Pinch me I'm going to Vegas

[Squiggly]

For only the second time in my life... and the first time I was with the wife, 9 month old (never again), and mom-in-law (to babysit lol) for a trade show. This time I finally talked the wife into sneaking away for a weekend in March.

Anyone in Vegas the weekend of March 20th? I need a poker buddy since my wife doesn't play much...

Any recommendations on where to play low stakes cash or small buyin tourneys?

[links_slayer]

I think the bellagio recently added a $1/$2 NL game to their poker room.

[Railbird]

Any recommendations on where to play low stakes cash or small buyin tourneys?

Small buy-in tournaments:

Treasure Island without question. Nice $65 dailies with about 30 runners and several well structured Headhunter Tournaments through the week with T$6000 and 30 min. levels for $125.  I highly recommend these tournaments. The other small buy-in tourney to look at would be Planet Hollywood.

If you want to jump up a level the Venetain noon tourney Sunday-Thursday is probably the best $150 tournament in LV.  T$7500 with 30 min. levels.  However, they run 3 or 4 Deep Stack tournament series through the year at which time I don't believe the $150 daily runs.

Low Stakes Cash Games:

Assuming you are looking to play 1/2 NL... Basically anywhere on the Strip, but MGM, TI, Imperial Palace, Bally's, Planet Hollywood should all have the type game you are looking for.  The Venetian may be a little tougher game, but is considered by many people to be the nicest poker room in LV.  Venetian also has 4/8 limit.

For me Treasure Island and the Venetian right across the street are about all I need.  If I were down around Tropicana Avenue I'd play at MGM.

[Jaxen]

The Mirage will have every cash game you could look for. Emphasis on the EVERY.

Check out Caesar's Palace tournaments as well, although I don't remember the buy ins. Folks have raved about their structues too.

[FSL009]

I found the allvegas site really good for poker room reviews etc. 

i believe any of the station casino's of the street are generally easier games, but then playing in a suburban casino is sort of lame when the strip is there.

most of them run a $65 tourney at some point of the day.

Ceasers was great but I played their $150 buy in.  they have a slightly cheaper one a bit later than the 7pm start for the $150.

they had a heap of cash tables as well. didn't play cash.

i found the best valued tourney was excalibur they had a $35 tourney in the midday slot or close to it.  but I heard they moved to pokerpro tables so if that is the case this may not be the go anymore.

Anyway that is all I remember and that is from nearly a year ago, so outside of at least checking out the ceasers room I would allocate a day to wonder around and have a look.

Did not play there but the venetian looked great, would have played a midpriced deep stacked toruney except i was a bit short on cash waiting for the pay to come through and gave it up for the ceasers one.

[Crimson]

I am a new fan of the Caesar's dailies. I played the 3pm $65 tourney last Tuesday and placed 5th. The structure was excellent and the payouts were appropriate and fair (our local Indian casinos in AZ are structured very badly on blind increases and payouts). Their room is very nice, but during the day, during the week, you can really only find one to three tables of $1/$3 NLHE. However, the game was pretty soft when we were there, and the tournament was a lot of dead money, too.

I've heard good things about the Venetian tourneys as well. The Mirage was packed when I was there and I got stuck in a $1/$2 NL game with some locals who were pretending to be drunk and stupid when it was obvious to an observant person that they were not so. This one guy just kept dumping chips to them anyway, like an idiot.

I live about 5 hours' drive or 1 hour flight from Vegas and those structures were so nice that I am considering going a lot more often.

[sharkyspoker]

I was just there a little over a week ago and my buddy who is rather new to playing poker and I hit a couple of the off strip casinos. Palace Station, The Orleans etc. We were only playing 2/4 limit but we would clean up in short time due to all the calling stations. Just wait for a good hand and bet it hard. Don't try and bluff because you will get called. Those old locals had no problem calling middle or bottom pair all the way to the river. We would hit each room for about an hour or so and came away between $40 and $60 up each time.

Good luck and have fun.

Sharky

[FSL009]

I loved the structure of the Ceasers one as well

The $150 was like 40 min blinds and really low increases in levels, i started at like 7pm ended 17th or something at 2.30am

was a lot of cards for $150 is the way I looked at it.

The game was very tight really.  So it was really good for me, cause i thought i was tight but found out I was not that tight.

My main problem was I did not understand M, short stacked play and pot odds very well at the time and still made it to 17th on the strategy of dont call if your raised, fold anything that was not  a top ten hand and steal blinds late in the tourney.

I love it as a tourney structure the antes and progression are near on perfect.

[darkprozac]

So how did it go last weekend?  I've only gone once, but I LOVED the Mirage.  Awesome environment and good selection of games.

[Squiggly]

Oops I forgot to update. Vegas was awesome, other than a week later and I still have blisters from walking. Bring good shoes!

I ended up not playing any tournaments. allvegaspoker.com needs to update their tournament listings. I tried for the morning tourney at the Tropicana, except they closed their poker room. And I didn't get to the Mandalay Bay in time to play there. The next day I tried to go to a cheap one at the Gold Coast, except they didn't have any in the mornings anymore. So I only played a bit of cash at the Mandalay Bay (where I got my a$$ handed to me) and at the Palms, where I got quad sixes to take a nice pot and finish nicely up.

The wife wanted to play in a cheap tourney but I couldn't justify the stupid structures at a lot of the casinos for morning tournaments. The Luxor had one for $40 that was T350 chips with a starting blind of 10/20, then up to 25/50. Might as well shoot craps.

Our next trip in about six months will give me more time for a proper $150-200 tourney at Caesar's or somewhere with a good structure.

[FSL009]

that is a bit of a shame about all vegas not getting you there at the right time or with the right info.

I found that it was mostly correct when I went, but then I double checked, spent the first morning going to the list of casinos i wanted to go to and grabbed their tournament flyers.

in the end i spent a lot of time walking as well, although that was good becuase you also do a lot of eating for some reason and drinking while there.

Aanyway, it sounds like you still had a bit of fun.  and your well set up for another trip next time.  Were there many people in the tourneys/games or was it a bit light on?