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Thought about going to Vegas during WSOP, but decided against it because airfare was higher than I wanted to pay and I wanted to go to enjoy and relax and thought the crowd would make that harder. Thinking about maybe going later this summer/fall. Thinking about going during one of Venetian's deep stack series to play a tournament and maybe some cash games (1/2, 1/3, maybe 2/5). Anybody have advice on what to do or best casinos to go to for small stakes?
Hookers & blow.
Fall is much nicer weather-wise unless you like heat. October tends to be quite nice, especially early in the month.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSayre
Can't help you regarding small stakes, but maybe someone else here can.
Are you interested in doing anything else besides gambling?
Mostly gambling (poker and probably some sports). Obviously some restaurants I’ve never been to (In n Out and Peppermill off the top of my head.) Not sure what else... seeing a show might be fun, would like to see Penn and TellerQuote:
Originally Posted by Dan DruffFall is much nicer weather-wise unless you like heat. October tends to be quite nice, especially early in the month.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSayre
Can't help you regarding small stakes, but maybe someone else here can.
Are you interested in doing anything else besides gambling?
The poker rooms have really consolidated. It’s not like it was 10 years ago where some of the best rooms were at B level properties where only tourists play.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSayre
Aria, Wynn are my two favorite rooms.
Bellagio and Caesar’s will always have games going as will the Venetian.
MGM is still viable.
Everything else my last trip out was really hit or miss and filled with locals who were tourist bum hunting.
Good luck
Ellis Island(1 block East of the strip behind Bally's) for Steak & Eggs breakfast. Get their players card first for extra savings, I think it $6.99 with the card & $7.99 without.
Do an evening at Fremont Street preferably Friday or Saturday. If you want to do the zipline you have to book weeks/months ahead. Lots of decent & cheaper restaurant, lower limit table gambling & lots of street entertainment so it's fun to just wander under the canopy from casino to casino.
That’s good to know! Aria and Bellagio was what I was thinking for cash games, mostly because that seems to be where the bigger games are, and it might be cool to see a poker celebrityQuote:
Originally Posted by DalyThe poker rooms have really consolidated. It’s not like it was 10 years ago where some of the best rooms were at B level properties where only tourists play.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSayre
Aria, Wynn are my two favorite rooms.
Bellagio and Caesar’s will always have games going as will the Venetian.
MGM is still viable.
Everything else my last trip out was really hit or miss and filled with locals who were tourist bum hunting.
Good luck
Cool! Was thinking of spending a day wondering Fremont, checking out casinos.. Binions would be cool to see, though I’m guessing it’s pretty different from the WSOP days. Also Golden Nugget seems cool.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hockey Guy
All the casinos are small & easy to walk around & see them all & lots of food options. There used to be a site to print off some good coupons for the Fremont Street area. I'll see if I can find it again but I think they may have discontinued that if I remember correctly.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSayreCool! Was thinking of spending a day wondering Fremont, checking out casinos.. Binions would be cool to see, though I’m guessing it’s pretty different from the WSOP days. Also Golden Nugget seems cool.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hockey Guy
I played their big Sunday night tourny @ Binions in 2005. I never even looked to see if the poker room was still open last time I was there but I seem to remember it was downstairs & it was a shithole.
This is the site that used to have the coupons but doesn't anymore. There's still some good info here fro the entertainment & such: https://vegasexperience.com/
Also check out www.smartervegas.com & https://www.tix4tonight.com/locations/
Tourney friday night at Orleans is great. $125. Mon Ami Gabi patio at Paris is great for people watching and watching Bellagio fountains and food is excellent. The brunch on Sundays features a make your own bloody mary bar. Yum yum. Go see The Bronx Wanderers at the linq for a show that is reasonably priced. I've seen them 12 times now because I never get tired of the music and the high energy performances. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. I always stay at Paris when on the strip cuz it's central to everything else and I take the free tram from Bellagio to Aria. I don't rent a car or take cabs. Easier and cheaper to walk and use free shuttles offered by some of the hotels to go off strip. Whatever you do you will have a great time.. There's no place like it in the world. Enjoy!
Thanks everybody for the advice! It has been helpful and gives me a lot of ideas! As far as poker goes (since that will be the main thing Ill probably do), what sounds more enjoyable? Ill probably stay 3 full days... should I schedule around a 2 day tournament (perhaps during a deep stack series at the Venetian) and spend the 3rd day playing cash games, betting on sports (betting on Kentucky to win NCAA Championship), seeing a show, other random vegas stuff, etc. OR should I just do whatever I feel like at the time? ex. Play cash at Bellagio one day, spend one day downtown and seeing a show one day, etc.
Take one of the open top guided tour busses. It’s a useful way to get the lay of the land and a bit of information.
You can get on and off at will as I recall.
WTF?
You're going to Vegas for the first time & you're gonna waste 2/3 of your fucking time playing a 2 day poker tournament?
Of course you should "just do whatever you feel like at the time" on a first trip. There's just too much to do & see.
