Hi, anyone got an idea on how to proceed for a first timer to go at vegas?
Goal :- 35% poker
- 35% party/nighlife
-30% vacation/visiting/activities (day time)

Poker ,i never played live but wish to try it.
I should start at the 2/4 -4/8 i suppose and see from there where i would go .
Definately ill take a shot i higher stakes tho.

I am looking to find good hotel, not too expensive , that should be well situated for those 3 goals .

Do all- inclusive exist ? I have no idea and maybe is it not even worth it ....
See i am clueless .
Thx

Ps: to be clear , i never been to a US casino or on a cruise ship...
I will probably look like an idiot but i do not even know how /when and how much tipping when you win a pot lol ...
Guess ill be the target of a lot players

Bellagio is the place you're going to find 10/20 or higher. Depending on how much you want to center your trip on poker, staying at or near the Bellagio is a good idea. Personally, I like the Monte Carlo as a cheap place to stay. You can find online deals at one of the Vegas Discount Code sites, and might be able to stay for around $60/night. Sadly, all of the strip casinos have stupid "resort fee" things, so what you think is going to be a $29 or $39/night room will be $20 more. Monte Carlo shares a tram stop with Aria, and you're a short ride from the B. You can look at a strip map for other properties near the B, I'm sure someone can recommend ones that aren't terrible -- depends on how you feel about walking. The B 4/8 game has a half kill. If you end up at MC, there should be a 4/8 and like a 2-6 spread limit game going most of the time.

The other alternative is just to suck it up, stay at Bellagio, and play 6(?) hours a day to get the poker rate. Book your room through the poker room, so call their number, ask for poker, and say you want a player's rate. They'll track your hours, and you're on the hook for the regular rates if you don't play enough (could be >$300/night). Should be something like $129 on weeknights and $169 on weekends. Maybe a little more and don't forget the stupid resort fee. If you're concerned about busting your trip roll and having to do something dumb like short stack 1/2NL to nit fold for hours to get room rate, find someplace near the B with cheaper rates. If you care about convenience, stay at the B.

Don't believe there are any all-inclusives. If you want to go cheap, there are a few food courts (Monte Carlo, outside the quad, and others?). I'd do breakfast and/or lunch at like a McD's or Chipoltle and then spend real money for dinner, to do cheap. You may also have hourly credits from the poker room from your player's card. I usually hit a grocery on the way to the strip (if I've bummed a ride or have a rental) and keep some breakfast stuff + Gatorade in the room. That said, don't get a car unless you're doing real touristy stuff out of town.

Can't really help with night life. If you're going to strip clubs, there is some way to get a ride and avoid a cover, I think. Not sure. Bet someone can tell you the lifehack. Learn what getting long hauled is on the cab ride from the airport, and if your taxi does it, how to get that trip for free. JoeTall and HammerinHank are the two ninja taxi users that I know -- if someone tells you that they're doing something Joe told you to do, it is expert.

If you're really doing tourist stuff, there used to be a Las Vegas city pass. It included free admission a bunch of places and my wife loved it. We also did Alibi, the live mystery show and enjoyed it (you end up walking all over down town, so if you don't like walking...). We always enjoy Penn and Teller. Lots of other good shows, depending on what you like.

Tip $1 on any pot that like has a flop bet called. Talk to people like they're humans. Feel free to read the dealer's badge and greet them by name. You'll do fine.

I'm sure others will have good suggestions.

If you can't find a parking meter, just park in the middle of the strip and leave a note and a $5 bill on the windshield that says, "couldn't find a meter. Here's five bucks."

If you get arrested or taken into protective custody, just ramble in French non stop. They'll probably let you go.

Don't look into the strippers' eyes.

I tip a bit more than $1 for big pots, particularly if it's no limit, which can make for some really big pots.

Say to yourself "I will not call down turn raises with one pair" on the entire flight and you'll be good to go mentally.

Looking decently likely that I could find myself in Vegas for Memorial Day weekend, at least in part.

The DougL we never knew. I'll leave it to him to explain the lipstick and make up, if he can.



douglmakeup by Richard Martin, on Flickr

Note: Photo supplied by his wife and not my photo.

Doc

I'm surprised his daughter didn't end me then...

Doesn't everyone wear lipstick and rouge like that? She is a small but vicious creature.

What a treat!!! Back for a visit in the micros's only to find a rare posting from Doc Martin's extensive and inclusive private porn collection which depicts DougL getting his "drag" on for an evening out. The downside is, I no longer have a publication in which to write a follow up story.

I laughed at a 10 year old who had gotten fancied up for school. It made her sad, but the giggles wouldn't stop. Her mom arbitrated by allowing the little girl to make me up -- it was my punishment for insensitivity.

Lookin good Doug.

----

I gamestarted and a maniac sat to my immediate right at 4c/8c on swcpoker yesterday. I won 75 big bets from him in about an hour. The most memorable hand went something like this:

I raise KQs, he 3 bets, I 4 bet, he 5 bets, I call.

AJT with a spade draw.

He bets, I raise.....he 11 bets, I 12 bet, he calls.

turn 3o

He check calls.

5o

He check calls.

He shows A7o and I scoop.

It's been awhile --- but where is everyone?

Sarge

Hi doug, i made some research.

monte carlo is an ok deal from where i would come from.
flamingo would be a bit lower .

a bit better deals tho i have no idea how the hotels are would be :
- excalibur
- luxor
- ballys tour indigo

have you ever tried or heard about those ?
thx

ps: seems those hotel are near everything as well

Depends on the value of convenience and time while on vacation. Excalibur is across the street and one more casino down from MC. So, you walk through your own casino, through NYNY, across another street, all the way through MC, and then you're at the tram station. Think half an hour with a few stretches outdoors in the desert. Luxor is even further south, so you're taking a tram (if it still exists) before you do the rest. You're getting up to $8 to $10 cab rides if traffic is bad. If you're a bus guy, there is a nice bus system. All depends on cash vs. time. If you're with the guys in the Fun Bunch, they'd explain that you're spending $1000s to take off work and fly somewhere, why waste hours walking. If you enjoy the walking...

I've never stayed in any of those hotels. Think someone here or in Small Stakes does Ballys, as it is across the street from the B (still like 10-15 minute walk). When I first went to Vegas, my college buddies were slot degens. They stayed at Imperial Palace (now the Quad). The place was a dump, but they were there for drunken gambling. In the older hotels, the guest elevators were a huge hike through the smoky casino. When I say dump, memory says the rooms were actually a bit dirty, but that's 20 years in the past and stories grow with time. For a bunch of 20-something degens, every hotel you listed is probably fine. MC is where I draw the line if my wife were to come. Leo doc would consider anything not Bellagio to be a waste of time.

One other pro tip on room quality, remodels tend to matter. If we're doing stuff in old Down Town, we love staying at Golden Nugget. Their remodeled rooms are as nice or nicer than Mirage, so a tiny step down from Bellagio. If one of the places you listed is recently remodeled, it could actually be nice. You're still riding crappy guest elevators and walking through dingy casinos to get anywhere, but the room could be actually great. If you had wanted to play 4/8 LHE and 2-6 spread limit, wanted an old-school experience with an amazing pool, and were going to visit Bellagio once or twice, Gold Nugget is a great choice. Could be your Bally's room is in a better tower... or not. You could also try the $20 trick, depending on if you care.

Disregard.

I miss you guys

So this happened

Hi doug, sorry.
So if i get this right, the MC and ballys are like the same distance from the Bellagio ?
If so, for like 250$ less, i think for me it would be worth it to go to the Ballys.
The quality of the room do not have a huge influence on me ( should be probable better than a lot of rooms,hotels in cuba, jamaica, etc.) .
I rathrr have 200$+ for travelling expensenses for cab,stc.

Yes. You're walking more from Ballys, because the MC has the tram. However if you don't care about the room or the walk, it sounds great. That $250 is like a buy-in to the 4/8 game.

Chances are decent that I'll be in town the weekend of June 18. Sad our trips didn't line up.

Cool ballys seem the target.

Yeah sadly, but we never know, if i win big at the slot machine ( i need to try it once, beginner luck ... ) i might end up living there if i hit , so i would see you in june lol .

Craps virgins are lucky. Parlay that bad boy up.

What is a good spot for some low stakes crops virgins? MrsWookie is interested in giving it a stab?

I'd head downtown, play a little craps, and watch the light show. Binions, 4 Queens, whatever. Try to find $2 or $3 craps. Screw the 100x odds, because you won't want to afford the swings. That said, the Fun Bunch had me playing $25 craps at Bellagio. I blame the Dramamine and the "Welcome to Vegas" drinks. They kept saying that we were only losing a few cents per roll in EV as a somewhat shocking number of $ were going on the felt. Doing the 100x odds might be cheaper than hanging with those guys.

Bellatrix or AaronW can explain it to you properly. Play the pass line. Take an odds bet. You're taking a tiny fraction of the worst of it on the PASS bet, and you're getting true odds on the number. If you're bored, you can buy a number or two or just put on a second PASS bet. Mostly anything beyond the first bet and taking odds sucks. People making hard way bets or betting YO! are taking way the worst of it.

Yeah, I understand the wagering, just never bothered. Not sure I ever would on my own, but my wife isn't a +ev poker player, she's interested in doing at least some gambling. Crops is easier than basic strategy.

The best thing about a craps table is when you have a few hot shooters and everyone is excited together. You have a bunch of people, all of whom are happy. You're all playing pass line when things go well, and it becomes a party. It is the least skillful of the traditional good odds games, as long as you don't make more bets you're doing fine. Have a good half hour or hour at the table, cash out a few extra chips, and you'll be jazzed about the good time had by all.

The other table games are less like that. Roulette, everyone is playing his/her own numbers. Blackjack, people grumble about how that guy should have/not have taken the dealer's card. The newer table games are ripoffs.

http://wizardofodds.com/games/craps/

Watch the videos that are right down the middle of the screen. They're probably not the best videos out there, but the content is solid.