Why not stay at one of the lower tier places on the strip?

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

I skimmed the OP, but looks like last time it was edited was in 2011 are these still the viable options for what you are suggesting for locations for me?

Every travel site lets you sort by "strip" hotels. Just plug in the dates you are going and sort by cheapest.

Vegaschatter did a writeup of MGM's most recent earnings call. 70% of revenue is non-gaming. I knew it was high, but I didn't know it was that high.

Also interesting is that the Shake Shack at NY NY is already the #2 highest grossing location, second only to Times Square. That was fast.

Are there any NLHE games bigger than 5/10 with min buy-ins less than 100 big blinds? What's the min buy-in at 10/20 Bellagio for example?

10/20 is 800 at bellagio. you won't find a lot of other games that big on a daily basis although aria runs the same stakes when it goes

Thanks for the info. That is so sick and it blows my mind that they allow such a short buyin. I'll be there during WSOP and my preference would be to buyin for $1,200 (60bbs). Anyone play in these games and know if the players whine and complain a lot when players buy in short or are they pretty used to it?

1. Not all the places on the the strip are super nice and spendy, i.e.
   Linq, Flamingo,Bally's, Casino Royal.
2. Tucsany and Ellis island are cheaper and within walking of the strip
3. There are others.

Random suggestions.

1. South Point. Everything you need in a hotel-casino without the price tag. Also Orleans. Both have poker rooms, daily tournaments, and free shuttles to the strip.

2. Motel 6 on Tropicana across the street from MGM.

Off-strip properties, try Priceline or Hotwire for a 2 1/2 star property, many have microwaves and fridges which will save you big on meals.

Careful that your head doesn't explode: Commerce has a $600 min buyin for the same game.

Don't know the answer to your other question. But I would never concern myself with whiny players, since most players will find something to whine about anyway.

First post here. Not sure if this is the right forum. I will be in Vegas March 2nd to the 5th. Staying at the Luxor. Haven't been there in 10 years. Want to play some poker and maybe sight see a little. Is renting a car worth it to get out of town for a few hours? Been to the Hoover Dam so I don't want to do that. I was wondering if there were any other cool places outside of town such as a National Park. As far as poker, I like playing 5/10 limit. Any good games in Vegas or is it pretty much all no limit now?

I'd also recommend the Orleans or Gold Coast which have a shuttle to strip which goes Gold Coast-Orleans-Ballys- Gold Coast until about 12:30 AM. After that you'll have to cab it back. As noted, Orleans has an active poker room and daily tourneys. Neither is far from the strip with cab costs about $10 plus tip. Both are owned by Boyd Gaming . Their rooms are on the level of most mid strip rooms (often better) and prices are right.
Both casinos have sports books and $1.50 hot dogs.

Never stayed at South Point but the shuttle is not as frequent and cab costs, I think, are much higher, but I'll stand corrected by those who know.

Gold Coast also has Ping Pang Pong, the GOAT Chinese food in Vegas.

Yes. I think so, but I don't do it often. I think its particularly nice if you're there for a longer period. But I see your only there for 4 or 5 days. So in your case I wouldn't. There will be enough new for you to do. However, I do like the drive out to Boulder City a nice quiet little town with some history, antique shops, and a decent enough restaurant. It was a good break in the middle of a 10 day stretch for me.

You're really not here that long but you can always rent a car at the hotel if you need too. Not really much to see in Vegas.

Red Rock Canyon National Recreation Area

Valley of Fire State Park

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Death Valley National Park

Visiting in March you'll have great weather.

Also the Pinball Hall of Fame. Not yet a national shrine, but it should be.

Nice, I'm going to see if I can go to Valley of Fire State Park. Thanks!

Bill's and IP are no more. Bills --> The Cromwell, and IP --> The Linq.

When I used to stay off-strip, I'd stay at the Westin at Flamingo and Koval. I could usually hotwire it for $60, but this is ca. 2 years ago. That was a nice hotel. The other suggestions are good, especially Orleans and Gold Coast, though those are a cab ride or shuttle ride from the strip. Closer (walking dist to strip) but lower quality: Tuscany, Silver Sevens, Ellis Island. There are decent non-casino hotels as well on Priceline.

South Point and M resort are great. Some less prominent locals joints like Silverton might work. If you're willing to stay there, what about Palace Station? That's a short cab ride over to the north end of the strip.

But if you don't mind a short bus ride to the strip (if you go), what about staying downtown? There's a bunch of good places there, and you might prefer the vibe. There's a bunch of good places to eat and drink, and there's a decent poker room at Golden Nugget.

Don't stay at the Silverton. Rooms are OK -- like a Best Western motel -- but we were overcharged on the hotel bill and they never did quite make it right.

Their poker room closed 3 years ago.

thanks for all the info guys, i really appreciate your help. i ended up going with motel 6 across the street from mgm sounded pretty good for 80 a night on march madness weekend.

They have a hi resort fee

NOT safe-just sayin....good luck

BS. Just remember that your motel room door opens to the street and you'll be fine.

Are there places off strip within walking distance to strip that are safe?

what is the best second tier hotel on the strip to stay at?