Vegas Hotels + Poker

[The Sheriff JBJ 0]

I have been to Vegas a few times..... but not since I have been playing poker. (Slot-a-holic before).Myself & my girlfriend will be there for two weeks. We both play poker.At the moment we have our eye on the MGM Grand Tower Rooms but are open to suggestions!Any advice on the which hotel on the strip may be the best for poker action. Keeping in mind I have to make my bankroll last 2 weeks. So realistically will have $500 per day is my budget.Also what is the routine for getting involved... again keeping in mind I have never played poker in an LV casino before. Is it signposted (lol) Who do i ask for help when there!If I do find time for the slots and hit a Big Progressive I could even head over to the Bellagio for some 4000/8000 with the big boys (I Wish)

[Smasharoo 0]

The Excal has the softest low limit games on the face of the planet, bar none.It's mandatory that you at least play for a day in the Bellagio's room, it's a must see. The 8/16 game is probably better than the 4/8 game all things considered, but even if they were both terrible it'd be worth going. It's a heck of a room.You should play a day at the Horseshoe for nostalgia's sake, even though the place itself is less than impressive. Some people enjoy that whole old downtown/freemont thing though, and that might be you. What limits do you normally play at? You could play $10/$20 for $500 a day. If that's the case, the Mirage is the best game I've found at that limit. Here's a directory of Vegas card rooms if you're looking for limit/tournament info

[The Sheriff JBJ 0]

Thanks for that info.I usually play STT or MTT on-line.$2/$4 just for light recreation on-line.Limited options with local UK casinos. But £5 / £10 if I can find them

[Mandelbrot 0]

I've played at many poker rooms in Vegas. Here are three I would advise you to check out:1. Bellagio - the poker room is always jamming with activity, come early to get a seat at your table of choice, check out the high limit area for some pros. They do have regular tourneys but the buy-ins are on the high side (like $1k unless you win a satellite).2. Mirage - some great tourneys here for a 200ish buy-in, a little less hectic than Bellagio, and a California Pizza Kitchen just down the hall to boot. 3. Luxor - smaller and less formal than the others, lots of very low limit tourneys (like $25 buy ins!) and games, this is more of a beginner's poker room. In fact, it's not really even a room -- just a section of the casino roped off for poker. But it's a good place to get your feet wet I think.I've bet to Binions and I wasn't impressed at all -- it's old style and has that old style smell and decor. More importantly, there aren't a lot of people there and it's like a $15-$20 cab ride from the strip, so it's out of the way. That said, it's a legend in its own right and probably deserves at least one visit while you're there.

[ANJBerg 0]

I just got back from Vegas, and was looking for the same info you were before I went. Although I didn't have $500 a day to spend, I did want to find some tournaments and limit games to play. One of the better Limit games I found, although only a $2/$4 game was at Bally's. They don't really have a "Poker Room", but a section of the casino is designated for Poker and they have arond 6-8 tables. Usually 1-2 tables have a $100 buy-in NL game and the rest are $2/$4 games. At one point there was also a $3/$6 game going. I also tried the tournaments at Luxor but found them to be very BAD. I would not recommend playing that tournament. Another tournament I found, unfortunately to late for me to play in, was at Alladin. They have a NL tourny every M-Th for around $40 buy-in, with rebuys etc. I believe it starts at 1pm.Hope this info helps, any other questions let me know.

[KenP 0]

http://www.lasvegasvegas.com/poker/tournaments.phpprovides a listing of regular tournament

[hoof31 0]

Check out Harrahs, they have a fun no limit game

[PestoSauce 0]

Most or every casino with a poker room will offer Poker Room rates. They're generally 25-50% off the regular room rate. But you have to play 4-5 hours on the average every day you're there. Could save you some dough, but limits you somewhat to playing in one poker room. Depends on what is important to you. www.pokerupdate.com has a great site for poker room information (smoking or non, limits, tourney, types of games, # of tables, bad beat jackpots, etc).

[KillerPanda 0]

I went to Vegas recently and found that my two favorite places to play (in order) are 1) The Mirage2) LuxorThe Mirage room is great (except for the smoke) and it was the only place on the Strip that I could find a game at 6am. The Luxor was really clean and neat, but the variation of limits was a bit lacking. I hear they have good tourneys, though. As for the Bellagio, I agree that it is a must-see. Play if you wish, but you're probably going to spend your whole vacation on the waiting list (when I went, the list was huge). Have fun!

[53o 0]

Excalibur is good but has some weird limit games.. 1-3 unstructured (You can bet 1-3 at any time.. Bet does not double on turn) and 2-6.Personally, I like the Monte Carlo. They have a small room and you may have to wait a bit, but they pay progrssives on High Hands (Straight Flush or higher). The progressives start at 20$ and sometimes get as high as 500$ before being hit. A friend of mine hit a SF to the 9 of spades and won the pot as well as almost 300$ for the jackpot. It's nice.. mostly because the last two times I've hit 4 of a kind the pots were so small I would have won more playing .25 video poker!Most other places have a 'bad beat' jackpot of some kind. At Palace Station (My usual haunt for 2-4 or 4-8) if you loose a hand with aces full or higher you get a hefty bonus (In the thousands).

[hoof31 0]

Mandalay Bay is clean and new, but I think they allow smoking.

[Smasharoo 0]

Personally, I like the Monte Carlo. They have a small room and you may have to wait a bit, but they pay progrssives on High Hands (Straight Flush or higher). The progressives start at 20$ and sometimes get as high as 500$ before being hit. A friend of mine hit a SF to the 9 of spades and won the pot as well as almost 300$ for the jackpot. It's nice.. mostly because the last two times I've hit 4 of a kind the pots were so small I would have won more playing .25 video poker!Most other places have a 'bad beat' jackpot of some kind. At Palace Station (My usual haunt for 2-4 or 4-Cool if you loose a hand with aces full or higher you get a hefty bonus (In the thousands).You understand the jackpot is taken out of the pots you win as extra rake, right?This is bad for you if you play to win money.

