Hi Everyone,

I'm booking my annual WSOP trip for 5 nights in June. The past two years I've stayed at Aria and while I like the hotel a lot, both years I've found it hard to get the room cool enough for my liking and I'm not a big fan of the room remote - I find it's response time slow and there were some idiosyncrasies with the TV remote. Neither complaint would really stop me from staying there again, but I'm open to trying someplace new. Vdara seems like a good choice and it's cheaper than even the Aria poker rate. Does anyone have an opinion on Vdara? Any other suggestions for a place to stay within the same hotel class and price range (or lower)? I plan on playing at the Rio most, if not all, days, but I still want to stay on the strip. I'll have a car, so "commuting" isn't an issue.

Thanks!

You guys are awesome, thanks! Looks like the Aria poker room rate is the best for when we are staying. What is the quality of the Aria gym and pool?

Hotel reviewers, please always include channel-change hang time in your reviews. More than 4 seconds between channels drives me bugfug.

This morning brought an unexpected surprise as the power at our new rental house was cut off. Seems the last tenant skipped out on his electric bill and I am unable to persuade goddamn NV Energy that I ain't him. Even with the help of a nice lady at the Public Utilities Commission the issue remains unresoved as of close of business and we decided to bail. Either we get a hotel, or stumble around all night with flashlights.

I tell my story to a sweet young CET reservations agent who relates that the same thing happened to her cousin with the gas company, took her a week to get it straightened out. Hoo boy.

PHo has lots of unique features: Almost zero walk from valet to front desk, and from front desk to elevators. If you are traveling with elderly or disabled people there's no better option that I'm aware of. We booked two rooms for about $53 each all-in (including $20 per room resort fee, and a $10 "administrative charge."). Grandma, 80, schlepped all the way with us to the first room only to find it dirty. The 2nd set of rooms were too far from the elevators. Third time a charm, we have an accessible room that's reasonably near a regular king room.

"Fantastic bathroom," says wife. "There are two sinks and a large bathtub. The rugs, chairs and wallpaper in the room are all a little frayed. It smells good." Rooms feature movie memorabiliia, in this case articles of clothing that were actually worn by Brad Pitt in a movie. I want to gag but she likes it.

My only complaint with this room is that use of the work desk is difficult. The phone cord doesn't reach past the nightstand. There are way too few electrical outlets. TV channel hang time is 2.5 seconds, better than average for hotel HDTVs. As at other CET properties, the "resort fee" only covers one internet device. Wireless internet works but not wired. No coffeemaker or clock.

Room service from P.F. Chang's is another highlight of this place, but today about half the menu items aren't available or were discontinued (e.g. all lamb dishes). I play what-do-you-have. We wait a long time, probably more than an hour; then I remember the hotel lobby was full of Asian bus tourists. Maybe many of them wanted P.F. Chang's from room service also, I'm thinking I should have ordered from the American menu. The room-service guy brings two beef dishes, and I don't remember ordering them, wouldn't have ordered two beef dishes but it's late and I don't have accurate notes of what I did order. So we ate what we got.

(Possibly to be continued)

sorry if this has been posted but I cannot read all 104 pages; has anybody stayed at the LVH since they lost the Hilton brand? It's my favorite sportsbook and the rooms used to be ok (clean, decently sized, nothing else) and am just wondering? They are advertising some cheap rates in late Sept (when I am planning on going next). The last couple trips I have stayed at CET places, I am not a poker player (well I am learning but will not be to a level where I feel comfortable by then) and mainly just bet sports and then degen in the pits, so I do not care about not having a poker room.

Was about to book a week in the Venetian between 27th-3rd June..... And noticed you could get a special room rate for playing the DeepStack Events!!

I got a week there for 1,011$ + Resort Fee when it should have been double!

I just have to play in 1 event costing at least 400$ (I was going to play anyway)

What a result!

can you PM me how to get this?

Just call the poker room. No PM necessary, it's not some super-secret deal.

Assume you mean that you just got a good rate, right? I didn't think PH offered poker-specific room rates.

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Just to be accurate, you get the poker rate for each day you play in a $400+ DSE event, not for the whole stay. For each day of your stay if you don't play in a DSE event that day you can't get the poker rate applied. I actually corresponded with the Venetian Poker room on this. The exact criteria are:

That's how it works ordinarily, however if you use the promo code it does apply to your entire stay. From Tommy regarding last year's summer DSE:

Days Inn Las Vegas at Wild Wild West Gambling Hall or Extended Stay America on East Flamingo? Extended Stay is about $10/night more expensive, but comes with a kitchen.

