I booked my flight for 5/29/19-6/4/19, if anyone wants to share a room let me know. I have reservation at the rio, but I can change.

I am in to share an Airbnb or VRBO. I ll be there for a few events @ WSOP.

I booked my flight also from 5/29 - 6/7 and staying at the Rio. For 9 nights at the Rio it was $740 (no resort fees as I am diamond) that is with tax included. So will see you there. I would share a room but I snore loudly so cant. lol.

Been to Vegas two years in a row for WSOP and had a different experience both times. First time I stayed at the RIO and never left. Played the morning RIO tournament (the one in the actual casino not the WSOP area) then played the daily deep stack at 2. Also played the Giant (the one on Fridays). Had a blast and enjoyed my entire trip. Room was cheap at the RIO because of an illness in the water supply the previous week at RIO. Ended up canceling my flight and stayed 4 days longer to enjoy myself. Didn't help I ran good and cashed 30% of the tournaments I entered.

Last year I stayed on the strip and explored a lot. Played a lot of good S Points tournaments as well as some 1/2 and 2/5. With all the walking I did in the heat I was worn out and tired much of the time. Due to running bad my bankroll did not last nearly as long and ended up flying home 2 days early. Overall I did not have nearly as much fun as the year prior.

This year I am leaning towards Rio as that is what I already booked but for $200-250 less I can stay on strip at Harrahs, LINQ or Flamingo and just use that money to Uber to RIO. One big thing the strip has going for it is I know i can find cheap entertainment if I go thru my bankroll fast like I did last year.

Why the **** would anyone stay at the Rio? I wouldn't if they paid me 800 to stay the week.

I am gonna do something like you did the 2nd time. what are some good S point tournaments? are the rio daily ones any juicy? any places you liked playing 1/2 where it was fun and profitable?

im planning on playing a wsop event, I proly SHOULD stay at the rio but i ll end up staying on the strip prolly

of topic, i ll be able to get an uber from rio to the strip at around 3am if it happens right? i wont be stuck right lol

3 AM in June, more likely there's a traffic jam than no ride.

CONVENIENCE - Plain and simple. Rooms are large, in my experience clean albeit worn, and reasonably priced. Bust in an Event - you can chill in your room unwind and go play Sats or Cash. Dinner breaks - you can grab something from your fridge and use your own toilet - spill something you can change clothes. Not having to screw with Uber, Cabs, or LV day time heat. Satellites running continually and every level of cash game you could want.

You don't stay at the RIO for the Casino that is damn sure but many of us Rec players feel the above factors outweigh the negatives that the property has.

Unless you are international, there's really not much reason to be booking anything this far in advance. Especially flights; hotels you can always cancel when better deals come along. But booking domestic flights much more than a month in advance in usually foolish.

wait you really think so? feel it woudl eb smarter since it will be cheaper further out you book??

also all this rio talk, I think the biggest thing about having a rio room is you have your own bathroom during breaks

As a general rule, flights are NOT cheaper when you book them far in advance. There is significant variation depending on specific demand, but on average, they are cheapest 3-4 weeks in advance. And there are so many flights to and from Vegas you can almost always find a better deal in that time frame if you are willing to be at least slightly flexible.

Not if you fly Southwest. Vegas is a hub, and while nobody in their right mind flies to Vegas in the summer, they do fly to L.A. and San Diego, etc from the east coast and midwest.

+1

Fair point about Southwest, as long as you fly it often enough that you are sure you will be able to use the credits from cancelled reservations. I do sometimes book two SW flights home from Vegas on different days, with the intent of cancelling one depending on how I'm feeling during the trip.

+1.

Since WSOP moved to Rio , every year but one I stayed there during the WSOP.
Can’t beat the convenience.

In 2018, I stayed at the RIO and grinded non stop. Super convenient but a bit sad.

For this year, I booked a room at the Gold Coast, next door. I might book the Rio once again if the prices go down a little. In order to make my decision, can someone give feedback about the Gold Coast?
-How are the rooms?
-Is it a safe walk, in the middle of the night, from Rio to Gold Coast?
-Food options in GC?

I have been checking ever day for cheaper rates and this morning i hit the jack pot. I never get comps as I am diamond because of the Founders Card and i only play a few hours of 1/2 poker and tournaments. This means I get no comps ever.

Today when I checked I was able to get comps on most of my 9 day stay. Wed and Thursday were comped. Payed for Friday and Saturday. And Sunday through Thursday (checkout friday) were comped. Went from paying $740 for my room at Rio to paying $250 for at Bally for the 9 nights.

Now I am staying on the Strip. Again this was with almost zero play time at any total rewards property the entire last year. Worth it to check out rates this morning if you havent yet.

The RIO Daily Deepstack are indeed Juicy, $300 buying $30K+ to top if you get over 1,200 players but the structure are **** once you get down to 5 table it's a shove fest. I hope the new structure this year will be better.

I will say that wouldn't stay at GC instead of Rio if prices were the same/comparable. If you think the Rio sucks to stay at, you won't be happy at GC.

For me, GC is a very valid option for playing WSOP stuff. Last year, I had comped rooms there that I could use for the weekend, then stayed at Rio with comped rooms during the weekdays.

