Here's a List of Frequently Asked Questions. Read before posting your question in this thread or in the forum. Please use the search function as most topics have been addressed at some point.

Discussion of gambling before you reach the legal age (21 for Vegas and AC), is not allowed. Discussion of what you can do if you are under 21 is perfectly acceptable.

Renting out rooms in LV Lifestyle

As per Mat Sklansky's post in ATF the Vegas Lifestyle form is acceptable for short-term housing requests, but the Marketplace forum is the only forum where room rentals and other real estate offers can be made

What is ok

-People coming to las vegas needing a place to stay for a short term basis (vacation, tournament etc) and are looking for connections
-Asking questions about where are good locations, where other people live and what they would recommend and etc.

What is not ok

-Using 2+2 as a commercial enterprise to rent out rooms in different houses
-Spamming rooms for rent in LV Lifestyle
-People living in las vegas looking for a poker roomate, posts of this nature should instead be placed in the Marketplace forum



1) Where are the softest games at [insert limit here]?

- Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.


2) Where should I go to eat for my bachelor party, wedding party, ingrown toenail removal party, etc?

Try the fine dining thread or the casual dining thread.


3) How do I decide which hotel to stay at?

There are many independent criteria which can drive a decision - cost, location, amenities/facilities, luxury, etc. which makes it impossible to arrive at a universally "best" hotel to stay at. Expect to pay a premium (either in terms of room rates or increased gambling minimums) for proximity to the Strip, newer hotels, and more amenities/facilities (including a hotel/casino vs. a hotel only). In general, there are a few broad classifications that can be made (classifications done subjectively by intended audience that they market to):

Strip Top Tier (top of the line luxury, relatively new/remodeled, often have a unique theme/schtick, very expensive resorts): Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Venetian, Wynn, Aria (CityCenter).

Older Strip Megaresorts (top of the line or tried to be at one point, but have been superceded, generally still generate enough interest to be expensive): Luxor, MGM Grand, NYNY, Flamingo, Mirage, Treasure Island.

Second Tier Strip Megaresorts (places that never really aimed to be the king of the Strip, but have good locations and are much more affordable): Tropicana, Excalibur, Monte Carlo, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Bally's, Harrah's.

Blatant Discount Strip Options (places that market to the bargain hunters): Bill's, Imperial Palace, Casino Royale.

North Strip (arguably still on the Strip, but physically separated from the rest by a pretty wide gap; typically discount-oriented): Circus Circus, Riviera, Sahara, Hilton, Stratosphere.

Downtown (most downtown casinos are discount-oriented with low gambling limits and cheaper amenities): El Cortez, Golden Spike, Fitzgerald's, Fremont, Golden Nugget, Binion's, Golden Gate, Plaza, California, Main Street Station.

Off-Strip, Strip-like Hotels (playing to the same audience as many on the Strip, but physically located off-Strip): Palms, Rio, Hard Rock.

Just Off-Strip, Downtown-like Hotels (playing to the same audience as many Downtown, but located within a mile of the Strip): Gold Coast, Orleans, Wild Wild West, Hooters, Terrible's, South Point.

Off-Strip, unclustered (many of these hotel/casinos are unclustered and are geographically scattered; they aim for the discount audience but also draw a higher percentages of locals): Arizona Charlie's, Boulder, Sam's Town, Sunset Station, Santa Fe, Jerry's Nugget.

Non-Casino Hotels: Around the Strip and Downtown there are a ****load of hotels without casinos. Obviously these are the cheapest options and many chains are represented - Days Inn, Embassy Suites, Marriott, Residence Inn, Best Western, Howard Johnson, etc. Notable non-casino hotels directly on the Strip are Polo Towers and the Jockey Club.




4) Where can I find a gigantic list of things you do not see in vegas?

Right here!



5) What is the poker rate at X casino/How do I get it?

Follow this link!: http://www.allvegaspoker.com/poker_rates.php





Useful Websites:

Las Vegas Weekly - For Nightclub and Entertainment Schedules

All Vegas Poker Tournament Schedule - Schedule for Daily Poker Tournaments in Las Vegas



Questions will be added to the faq once they are asked enough times to annoy the moderator.

I don't know if anyone will have any experience with this, but I'll ask anyway.

I'm driving my motorcycle from Calgary to Vegas and will be in Vegas for all of June and July. Obviously I can't carry everything I need for 2 months on my bike. So, I'm going to have my luggage shipped some how to Vegas.

Questions:

1. Any suggestions on companies to use to ship luggage cross boarder?
2. I don't like shipping to an address that isn't technically mine. I worry it'll get lost. Can I ship it to a casino I'm not staying at, and will they hold it like if I checked my bags at their Hotel Lobby? Or will the shipping company simply hold it at their warehouse for me?

These are questions I could ask by calling a shipping company, but I'd like to have some idea of who to use and how to use them first.

Bringing cash...

What is everyone preferred method?
From what I understand the planes have form saying u must have under 5k or 10k?

Does everyone just wire to the Rio after arrival?

Any suggestion?

