Hold 'em in Vvegas

[CleBrownsfan]

I'm going to Vegas 07/04 - 07/10 and I'm wondering where I should go to play some (low limit $4-$8) hold 'em. Also, I saw a few casinos that have no-limit tournaments - any of you know of a website that shows all hold 'em tournaments?

~Thanks~

BTW - anyone been to Vegas for the Fourth?

[QuikSand]

Are you n-n-nervous about g-g-going to V-vegas?

[QuikSand]

Slightly more seriously... here's a link someone posted before in a similar thread here:

http://www.winninginlasvegas.com/

[Robbiero67]

Just got back from Vegas a few days ago...The site which Quik posted is good, but it does not show many tournaments which occur. Also the tournament buy-in pricing for many locations on the website is obsolete. For example, The Sam's Town NL tourney is priced as $40+ single $20 rebuy...when in actuality it was 60+40. Besides that, however, most of the times seem to be correct.

One personal favorite was the carddroom at the Golden Nugget. Great atmosphere, fun tourneys, but it is downtown so from the strip it'll likely be a $10-15 dollar cab ride. Call the Poker manager there if you're interested in playing, they usually have tourneys a few times on the weekend and I'm sure plenty going on mid-week. I recommend when wanting to play at any location in particular just call the poker room and ask (that is the best way to find the exact info concerning any events).

One room I did not like was at The Luxor. Cramped room, unfriendly dealers and management as well as badly-formulated tournaments.

Anyways, just my opinion on a couple things...have fun and good luck...

[cthomer5000]

Luxor has daily tourneys, although the blind structure makes them a little bit excrutiating to play.

at 12noon Monday-Friday they have what a 25 dollar buy in (19+6), and a 3 dollar add-on at the beginning. It goes no limit after the first hour, and lasts a max of 2 and a half hours start to finish. Despite the insane blinds/limits (which increase every 15 miutes), I manged to finish 4th their on my last trip out there (field of 61 players). It was fun, despite the fact that they are cleary far more interested in getting it over with than providing a fair and level playing field though.


They also have nightly tournaments, and bigger ones on the weekend I think.

Monte Carlo and Excalibur have no regular tournaments.

Excalibur generally only has spread limit games (1-3 and 2-6), although at one point they had some No Limit and a 4-8 game going while I was there. Also, IMHO, Excalibur's Poker Room is a total dump.

Monte Carlo had a 2-4 and 4-8 game going pretty regularly while I was there. I enjoyed playing there.

Just because of where I was staying, I didn't get a chance to play Bellagio at all. I didn't get over to Mandalay Bay, either.

[Robbiero67]

CT,

I think my main problem with the Luxor was as you said that "they are interested in getting it over with." I understand the tourneys don't make much money for them, but if you're going to do them don't be rude and hurried (toward the players) when running it.

One other thing I didn't like about the tourney was the "alternate" or backup system they used to fill tables. The tourney I entered was supposed to be a single table sit N' go and they said if they had enough entries they'd break it into two tables. No problem there. When I went back for the actual tourney it appeared that we had gotten only enough entries for a single table. However, after knocking the first person out of the tourney the poker manager called for the first "alternate" to take his place. So in came this guy with a fresh stack, rebuy and all, into a table that had already seen several orbits. Personally, it wasn't a huge deal, but to some other players who had not played well or had just been blinded a few times with little to play there was some definite frustration. I had never seen this method before, whenever I've played if someone is in a live tourney they begin play with the rest of the field...if not their respective stacks are blinded appropriately. If I had known what the alternate system was I would have waited and just chosen one of those spots. Sure there was a chance that I'd get in when my stack would be extremely short to start, but it was such a crapshoot anyways that even with the slight-increase in blinds by the point in this tourney (with the time restriction pressure, several players were making some...interesting moves) I'd have had a full stack and been able to watch the table for a few minutes.

[cthomer5000]

where are you staying? You're probably just best off at looking at the sites/calling the poker rooms that you might reasonably play while there.

[CleBrownsfan]

Thanks for the replies guys...

I plan on doing some research on that site.

I'm staying at the Luxor - but it sounds like that is not the place to play.

[CleBrownsfan]

CT,

I think my main problem with the Luxor was as you said that "they are interested in getting it over with." I understand the tourneys don't make much money for them, but if you're going to do them don't be rude and hurried (toward the players) when running it.

One other thing I didn't like about the tourney was the "alternate" or backup system they used to fill tables. The tourney I entered was supposed to be a single table sit N' go and they said if they had enough entries they'd break it into two tables. No problem there. When I went back for the actual tourney it appeared that we had gotten only enough entries for a single table. However, after knocking the first person out of the tourney the poker manager called for the first "alternate" to take his place. So in came this guy with a fresh stack, rebuy and all, into a table that had already seen several orbits. Personally, it wasn't a huge deal, but to some other players who had not played well or had just been blinded a few times with little to play there was some definite frustration. I had never seen this method before, whenever I've played if someone is in a live tourney they begin play with the rest of the field...if not their respective stacks are blinded appropriately. If I had known what the alternate system was I would have waited and just chosen one of those spots. Sure there was a chance that I'd get in when my stack would be extremely short to start, but it was such a crapshoot anyways that even with the slight-increase in blinds by the point in this tourney (with the time restriction pressure, several players were making some...interesting moves) I'd have had a full stack and been able to watch the table for a few minutes.