GC rooms are nothing fancy but are fine, a few different food options, most are pretty basic (Subway, Friday's), with really good dim sum Chinese at Ping Pang Pong.

GC has some good video poker machines if you're interested in that.

The walk is slightly sketchy if you're doing it in the middle of the night, as you go through a fairly dark parking garage. I wouldn't love doing it with a ton of money on me. During the day, it's nice because almost the entire thing is shaded, and they added a crosswalk to the Rio entrance.

Thanks. That helps! The Rio is almost double (800 vs 1250$ for a 8-9 days). Which is why I booked the Gold Coast. I would prefer stay at Rio - let's see if prices go lower!

Yeah I would definitely stay at GC over Rio to save $450. Is that factoring in resort fees? They are lower at GC than at Rio also.

Yes, it was factoring resort fee - that's the main problem with the Rio.
I'll keep checking, if I can reduce the difference to 200$-ish, I'll cancel GC and book the Rio.
(Just realized that the pricing they give me on TR Rewards mobile app and the website on my desktop is different for exactly the same thing... interesting!)

Pricing can be different 2 minutes later, too.

Dear WSOP Newbies and Degenerates,

Like every year, Pokernews will soon start to publish a succession of articles aiming at giving you advice on how to save as many $$$ as possible on accommodation, flights, car rentals, meals, etc. They will even teach you where to get the cheapest Bananas in Las Vegas (Chinatown) so you don’t have to spend 7$ on a hot dog at the Rio. Since I find their articles insanely boring and repetitive (I suspect they copy/paste it every year and use the synonym feature of Words to make it look brand new), I decided to come to your rescue and publish my own set of tips. That way, you are guaranteed to scrimp on every single dollar and go gamble the whole thing on a 1500$ tournament you are likely to bust on day 1. You are welcome!

Let’s talk accommodation, shall we? Here are your options, for all budgets.

1/Splurge

Luxury hotels on the Strip – If you have deep pockets, you can stay at the Bellagio, Aria, Nobu and all the fancy options. Hell, if you happen to bink a tournament you can even get the 11,200 sq ft. Titus Villa at Caesars Palace: Three bedrooms villa including a private dining room for 10 people with a hand painted wall mural, billiard room with a bar, media bedroom with a 103-inch 3D plasma television and OSIM massage chairs, and a private outdoor garden and pool. If you are reading this, chances are it won’t be your preference.

Souped up trailer on Rio’s parking lot – If you watched Daniel Negreanu’s vlogs and decided eating Kale while watching your NHL team losing during dinner break is your thing, this option is for you. Every summer, the parking outside of the Rio literally becomes a trailer park. It’s an investment for sure, but you can’t beat the convenience.

2/Mid-range

Rio – Staying in the Rio is depressing. Food options are not great. The noise of the slot machines on the ground floor can make you crazy (more than after watching Frozen 4 times in a row with your little cousin). Still, in a word: convenience. Rooms are large and clean, albeit worn, and reasonably priced. If you bust from an event, this is the shortest walk of shame to reach your room and cry. Dinner break? You can grab something and relax in your room. Not having to screw with Uber, Lyft and cabs is a serious gain of time and $$$. Also, it means you get your private bathroom during the breaks (I will have to tell you about the bathroom situation during the breaks. If you ever saw the first 2 minutes of a marathon race, it is similar). If you plan to grind the WSOP and do not care about seeing Las Vegas, it is a solid option.

Gold Coast – Basically it is a Rio next to the Rio. This accommodation will save you some money but extend your walk of 5-10 minutes. It is literally a parking lot away. If you are fine ****ting your pants 2 minutes a day while running at 3AM between the Rio and the Gold Coast with your full bankroll in your pockets, this option is for you.

On the Strip – Vdara, The Cromwell, The LinQ, Flamingo… There are MANY options. Google will be more helpful than me here. Make sure to register to the reward program of the casino you plan to book an accommodation at to get better pricing. If it is your first time in Las Vegas and you want to explore on top of giving the WSOP a try, I strongly recommend this option.

3/” I am broke”-range

Motels – You liked the zoo outing in 5th grade and always wanted to study bed bugs? This option is for you! There are plenty of cheap motels that will cost you close to nothing, but that mean you will need a car to drive to the Rio. And that you might be itchy while wondering if you should call that 4-bet with top pair.

Your car – You busted of a tournament, went full tilt and lost your bankroll in the pit? Fear not! You can still sleep in your car, on the Rio parking lot. Your vehicle should convert into a Finnish Sauna (Las Vegas gets REALLY hot in June), that’s a complementary upgrade!

Last word of wisdom, you might be tempted to split a room with a rando you met on a forum. Unless you personally know the dude, I would pass. You can meet the most wonderful people at the tables, unfortunately, you often meet the most scummy, miserable and dishonest human beings.

If this article was helpful, or distracting, let me know and I will write the next one. Feel free to suggest what you want it to be about.

If you got offended or thought my writing is terrible, I invite you to send me letters of insults by PM.

If you are from Pokernews and want to hire me, also PM.

Love,