4_2_it,

Nice. Also,





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I only tip on dropping off the car at Valet if I want it kept up front, which gets me my car in 2 mins when I leave. Otherwise, only when picking up the car.

Also, if you tip the valet with $5 when turning in your ticket, they'll usually put you ahead of a few people, especially if they saw them with their little $1-$2 ready to tip.


T

Question for those who have used or have experiences with the last minute show booths in Vegas (the one in Fashion Outlet Mall or the other one - forgot the location off the top of my head). How likely am I going to be able to get a pair of tickets for a show like Mamma Mia, or one of the Cirque Shows (just some examples) on the day of? Should I go there first thing in the morning? Or wait til later on in the day (if there is any benefits to going later in the day)?

Currently staying at the Strat in Vegas, and I want to go shopping for some basics - toothpaste, liquor, cheap crappy digital camera etc etc. Which is the best mall to visit for these kind of basics? Have got a hire car so can travel.

There used to be a huge gift shop on the corner of Sahara and LV Blvd. Not sure they'd have booze though.

Dunno about Safeway there but the local ones have cheap booze.

Start at Walmart. There is a large one near you. Take the Strip north to Charleston Boulevard, make a right. Looks to be a half mile down.

Walmart has a ton of stuff, all cheap, and it will be a cultural experience.

There is also an Albertsons Grocery store on Maryland Parkway just south of Sahara. Use that for fresh fruit and so on.

As for booze, Lee's discount liquor comes up in LV conversations, but Google maps does not show one as close to you as that Walmart and Albertsons. Ask someone in those stores for a nearby place.

Walmart sounds good - have heard a lot about it but never visited! That gift shop sounds useful too if I'm on foot (ie drunk!). Better go and get that toothpaste, people keep changing seats when they're sat next to me at the poker table, and I don't think it's because of my excellent play

take the strip south to flamingo and hang a left. go down till you see pecos and there will be a lee's on the left.

Booze at Walmart and other fine department stores will be similarly priced to Lee's. Don't expect to find the high-end selection, though. That's where Lee's is great.

Hey Im seriously considering going to vegas for a 3-5 days. Where is the best place I could play some single table satellites (or super satellites)for a bracelet event 1500-2000 buy in? I know probably the Rio but as a second option there would be . . . Also I would play multitable tourneys anywhere from 50-200 buy ins what casinos have the best value for my money?

a general idea on what these tourneys would run me would be great, probably bringing 800-1500 for poker that trip.

If anyone aside from the rio is running sattelites for one of the prelim events, it would prolly be one of the harrahs properties... ceasers seems most likely. That said, i dont recall seeing a sat for a prelim event anywhere but the rio last year (not even at binions, where youd think it would make sense).

the good news is that, if this year is anything like last year, there will be a pretty robust sat schedule going on at the rio.

Will the $20 trick work at strat ?

Do WSOP tournaments have limits on the number of entrants this year?

Also, can anyone confirm how much cash exactly can i bring to the USA?

It should...worth it to try.

If you are in good standing with the law, I don't know of any limit on funds that you can actually take with you.

I am quite sure there is a $10k limit on the amount of cash you can bring into the US hassle free.

I'll be staying in Vegas from June 8th until July 10th and have booked a room at the Imperial Palace. I am aware that this isn't one of the nicer hotels on the strip but with the WSOP rate it looks like good value and I am a value-minded person. I don't intend to spend much time in the room anyway.
I have been getting second thoughts lately and am wondering if it is worth it to upgrade to the Harrah's ($650 extra) or Flamingo ($1050 extra).
The Flamingo has a much nicer pool which is great because I am bringing my girlfriend.
I am hesitant to pay an extra grand for a pool and something as abstract as an "overall nicer" hotel when I could just as well spend that money on 2 Cirque shows, a Quad tour and a night at the Spearmint Rhino.

There is no limit to the amount of currency you can bring into the United States.

However failure to declare more than $10,000 in cash to U.S. Customs can result in seizure of the currency.

On the positive side, there is no duty to pay on the cash you bring in and a very simple form to fill out called the FinCEN 105. Here is a link to FinCEn 105 as a PDF. Conveniently, you can fill out the form by typing in the fields in Adobe Acrobat and then print it, or save it and print it later, etc.

Another thing going for you is that the WSOP is so well known now that if anyone does question you about your use of the cash, your explanation will probably result in more small talk than anything else.

Some notes about the form:

• Field 2 Identification Number - If you have a U.S. Social Security Number, use it. If not, use your Alien Registration Number (from your green card). If you have neither, use your passport number.
  
• Field 3 Birth date is in Month/Day/Year format (as opposed to the the customs declaration form you fill out on the plane, where it is in Day/Month/Year format).
  
• The $10,000 limit is per family, not per person. If you are traveling with your wife, she can't take $8,000 while you take $8,000 to avoid declaration.
  
• Don't forget to answer "Yes" to the question asking if you are traveling with more than $10,000 when filling out the customs declaration form issued to you on the plane.
  
• FinCEN stands for Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. They also publish the Cash Transaction Reports (CTRs) and Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) that casinos are required to fill out for some cash activities. These get discussed in the B&M forum often. It was also a Suspicious Activity Report that began the investigation that eventually led to the downfall of New York Governor Eliot Spitzer for engaging prostitutes.

Louis,

How much non-poker gambling do you and your GF plan to do? If you get a Total Rewards card you might be able to build up some comps and get a reduced midway through your trip. Your GF will definitely like Flamingo the best (assuming Harrah's and IP are the competition).

If you plan to gamboool it up a little, it would be a good idea to talk to a casino host at Flamingo and see what options are available.

Thanks for such an ellaborate answer. So, basically i can fill out this form and take as much as i want to?
For example, if i have decided to bring 20k, i just fill that form, put 20k in the amount and show it the customs?

What about on my way back? Do i have to declare how much i am taking out?

I go to Vegas mainly to play poker.
Last year my girlfriend only played the penny slots and some roulette. I played a little low stakes (~$10) BJ, Pai-Gow and Craps. I doubt a casino host will be much interested considering the low stakes and volume.
I am sure the Flamingo is the nicer hotel eg. the pools at IP and Flamingo are in completely different leagues. I am just wondering if it is worth the extra grand because I am not willing to pay $1000 just for the pool.

It's hardly a hassle. It's only a hassle if you are tax dodging.

Yes, and you will have to declare any amount over 10k when you leave. It's the same process as entering. If you are arriving from any First world country (or Canada), and more especially to/from Vegas, all they want is to know where their currency is going.

I'm wondering about payment for houses in Vegas. We've found a pretty sweet house in a good location through vacationrentals.com. The only problem is that they demand to be paid 100% of the cost for the total of the 18 days or whatever.

Is this standard or should we be worried? I mean it would be a pretty sick spot if the house didn't even exist ...

my suggestion would be to stay at IP and just pay go to the pool at Mirage for $20 a day. (european pool optional). the stratosphere has that option as well.

Of course they demand rent payment up front. My landlord makes us pay the the month before we live there, also. Use google and your brain to decide on the likelihood of a scame. Vacationrentals.com is pretty solid from what I know. Much more likely to get scamed on craigslist.