I would say the number one thing that would make it unsafe is the people driving.

It's super quiet and most rooms are staffed accordingly, but there's still games that run. In the beginning of the week the people in town are there for Re:Invent but then it typically fills in by Thursday as the rodeo is typically that weekend.

Apologies if this question has been posted in an earlier thread but I couldn't find any direct info on it. Assuming one isn't currently a Diamond or Platinum cardholder, where would you park for free as a local if going to Ballys to play a long poker session?

The only options seem to be Venetian/Palazzo to the north or Tropicana/OYO to the south, but those are both pretty long hikes from center Strip. Any other ideas? Thanks in advance.

Park at Westgate and take the Monorail.

Makes sense. Had not even considered that option. But it's probably better than parking at Palazzo and walking south. And for $2, far more convenient. Thanks.

Planet Hollywood/Miracle Mile Shops used to be reasonably convenient free access to center Strip, but of course all good things come to an end.

You could pretend to be an employee, walk through Bally's employee dining room to the security desk, and get your parking validated at the machine next to the security window.

Haha. Makes sense. A lot of minor complications in life are solved by simply pretending to be someone you're not. Bold people tend to have an easier time in the world, since others don't really notice the small stuff that they're constantly getting away with.

I was also considering the 10 minute walk from Ellis Island parking over to Ballys, since that's a lot closer than the other free parking options, but don't know how dicey it would be walking back that way after finishing up an evening cash session around 2AM.

What about the Linq parking lot with the ferris wheel? Is that even there any more?

Tuscany Suites and Ellis Island...plus the side street outside Ellis Island.

Get the CET and/or MGM credit card and you can still get free self-parking at any of their locations, unless it's changed in the last few months. I parked for free at Bellagio and Caesar's Palace in December.

I miss the days of poker at Planet Hollywood and Excalibur. What the hell has happened to poker?

I was told by a Gold Coast employee it’s free to take the boys Shuttle yet Orleans says on their site it’s for hotel guests.

Do you have to be a guest to take it?

Haven't been on it since 2019. They didn't check back then. I'd take it from Orleans to Fashion Show Mall and back at end of the day. Really only good if you want to play at Wynn / Venetian area, or you don't mind long walks.

Tip the driver a few bucks on the way in and I'll bet there will be no questions of hotel residency.

Five bucks on the way in also tends to work to get your car into a "full" valet park.

Looking to spend 7-10 days (2 adults) in vegas in June for the WSOP at a ~mid tier hotel on the strip (preferably close to Bally's/Paris).

I've stayed before at Flamingo, Sahara, Planet Hollywood, Mirage, and all were totally fine.

Two questions:

1) Main importance is walking distance to Bally's and a decent pool (ie not that crap on top of Planet Hollywood where you have to pay for seats). Any suggestions on where to look? I was thinking Flamingo again...

2) Booking from Canada, what's my best bet? Do I go with expedia flight & hotel packages, or book them directly from the website using loyalty cards?

Feel free to PM if you have any suggestions or post here. Thanks in advance!

my ass needs to walk, I didn't mind walking last time! im hoping they dont check,

videpro is right, I should take like a few singles so I can top the driver 1$ or something as well

There's not a lot of money in it for both players and casinos alike.

I haven't been to Vegas in years so my advice may be a bit outdated, but my observation from traveling to lots of other places over the past 10 years is that the travel websites often don't offer much of a discount versus booking directly with the hotel/airline. What they do offer is a great way to compare prices among hotels but once you've identified where you want to stay, nowadays I just book direct.

Of course there are lots of details that could swing the decision one way or the other. For instance, a site like hotels.com will give you 1 night for free after you book 10 nights through them. Sounds like you'd meet that criteria this trip just about. What turned me off of the travel sites were a couple of instances where I had to change dates or hotels. Dealing directly with the hotel is straightforward. Dealing with Expedia (or whatever) is not. I don't even remember what the issue was when I last ran into a problem, I just remember vowing never to do that again.

Specific to Vegas, I'm pretty sure you'll get the best rate booking directly through the hotel using whatever loyalty system they have.

I've never booked a flight+hotel package from a travel site but my gut tells me it has the potential to be a major hassle in exchange for saving $13.

ETA:
I did have one great experience using a travel app a few years ago. I was on a ship in the Gulf of Mexico for work and our return date was uncertain so I didn't have anything booked for when we got back to shore. We docked in Port Fourchon and I needed a place to stay for the night in New Orleans before flying home the next day. I pulled up the Hotwire app which has a feature that gives you a hefty discount on a hotel room but you don't get to find out which hotel it is until you book it, they just give you a vague idea of where it is and how nice it is.

The app offered me a room at a "4 star hotel" for something crazy like $89. I didn't care where I stayed so I snap called. This turned out to be a killer place, I wish I could have stayed longer as it was my first time in NOLA.

Took me a minute to remember what hotel that was: Le Pavillon. Highly recommend.

did I miss something did they take the poker rooms away?

Many casinos used 'Covid' as an excuse to get rid of their poker rooms yes. At the top of my head, no poker rooms anymore at these properties:

Excalibur, Flamingo, Harrahs, Mirage, Planet Hollywood, Rio, Binion's.

Usually agree but there are some +EV spots booking through a Priceline or Expedia. I got 2 nights at Palazzo last October for $150/night (including fees) through Priceline at a non-refundable rate while booking direct was $300/night but fully refundable (no non-refundable option)

Thanks for the info! My problem is that I only go to vegas once a year so all of my rewards cards are always at the bottom tier. Just for example booking Flamingo directly with their best promo applied wants like $1600 CAD for 10 days (incl resort fee ofc). The same room plus flights on expedia is $1800 and the flight alone is $250, so it's pretty much a wash. I wonder if I had started booking directly for the past few years whether this would get better over time because I would start to get offers like the one you got for 4 stars?

damn that is INSANE, flamingo one hurts me the most but thats just overall bad that we have less poker rooms on the strip