Hey LVL,

I am planing a 3 months trip across the US (I'm not an Amrican, it's my first time in America, I have atteched the trip map below) and of course as a poker player Vegas is on my bucket list.

I am in a bit of a predicament, according to my trip plans I won't reach Vegas until the end of July, I am planing to stay in Vegas for 7-8 nights. However I recently discovered that the WSOP ME is taking place in Early July.

Things to know:
1) I am not going to play the ME, not that rich.
2) I really love poker.
3) I will be in Vegas by myself.

I have the option of leaving my rented car in Vancouver and fly to Vegas and then fly back to continue the trip, however it's expensive and "breaks" the trip.

My question is: How much of a difference is to visit Las Vegas during the WSOP? Is it worth it to break the trip? Is there anything that should effect me if I'm going solo?

Ty all! And sorry for any grammer mistakes, English is not my first language.

Do yourself self and your traveling companions a huge favor ...

Don't come to Las Vegas in August.

The weather is oppressive !

Travel the cooler, more scenic parts of Canada and the US.

The desert is not the place to go in August.

You have been warned !

woot is correct that it is warm, but I would not call it oppressive...I would actually rather be outside in Vegas during August moving around than I would in Houston. Humidity is the real deal-breaking difference for me...hot and dry is better from my standpoint than hot and muggy with 80% or higher humidity.

Not to mention...the solo poker player in Vegas during August is probably spending more time inside than they are outside. Leaving a car in the parking lot with the sun beating down on it can be a beast to deal with but if you are cabbing/Uber'ing everywhere, the A/C will already have been running before you get in the car.

There will be plenty of poker'ing going on even though the WSOP would have left town.

I will actually be in Houston around that time lol but I'm used to the heat from my home country, so I hope it will be ok.

Also, is there something different about the atmosphere\people\games\action during the WSOP ME? does it worth deviating from my plans for the trip?

If you're an entry stakes player (1/2, 1/3 NL 2/4, 3/6 LHE) the games you play won't be affected much by WSOP except that the poker rooms will be more crowded.

If you're a fan of poker celebrities you want enjoy going to RIO and watching the ME for a bit. Many don't know but you can actually walk around in the room and depending on who is playing where might be able to watch for a bit. You can always watch the featured table. I went an watched Antonio Esfandiari from the rail for a little while a couple years back. It got boring pretty quickly for me but if you're into poker celebs it could be fun.

You are being over dramatic. I don't have a huge problem with 115 degrees in Las Vegas. I am from Florida where 90-95 is actually hotter because of the humidity.

Sure if you are walking a decent distance on the strip it is preferable to pass thru some air conditioned casinos on the way. But its not a big deal. Just drink plenty of water.

It doesn't look like you are passing thru Tampa Hard Rock in Florida. Why not?

I actually do pass through Tampa, the map is not that accurate. I have never heard of the Hard Rock Casino (if thats what you meant)... is it worth a visit?

It is the 4th biggest casino in the US and that is before the latest expansion.
Big poker room too. That is also newly redone.

Also not sure about your route from Louisiana to Albuquerque, as there is no poker on the route you are taking.

You could go to Shreveport and then somewhere in Oklahoma before Albuquerque.

I definitely going to check that casino, ty!

Also, the plan for this part of the trip is to drive from New Orleans along the coast to Huoston and then San Antonio, after that going north to Oklahoma, I dont mind missing a poker room here and there.

If you have a better\more fun route for that part I would love to know

So I assume you are hitting Biloxi, MS and then New Orleans then right?

From New Orleans go to Shreveport, LA. You can play at the Horseshoe and right across the bridge is Eldorado. You can sometimes get a good rate at Horseshoe and request a high floor with view across the water/bride.

From there either go to Winstar just north of Dallas on Tx/OK border.
Then on your way out you could stop at Firelake Grand in Shawnee, Ok and then from there drive to Albuquerque.

Or go to Choctow in Durant, OK and the Firelake Grand an then Albuquerque.

The atmosphere during WSOP is quite different than afterward, since it is mecca for poker players (but does start to dwindle by the time the ME starts). Still, if this trip is more about the trip than about poker, I wouldn't sweat it too much. There will be plenty of poker to be played in late July/August.

One question though- you say that you could get to Vegas earlier from Vancouver, but according to your map you'll be in Vegas prior to Vancouver- am I reading correctly?

Check out Mons Venus. Ruined strip clubs for me.

