Need help with VEGAS trip ASAP!!!!!! (1 Viewer)

Trihonda

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OK, my neighbor owes us big time (long story), and he's taking my wife and I to Vegas sometime in December (Edited for new timeframe- January 2-4).

I have NEVER been, and need advice from the experts (you).

My trip criteria:
Cost (want reasonably cheap - are there any insider tricks?)
Accommodations: Want decent hotel and/or casino, clean, nice pool (must for the wife). It doesn't need to be TOP tier, but nice.
Location: Strip vs. no strip (I have no clue)
Proximity to shows: Wife wants to see Michael Jackson and/or Celine at some point.
Gamboling: I want to hit a nice 1/2 poker table with a bunch of fish, maybe a small tourney. Wife, hates gamboling, hence the pool and shows criteria.

And.... go!
 
Last edited:
some answers

OK, my neighbor owes us big time (long story), and he's taking my wife and I to Vegas sometime in December. Likely the weekend of the 13th. (probably Friday to Sunday).

I have NEVER been, and need advice from the experts (you).

My trip criteria:
Cost (want reasonably cheap - are there any insider tricks?)
Accommodations: Want decent hotel and/or casino, clean, nice pool (must for the wife). It doesn't need to be TOP tier, but nice.
Location: Strip vs. no strip (I have no clue)
Proximity to shows: Wife wants to see Michael Jackson and/or Celine at some point.
Gamboling: I want to hit a nice 1/2 poker table with a bunch of fish, maybe a small tourney. Wife, hates gamboling, hence the pool and shows criteria.

And.... go!

some answers
-most if not all of the outdoor pools will be closed in December...don't know who has an indoor pool
-strip...you will pay a bit more, but you will be able to walk to where you want to go...off the strip will probably mean a car, which ain't cheap
-celine is on holidays looking after her husband...not back till march, I think
 
Not sure if it still applies, but back in 2007 when I went for my first time I compared packages on Orbitz, Priceline, Expedia, Hotwire, etc. and found the best deals at Vegas.com

Really reasonable package deals. We stayed at Harrahs on the strip. While it is an older property its location is fantastic as you can easily walk to other strip properties and fun attractions/sites. They also offered a free shuttle service to any Harrah's property which was a nice touch.

And when we stayed we upgraded our package room to a jr suite (if I recall correctly) which was really nice.
 
stay on the strip, preferably in the middle, ballys harrahs etc if you want cheap. caesars or bellagio if you want nicer places.
 
Here is a Vegas Trip report I posted a few years back at PMC. Talks about some of the sights, food, and shit like that.



This will be mostly random pictures. My boy loves looking at buildings and sh%t so I took a bunch of the inside/outside of the structures.

Of course you will see the food pictures and one or two wifey pics .

Due to this being our Anniversary vacation I didn't get to play in the Poker room very much. I played 4 short sessions (3 were 90 minutes or less). The 4th session was 2.5 hrs. I made money in all 4 sessions (19, 86, 125, and 150). Nothing to get to excited about, but at least there wasn't any losses.

We got there SUN. afternoon. The first poker session was at 6 am on MON. morning. I played for an hour and made 150. It could have easily been a 400 profit margin. A dude called me all the way to the river with a pair of 8's. On the river he spiked trips and beat my pocket Kings. His explanation was that he had a gut shot to go with the pair of 8's, lol. I still made 150 in just less than an hour of play. The memorable hand was the last hand of the morning for me (it was breakfast time). I announced that this was my last hand. I picked up Pocket 8's. I made it 10 and got 4 callers. I flopped top set. Dude to my left was on big time tilt. He had just lost 650 of his 800 bucks in one hand (boat over nut flush). I checked to him. He made it 25. I just called. The turn brought a Q. I checked again. He checked........damn.......River was nothing. I through 50 out there. He instant all in. I instant called and flipped over my set. He mucked his cards, and I think he proceeded to the roof to jump.

The rest of the trip we mostly played slots and roulette. The roulette was fun. It was something we could play together and wasn't to expensive. We played the electronic roulette. .50 bets, $3.00 minimum. This was the station that we found got us the quickest beers while gambling. I think I played about 10 hrs worth of roulette, drank a crazy amount of Corona, and lost a total of 20 bucks. The wifey enjoyed it, and we were able to play, drink, and bullsh%t.

Her big win on the slots was 94 bucks on a 10 dollar investment. She hit a ton of bonuses or something. I never quite sure how the slots machines work.

