Vegas, baby, Vegas

[Celeval]

So, I'll be there this weekend. I know we have a handful of people who go regularly, and at least one (VV) who lives there - a few questions if any of you know what to expect.

- I'm looking to play a good bit of poker, low-limit (since I don't have a lot of offline experience). Where's a good spot?

- What should I expect to pay for food and non-gambling/entertainment?

- What should I absolutely not miss seeing while there?

I'm going to be out there with my brother and cousin - my Lady noplace in sight. Probably as close to a bachelor party as I'm going to get.

Thanks for the info -
Kevin

[WheelsVT]

Play some SEGA and be sure to make Gretzky's head blead for super-fan #99.

And remember, while the rule is to wait 3 days to call, the true money play would be to wait 6.


(someone had to say it)

[QuikSand]

The Mirage is my favorite spot -- great poker room, and great restaurants. Bellagio is better at everything, and more pricey.

In my book, don't miss the Spice Market Buffet at Aladdin. Unbelievable. I'm a pretty form believer in eating one gigantic meal per day, and grazing through the rest. If you can live that way, it's worth it.

Night life at the Palms is pretty lively, also at Rio. The Palms has poker, too - but it's very smoky, I'm told, so beware if that's an issue. Mirage and Bellagio are both non-smoking in their poker areas.

If you are on a tight budget, you can play low-limit poker and get a cheap (under $10) buffet at Palace Station. I can't really recommend either one all that highly, but it's a decent place for cheap entertainment.

[AnalBumCover]

You can play $1-6 spread limit hold'em at Excalibur.

[Calis]

Make sure you see the guy behind the guy behind the guy.

To piggyback on this thread a little bit. I'm planning a Vegas vacation later this year, and want to do some cheapo NL Hold 'Em tourneys. It seems like there's a decent amount of them going around, but anyone have any suggestions on which places are the best to hit for them? If it makes much of a difference.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Celeval

- What should I expect to pay for food and non-gambling/entertainment?

Whatever you want to pay.

Seriously, there's such a range that you'll find something that fits your budget, whatever it is. One key strategy, as QS touched on, is to eat a few small/cheap meals. If you try to eat somewhere nice for every meal, you'll end up spending a lot. But if you eat a few cheap meals here and there, you can go for the big fancy dinner.

[Ryche]

One recommendation from being in Vegas just over a week ago would be the Pub & Brewery in the Monte Carlo. It's basically a huge sports bar with good, very reasonably priced food and their own beer.

My gambling was limited to betting on baseball games, so I can't help there.

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by Calis

Make sure you see the guy behind the guy behind the guy.

To piggyback on this thread a little bit. I'm planning a Vegas vacation later this year, and want to do some cheapo NL Hold 'Em tourneys. It seems like there's a decent amount of them going around, but anyone have any suggestions on which places are the best to hit for them? If it makes much of a difference.

Yeah, what is a good tourney spot with often tourneys going on?

[Vegas Vic]

The Mirage poker room has turned into a bit of a Ghost Town recently. Its sister property, the Golden Nugget (which is on Fremont Street), just opened a poker room. The Horseshoe (also on Fremont Street) is also spreading a lot of limit holdem, and business is booming due to the WSOP.

The games at the Golden Nugget and Horseshoe are incredibly soft right now, so I haven't been going to the Bellagio or Mirage lately.

[MrBug708]

If you stay on the stript and want to play chep blackjack in the morning or afternoon, Luxor has 4-6 5 dollar limit tables. The boardwalk has a 2 dollar limit table, but the place is kinda suspect....

[JonInMiddleGA]

I just got back from LV a couple of days ago, so I'll ante up my .02.

I'm not a table games guy so I can't help you with the poker but the food thing is pretty much at your own discretion budget-wise. You can pay $2.99 for breakfast or $20.99 for breakfast, pretty much the same deal with every meal. I had lunch at Fatburger one afternoon just for the hell of it (figured since they say they're coming to Atlanta soon it was worth checking out) & a late dinner at one of the neon McDonald's on Fremont another night. Lunch buffets range from about $8.99 to $15.99 depending upon where you are, dinner buffets are usually $3-$4 more than that. I'm also a fan of eating late, with 10p-2a specials like steak-and-eggs for $2.99 at the old Las Vegas Club downtown.

Entertainment-wise, I'm not much for full-blown shows, but most of them were (IMO) pretty damned pricey ($59-$79 per person). I preferred to catch some of the decent enough freebie lounge acts at a variety of casinos & free entertainment like the Fountains at Bellagio (pretty good oooh-and-ahhh factor) & Sirens II at Treasure Island (not all that great, but a decent way to kill a half-hour or so away from the tables)

[SunDevil]

Always double down on 11

[SunDancer]

Originally Posted by SunDevil

Always double down on 11

This may sound stupid, but what does this mean? I know how to play blackjack, but I've never played casino blackjack. What are the typical table limits for most games on average?

[Mr. Wednesday]

Double down = double your bet, but only take one more card.

[MrBug708]

Good Odds on getting a facecard. Worse thing with getting a facecard on 11 is that you push.