I will play poker everyday on the Strip and may have to commute by bus, not car.

I don't know if this will help. But according to google maps there is a bus stop in front of Extended Stay America on East Flamingo. The 202 bus runs up and down flamingo and takes 25 mins from the strip to Extended Stay America on East Flamingo. You can get the schedule from google maps too. Do check out google maps.

I've walked from Swenson and Flamingo to the strip (about a 1.5 blocks closer to the strip then this hotel) and it was O.K. when it is not hot. About half way along this walk is my favorite mom and pop inexpensive italian restaurant. Also again from google maps it looks you will be near some shopping so you can stock your kitchen.

Anyway when necessary I have found this bus to be very reliable. (Every couple of years I attend a mathematics conference at the the international gaming institute at the corner of Swenson and Flamingo and I take this bus or catch a ride. I usually stay at Bally's or Flamingo, because I am on the university budget. I may stay at Harrah's this year.)

Along time ago I played blackjack at Wild Wild West Gambling Hall. I was not impressed. I also think you will be farther from the most desired places to play poker on the strip. (You will be close enough to MGM to walk, but it does not look because of traffic like a safe walk. Someone else could advise you better on this.)

Do you have a desire to die with a needle in your arm? What's your stance on offering crack for sexual favors?

Thanks! Helps a lot. It sounds like a bus may be easier to get from the Flamingo. Also, having a kitchen doesn't hurt either. The Wild West area seems to have a lot of fast food, but not grocery stores.

I see you've managed to eek out two sentences! I'm not surprised they're negative. Some of us don't live in Vegas so it's more expensive for us to be here and leave with a profit. Online, it's entirely possible to play high stakes for a month and lose or break even or barely win. Why waste money if I'm not on vacation? For those of us who don't live here, it costs $1000 a month to *rent* a car, $1000 a month for ****ty food, and $1400 to stay in a ****ty hotel. $3400 for those who rent a car and don't cook.

I'm also not a diva who needs to scoff at all inhabitants of non-five-star properties just because I happen to play poker in some and vibe off that. I take it you don't actually live at the Aria, right? Because that would be expensive.

You can't afford to be in Vegas

K bro.....poker money is not the same as real money, at least in my world. You be happy with your inflated spending habits. So baller

Wasting money on car rentals (assuming it's possible to get to the casino fast without one) and hotels...usually not wise long-term moves from a financial perspective.

Wasting is always relative

Someone making 60k a year buying a 50k car is wasting money

Someone who made 60 million buying a 50k car is frugal

If the slight difference in hotel cost etc amounts to wasting, then no, you can't afford to go to Vegas.

Assume I make $40 an hour playing 2/5nl...which is close enough. Then let's assume I don't give a **** and rent a hotel for $90 (resort fee included)...then a car for $25....then spend $40 on food for the day unconcerned with the cost of the food. That's $155. Add in a measly $5 for miscellaneous (a severe underestimate) and you have to play poker four hours just to break even...in Vegas.

It's stupid not to minimize the amount of hours you're required to play to breakeven, especially if you don't care too much about coming off like a fake ass 2/5nl baller. $2/5 live...definitely not baller. $5/10 live....not baller. $10/20 live...almost baller?

I'm not saying I'm baller as I'm planning on playing mostly 2/5nl while there...hence why I need to watch out for my expenses as I don't live there and therefore need to 1) stay at an absurdly priced ****ty hotel 2) rent a car 3) eat mostly at restaurants. That **** adds up if you're only playing 2/5nl.

That depends on your definition of wasting. I could be as nitty as Warren Buffett with respect to my life roll. You don't know because you don't know my life roll. You could be right, but you could be wrong. Either way, saving money still makes sense if I all I'm interested in is a place to sleep that is somewhat close to poker rooms.

I'd say "get a room" but you two would just argue about which one.

Hi vegas regs, I'd like some advice please. I'm intending to go to Vegas for a week (poker) and my girlfriend wants to come along. I'll be staying at the Aria or Vdara for the entire trip.

Is it safe for my girlfriend to shop alone in Vegas for 3-4 hours a day while I get my poker fix? I don't want her to be bored to death as she doesn't gamble. Also she's a very small-sized Asian girl so I'm afraid she'd be an easy target for touts, pickpockets or worse.

Should I ask her to bring one of her friends along or should I just go by myself and bring her somewhere else for a proper holiday?

She'll be completely safe as long as she has her wits about her. There are plenty of epic shops for her to kill time between Aria-Bellagio and Caesars Forums just across the street and she doesn't even need to go outside to move between them.