Any trip to Las Vegas comes with some built-in risks: Your number may never hit at the roulette table. The show you wanted to see may not live up to the hype. Your food and drink indulgence may turn out to be, well ... too much.

But if there’s one thing more painful than a blackjack dealer drawing to a 21, it’s getting hit with resort fees you weren’t ready for.

Here’s a rundown of the best Las Vegas hotels without resort fees. We'll also cover strategies for avoiding these fees if you want to stay at places that charge them, plus the situations when you should just give in and pay the fees.

What is a resort fee?

So, what exactly is a resort fee? It’s a charge that is added to your hotel bill, usually on a nightly basis, on top of the regular room rate and tax. Based on a NerdWallet analysis, expect to pay an average of $40 per night for a resort fee at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. In addition, you’ll be charged taxes on the fee.