Newbie here

Corrie, welcome to SMF!  Glad you are here and bringing the ambition with you!

A first smoker for Las Vegas?  Don't bother looking at a wood burner.  A cord of wood probably costs a fortune in Vegas.   

Electric?  Ease of use, relatively inexpensive, susceptible to electronic issues, but very popular around here.  Might not meet your smoke flavor expectations, but with the proper accessories they work great. 

Propane and Pellet?  Pricy first smoker, but with a little practice you get great results.  Fuel can get pricey. 

Charcoal?  Lots of choices, especially in the low end market. The low end versions require a lot of attention right out of the box.  The most out of the box "ready to smoke", ease of use charcoal'er is the Weber Smokey Mountain, aka WSM.  Comes in three versions 14" for $199, 18.5" for $299, 22.5" for $399.  All you need is charcoal and wood chunks, which you can buy at Home Depot, Lowes, WalMart, etc.  You can also smoke on the Weber Kettle, $150 for the 22.5".  It requires more baby sitting for smoking, but is dual purpose as a grill and smoker. 

Disclaimer: I am a diehard Weber fan, but have tasted smoked meat on all the above.  The WSM comes as close as you can get to the results of a wood burner. 

Have fun shopping!  It is all part of the experience, and no matter what you choose, you'll love it!

Ray    

Welcome from SC, Corrie. It's really good to have you on this great site. Ray has given you some excellent advice and has you headed in the right direction. I never gave any consideration to the cost of wood in Las Vegas, but it makes good sense.

Good luck and good smoking, Joe. :grilling_smilie:

Welcome and Al nailed it with the 5 day course. Great info!!!