Which 5 rooms would you play in?

Hi

So, I am going to Vegas for 5 days soon. Am going to do a couple of hours poker each day, which 5 rooms would you visit and why?

Im looking for ideas, my current plan is

Flamingo - Where we are staying
MGM - Always wanted to play there
Golden Nugget - First season of High Stakes was filmed there (though might drop the nugget as its a long way to go)
Planet Hollywood - Rumoured to have lots of tourists for good atmosphere
Bellagio - I cant go to Vegas and not play in this one

However this is open to change.

 

MGM and GN are pretty far from there you are staying. It might not be worth the effort just to go play poker for a couple hours unless you have other reasons for going to those areas. The other three rooms are plenty different from each other to offer you a variety of playing conditions and are within a relatively short walk from each other. I mainly play $4-8 limit so I only play at the Bellagio when I am on the strip. You can't beat their alcohol selection, although service can be a bit slow and it gets crowded in there.

If you have a low tolerance for risk the Linq runs a $1-1 no-limit game.

Good luck and have fun!

 

In my opinion you can't go to Vegas and not play at the Aria. Room is my favourite, and although on average I'd say the quality of play is tougher then most in Vegas, I still play 90% of my sessions there. Staff,dealers,chairs,atmosphere,CWs all make it a must play in my eyes.

Generally speaking Aria,Wynn,Venetian,Belligio are regarded as the 4 best rooms (This isn't to say that they would be the most profitable) however it really depends on what you are wanting to get out of your trip.

Good quality rooms,profitable rooms, iconic rooms,social rooms...

 

I have read good things about the Linq, in terms of loose games, so might swap that in for the GN unless we plan to spend time downtown.

I have read that the Aria, Wynn and Venetian have lots of decent regular players compared to other rooms. As such I am inclined to avoid them, as I would rather win or breakeven in a lesser room (not so much for financial gain, im just a person that really likes winning). However I might visit the Aria just to have a look.

I dont mind a mile walk to get to the MGM, plan to look at the whole strip at somepoint anyhow.

 

the ARIA and the Mirage. usually the ones i play at. and if you are there the friday night , the Mirage "bounty" tourney is alot of fun and great drink service

 

Oh yes forgot about the Mirage, need to add that in somewhere. Might have to double up one day and play two rooms.

 

I would add the Monte Carlo to the list. Nice small room, great drink service. Pretty good action. Usually have 2 or 3 1-2 NL and a 3-6 limit table plus decent action in their tournaments. Everytime i go to the aria room there is a 40 person list for 1-2.

 

If I was going to play at five rooms, and it was purely for the playing experience.

I'd go with -

Bellagio
Wynn
Aria
Venetian

Used to love playing some drunk poker @ Imperial Palace, but that's now the Linq, and I haven't been there for a good few years.

 

Aria
Mirage
TI
PH
MC

 

Bally's - When I went last time I played there a lot and found the players to be bad and the staff were good.
Wynn - I used to play 4-8 limit there and loved the room, the room looks great and the staff are great. But their lowest game is 1-3 NL so I'm not sure if you want a larger buy in. Also, I've heard the players are tougher there.
Venetian - Another room I played 4-8 and loved it but I'm not sure how the 1-2 NL plays. Very comfortable room.
Bellagio - I agree, it feels like you gotta play there.

Linq - I may play there next week but what I've read is that the 1-1 NL plays like 2-4 limit, everyone is calling. But if I see an open seat and I can buy in for $100 I may play one night.

 

when im at Freemont i like the golden nugget poker room alot !

when im on the strip i think the Aria 125 daily is a great tournament , PH has some nice tournaments running Venetian has a very nice room !

 

If you are downtown, Binions poker room is a must visit. Lots of locals and tight games. I would say this is also a room with an above average player. I've had success here at times. Aggressive play can be rewarded.

On the Strip, I love Aria, and will always have a soft spot for The Linq. They get a lot of street traffic and mediocre play, so it can turn into a winning situation for you.

