ususally does is get off the strip. Since it's always backed up they want to avoid the Strip whenever they can. Also, it gives them extra mileage.
Being the tourist you are, I think you should ask for them to drive along the strip, because you want to see the hotels and casinos. Plus you'll save a few bucks. When your first priority is to get there fast, then let them take any detour they want.

Any detour, except one. There's an infamous trick that some cab drivers like to pull on unsuspecting visitors when driving from the McCarren airport to the strip. Should you ever go through a tunnel, then the driver is trying to rip you off. The tunnel is to the south of the airport, and the Strip is to the north. There is no reason to use the tunnel. The only reason is to get more miles out of a passenger. So if this happens to you, make sure you do not tip when you get off, and let them know you got his/her license number and name. It never hurts to make a bad guy sweat, be it with or without airconditioning.