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We mostly invested our winnings back into the trip. I splurged and bought a 20 dollar Kobe beef burger. WOW.......best f$%king hamburger I've ever eaten. The wife got a regular burger, and there was no comparison. Actually, her burger tasted like sh%t after eating the Kobe Beef burger.

Coll's Black and Blue burger

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My Kobe Beef burger

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We wanted to hit the pool a day or two. The weather wasn't crazy hot. On MON. it got into the 90's. The rest of the trip it stayed in the 75-83 range.



The overall best meal that we had was prolly at Treasure Island. I had a buy a dinner get one free (Groupon). We ate at Kuanaville. We had Ginger/Teriyaki Flank steak and a Macadamia Nut encrusted Mahi Mahit. HOLY sh%t were these good

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Next up will just be random photo's of the trip.

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I have a ton of other pictures. Its mostly of the outside of the buildings, Hotel Lobby's, ect.....
 
When we go with the guys it's either Harrah's or Flamingo (or Bill's....RIP). If I were taking my wife I'd stay at Venetian or Aria but that's just my 2 cents. She's not a gambler and would be spending more time in the room than I would so it would be worth it for it to be comfortable and better than your run-of-the-mill hotel.

If you google "las vegas poker tournaments" you should get a result (poker atlas maybe?) that shows a list of tournaments with times/buy-ins/location/etc.
 
For cash I have had very good experience roughing up the $1/$2 NL tables at the Venetian.
 
When last we went, we stayed at the Flamingo. If you wanted to splurge, Paris, Las Vegas was pretty amazing.

I recommend hitting a place called the Pepper Mill for breakfast or lunch. It's on the strip at 2985 Las Vegas Boulevard, near the Riviera. It's also the last free-standing diner or restaurant and last place with open parking right in front on the strip.

They say Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin use to stop in after their shows late at night for a bite and a drink (or two). The place looks like it hasn't changed a bit. It's like stepping back into Old Las Vegas in the 50s and 60s. The food is incredible, and the portion sizes are large. It's about the least expensive meal we had in Vegas, and it was a real experience. I kept expecting Wayne Newton to walk in, but he's in Branson these days.

I recommended the Pepper Mill to a coworker before his trip with his wife. They went to the Pepper Mill three times.

Good luck!
 
Also some tips for a newbie to Vegas:

Don't waste your time with the people who try to offer you "free show tickets". Generally they are trying to get you to attend a "short presentation" to get you into a timeshare or some such crap.

Many cab drivers get kickbacks from different venues for bringing you there. One night I was taking a cab back to my hotel from the Spearmint Rhino around 2-3am and the cabbie started chatting me up, asking me how much I usually spend when I go to the club.

Then he says "oh, for that you can get full service!" and pulls into some relatively deserted side street with one sketchy business open. In the parking lot there's some dude who's being restrained by two other guys and the cabbie rolls down my window and some chick walks up trying to get me to come inside. I tell the cabbie to take me back to my hotel.

I believe he was trying to bring me to one of those joints where they imply you can pay for sex, but since it's not legal in Vegas county, you wind up spending a bunch of money only to get the run-around. And you can't go to the cops because if you're trying to do it you're committing a crime yourself, so it's a way for them to take advantage of people (The Vegas Way)

I'm sure that won't be an issue on a trip with your wife, but maybe someone else who is visiting Vegas for the first time will see this tip and avoid any potential pitfalls.
 
I went to Vegas with Mrs. S last month, here's my TR (hope the link is okay, Tommy):

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthread.php?t=1480287

I shopped around a good bit for the hotel and got the best rate through vegas.com. Staying mid-strip is the nuts, though the south end is fine too.

Tix4tonight has been a pretty reliable way of getting decently priced show tickets as long as you're willing to get there 15-30 minutes before they open and wait in line. We ended up saving about $30 per ticket on Cirque du Soleil Mystere.
 
I am a frequent Vegas visitor. Mrs. Poker Zombie currently has it #1 on our list of possible retirement localities. I no longer need maps to drive around town... I eat and drink Vegas and poop out Tunica.

Before recommending any hotel or food, I would first need to know what kind of hotel you want. Are you a "Best Western" type of guy, a "Holiday Inn Express", or a "Hyatt Regency" sort? Food runs the gamut, but do you consider a great meal "quality" or "quantity"? Any recommendation without that info is simply another mans opinion.

