I completed another survey of the poker action in Las Vegas. Here's a link the article in this month's 2+2 Magazine.

Status of Las Vegas Poker- Summer, 2010


Here's the raw data.

Thanks Dynasty...it's too bad about Caesar's but welcome Aria. Will anyone be able to take the title away from the Bellagio...ever?

One advantage the Bellagio has is a nice, somewhat private, high stakes section. The comparable upper-sections at Wynn, Aria, and Venetian probably aren't as appealing for high stakes players.

Thanks Dynasty,

A very good chart and helpful analysis. I'm certainly not the only "once-a-year" tourist who appreciates this information.

Maybe next time you could tie a little piece of string around your finger before you go into the TI.

Good to see the 8-16 and Omaha/Mixed games are still going at the "V". They were plentiful during WSOP. I was very impressed my first time in and they had games or lists for LHE at 4-8, 8-16 & 15-30. Omaha/8 at 4-8 & 8-16 both with a half kill. (Gee, I'd never played 12-24 before) AND they had HORSE at 4-8 and 8-16 and sometimes Mixed games at 4-8 and/or 8-16. I was a happy guy. "Put me on all 9 of those lists."

Another reason the 15-30 may not have gotten established at "V" is that the swing shift didn't seem to care much. Day shift floor (Richard?) did a great job of starting games and keeping them filled, surveying for interest, making a few extra announcements, etc. Swing shift was usually less interested and more distracted. On a couple occaisions when we had only one Mixed or HORSE game going, they were of no help. I would usually drift over to Aria for their evening Mixed game.

Excellent data collection as usual and thank you (minus TI but it's OK.)

I can't help it but seeing that Excel spreadsheet makes me really want to come back to Vegas and start hitting the poker rooms and putting my stats into my Excel spreadsheet.

I like going over my stats and seeing how my hourly changes between different rooms. I've always been a stats nut and played fantasy sports at a teenager/college kid.

Great to see that there is still plenty of $1/2nl and $2/5nl even during the quieter times in Vegas.

I am really eager to get a car during one of my coming trips and check out the off the strip casinos. It seems like I am missing quite a bit by only playing on the strip.

B has only been on top for about 5 years now so it's not like there's a sense of inevitability about it.

Excellent data (as always). Can anyone tell me about Rio action during non-WSOP months? I am stuck staying there in 3 weeks for a convention and would like to avoid the walk to the strip if at all possible. I am a 1-2, 2-5 NLHE player.

"Can anyone tell me about Rio action during non-WSOP months?"



As I type this, The Rio poker room has 2 tables going. Both $1-3 NL hold 'em.


Best Wishes

Hojo

"Gee, I'd never played 12-24 before"


FWIW, The Orleans had an $8-16, half kill, hold'em game, late night, that had over $10,000 on the table at one point. A very wild but interesting game. YMMV.


Best Wishes

Hojo

You don't have to walk - Harrah's runs a shuttle to the strip (I think to Paris) like once every half hour.

As usual, thanks Dynasty !

The shuttle also runs to Harrahs and Flamingo

Great info, but pretty depressing numbers if you ask me.

Depressing numbers for the slowest time of year in terms of poker?

"Great info, but pretty depressing numbers if you ask me."



Not really. It's right after the WSOP. It's slow poker time
in Vegas. If the survey was done in May or June, you would have had great numbers (The Orleans sometimes had 20 tables going at 3:00 am for instance, Venetian during swing shift - the max the law would allow, etc).



When doing the survey, one shift manager asked me what I was up to (I've known him for years but had not been in for a few months), When I told him about the survey, he freaked a little.......


"That's not fair! Doing the survey right after the Series. This place was packed every night during the Series!".


I told him, "Don't feel bad. Your room still has way more games going then most of the rooms I've been to tonight".


Best Wishes

Hojo

To have rooms premium rooms 1/2 empty on a Saturday night and most others barely having enough traffic to justify the space?

Slow time or not, this is not good.

Any reason Hard Rock isn't on the list?

Just for fun, I would be interested to see what the numbers would be like during the WSOP. Maybe next year, you can do an extra run through the rooms during the WSOP and put the spreadsheet up to see what the best case scenario would be...but I could see how this would be difficult with the Rio having games in different locations and simply wasting a night doing this instead of playing poker.

you would think with all this competition, the casinos would think about lowering rake to attract players or something

My gut reaction is that this can't possibly be true but maybe people who have played longer than me can fill in. Bellagio was, at least in my mind, clearly the premier room in 2003 when I first played there, and probably the premier room in 2000-2002 when I'd pass by and watch (even though I had never heard of Hold'Em).

What else could have been competing with Bellagio at the time? Mirage, possibly. I'm almost positive Aria, Wynn, Venetian, Caesars Palace, and Mandalay Bay did not have rooms prior to 2003-2005 (poker boom); I don't know if MGM had a room but they didn't have one the size/scope they have now and it certainly wasn't as prominent as it is now. Luxor had one but lol, I think Excalibur had one too but lol. Monte Carlo had one by 2004 but that's never been a contender.

Overall I agree that Bellagio's status as champ won't last forever, but I was under the impression that they were top dog since Bellagio opened in the late 90's.

I suppose it might get old getting thanked repeatedly, but I suppose being overthanked is better than getting underthanked.

I also think you should link this in B&M/LVL FAQ's because I end up linking your surveys an awful lot in the weekly "Where can I find 1/2 NL on the Strip?" threads.

Thought I read a rumor that the Hard Rock is closing their room with a hint that they may have a couple of tables running in the middle of the gaming floor if there is demand.

How are the games at the Palms?

You're not wrong. Bellagio and Mirage were the premiere rooms in 2003. Venetian didn't have a poker room then, nor did Caesars or MGM Grand (at least as we know them now), and of course Wynn hadn't opened yet.

"How are the games at the Palms?"


FWIW, As type this......

Two $2-4 limit games going.

One $3-6 limit game going.

One $1-3 NL game going.


Hope that helps.


- Hojo Out

FWIW on the Hard Rock, I was there yesterday and it wasn't pretty (although I had fun.).

Two 1-2 games were running at 7 PM, a third opened around 9 PM. When I arrived at 7 PM, I was told by another player that the 2nd 1-2 table only got running because several of the players worked in some capacity for the casino and were instructed to play. I cannot confirm with certainty if this was the case, but one of the players had a few conversations with the room manager about where the room manager needed him, which seemed to me to confirm this.

The Wednesday night tournament, a 45$ rebuy, drew only 9 entrees. If that wasn't bad enough, the prize pool was greatly diminished by taking $15 from every initial entry, $3 from every rebuy, and $5 from every add-on. The add on was also clearly listed as costing $10, but when it got time to start after the break, the dealer informed everyone that it was actually $20. Everyone at the table already had their chips, so we just coughed up an extra $10 each.

While everyone I played with at the Hard Rock was really cool and the most friendly atmosphere I've played in, I don't think it would be worth it for me to keep playing there.