 

I agree that Aria is close to a must-play. In my opinion it has a reputation as the nicest poker environment on the Strip for a reason. As others have said, that doesn't take into account the quality of the play (relatively high, though that of course varies) and the height of the stacks (deep; this does not vary). I'm staying at Bellagio at an upcoming trip so will probably play there, but to me it's not quite as nice a place to play as Aria, Wynn or Venetian. But if you want to win (or really, if you want to get called down for your whole stack by someone holding top pair with no kicker or a mediocre draw), places like PH and Linq - smaller rooms that draw casual foot traffic - will definitely be more to your liking.

 

If you're into poker you have to do Binion's once, just to say you've done it and look at the memorabilia there.

My personal five recommendations would be:

Aria
Orleans
Bellagio
Mirage
GN

 

It really depends on what you want such as nice overall experience, easy games, good drink service and variety, or to not risk a lot of money. Also, I assume $1/2 or $1/3 NL is your game? If you want limit or PLO, your options will be limited. Download the Bravo App for a live list of all the games running and where they are plus info on room promos and tourneys.

Downtown:

Golden Nugget is the best room to find a game. Binions is without games often and neither are on the Bravo App so better bet is Golden Nugget. Their game is uncapped so you might be playing. $1/2 NL with someone who has $10K on the table. It's a fun experience!

The Strip:

Aria and Wynn are great overall experience rooms. The players are tougher but both are luxury poker experiences. Aria has Ivey's Room where you might see pros playing super high stakes thru the glass doors.

Bellagio is unique in that it is the busiest room on the strip, is a must play for a poker fan, and look into Bobby's Room to see Doyle Brunson and lots of big name pros playing. It's a glass room and easy to see inside. Lots of regulars play here and you can get nice juices and cappuccinos with sugar sticks and other luxury drinks too.

Bellagio and Aria have long lists for low limit games during peak hours so call in and put your name on the list up to 1hr before showing up and check in at the podium when you arrive to cut the line [emoji1]

Venetian is a great room which is beautiful and huge. It's gotten worse recently due to rake increase (just $1 more) and comp decrease ($1 less per hour) but still a poker player focused experience.

Caesars Palace. Nice new room, nice chairs, too many locals. Similar to Venetian but slightly worse.

Now the niche rooms:

Linq. Only $1/1 NL in town. Great place for short buy in and casual players getting drunk cheaply. F, Sat, and Sun evenings "The Trooper97" deals there. He has a cult following on YouTube since he vlogs about poker and life in Vegas.

Flamingo. Old room, lots of nitty locals but close to where you are staying and has $2/4 limit which is the smallest limit game on the strip. Some fun dealers but too many nitty locals.

Planet Hollywood. After 8pm or 9pm, it's like playing in a nightclub. Poker room is LOUD with party music BLASTING throughout the casino and 2-4 HOT girls dancing in the party pits which surround the poker room. Lots of loose drunk action on weekend and Friday night's and a unique poker experience in Vegas of you like LOUD current music. It's like a club almost.

Avoid:

Treasure Island. Their current promotion brings nitty regulars and usually only 1 game going with no action.

Harrah's. Their poker room has a glass barrier around it and it's a bad room. Nothing special.

This takes you just mid strip. There are more rooms on south strip but I don't play there much. MGM used to be major but it has gone downhill a lot. Nothing special about Mandalay Bay (good sports book), Luxor, Excalibur, or Monte Carlo in my opinion.

If you want to get a feel for all the different types of rooms my top 5 would be:

Bellagio
Aria
Planet Hollywood (party atmosphere at night)
Linq (cheap, drinking atmosphere)
Golden Nugget (downtown feel)

The Overall Best Poker Rooms Top 5

Bellagio (busiest)
Aria
Wynn
Venetian
Pick a fun one for #5

Enjoy the trip!

 

Forgot, Mirage. Used to be a Mecca for poker but not anymore. It has been recently renovated but sadly downsized