I have a collection of reviews from Las Vegas I have written over the years. Some are now obsolete (business open/close/re-brand in Las Vegas on a regular basis), but if you don't at least crack a smile while reading them, then you don't belong in such a fun town...
smile.gif


http://www.yelp.com/user_details_re...ilter_city=Las Vegas&location_filter_state=NV
 
My wife has given the indication that she would consider the Vegas area for a retirement option. Maybe we can be elderly neighbors!
 
I am a frequent Vegas visitor. Mrs. Poker Zombie currently has it #1 on our list of possible retirement localities. I no longer need maps to drive around town... I eat and drink Vegas and poop out Tunica.

Before recommending any hotel or food, I would first need to know what kind of hotel you want. Are you a "Best Western" type of guy, a "Holiday Inn Express", or a "Hyatt Regency" sort? Food runs the gamut, but do you consider a great meal "quality" or "quantity"? Any recommendation without that info is simply another mans opinion.

I have a collection of reviews from Las Vegas I have written over the years. Some are now obsolete (business open/close/re-brand in Las Vegas on a regular basis), but if you don't at least crack a smile while reading them, then you don't belong in such a fun town...
smile.gif


http://www.yelp.com/user_details_re...ilter_city=Las Vegas&location_filter_state=NV

we are easy on locations... We've stays yes at 5 star resorts, but would be ok with the holiday inn (not express). Or anything in between. My preference would be a hotel/casino that has a great card room for $1/2 NL poker action, as I don't think I'll be able to get a huge long session in... I might be snagging a few hours at a time, or after the wife has crashed... Might be convenient to have a decent poker room. However, I don't think it will be he only casino I step foot into.
 
if this is your first time, got to visit bellagio and caesars. just the grandieur and sheer elegance is cool to see, the architecture is amazing.
 
To continue, Proximity/access to the sites/strip is a plus. Access to a pool area would be nice, but not required... I think the time of year will be a limiting factor, pool-wise. Since the wife will not likely be gambling, having something for her to do would be nice... Shopping, shows, etc... I then do to think the trip itinerary will go something like this...

day 1, explore a little, I check out the hotel's card room, wife settles into our room. Meet for dinner, walking the strip, people watching, wife heads back to the room, I hit a card room until God knows when. I head back to room for a couple hours of sleep.

day two:
wife and I grab brunch, wife goes shopping, I hit up a card room, go exploring the strip for souvenir chips (advice on this appreciated), wife and I meet up with other couple for nice dinner, possibly a show, wife wants to see MJ. Then more people watching, maybe dancing, drinks, etc... Wife goes to bed around midnight, I hit the tables... Play till 7am, when my wife comes looking for me to say, "WTF"... I sleep on e flight back, and in the doghouse when we get home, lol
 
Per your (hopeful) itinerary Venetian will suite all of your needs. Great card room, plenty of shopping and shit to look at for the wife (on the premises and right by the Fashion Show Mall), right across the street from the best show in town (Love @ Mirage)
 
How are you and the wife on walking?

The Las Vegas strip is 4 miles long. Mandalay Bay is at the very south end, and is the home of the Cirque MJ show. Lets call that mile zero. The best shopping is Caesars and/or Fashion Show mall, at mile 3.5. Both are on the west side of the street, which is not a straight walk. Sidewalks are detoured because of a building tear-down in progress, and walking past Caesars is a picturesque maze of fountains and gardens. It is a beautiful stroll, but crazy long. Cabs are always available at hotels (by law, you cannot just hail one on the street), but you would have to account for that ($15-$20 each way depending on tip).

Best Poker rooms are Aria Sands (Venetian) Wynn (miles 1.1, 2.1 and 2.6 respectively). Players there will offer solid competition, with knowledgeable fish at the lower levels. Caesars (mile 1.7) has my favorite poker cash game action, because players are about my skill level, though they recently moved their room to make more room for a nightclub, making it smaller and closer to the casino floor. Double frowny face in my opinion.

My suggestion would be to stay at the Flamingo (mile 1.7, across the street from Caesars).
Their "Go" rooms are on par with a Holiday Inn.

To continue, Proximity/access to the sites/strip is a plus. Access to a pool area would be nice, but not required... I think the time of year will be a limiting factor, pool-wise. Since the wife will not likely be gambling, having something for her to do would be nice... Shopping, shows, etc... I then do to think the trip itinerary will go something like this...