That is a type of tournament i don't want to be a part of...

thanks for the info. I like freeze-out tournaments. In rebuy or add on games people play WAY to loose...

[cthomer5000]

That is a type of tournament i don't want to be a part of...

thanks for the info. I like freeze-out tournaments. In rebuy or add on games people play WAY to loose...
Well, the Luxor tourney isn't a rebuy, but up to 10 alternates can fill seats for the first 10 knocked out. So it's 51 seated (one 11 seat table), but up to 61 total can be included.

Still, I can't honestly recommend the tourney due to the suicidal blind structure. Still, it worked out to be the most fun I've ever had playing poker.

[TLK]

BTW - anyone been to Vegas for the Fourth?
Never been on the Forth, but will this year. Staying at The Mirage from 7/4 to 7/9....

[thealmighty]

I'll be at The Mirage, starting next monday, for 4 days.

[CleBrownsfan]

Never been on the Forth, but will this year. Staying at The Mirage from 7/4 to 7/9....

Lion King - We should meet up somewhere and grab a cocktail (or other choice of beverage). You going for work or play? I'm going strictly for play... only work involved is controlling my alcohol so I'm not raising on 7 2 off suit :D

[Glengoyne]

I will give a second to the golden nugget, as I do like the atmosphere there. For the tournament I played at the Luxor. I will second that play is very fast paced, and the management doesn't seem to be that player friendly. I have done best in tournaments at the Orleans, although that is significantly off the strip, and relatively isolated, they do have multiple tournaments a day. The buy ins there also generally fit my tight gaming budget when I am in town. Somehow in Vegas my wife insists on spending the vast majority of our money on Shows and Restaurant dining.

As for regular play. I like the Mirage because they don't allow smoking, but from what I have heard a number of the nicer card rooms have followed suit in this regard. It has been two years since I have played there, but I didn't feel like I was THE fish at the table at the Mirage. That wasn't the case when I sat down at the MGM. I sat down there, and everyone sort of glanced at my buy-in and then at each other. I have never been so outclassed at a poker table. The best luck I have had is at some of the cheesier casinos on the strip, the Flamingo and the Excalibur card rooms are very lucrative if you have any skill at all. They aren't near as nice as the other places, but the players are a cut below average for the most part. As I said, before I am usually on a tight gaming budget, so I spend most of my time at the $3/$6 seven stud or $4/$8 Omaha tables. I have a good friend that just returned from Vegas, and he says that Hold'em is where ALL the fish are now. It looks like I will have to improve my hold'em game before I head back.

Good Luck, and sorry for the rambling

[cthomer5000]

This thread from 2+2 has some decent discussion of the Mandalay Bay/Excalibur/Luxor rooms if you want some more opinions.

I seem to be in the minority with my take on the Monte Carlo - I liked it the best of the 3 rooms I played.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=732691&Main=727879

[TLK]

Lion King - We should meet up somewhere and grab a cocktail (or other choice of beverage). You going for work or play? I'm going strictly for play... only work involved is controlling my alcohol so I'm not raising on 7 2 off suit :D
I'm going for play. I plan on hitting the $1-2 No-Limit. $100 max buy-in..... Word has it, that they're pretty soft. I'm all for meeting up for a drink or two..... drop me a PM and we can set something up....

Edit: I'm also plan on putting $50 at 60 to 1 odds that the Lions play in the Super Bowl.... :)

[SunDancer]

I am curious on the tourney structures? What are the "buy-ins"? Do they have regular, you pay up front and your out tourneys if you out of chips?

[Pumpy Tudors]

I just got back from Vegas a couple of hours ago. I only played at the Monte Carlo where I was staying. All last week, the only games they had were 4/8 Texas Hold'em, 2/4 Texas Hold'em, and 1-5 7 card stud. They pay out bonuses if you hit a straight flush or four of a kind (both hole cards have to play for the bonuses to take effect, though), and I was at a table in which two people hit bonuses. I don't know if any other casinos do that, but it was a nice touch. It was also an incentive to see a flop with a pocket pair or low suited connectors, which meant that the pots got up there a little bit, even at 2/4. In general, the games at the Monte Carlo have a very friendly atmosphere, and there are definitely some pretty weak players there. It's amazing how many times I saw someone ride Big Slick all the way to the end even when they didn't pair up either of their hole cards.

I realize that I'm not a big-money player, and I really wanted to find a 1/2 game, but I couldn't. I still had a lot of fun, though.

[Chief Rum]

FOFC Convention!

I'll be at the Stardust from 07/02 to 07/04.

CR

[kingnebwsu]

lol, gotta give us more notice for that convention ;)

Now that I'm into Hold 'Em, I'd be up for the FOF convention in Vegas that was planned a couple of years ago (remember??? :)).

[Vegas Vic]

I normally play 10/20 and 20/40 at the Mirage, so if any of you guys are going to be playing there, feel free to stop by and introduce yourselves.

I had the pleasure of meeting QuikSand and Ms. Q on their recent visit to Las Vegas. They are both very good holdem players.