My First Vegas Trip

[NewBrunswickBruiser 0]

I've never been to Vegas before but I'm heading there from the 2nd to the 9th.Welcome to any suggestions1) good restaurants that arent outlandishly pricey...2) poker rooms to play -- staying at Excalibur. I've been checking out allvegaspoker . com but i still welcome any suggestions from FCP'ers.3) Shows/tours that someone particularly liked. We're booked for Cirque du Soleil "O" and the Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather fight.I know it probably looks like I'm a new user, but I used to have an account (X's) that got deleted at forum conversion time and I was too lazy to open an account until recently. Been just lurking.IRRRRegardless. Let 'er rip.

[tuckermitchell 1]

I've never been to Vegas before but I'm heading there from the 2nd to the 9th.Welcome to any suggestions1) good restaurants that arent outlandishly pricey...2) poker rooms to play -- staying at Excalibur. I've been checking out allvegaspoker . com but i still welcome any suggestions from FCP'ers.3) Shows/tours that someone particularly liked. We're booked for Cirque du Soleil "O" and the Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather fight.I know it probably looks like I'm a new user, but I used to have an account (X's) that got deleted at forum conversion time and I was too lazy to open an account until recently. Been just lurking.IRRRRegardless. Let 'er rip.

I am very jealous that you are gonna be their live at the murder of oscar de la hoya.

[shrimp4789 0]

try searching this forum.........this has been posted tons of times before

[The Czar 0]

I'd kill a human being for tickets to that fight.

[SweetDaddyFreak 0]

I'd kill a million adorable puppies with my bare hands and a hacksaw for tickets to that fight.

[chrozzo 19]

Ive stayed at the Excalibur before, nothing special but then again speding time in the room isnt what vegas is about. Across the street you'll find the MGM grand....wonderful poker room with some decent 1/2 NL games. Also the Trop is good (also across the street). The Sahara runs a soft $55 tourney at 11 and 7.MY fav place to play is still The Mirage, and they have some nice tourneys. Theres a nice Brazilian steakhouse there too, as well as a California Pizza Kitchen. Never been to a show, but i hear the blue man group and Penn and Teller are good ones. Also check out Robin Wiliams at the MGM, i know hes playing sometime in May.

[Lofa Tatupu 0]

good poker rooms: Bellagio, MGM, and Venetian. Stay away from The Wynn, it's a rock garden

[FCP Matt 0]

I am very jealous that you are gonna be their live at the murder of oscar de la hoya.

You are a very wise man.

[Jrobb25 0]

You are a very wise man.

Nothing like watching two over aged boxers fight...I did hear Evander call "NEXT" WNBA style

[iloveplaypokr 0]

I particularly liked the shows at Spearmint Rhino. Cheaper than Cirque De Soleil plus a better view. Good on ya for getting tickets to the fight, though.

[Edcoach 0]

I love the Monte Carlo Pokerroom just down the street from the Excalibur...very soft 1/2 NL Games...GL

[Teavis 0]

Never try a coupon whore.

[mrtuchas41 0]

I've never been to Vegas before but I'm heading there from the 2nd to the 9th.Welcome to any suggestions1) good restaurants that arent outlandishly pricey...2) poker rooms to play -- staying at Excalibur. I've been checking out allvegaspoker . com but i still welcome any suggestions from FCP'ers.3) Shows/tours that someone particularly liked. We're booked for Cirque du Soleil "O" and the Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather fight.I know it probably looks like I'm a new user, but I used to have an account (X's) that got deleted at forum conversion time and I was too lazy to open an account until recently. Been just lurking.IRRRRegardless. Let 'er rip.