As mentioned, the pool will be closed. Temps in December are low 40s to mid 50s. Flamingo does have a nice garden though to lounge around in.

day 1, explore a little, I check out the hotel's card room, wife settles into our room. Meet for dinner, walking the strip, people watching, wife heads back to the room, I hit a card room until God knows when. I head back to room for a couple hours of sleep.
Flamingo has a decent poker room (and wonderful, new this past summer chips).

I will mention here that the "Bravo Poker Live" app is the cash game player's friend. Live updates of what games are playing, where, and how many tables are playing/how long the wait list is. It also has the phone numbers to the all card rooms using the Bravo Genesis system, so when you are ready to head to a card room you can see if it is worth the walk/wait, and you can call ahead to reserve your seat.

After dinner, you can walk the strip north. Most people stop and turn back at Desert Inn road (mile 2.8), because the hotel - casinos really thin out from there. If you are froggy, you can continue up to SLS (mile 3.8), and if you are a thrill seeker, the Strat (mile 4), before turning back and catching Circus Circus. I have not been to SLS, so I cannot comment. Except when I'm staying at the Strat, I do not travel the strip north of Desert Inn. On the way back, you will identify the Fashion Mall (thus encouraging her shopping trip tomorrow while you are gamboling) and enjoy Caesars. If you are early enough, you can check out the white tiger habitat at the Mirage (if your wife is into that kind of stuff).
d
day two:
wife and I grab brunch, wife goes shopping, I hit up a card room, go exploring the strip for souvenir chips (advice on this appreciated), wife and I meet up with other couple for nice dinner, possibly a show, wife wants to see MJ. Then more people watching, maybe dancing, drinks, etc... Wife goes to bed around midnight, I hit the tables... Play till 7am, when my wife comes looking for me to say, "WTF"... I sleep on e flight back, and in the doghouse when we get home, lol

If your expenses can take it, get your wife reservations at Qua, the spa at Caesars. Qua=one get out of jail free card for you. I can provide you with details on that if you wish. Technically Mrs. Poker Zombie will provide details, I've never gone. I play cards and she's being turned into jello. I could tell her I won $2000 and spent it on hookers, and she would be all like "I had a great time".

When you head to the show, you can take the monorail south to the MGM (mile 0.6) making the walk to Mandalay Bay for MJ short and sweet. After the show you can stroll back north, pausing along the way to check out different places (nothing breaks up a long walk like pausing for another drink, an awesome dessert, or just to watch a street performer. This will also give you the complete Vegas strip sight-seeing stroll.

By the time the wife goes to bed, you will be back on the app finding the lively 1/2 games. I will give you a rundown of poker rooms in my next post...
 
OMG eating this up!!! Great info! I like the look of the Venetian. What's the poker room like? Tough action? 1/2 NL?

Also, I recall reading online that the best time to play is bar-time when all the donks from the bars come in to play...? Not sure if that's true, but are there any strategies for having a better session (besides getting good cards)?
 
Also, I recall reading online that the best time to play is bar-time when all the donks from the bars come in to play...? Not sure if that's true, but are there any strategies for having a better session (besides getting good cards)?


Generally the best time to play is when you're up against opponents who are drunk, stuck, tired, etc. When their decision-making process is compromised. Usually late at night, in my experience.
 
Generally the best time to play is when you're up against opponents who are drunk, stuck, tired, etc. When their decision-making process is compromised. Usually late at night, in my experience.

Before my wifey and I headed down a few years ago. My buddy suggested hitting the poker room bright and early. My first morning there I was up at 530 due to being fucked up from the time change. I hit the poker room. Sure enough, there was a table full of drunks. A few of them had huge stacks. It was easy pickings.
 
Before my wifey and I headed down a few years ago. My buddy suggested hitting the poker room bright and early. My first morning there I was up at 530 due to being fucked up from the time change. I hit the poker room. Sure enough, there was a table full of drunks. A few of them had huge stacks. It was easy pickings.

A very good point. Catching guys who've been up all Friday night playing into the wee hours of Saturday morning is definitely a great approach
 
I agree with the early morning play, though it does not look like that will be much of an option on this trip.

It took me a while to figure out how to post this. Sorry the formatting is ugly. If you PM me I can send you a much nicer excel file. Mile numbers are closer here, because yesterday I was just going from memory (though largely accurate). W# is the miles west of the strip, E# is the numbers of miles east of the strip. +# is very short extra milage from the strip, and usually a distance that can be shortened by knowing the shortcuts through casinos.