Haha duely noted. Want to get a good balance of poker and Vegas which is why I asked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hockey Guy
I could see poker being a priority if it was your 8th trip but not a first trip. To me that's insane & think a daily would be more appropriate but I'm not you.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSayreHaha duely noted. Want to get a good balance of poker and Vegas which is why I asked.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hockey Guy
I could even understand it if you're there for a week but not 3 days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IamGreek
100% of the time I’m in Vegas with my Wife and 50% of the time when I’m not I have at least one meal at Mon Ami Gabi.
The best part of going to Vegas is the planning and research that goes into it...... that gets promptly thrown in the trash the minute the wheels hit the runwayQuote:
Originally Posted by DrSayre
What's some good places to stay at? I saw the comment about Paris is nice because you can take the tram from bellaigo and aria. Looking for something that isnt too expensive. When I was looking to go during the WSOP, I was looking at the Gold Coast Casino since it was close to Rio and not a bad price.
For a first trip, anything on the strip is fine. I've stayed at Bally's twice & my brother stayed there in 2017 & April 2019 & I was impressed with the newly renovated rooms & AFAIK they have all now been renovated so I would have no problem recommending it. Paris is attached thru a hall with shops so it's also good IMO. Ellis Island, that I mentioned earlier for steak & eggs, is 1 block East off the strip directly behind Bally's. Platinum Suites is right beside Ellis Island & has no resort fee so that might be an option for staying off-strip while still being easily walkable to the strip. Never stayed or heard from anybody who has though.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSayre
Paris is on the opposite side of the strip to Bellagio & the tram so not sure where the fuck that comment is coming from or who made it. The tram also continues on to the Park MGM(the old Monte Carlo) & it's such a long walk to get to the tram from Paris or Bally's to the very back of Bellagio where the tram is that you might as well just wander down the strip checking out all the shops & casinos along the way until you're at Aria if that's where you really want to go. It's probably a shorter walk this way. The only time I've ever used this tram was if I needed to get from Bellagio to Monte Carlo or vice-versa pretty quick.
There's also a monorail that runs from the old Hilton(Westgate) to the MGM with various stops along the way on the Bally's side but I find it almost unusable unless you need to get from 1 end to the other. The only time I ever used it was one time when I needed to get to the MGM from the Riviera & was too tired to walk & too cheap to cab it.
Staying at The Gold Coast might make some sense if they still had the free shuttle between Bally's-Gold Coast-Orleans but I'm pretty sure they don't. I played a daily poker tournament at the Gold Coast & ate a meal there back in the day(2005) & have nothing bad to say about the place other than it's off strip & not really convenient for a first trip. I think the Orleans now has a shuttle to somewhere on the strip but not sure to where. I also played some cash game poker in the Orleans in 2010 & did well over 2 sessions although not sure if it's even close to the same now & it seemed like a locals place.
If you don't want to hassle driving the strip, stay center strip.
Do price shopping too, obviously.
Paris is probably the (distant) second best Vegas Caesars property, behind Caesars Palace.
Harrah's is good value if you can manage to get yourself into the renovated Valley Tower. Provided you don't mind showering without a curtain (not joking).
Got comped at Planet Hollywood a few weeks back. Would say it is on par, or a little better than, Paris. I don’t mind Harrah’s, because it is cheap, centrally located, and decent food.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
I logged into my Total Rewards account and realized that I can get several of these rooms for free (during the week, just have to pay resort fee and taxes). Between Bally's, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Flamingo, and Harrah's, which is considered the best? I would assume I should go with PH or Pari. Im kinda leaning PH because looking at videos of the room online, it appears there's a couch in the room and slippers that I didn't see with Paris.
Also looking a little closer, I can also get a really nice suite for free at the Rio... I know that's off strip... but Im really tempted to do.
edit: nm... looks like I got the suites mixed up. I thought it was the Masquerade Suite, instead its the Deluxe Suite in the Masquerade Tower. Which is nice, but not as nice as I thought it was.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DrSayre
Pho followed by Paris.
Thanks, that’s what I ended up going with. From the videos I saw on YouTube, PH rooms seemed better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tellafriend
Sorry I didn't respond to this yesterday, but looks like you got most of it figured out.
First, yeah, the "suites" at Rio often aren't suites at all, and the few real suites aren't that great anyway.
No reason to stay there other than WSOP time.
Paris is the best non-Caesars-Palace hotel of the bunch, but the renovated rooms at Flamingo and Harrah's are decent, too. PH is okay too, but nothing special.
Harrah's is actually the best value nowadays, provided you stay in the Valley Tower, which is all renovated. The showers have no doors though, so that's kinda annoying.
Yeah, I almost messed up with the rio. The site said something about masquerade towe suite but the video I saw was the masquerade suite, which was a huge room with several rooms and an awesome view. But I was able to figure it out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
FYI, the Mardi Gras Tower at Harrah’s is now being renovated, so you can only stay in the Valley Tower.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff