I'm headed to Vegas in a couple weeks to play in a few tournaments and I'd like some input on what I should do. I plan to be there for a max of 5 days. I have a couple options/ideas already but would like some feedback. I am taking about $2500 which is not a life-changing amount of money for me. I only gamble with what I can afford to lose. I have a job and poker is a lucrative hobby for me, nothing else. If I lose the money I will not be devastated but obviously I would like to come home with more than I arrive with.

One idea is to play in a $1500 bracelet event on Saturday. The trouble is that with only a 4,500 starting chip stack, a couple of suckouts/bad hands I might be out by the dinner break and I only have $1000 left.

Another is to play in two of the $600 Venetian deepstack events on Saturday and Sunday, and a $340 event at the Wynn on Monday. Possibly a Rio deepstack event on Tuesday unless I can find a better structured NLHE tournament elsewhere for $300 to $500.

There is also a $1000 bracelet event that starts on Sunday but I have similar concerns with entering that event.

In between/after tournament I can grind STTs at the Rio and play $1/$2 somewhere.

Any other ideas? Thoughts? Opinions? Again please don't talk about bankroll. If I win, I win. If I lose, I lose. Either way I go back to my job when I return.

I would try and get acclimated in some of the daily tourneys first. Make sure you have your head in poker before jumping into the bigger ones.

If field sizes at Wynn continue, you'll be better off with the 2pm Rio Deepstacks & Venetian.

STT's to get your bracelet event entry. Maybe the morning turbo satty. If you run bad, forego the bracelet event. Then WSOP Deepstacks, consider (gak) Caesars or Golden Nugget if they're still running.

I would take the second option you mentioned OP. Even pros only cash in a small percentage of the total tourneys they play in. Give yourself as many opportunities to win some money as you can while you're there. Grind the daily satty mtt's & deepstacks & single table satty's to try to win a wsop seat to get that wsop experience for cheap & throw a few venetian, wynn, or golden nugget tourneys.

if your in vegas during the wsop you have to play a bracelet event, choose between the 1000 and the 1500 and then you still have enough for 4 235 deepstacks even if you choose the 1500 event

sounds like i'm doing the same trip as you - can't wait; feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas.

i'm definitely playing the $1500 on Sat. fly in Fri staying at the Rio. register Fri night to avoid the long lines in the morning. wake up early, exercise, good breakfast, pack snacks, then start crushing.
if i bust, then maybe one or two single table satty's for the Sun $1k.
if i don't make that, then some mega satty's for the Main.
if that doesn't work, then some 2-5NL - probably at the Venetian

and if i leave broke on Mon, then i suck and shouldn't be allowed back to Vegas...or more likely - complain to my wife about all the bad beats, how everybody else is a donkey, i'll have better luck next time, it's just variance and i need to put in more volume, and start looking forward to the 2013 WSOP.

Thanks to OP for the thread.

I am going to Vegas with a poker budget (vs bankroll). Since I don't play professionally or depend on winning (or not losing) to pay bills - I set aside what I am willing to afford. That sounds like a budget. If I lose my budget it doesn't mean I'm broke, in poker terms, as I would be if I blew a bankroll. Perhaps this is a distinction without a difference, but it makes sense to me.

For me, as natedawg3488 says, since I'll be in Vegas (for my first time, actually) during the WSOP - I'm definitely playing a bracelet event. A $1,500 NLH event sounds good to me. I'll be following this thread to get others thoughts and recommendations on other options.

OP, I probably wouldn't buy straight into the $1500 WSOP event if your budget is $2500. Like you said, if you don't cash you've burned thru 60% of your bankroll up front. If you have a couple of bad cash sessions after that you're busto and nothing sucks worse than being in Vegas with no money.

A better idea would be to take a shot at a couple of single table satellites (either $125 or $175), where you can win enough to enter a $1k or $1500 WSOP event (or at least offset the entry fee). If that doesn't work, play a 2pm WSOP Deepstacks or two, or head over to Venetian for a DSE. Caesar's/Binion's/Nuggett/Wynn are other options for lower buy-in tourneys, but they haven't been getting the numbers that the WSOP Deepstacks has been getting.

Or you can try grinding cash to try to win enough to enter a bracelent event. This is probably the lowest variance approach.

Or if all else fails, just head over to Riviera for their $1000 slot promo...

I'm heading to Vegas this week with a similar plan, except I have my schedule reversed. I'm going to arrive midweek and start with cash, stt sats, maybe one of the smaller buy-in tournies; and if all goes well play the 1500 on Saturday. That way I figure I'll get more play out of my budget if I don't run well.

It's kinda nice to see a few others with the same goal. How are the STTs, for those who have tried?

OP this is a good thread to start since I'd bet there's tons of people doing it exactly like you: 1 week trip, limited bankroll with a desire to manage the BR and maximize the paydays.

IMO best way is to just do the single table satellites and earn your way into the bracelet events. There's plenty of dead money at these and if your game is decent you'll qualify no later than the 2nd or 3rd one.

Also the non-bracelet events pay in a day at the Rio, grind to the top 20 and you're in the black. I also like hitting the Venetian for their DS events. So if you qualify for say 2 bracelet events and play another 5 DS events you'll be playing everyday while in Vegas without burning through your $2500 even if you go busto in every event.

I will suggest to get WSOP experience with $1000 or $1500 event. Also 2 PM Deep stack are the best bang for your buck.
Good Luck !

The players are a lot better than a few years ago. Back then, half the table would be out by the end of the second level. Now, 8 or 9 are still in it.

Basically, unless you are running really hot, you just try to hang on for 3 or 4 levels until you get to push/fold territory, and then just hope for the best. I think I played 2 STT's where the best hand on all-ins did not win a single time.

What about just playing all $200 SNG's and running up your bankroll that way?

Bad turnouts? How many have they been getting?

True that!

That sucks to hear. A couple years ago they were really soft.

So I'm going to hit a couple of satty's early Saturday morning. If I don't win a seat by noon, I'll head over to the V and play their deepstack.

Unless I'm still in one of the two tournaments, Sunday will be another $600 deepstack.

Monday/Tuesday will be a mix of STTs and cash.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Thanks for the great feedback so far.