First time playing poker in Vegas — where is it easiest to get a 1/3 seat quickly? (1 Viewer)

[TofuNinja]

Hi everyone, I’m a fairly new poker player and will be playing in Las Vegas tomorrow for the first time. I’m mostly looking for 1/3 games and hoping to find rooms where the wait time to get seated is relatively short.

I checked PokerAtlas, but it seems many casinos don’t show their waitlists there, so it’s hard to tell where games actually fill up quickly.

For those who play in Vegas regularly, which poker rooms usually have the shortest wait times? Any suggestions for beginner-friendly rooms would also be really helpful.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[casinochipper22]

poker atlas and bravo both show waitlists. You may need to log on or check the app to see those. As for wait times, I'd pick a popular room with a lot of games going. It won't guarantee a seat, but you'll have more to choose from at least. Horseshoe keeps their lists pretty short from what I remember. You can always call the specific rooms, ask about the lists and maybe even put your name on over the phone. Not sure if they do that in vegas but it's pretty common in SoCal.

 

[casinochipper22]

and they have plenty of donkuments in the 100-200 range all different times of the day. Never have to worry about a waitlist in a tourny.

 

[TofuNinja]

poker atlas and bravo both show waitlists. You may need to log on or check the app to see those. As for wait times, I'd pick a popular room with a lot of games going. It won't guarantee a seat, but you'll have more to choose from at least. Horseshoe keeps their lists pretty short from what I remember. You can always call the specific rooms, ask about the lists and maybe even put your name on over the phone. Not sure if they do that in vegas but it's pretty common in SoCal.

Thank you! Horseshoe would be great. We will watch a show at Horseshoe in the afternoon so it’s perfect

 

[TofuNinja]

and they have plenty of donkuments in the 100-200 range all different times of the day. Never have to worry about a waitlist in a tourny.

Tournament would be too much for me at this point lol

 

[PokerDogDoc]

On the strip you should try the 1/3 game at both the Aria and Bellagio. I never find the wait times too long at either starting about 10 or 11 am, but there are more tables and better action after dinner. And the environment at both are phenomenal. Personally I prefer the Aria over Bellagio.

I find the Horseshoe stuffy and crowded. Also has a higher rake and straddles are allowed on either the UTG or Button. Not my favorite.

The Wynn has a nice 1/3 game that really gets going later (after 10 pm). I lot that a lot.

Off strip, I’ve played at the Orleans, and it was a solid game, but just a bit too far to travel for me as I’m usually staying on the strip.

As always, watch out for the pros and semi-pros in the Vegas games (even at 1/3), and adjust appropriately or ask for a table change.

 

[TofuNinja]

On the strip you should try the 1/3 game at both the Aria and Bellagio. I never find the wait times too long at either starting about 10 or 11 am, but there are more tables and better action after dinner. And the environment at both are phenomenal. Personally I prefer the Aria over Bellagio.

I find the Horseshoe stuffy and crowded. Not my favorite.

The Wynn has a nice 1/3 game that really gets going later (after 10 pm). I lot that a lot.

Off strip, I’ve played at the Orleans, and it was a solid game, but just a bit too far to travel for me as I’m usually staying on the strip.

As always, watch out for the pros and semi-pros in the Vegas games, and adjust appropriately or ask for a table change.

Thanks for the advice! Will also check Aria this time. I went to Bellagio poker room the last time I came to Vegas. I got myself on the waiting list in the afternoon. There were 150+ people in front of me so I could not play last time…

 

[GalacticCat]

I was there during the winter vacation season and both Horseshoe and Bellagio got me off the waitlist within 5-10 minutes in early evenings like 6-8pm. Lots of tourists and they go all-in with nothing. Good luck!

*but beware of skilled players with big stacks, the skill levels were very polarized

 

[bubz_davis]

For reference, you can also call the places you want to play and get on their list!

 

[ma22ara]

I would also look at the Venetian they tend to always have 1-3 games running along with daily tournaments. If you are looking to travel off the strip Red Rock has a great 1-3 that starts every day around 8am.

 

[valleychips]

I'm going to keep this thread alive because I'm about to visit Vegas and play some NLHE. 1-3 or 2-3. Do folks think any particular room is soft (specific to a casino)? Or is it about time of day? Or... is it highly table-dependent and I need to table change often?

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[Sisu41]

I'm going to keep this thread alive because I'm about to visit Vegas and play some NLHE. 1-3 or 2-3. Do folks think any particular room is soft (specific to a casino)? Or is it about time of day? Or... is it highly table-dependent and I need to table change often?

Thanks for any thoughts!

I don't know specific rooms well enough but any Friday/Saturday evening has softer tables in general.

 

[Sisu41]

Next time I go I wanna play/stay at South Point for non-holdem games

 

[valleychips]

Checking one more time if anyone has more thoughts or suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Cheekynugget]

Checking one more time if anyone has more thoughts or suggestions. Thanks!

Do yourself a favor and play at somewhere like wynn/aria/bellagio. Once you venture to places like horseshoe or those smaller poker rooms, its mostly super tight regs playing for perks and not actually playing poker for fun. For example, 40+ hours played for entry to a freeroll. Or 40+ hours played promo for a jackpot. etc.

Aria/Wynn/Bellagio doesnt have such things so usually itll be filled with more enjoyable players