Amateur Poker Association & Tour
Poker Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: gomarrrahh on July 05, 2013, 16:22:47 PM
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For some unknown reason, im yet to hit the brightlights of Vegas in my lifetime but that little cherry is getting seen to next year in February as a birthday treat trip away.
Thing is, i am a total novice when it comes to all things vegas, like where to stay, where to see, what bars to hit, casinos to play in (poker) and general stuff regarding deals, value and not to be missed kinda stuff.
Id be really grateful for some help trying to find the right hotel and not to pay ridiculous prices, to find a good spot on the strip that wont cost loads to go to other places etc.
Any advice would be very much appreciated :)
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Don"t stay North of the Wynn/Encore, or South of Tropicana/Excalibur - anywhere in between will be fine for walking.
Don"t book too early - different hotels will have different offers at different times, but not normally until 3 months or so before your stay. Just browse a few of the comparison sites and expedia, have a shortlist of hotels, see what the ballpark figures are, and check every week or so for promotions.
I"d generally avoid the very cheapest which tend to have poor/loud air-con. Bills sounded like a jet was taking off.
TI is very reasonable when they have deals on (40% off when I last booked). Bally"s have huge rooms. Pretty much any of the 3 1/2 - 4 star hotels will be nice. For February I"d expect you might be able to get 2 weeks in a decent hotel for 800ish each or so.
Get any show tickets from Tix 4 Tonight outlets along the strip, this includes 25% off the bill at Hugo"s Cellar - a restaurant in 4 Queens downtown that the pros used to adore when the WSOP was at Binions. Cheesecake Factory in the Caesar"s forum shops is an awesome budget option for all food. Show-wise I recommend Cirque and Penn & Teller.
For a nice quiet poker environment and good low stakes tournies, Caesars. My preferred choice for loose cash action is 1/3 at Aria, but there"ll be soft games everywhere.
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Id be really grateful for some help trying to find the right hotel and not to pay ridiculous prices, to find a good spot on the strip that wont cost loads to go to other places etc.
Hotels
It depends on your definition of "ridiculous" when it comes to pricing. You can find the range from $30 a night up to $250...oh and let"s not forget the Resort Fee issue too.
Dave is right about location. As a "Vegas Virgin" your first stay must be on the Strip, ideally as central as possible.
Quality and Price tend to go hand in hand when it comes to hotel rooms although that"s not to say that there aren"t some bargains to be had. It all depends on your comfort level and requirements.
I wouldn"t go further down the "quality scale" than Harrahs myself unless the Quad rooms are renovated and even then I would fight shy until the construction is over and done with.
Bally"s is a very good option. They are due to start (if they haven"t already) renovating the South Tower rooms which have, I understand, been needing it for some time. This, of course, can come at an additional cost but the North Tower is nice, I hear.
TI is good, not monstrously expensive and dead handy for the Venetian (see next bit).
Poker
If you"re planning on playing a reasonable amount of poker then, IMO, then Caesars and the Venetian poker rooms should probably be your preferred location. They are the ones most likely to have games running most hours of the day.
Second tier (still large but perhaps quieter), the Mirage and the MGM ( larger, usually busy but not central).
Shows
Shows aren"t my thing but Cirque, they tell me, is a must and there are more than a couple to choose from..."O" in particular is supposed to be great.
Bars
There"s something for everyone...if there is anything Vegas isn"t short of it"s restaurants and drinking establishments.
Depending on what you like there"s enough of us here to weigh in with options.
Time
Where and when to spend your time will depend on how long you will be in town.
With only a week (or 6 nights more likely) then Downtown is worth a day trip but no more. If you have longer then a couple of nights down there could be worth it..if you don"t mind switching hotels.
Vegas is supposed to be a 24/7 town but, in reality it isn"t. Yes, there will be places open but you"ll usually be pretty lonely at a coffee shop at 4am and the people around you might not be the happiest (or soberest) you"ve ever come across.
A certain amount of pre-planning is advisable but there is no need to be completely rigid about it. If you don"t want to do something don"t.
You"re on holiday, take the time to just sit down, grab a tall drink and watch the world walk by.
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Go to Spearmint Rhino. Spend all your pennies.
/thread
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Go to Spearmint Rhino. Spend all your pennies.
/thread
Almost....
PAI GOW!
/thread
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thanks for the info so far. Was hoping paulie would pop up with the travel pearls of wisdom :P
thanks guy, lots to ponder on.
Looking to book it next week or two. As i say its a present so out of my hands when its booked etc.
Wont be a poker trip as such as its week away with my girlfriend for both our birthdays but will definitely be playing at least one night (maybe more, she might not see this :P) so the plan would be more around attractions, sight-seeing, shows, coupley things mainly.
But will squeeze some cards in for sure :)
by the way, any nearby golf courses?
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Go to Spearmint Rhino. Spend all your pennies.
/thread
Almost....
PAI GOW!
/thread
Once again, I stand humbled in the presence of the Travel Guru
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thanks for the info so far. Was hoping paulie would pop up with the travel pearls of wisdom :P
thanks guy, lots to ponder on.
Looking to book it next week or two. As i say its a present so out of my hands when its booked etc.
Wont be a poker trip as such as its week away with my girlfriend for both our birthdays but will definitely be playing at least one night (maybe more, she might not see this :P) so the plan would be more around attractions, sight-seeing, shows, coupley things mainly.
But will squeeze some cards in for sure :)
by the way, any nearby golf courses?
I saw this, keep dreaming sweetie.
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thanks for the info so far. Was hoping paulie would pop up with the travel pearls of wisdom :P
thanks guy, lots to ponder on.
Looking to book it next week or two. As i say its a present so out of my hands when its booked etc.
Wont be a poker trip as such as its week away with my girlfriend for both our birthdays but will definitely be playing at least one night (maybe more, she might not see this :P) so the plan would be more around attractions, sight-seeing, shows, coupley things mainly.
But will squeeze some cards in for sure :)
by the way, any nearby golf courses?
I saw this, keep dreaming sweetie.
lol - pawned
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You mean pwned?
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Don"t stay North of the Wynn/Encore, or South of Tropicana/Excalibur - anywhere in between will be fine for walking.
FYL if you ever end up in Vegas with The Stockton Massive, I told them this and have yet to live it down.