Enjoy your first time in Vegas.....Be advised that it is no longer your "grandfather's Vegas" and most worthwhile things are overpriced ! Also, I do not know if you will have a car or not, and your skill level at poker, but I will make a couple of suggestions.....* The best restaurants are a ways off the strip.....for a terrific dinner on the gourmet side, you cannot beat Rosemary's restaurant on Sahara Blvd. Try the Carnegie Deli in the Mirage hotel foe great deli sandwhices....Hash House a Go-Go (Sahara Blvd) is a fun place to have breakfast. Piereo's, Bella Luna, or Ferraro's are all off the strip for Italian food. Becker's Steakhouse is absolutely fantastic for steaks, but is a 15 minute drive from the strip. The Gold Coast Hotel near the strip has an excellent Chinese menu available in their coffee shop after 3pm everyday, and is reasonably priced...In & Out burger is one of the finest fast food burgers in the world ! and they are all over Vegas ! If you're feeling flush on Sunday, try the Sunday brunch at the Belliago...expensive, but unbelievable !For testing your no limit skills, I'd try the Luxor Hotel poker room, they play a $1-2 game with a $50 max, so it gives you a place to try out new moves without harming the bankroll. Otherwise, there are games all over town, with the Belliagio, Mirage, and Venetian being the cream of the crop. I would also suggest that you go the website for the Las Vegas Review Journal Newspaper and click on "best of Vegas" in the living section....Many good reviews and tips for food and entertainment can be found there.The shows at the Hotels are a matter of personal taste, so I can't direct you there, other than to say that you should pay attention to who is in town while you are there, as this is constantly changing, and you just might time it right to catch someone you want to see that is in town for a week or so. Check the newspaper and hotel weekly show giudes.P.S. Strip clubs are fun but expensive.....Watch out for the "hooker Patrol" the Vegas Sheriff has really cracked down on prostitution within the city limits, and they have a " No fault "John" law there, so you can get arrested along with the girl any time they feel like it. There is no such thing as "entrapment".......My best advice is......Everything there will cost you a lot $$ than you expected, so bring extra cash.....Traveler's checks will save you a lot more $ than credit card advances, as the casinos have really jacked up the rates on advances recently. If you would like to enjoy the desert, and have a car, I strongly suggest a drive through Red Rock canyon...It takes about an hour or so but you go through the desert and have some beautiful scenery to look at including wild Burros and other creatures. Anyone there can direct you, it's an easy drive.Have a fantastic time, enjoy everything you can, don't cheap out too much, and you will love the place !Good Luck

[TR1N1TY 0]

make sure you check out the Sunday buffet at Bellagio. words can't even describe it. A little expensive, but unforgettable. Bring your appetite.

[nutzbuster 7]

I've never been to Vegas before but I'm heading there from the 2nd to the 9th.Welcome to any suggestions1) good restaurants that arent outlandishly pricey...In-n-Out burger, Pizza slices at NYNY, PF Changs, Noodle bar at Bellagio and Venetian, Buger (something) at the Mandalay Bay shops that lead to the Luxor, Little Buddah at the Palms, Mesa Grill at Caesars (a little pricey), Fix at Bellagio, Sensi at Bellagio, jeez dude...most places are winners.2) poker rooms to play -- staying at Excalibur. I've been checking out allvegaspoker . com but i still welcome any suggestions from FCP'ers.I've heard that Excaliber is a soft game and the MGM is right across the street. Venetian, Wynn, Casears and all have decent low NL games and very nice rooms.3) Shows/tours that someone particularly liked. We're booked for Cirque du Soleil "O" and the Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather fight.You obviously have booked the 2 best shows in town! Jeezuz man, how did you score De La Hoya tickets!!?? Another good show I heard about is Spam-a-Lot at the Wynn. Red Paino is supposed to be great (if you like elton), and Danny Gans and Carrot Top are all worth the money imo.I know it probably looks like I'm a new user, but I used to have an account (X's) that got deleted at forum conversion time and I was too lazy to open an account until recently. Been just lurking.IRRRRegardless. Let 'er rip.

[zoo 0]

Skip the Blue Man Group, entertaining at times but mostly just over priced. As far as Cirque shows go, I've seen both Mystere and O. Mystere was better by far and much cheaper. Lance Burton was quite entertaining and reasonably priced if your into big stage magic. If you want to check out a classic Vegas Review and you would like to see 100 different sets of boo.bs on stage at the same time, check out Jubilee at Balleys. just make sure you bring your wife and tell her that they only get naked for the last 15 minutes of the show (they are actually topless for pretty much the whole thing) If you want some good food and huge portions, try the Grand Lux Cafe in the Venecian. In particular, order the fried chicken and let me know in your trip report if you even came close to eating it all.TI has cheap tourneys like 4-5 times a day that usually get 30-40 players. The structure isn't bad but Ms get pretty low at the final table so it gets to be a bit of a crap shoot at that point. Cesar's 11pm tourney is good value.