[TABLE="width: 604"]
[TR]
[TD]Hotel/Casino[/TD]
[TD]Casino[/TD]
[TD]Poker[/TD]
[TD]Location[/TD]
[TD]Mile[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Four Seasons[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mandalay Bay[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Delano[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Luxor[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Excalibur[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tropicana[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hooters[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Behind-Strip +0.3[/TD]
[TD]0.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]MGM Grand[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0.7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]New York - New York[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0.7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Monte Carlo[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]0.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Aria[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Travelodge[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Signature at MGM Grand[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]South Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.15[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Hard Rock[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Off Strip E1.2[/TD]
[TD]1.2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Cosmopolitan[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Planet Hollywood[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Vdara[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Near Strip +0.2[/TD]
[TD]1.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Paris[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bellagio[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bally's[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ellis Island Casino & Brewery / Super 8[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Behind-Strip +.6[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Gold Coast[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Off Strip W1.1[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Palms[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Off Strip W1.2[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Palms Place[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Off Strip W1.4[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Rio[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Off Strip W.8[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Silver Sevens[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]2 Tables[/TD]
[TD]Off Strip E1.1[/TD]
[TD]1.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Westin Casuarina Las Vegas Hotel, Casino and Spa[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Behind-Strip +.4[/TD]
[TD]1.604[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Platinum Hotel and Spa[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Near Strip +.5[/TD]
[TD]1.605[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]The Cromwell[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.61[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Flamingo[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Caesars Palace[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]O'Sheas[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Linq[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]1.9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Harrah's[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Casino Royale[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]2.05[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mirage[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]2.1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Venetian[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]2.2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Palazzo[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]2.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Treasure Island[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]2.4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Trump International[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Behind-Strip +.3[/TD]
[TD]2.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Wynn Las Vegas[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]2.6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Encore Las Vegas[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Center Strip[/TD]
[TD]2.7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Riviera[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]North Strip[/TD]
[TD]3.2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Circus Circus[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]North Strip[/TD]
[TD]3.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Westgate[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]3 Tables[/TD]
[TD]Near-Strip +.4[/TD]
[TD]3.3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Palace Station[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Off Strip W1[/TD]
[TD]3.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]SLS[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]North Strip[/TD]
[TD]3.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Stratosphere[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]Yes[/TD]
[TD]North Strip[/TD]
[TD]4.1[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
*********************************************************************

Venetian: One of the top tier rooms, and the games run all through the night. I checked when I woke this morning (3am Vegas time) and they had 5 tables of 1/2 NL running, and 1 table 1/2 O8.

If you are looking to fleece drunks, hit Oshea's. It is a frat bar mentality, complete with dancing midget leprechaun (you cannot make this shit up). The game is 1/1 nl, and loud enough that Bergs might not be heard
icon7.png
. Expect suck-outs, gutshots, and other loose play.

Flamingo: Average casino poker room, usually a couple of 1/2 NL tables running. Mostly tourists, but I have seen the nitty senior citizen locals roll in to pick off the fish. Their nitty play makes them just as fishy IMHO.
 
Great list. Awesome job.

Causarina has a casino and has been renamed The Max.
Palace Station has casino and poker.
O'Shea's I don't think they reopened the poker room after they tore it down and rebuilt it.
 
O'Shea's I don't think they reopened the poker room after they tore it down and rebuilt it.

I didn't even recognize O'Shea's when I was there in August. PZ's description is spot on for the old O'Shea's...probably not as applicable to the new version.
 
Great list. Awesome job.

Causarina has a casino and has been renamed The Max.
Palace Station has casino and poker.
O'Shea's I don't think they reopened the poker room after they tore it down and rebuilt it.

Good catches - Max Casino is in the Westin, Mile 1.6, +.4. I admit that I walked by it literally dozens of times (Snacks at Jays Market/Shell station, and enroute to Ellis Island), but have never stopped in, so I forgot about it.

Palace Station was not on the list because it is too far off strip to consider. I have it listed in my records as Mile 3.8 W1. The walk takes you through a desolate area and under the freeway, so it is not a walk you want to take with cash in your pockets IMO. If you are going to take a 5 taxi that far, you would be better served going downtown.

You are probably correct that O'sheas may not have reopened their poker room yet. They were already planning talking about an expansion that could revisit the poker room. I am starting to doubt it though, because the Linq is already suffering from being a dead poker room. However, when they get a game going at the Linq, it attracts a lot of fish. Low buy-ins (currently just a 1/1 NL game) and $40 tournies (the 1/1 fills from the tourney bust-outs) attract the right crowd for calling down your 2 pair aces/kings with their pocket 7s.