[53o 0]

Heh.. Yes. I know. All hotels take rakes.. I don't have the numbers on hand but at Excal and Palace Station I think it's .25 out of every 5$ or something like that to a max of 3$ per hand (for 2-4). I don't know off of the top of my head what the MC rake is but I don't think it's much more than that... If someone knows for sure, please inform us.

[volcrazy 0]

Excalibur is great if you like no pressure and a calm atmosphere. I like the location b/c you are right beside Mandalay Bay, Luxor, NY NY, and MGM Grand. Lots of options for poker and activities. I would reccommend playing really low limits for a few days and if you are playing well, try the larger stakes at the Bellagio for the experience of a lifetime.

[Waffles2003 1]

I always stay at the Luxor so for me it is easier to play there, their tourneys are ok but small. No smoking allowed, which is nice. Luxor has everything you need if u dont want to move while in Vegas.Golden nugget has a daily tourney in the morning and at night, check their website for times. Excalibur is always busy but u get smoked out, that casino is horrible.

[Kalf 0]

I've played at the Palms, and the poker room left alot to be desired.

[The Sheriff JBJ 0]

Hi all,Thansk so far for the links and top advice you have posted on the board!Keep it coming as I wont make a definate booking until the second week of Jan. Checking the hotel web sites and saw a great spa suit at the Monte Carlo + I also like my magic so its on Lance's door step too :wink:

[360f1 0]

I live in Vegas and have been to just about every poker room.I think you need to decide what you want to accomplish. If you want to challenge yourself, try Bellagio. The level of play is higher there than most other rooms. When you sit there, half the table or more may be pros. If your goal is to win, then you need a more touristy home game crowd. I find the games at the Palms to be full of tourists who are eager to give you their money just to say the played in LV.For tourneys, there are so many in town, it's easy to find one that meets your needs. CHeck the links other people have posted.Good luck in LV and have a great time!

[360f1 0]

I forgot, one more thing. They don't have a poker room, but for a really fun place to stay, try the Hard Rock

[TeeDot 0]

For holdem on a budget, the Golden Nugget was great fun. I'm talking about their cheap $60+40 tounaments. Well run poker room, good mix of players, the blinds don't go up too fast. Real good value for the money.

[benhoug 0]

Has anyone played at the Orleans??? It looked like they were the only place in town to offer Omaha Hi - everywhere else seemed to be Omaha 8... Also the Hold 'Em tables looked reasonable there. I'm going out next month and I think I'm going to target the Orleans, Bellagio and maybe Mandelay Bay...

[wookie 0]

(no time like the present to make my first post)Bellagio: well run, top notch room - perfect for star gazing if you areinto that sort of thing - can be hard to get into during high demanddays (for example, big sports weekends) - tables are tough, but thereare also plenty of "learners" (I usually come away learning something!)- no smokingMirage: also well run, but not as well as Bellagio (I have seen dealersrequesting fills and setups many times before getting serviced) - the10-20 game is often loose and potentially profitable - no smoking,but the ventilation is poorBally's - definitely a fun loose 'room' - the 2-4 and 3-6 action is lively- tougher players seem to gravitate to the NL tables - no smoking in thespace, but it is right next to slots and a barStardust - a local's hangout, but loose enough - usually just 3-6tables and (besides the locals) a fair number of beginners andfolks who just want to drink and chase pots - smoking permitted,this is probably why you see so many 'older' locals there....hope this helps! - w

[elkang 0]

I just spent 5 hours playing in Vegas (extended layover) and remembered some things in this thread though I wish I had searched on rec.gambling.poker and the twoplustwo forums before.I was a bit disappointed in some of the quality of dealers but I was playing from 2 AM - 7 AM on a Wednesday. A few small mistakes and almost no one could pitch, but all the rooms I visited were efficiently run. YMMV.Excalibur definitely seemed soft to me both limit and NL, but I lost money there - my poor run of luck - and the small buy-in's for NL bother me.Bellagio had a mix of pros and experienced players along with enough people who just can't play. I made money there. A well run room with a lot of knowledgeable players. Compared to playing in a NY poker room, it does add something when two tables away Chip Reese and Chau Giang are playing in the big game. The only thing I would add would be live (jazz) music in the background. Also, they've got great chairs. I stopped by Mandalay Bay on my way out and they had 3 tables going at 8 AM. Seemed like a good room with some "interesting" morning tourneys which are run as limit tourneys for the first hour before going to NL.Anyway, I'm going to search some forums for reviews and thoughts from people. I'd appreciate it if anyone would post up good links with info.

[SopotBoy 0]

Although a biased suggestion seeing as I work there as a poker dealer. I suggest you hit up the Aladdin at least one day while you are in Vegas on a daily basis you can find a good game there. Every day we have $2 $4, $3 $6 and $1 $2 NL games. Later in the evening we have consistantly had a very good $2 $5 NL game and often a $4 $8 game. Plus we have daily tournaments M-Th. I also think it is a must that you play at least one day at the Bellagio. Where ever you play at dont forget to take care of your dealer

[Guest]

Mirage, Bellagio, and Orleans are by far the best poker rooms in Vegas. Mirage has a friendly great open aired room and quite a few limits to play. Orleans is the only room around that regulary played pot limit hold em. Bellagio has a lot of pro/aspiring pros sittin in the 15/30 30/60 games.