Hi:

I am planning a trip to Vegas during the first week of June for the sole purpose of playing lhe (~8/16). I have already looked at allvegaspoker.com and simply seek additional information. My questions are:

1) How often does the 8/16 game run at the Bellagio and/or the Wynn?

2) How juicy is each game? I don't care about the quality of service or attractiveness of the cocktail waitresses. My only concerns are profitability and ability to play enough hours. If you can recommend better places to play based on these criteria, please provide your input. FWIW, I beat my local 8/16 game easily (it's the biggest game in town).

3) Also, this will be during the first week of WSOP. Does the occurrence of this imply better games? I was planning on staying there from Sun June 1 through Fri June 6.

4) What is your suggestion for the cash situation? Can I open a player's bank account at either casino and use it only for one week? Anyone have experience with this? I realize I will not be playing large stakes so just holding the cash may be easiest - I just don't want to be robbed.

5) This question is of the least importance. I was planning on staying at El Cortez downtown. It looks nice enough and is amazingly cheap. Plus, Ceapo Vegas gave it a good review. Anyone ever stayed there? As long as it's safe, I don't care too much about comfort. It looks like it may have a seedy charm to it.

Thanks for your advice. I am looking forward to this trip - mainly because it will be fun to play in a different card room. I went out to LA last month, stayed with a buddy who lives in the LBC, and played at HG for 10 hrs a day. That was a blast on many levels. However, I realize few 8/16 games are as soft as the HG 8/16. Also, I doubt any card room has food as good as the HG.

8/16 runs pretty much constantly at bellagio and goes most evenings and weekends at wynn.

i have found these games to be tightish. if you can afford it, i think most people would recommend playing 15/30 (or 20/40) instead.

8/16 will go more often and be a little better around wsop time.

just carry cash and don't be an idiot.

the elco is not for everyone. i'm way way way way way less picky than the nits in this forum and even i would look around for something similarly cheap in a newer hotel with a better location. there are no 8/16 games downtown, ldo.

do not expect any 8 game in vegas to ever play like an 8 game in CA.

Do you find the 15-30 game looser?? Will be going to Vegas late May. Interested in at least a 8-16, up to 20-40.

Two trips ago, there were a bunch of $8/16 games. Last trip, only 1 table. The dealer said this due to the popularity of $2/5 NL. (I speak of Bellagio)

Frankly, I'd recommend skipping $8/16 and playing $15/30 instead. More tables, same level of competition. Actually there will be a few better players, but you'll see the same type of bad players and make more money off them at $15/30 than $8/16.

I used one of these
http://www.rei.com/product/617988
With the pocket in the small of my back, I never even knew it was there.

Only problem is distance to Bellagio. I stayed at Excalibur - they have some good online deals sometimes. Quick check shows they're running about $61/71 weekdays. You can also get a poker rate and food comps if you want to play $1/2 NL there some.

In my experience you're far more likely to find bad players in a Bellagio $15/30 game than a Mirage $20/40 game.

Holy Balls....the El Cortez? WTF. What a s***box in the middle of a COPS episode!

Maybe you should play 6-12 and spend a few bucks more for a room on the strip.

Somebody told me that the El Cortez has been remodeled lately, but I would have trouble going near the place. I'd stay at Terribles if I could get the same rate--it's a straight shot down Flamingo.

P.S. If you wear a money belt in Vegas during the summer, expect to have some soggy cash.

P.P.S. Wasn't there some weird 9-18 game played at the Wynn with $3 chips?

If you want to play a lot of mid limit hold em I really wouldn't stay downtown because there isn't any mid limit down there that I know of.
The limits you are talking about will only be found at Bellagio, Wynn and maybe Venetian and Rio during WSOP time so I would try to stay somewhere cheap mid-strip like Imperial Palace or Harrahs.

I wouldnt stay downtown at all.....especially because you want to play at the Bellagio/Wynn/Caesars.
Check out Gold Coast, Tuscany, Terrible's if your looking for off-strip kinda places.

That is a very standard game. I don't see any other way to spread 9-18 and have it be a good game.

I am a regular 8-16 player in Phoenix AZ, the 8-16 game in Vegas is much tighter than in Arizona or California. The 8-16 game at Bellagio is ok, Like everyone else has said.... Play the 15-30 at the Wynn or bellagio instead (its a much better game) also try the 9-18 at the Venitian... The mix game there is decent most of the time (when it runs). Good Luck. If you are going to stay downtown, Try the NL game at Binion's... the tourneys there are also a great value.

I found a 10-20 game at Binion's on a Thursday afternoon last June. It was 6 handed for a bit, but it felt good to be the youngest guy at the table again (by 20 years!)

Interesting. A few years ago the Commerce, at least I think it was the Commerce, had a policy of comping food for 10-20 and higher. So they did away with 10-20 and replaced it with 9-18 to save on food comps. That was the only place I had ever seen a 9-18 game until I walked into the Wynn 3 years ago.

I'm not sure that I see the point of 9-18, unless it's played with a 2-3 blind structure. Why not just play 10-20?

Yes binions has a good variety of games.

Because 10-20 is a crappy structure that deters action and 9-18 is a great structure that encourages action.

I'm trying to understand why this would be. The only 10-20 limit games to survive in my area are high-action ones. It's possible that with a $6-$9 blind structure, there would be more calls from the small blind, but usually small-blind calls aren't a problem with a 10-20 game.

Or it might be that the 9-18 format puts more chips in the pot and makes them look bigger, but once again, big-looking pots aren't usually a problem in a 10-20 game played with red birds.

Maybe to beginning players, 9-18 sounds less intimidating.

yes.

a 9-18 pot played with a 3/6 chip structure will have 50% more chips in it than a 10-20 pot played with a 2/4 chip structure; ducy?

Bellagio - Every day AFAIK.
Wynn- Almost every day. But it tends to break sometimes early.
I'm going to add in one game here since its close in level....
Mirage - $10-20. Runs sporadically.

I'm assuming you have a car since you are considering staying at El Co. If not the following will not apply.

There may be games in this range at Orleans and Red Rock. I have no idea on the quality of these games.

They are not juicy games much of the time. Really, it just depends. If you want juicy in Vegas, drop down to the small games or learn to play NL. Sometimes there are very bad players in the mid stakes limit games.

What are you bringing? 3k? Meh and whatever. No one cares. Just don't do something ******ed like trying to take public transportation from El Co to the strip.

El Co is safe. Rooms are ok. But there is a problem. I am sure that the room price you were quoted is for a "vintage" or "pavilion" room. You do not want to stay in those. The vintage are on the second floor via a staircase only and have not been remodled in a bazillion years. The pavilion rooms are in a building called the Ogden House across the street. You will want to stay at neither. The tower rooms are the remodled ones and generally quite a bit more expensive.

While $169 is cheap for the week, I would fork over the 50 extra and stay at 4 Queens which is nicer and next to GN so maybe you can sneak over to the pool there cause its sweet. I also found Sahara around $230 for the week. Personally, if it was me, I would pay the $325 or so that Bills or Orleans cost.

"There may be games in this range at Orleans and Red Rock. I have no idea on the quality of these games."

The Orleans $8-16 has been going a lot lately. I just left the Orleans and no $8-16, as of yet, tonight. Just called Red Rock and they have no $8-16 going (as I type this).

IMHO, The Orleans (when it goes) $8-16 plays very much like a $2-4 game. Lots & Lots of action.


Where ever you play......

Best of Luck!

Howard