I'm ashamed by my error...
embarrased.gif
 
New time frame is January 2nd through the 4th or 5th. Not sure if we're doing 2 or 3 nights.

I am beyond grateful for the work put into all the comments and reviews. Scary going for the first time, wanting to make the most of such a short trip.
 
My first trip was also a short one. I traveled while looking for work, and decided not to take the job (or the tax write-off) because I found Vegas depressing. My next trip I saw more of what the town had to offer, and then I was hooked. It took me almost 10 years to see almost "everything" (still have not seen a classic vocalist like Michael Buble). There is just so much, but the first trip NEEDS to be a short one. 18 hours of slot machine background noise will haunt you if you are not steeled to it.
 
We've only been once. It was for four nights. Your right. For our first trip that was too long. 2-3 night stay would have been great (better if it wasn't an Anniversary vacation).
 
OK, since some have asked, here's the long story, copied from the blue-site:

OK, you can't make this Sh!t up...

(ground rules, please no harsh
bashing). The folks in this story are friends, but I had to vent
somewhere...

OK...

My wife and I are planning to enjoy a nice
routine Friday evening. Our kids have a big Saturday (big karate testing in the
morning), so no craziness planned on Friday night. Game plan: Hit the
neighborhood pool, order some pizza with some friends, let the kids swim until
around 8pm, then home to bed.

However...

A buddy of mine (regular
to my poker game) and his wife want to go out and celebrate her "half" birthday
(not kidding)... They ask us to babysit their three kids. Two girls are friends
of our 10 year old daughter). Their 6 year old boy is a handful, but not
impossible. We often trade babysitting duties back and forth, so we cautiously
agree (with the caveat that there will be no sleep overs and late night
bed-times).

The day of (Friday), we're informed their play will be
getting out later than expected (home after midnight), so we agree to a
sleepover... But assert their kids are going to bed early (sleepovers have
traditionally lasted past midnight at their place). Their daughter also has
karate testing even earlier than our daughter.

We get their kids in the
evening, hit the pool, come home, put them to bed (with some minor problems from
their youngest... nothing major). However, we're woken up to our phones blowing
up at 1:00am.

Message: "Hi this is Joe Blow from the XYZ police
department, we need someone to pick up Fred (not a read name), because his wife
was just pinched for drunk driving, Fred needs a ride". I blearily eyed throw on
some clothes and reluctantly head out the door... The XYZ police is... oh, 40
minutes away... While on the way, I return Officer Blow's call, and find out
that the wife (because she was a biotch to the cop and refused everything) was
taken to a local county pokey another 45 minutes away (in the opposite
direction).

I'm on the hook to get this couple out of a jam, mainly
because they're friends, but also because we have their kids and if we don't go
pick them up from po-dunk police, we're stuck with their kiddos forever.
lol

So, after 4+ hours of being up, 3+ hours of driving, blowing into a
tube (to prove I was sober enough to be responsible to get wife outta jail), a
half tank of gas, and an hour and a half of listening to wifey spew about how
she was wrongfully pulled over... oh, and telling me I am not a good driver
because I changed lanes without signaling (it's 4:30am, no traffic lady...) people
do and say dumb things when their drunk, prolly why it's not legal to drive?
Anyway, get home at 5am to a beautiful sunrise.

When the wife comments
about how I shouldn't mind being up this late, since it's when we typically get
done playing poker, I say... "Ya, exactly like poker night, without the cards...
or fun...). I look over at my buddy, who has been profusely telling me that he
owes me big time... I say to him "Ya, you owe me a poker night.... in Vegas".


Didn't hurt that his wife announces that it'd be fun if we all went to
Vegas! She's probably too drunk to realize the trip will be on them!


After dropping them off at home at 5-ish AM, we agree they'll be over to
pick up their kids at 9am so their daughter can get to her 10am Karate test, and
my family can have a normal morning routine without 5 screaming kids.


They show up at 10:30am (their daughter has missed her test), and my
family is scrambling around trying to get ready for ours. Not cool.


Later that day, the hubby shows up to the neighborhood pool and sits
down next to my wife (while I'm swimming with the kids). He quietly announces to
my wife, that he and his wife owe us BIG time. My wife says back (calm as day)
"apparently, we're getting a trip to Vegas outta this deal..."... then
smiles.

Love my wife!
 

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