[GetSprung 0]

Skip the Blue Man Group, entertaining at times but mostly just over priced. As far as Cirque shows go, I've seen both Mystere and O. Mystere was better by far and much cheaper. Lance Burton was quite entertaining and reasonably priced if your into big stage magic. If you want to check out a classic Vegas Review and you would like to see 100 different sets of boo.bs on stage at the same time, check out Jubilee at Balleys. just make sure you bring your wife and tell her that they only get naked for the last 15 minutes of the show (they are actually topless for pretty much the whole thing) If you want some good food and huge portions, try the Grand Lux Cafe in the Venecian. In particular, order the fried chicken and let me know in your trip report if you even came close to eating it all.TI has cheap tourneys like 4-5 times a day that usually get 30-40 players. The structure isn't bad but Ms get pretty low at the final table so it gets to be a bit of a crap shoot at that point. Cesar's 11pm tourney is good value.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the overstatement of the century. This tourney is cake and probably the best deal in Vegas if you want to final table it at least 30-40% of the time. Cardcore and I final tabled it 2/3 times each last week, fun times.Don't forget to try Firefly on Paradise Dr. One of the best Mexican tapas places ever. So good. Just a suggestion. Everyone else hit the nail on the head with food, Noodles is pretty much out of this world.

[chrozzo 19]

go to the ventian for the dooog beer selceitons

[bleacherbum3 8]

Good feedback from everyone here.Congrats on scoring tickets to the fight.If you're staying at Excalibur and are gonna play a decent amount there, ask to get a poker rate on your room. I believe you need to play 4-5 hours per day to qualify, but the poker rate is about $39-$49 for weekdays and $69-$79 for Fri-Sat nights. The play is pretty donkish there as well.Shows: The Scintas at Rio is a solid show (Tix are about $60, I think?). I've heard Carrot Top is a good show.IMO, one of the best values in the city is the Comedy Stop at the Tropicana. I believe they have an 8:00pm (non-smoking) show and a 10:30pm (smoking allowed). $19.95- includes 1 drink, and you usually get 3 different comics. I go there every time I'm in Vegas, sometimes more than once if they switch comedians while I'm there.

[sandwedge 30]

IMO, one of the best values in the city is the Comedy Stop at the Tropicana. I believe they have an 8:00pm (non-smoking) show and a 10:30pm (smoking allowed). $19.95- includes 1 drink, and you usually get 3 different comics. I go there every time I'm in Vegas, sometimes more than once if they switch comedians while I'm there.

I agree. I always go to the Comedy Stop when I'm in town. It's a nice break from the hustle/bustle and gambling. Of course, it's a crapshoot on the quality of the comedians.While there, you may want to try out the Tropicana poker room. It rarely gets mentioned in this forum, probably because it's really small, and the 1-2nl has a $200 max buy-in. However, I've played there several times, and find it to usually be a super soft game. For some reason, I really enjoy taking money from people who have that look of, "well, since I'm here in Vegas, I might as well play a little poker before my wife and I go out to dinner".My favorite story from there involved this guy in a pink shirt with his wife sitting at an open table waiting for him to finish. I showed him a crazy bluff so that I could trap him later. Sure enough, a little while later, I felted him. His wife got up, ready to go. He went over and talked to her, and rebought (obviously, he told her that he'd get his money back from me). About 15 minutes later, I busted him again, and they walked away with him mumbling under his breath.

[finztotheleft 0]

Margaritaville !

[GetSprung 0]

Margaritaville !

Pass, please. Always a 3 hour wait(all times of day), Bellagio has better Margaritas, and the food isn't all that good. So many better ways to spend money/time.

[mtdesmoines 3]

Ive stayed at the Excalibur before, nothing special but then again speding time in the room isnt what vegas is about. Across the street you'll find the MGM grand....wonderful poker room with some decent 1/2 NL games. Also the Trop is good (also across the street). The Sahara runs a soft $55 tourney at 11 and 7.MY fav place to play is still The Mirage, and they have some nice tourneys. Theres a nice Brazilian steakhouse there too, as well as a California Pizza Kitchen. Never been to a show, but i hear the blue man group and Penn and Teller are good ones. Also check out Robin Wiliams at the MGM, i know hes playing sometime in May.

The Calif Piz Kit has a mushroom pizza that, if you LIKE mushrooms pizzas, is very good. Ask for double mushrooms. If you do the Brazillian steakhouse ... ZOMG ... it's very good, but they just never stop bringing meat to the table. Walk around and play everywhere. You'll happen across soft games everywhere.

[CBass1724 1]

but they just never stop bringing meat to the table.

There is no such thing as entrapment in LV.

[therescav 0]

What is this 'las vegas' you people all speak of?