Thanks

Last year I just wired to the RIO. But, I'm crossing the boarder.

Devin,

No idea on what company to suggest, but I would recommend that you have your stuff shipped to somebody who lives in Vegas or one of the baller mansions being rented at that time.

Yea, see that's what concerns me a bit. I have a not so baller mansion rented, but sometimes when you have something shipped to an address they require proof (like a cc bill or something) that you live at that address to pick up over sized packages.

Riding a bike there in the summer is very unpleasant, btw.

Your best bet is probably fedex or UPS, but i dont know what their rates would be like for international shipping.

Most of the big casino/hotels have like little shipping stores there... i know the rio and the flamingo do. They will accept the packages for a fee (i dont know if you have to be a guest though... i have been every time i used their services.

yea, I'm aware of what the weather is like during that time of year. I probably won't ride it much while I'm there.

I'm no international shipping expert, but I don't think they will require proof of address for the recipient. Another thing to look into is Air Cargo. You drop your stuff at the airport and pick it up at the air cargo terminal in Vegas. No idea how expensive it is or if they will let you do it international. I know that people ship animals this way sometimes.

I'd like to somehow withdraw $ from Pokerstars to $ cash in Vegas. Any ideas for this?

(The reason is that my home country taxes my winnings if I withdraw them there, so I need some way to "go direct").

I'm a Vegas virgin about to make my first trip this summer. Can anyone fill me in on any essentials I may need to know? Tournament scene, cash games, sights and scenes I don't want to miss? Also, best way to bring large sums of money to a from locations without getting robbed/mugged/shanked? (forgive me, I go to UC Davis where the crime rate is like zero).

Any links that can be provided from well-written vegas TR's or the like would be much appreciated as well.

Come to think of it, I'm sure a well-type post from one of the Vegas veterans would be much appreciated if anyone has the time.

What are the best NLHE tourneys in town - outside the WSOP ME - around the time of the 2+2 gathering? (July 3-7ish)

"Best" = good structure. (Weak field is bonus, of course). Buy-ins from low hundreds to low thousands.

BB

AnthonyH,

How much money are you talking about? If it's $5k or less just carry it on you and use your hotel room safe. If it's over $10k you can wire it in to the casino cage and draw it as needed.

It's hard to advise you on what to do without knowing what you like and what your budget is. There are shows and helicopter tours of the Grand Canyon that are awesome for some, while others might find the beach at Mandalay Bay to be exactly what they seek.

Maybe have Pokerstars send you a check and then cash at a bank in Vegas? I don't know.

Look into the Venetian Deepstack series. Not sure of the dates, but has lower buy ins and better structure than the WSOP events.

I've been frisked by the TSA with somewhere between $5k and $10k on me (random search). The guy asked me what the wad in my front pocket was, and I told him cash. He looked at me funny, and I told him I was on my way to Vegas. He laughed and told me good luck. My experience with banks and airport security is that a ticket to the City of Sin explains decent chunks of cash, but YMMV. I always keep the receipt from my bank withdrawl in my roll, but I've never been asked to see it. If you are cash-only casino guy who doesn't pay taxes, you may have more trouble.

You should get someone who knows (maybe call TSA). Here are some links. I'm not a lawyer, etc. etc.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...d.php?t=132999

http://www.lawguru.com/cgi/bbs/messa...8472809&view=a

http://www.lvrj.com/opinion/17347979.html

GL,

Doug

Thanks for the reply. Planning to bring a 5k bankroll for live play. Any particularly shady spots I should avoid? Certain parts of town closed off after certain hours? Essentially is there any "rules" about safety I should know, especially after hours?

As for entertainment, I'm willing to spend around $1k. I've heard shooting ranges and the such were good fun, but I'm open to basically anything. Thanks again for the reply.

Found a good link here, summary of higher stake events and structures.
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...d.php?t=200808

Anywhere on the strip between Wynn and Mandalay is fine pretty much 24/7. Areas north of the Wynn and downtown can get sketchy at night. Just be smart and you will be fine. I've walked around with $3k in my pocket at 3:30 in the morning and never felt uncomfortable.

For $1k, go see a few shows, eat a few nice dinners and throw in a trip to the gun range.

Back when I went to Vegas twice a year for trade shows we shipped a lot of stuff to the hotel in advance. Ship it FedEx and it will be there when you arrive.

They never asked us for a room key or anything when we collected the boxes so I guess we did not need to be a guest of the hotel to use this service.

Going to Vegas for the first time in June. Will be there for more then a weekend. We were thinking about golfing, but would the heat be too intense? Also any suggestions for a course?

I'm going to be out for all of June and most of July and will probably play or want to play golf 3-5 times while I'm there. Any idea on the pricing of club rentals or if I'm going to go that much is it worth it to have mine shipped out UPS or something?

How does the water out of the tap taste? Drinkable or in need of a brita pitcher?

I was just there 2 weeks ago and the water was fine, though it's hard to find a waterfountain in some of the casionos. I'd fill up my water bottle for the day in the room.