The map does not show this, but I arrive in new york and take a flight to Denver and start the trip from there.

Yes.

Also I think I will skip Shreveport because it's a big detour from the route, however I will for sure check Winstar and Firelake Grand, it is right along the way.

I actually did that trip in the opposite direction just a couple of days ago. Started in Houston, spent a couple days in Lake Charles, then New Orleans and Biloxi before stopping in Tunica on the way back home. 85 in Lake Charles felt hotter / more uncomfortable than >100 in Vegas. After running 8 miles in the morning without any water, I felt close to collapsing. And I am usually used to running long in the heat.

At least along the coast, it feels like poker is getting worse and worse every year, at least during the day and week. While a couple of years ago, games in Lake Charles/New Orleans/Biloxi/Tunica at almost all times had at least 2-3 younger gamblers, now it was 100% AARP-eligible players.

If you really love poker, you should be here to scope out the early days of the main event or at least the final table. It's definitely very electric at that time at the Rio.

late june is one of the busiest times for poker, while late july/early aug is one of the quietest. Yes, there will still be plenty of poker, but the buzz will have died down a bit.

having said that, altering your entire trip to hit the wsop would probably be anti climactic...but, as a poker player and a fan of the game, there is nothing quite like wsop time.

you can't win lol

That trip looks like hell to me, but I hate the heat. I would never go through the deep south in the summer. Hot, humid, and bugs.

The WSOP is not that great during the ME. A lot of people have gone home by then and the side events have slowed down. The time to go is mid-June. It looks like you might be in Utah at the time, that would be a good place to divert from as it's less than a day's drive. If you mostly want to gawk at poker celebs, they will all be there, chasing bracelets. But all the series at other casinos will also be in full swing and the fish density will be much higher than in mid-July.

For what it's worth, mid-week hotel rooms in LV during the tournaments are running as low as $25 per night. Weekends are considerably higher.

The administration's attitude is having an effect on international visitors, especially from Mexico and the Middle East.

It doesn't matter if they have great specials of $20 to $30 because then they add the bs $25 resort fee and tax on everything and its no longer a great deal.

There are 'grey' games in San Antonio. I don't need to advertise for them, but I will note a reminder (since you are not from the US) that San Antonio is often termed "the Alamo City" and hint that Google might find the card room you are looking for, which operates publicly, across the street from a US Post Office and has a web site advertising their costs, location and structure. Also SA is great, in general, for tourists, you will enjoy your stop here.

As far as Vegas and WSOP. You will be able to find games any time you go. There are more games, more higher limit games and more types of games during the WSOP. If you want to play 1-2 NL or 2-5 NL you are fine year round. The other main difference during WSOP time is the voyeur effect if you are a people watcher (I am) as there is a certain interest in watching such large numbers of people play poker at the same time in this giant room. You will only experience something close to that in Los Angeles at the Commerce, which looks like it is one your map as well. I personally always take at least 2 days of a summer trip to go to the Rio and observe only. But if you don't much care for people-watching and really only interesting in playing you just have to decide if the smaller game that are always available are good or you want the larger limit games that usually are harder to find post-series.

Sounds like you will have quite the experience and a fun trip. Enjoy.

The difference in Vegas poker after the Series and during the Series is like night and day. If you've never seen it, it's a poker spectacle not to be missed. Not just in the Rio but all up and down the Strip.

Can you explain what do you mean by "grey" games? Also I am going to be by myself in SA, any suggestions on places to eat\visit? and maybe.... meet some women?

I will be hiting Commerce yes, heard good things about it.

And thank you! This trip has been a dream of mine for years!!

Grey is a term applied to those games run in the 'card houses' that have sprung up in major metropolitan areas and are attempting to work within the framework of the gambling statutes. They maintain they are legal, some assert they are not, but prosecution has not been attempted on most of them (quite possibly because prosecutors are aware that a jury might believe the defense assertions regarding profit). In Houston, some where located in areas that were sort of a jurisdictional no-mans land where no agency had regular jurisdiction over the location.

I will have to defer to others on San Antonio...driven through it but never spent meaningful time there as an adult.

Avoid this "gray game" stuff. There's no reason to even take a small chance of ending up in jail in a foreign country with all the (definitely ) legal casinos you're going to.

Check out the harrahs cherokee while you're in North Carolina. It's become a huge casino but it's also beautiful there. Just the drive there is awesome.