Here's how I got my comp ride:

In 2007 I decided I was going to go after Harrah's Diamond in a Day promotion, so I went to Laughlin where I heard there were some decent 100 play 5 cent video pokers. I played about 2 hours, was up $1000 and then down $500 and decided I couldn't stomach the swings and gave up on it.

Apparently I qualified for the platinum-in-a-day program, whcih I wasn't even aware existed. Suddenly I got comped for every room stay I wanted. Harrahs offered me a free trip airfare included to Tunica. Gravy train lasted about 4 years, but I gave them pretty much 0 action after that and my offers started to disappear, now I only get reduced rates and only sometimes.

But, for the $500 I lost I probably got $5,000 worth of value out of it.

Your mileage may vary.

re: Security Guards in Parking lot @ Gold Coast from my experience at 2013 WSOP. When you leave Gold Coast taxi exit head into the Garage bt walking dead straight ahead through the regular Garage. If you head slightly left into the Garage there are guards and this area is enclosed so you can't get out at the other side anyway - I think this is Valet or VIP Parking.

No, no it doesn't.

I think it takes me about 15min from the minute I leave gold coast room to get to pavilion in the rio. Only about 5min of that walk is outside. Not bad at all, and ill likely be staying there again for a 3rd summer

I've stayed at the Imperial Palace/Quad on most of my trips to Vegas because I'm cheap. Last year, my poker coach, who spends a month at the series each summer, switched from the Rio to the Quad and saved more than enough money to rent a car for the entire time, which meant he could get to his favorite restaurants in town (saving money over eating at the Rio), pick up bottled water at stores (cheaper than tipping for free water), and go to the bank to get cash or deposit as needed. Not to mention getting to other casinos at will.

Another thing about the Gold Coast is the cheap buffet. I think breakfast was around $8 . I have since heard good things about the Chinese place in there, but never went.

I have some difficulty walking , but that wouldn't even matter because it was one hundred f'n thirteen degrees. Being from Seattle that is insufferable. I had a rental car and used the valet.

It was nice having the freedom of the RC . I got to see a lot of LV that I wouldn't have. Plus there were loads of 08 , PLO8 and even a couple of Big O tourneys around. Binnions and Golden Nugget had series going as well.

It was quite the experience and I hope I can do it again.

Heh, by those metrics it's a third of a mile.

I have a pedometer, so I might be making prop bets next year with all these bozos that keep claiming it's "2 or 3 minutes".

I've been at the Series when it was 110 and when it was 90. Big difference. Anything over 100 is damn hot.

After the first week or so, the "valet full" sign tends to come out a lot even though there might be 8 cars in the lot. It will become unfull for a $20 tip. A $10 tip was not good enough, I tried. Just another Vegas screw job.

I always have a car for the Series. Noy only does it make it easier to get to other hotel/casinos, but also Walmart runs. For the cost of 1 $5 gift shop bottle of water, I can get a case at Walmart, plus snacks, beer, Gatorade, etc.

so 1/3 mile is about 1/4 mile? Well then, I stand corrected . Anyhow, not only is your judgment of distance off, but so is your judgment of speed. Walking at 5 miles an hour (ie 12 minute mile) would be a pretty brisk pace. Normal walking speed is roughly 3 miles an hour. I don't know how far it is, exactly from the Rio entrance to the convention area, but it is nowhere near half a mile, and I suspect is somewhat less than a quarter of a mile.

lol it's Feb 9th and we are arguing about how long the walk is as opposed to discussing the schedule that should have been out two months ago

Perhaps the best option is to get 2k volunteers and measure their:

1. Height
2. Weight
3. Age
4. BMI
5. Resting pulse
6. Dietary consumption over previous 24 & 6 hours

We can stack this up against the prevailing climactic conditions and then build a predictive model to forecast how long it will take. People can plot their predictions in a separate thread.

Or you could just go with 10-15 minutes, approx half undercover.

#timetomoveon

Walking from a Bally's room to the Bellagio is farther than the Gold Coast to the convention center. I've stayed at the Gold Coast during the WSOP (many times), in the hot summer weather and live to tell about it. Did it with a cane , post surgery, and prior to surgery with a wobble, no sweat.

Its a non sequitur, you can't escape the heat no matter where you are and if you need a car at the Gold Coast to get to the Rio you're mad, blooming mad. Its a good deal.

Got 7/6 - 7/12 @ Gold Coast for a little over $200 (closer to $300 w/resort fees) through expedia (booked w/flight as well). Rio would've been well over $600 before resort fees for same dates, and I've never even stepped foot in GC, haven't put much action in at CET casinos in the last year.

Without the WSOP schedule we're like rats trapped in a hole and running out of food. Pretty soon we will be gnawing our own limbs off.

I believe stride length would be as, or more, important a predictor of walking pace that any of these factors. Any rigorous analysis of the time to walk and/or distance between locales would need to take this into account. We can't be sloppy. Its the WSOP, not poker night at The Thirsty Clam Pub and Grille.

Anyone have any info on live satellites outside of Vegas. I am from the northeast and want to try to qualify for the main before I go

last year I believe the EPT had some pub Poker satellite qualifiers in March/April in Massachusetts. Also, now that they have WSOP affiliation, I would be surprised if Foxwoods holds some events.

Foxwoods has had a mega the past couple years.

You mean close to $300 for 6 nights at GC? $50 a night is damn cheap if true, and hopefully the room was decent for such a low price. I wonder if my travel agent can get close to the same rate as Expedia in June for a week. I may just check GC/Rio rates after the schedule comes out and go from there. I'm in decent shape so while it may be hot for the 5 minutes outside I can probably bare it without too much hassle.

Maybe it is a good idea to just stick to 1 PLO8 $1500 and look to satty anything else as well as keep with some smaller tournaments just for the experience and quantity of tournaments. No reason to go completely gung ho having to only play the main tournaments I guess.

Such a slow news day today. What a great time to release the schedule! (#JustSayin')

Even odds they release it on Friday, Valentine's Day....same timeframe as last year. Ty Stewart tweeted on February 7, "II'm giving you next week. Firm"

It would have been nice if they had set expectations and said something like this: "We are reworking the WSOP schedule for 2014 and it will be released around Valentine's Day. If we can release it sooner, we'll let you know."

I certainly hope the low buy-in mixed games are relatively close to one another...ideally no more than 4 days apart. I can only afford a maximum of 8 days and my boss is bugging me as to when I plan to take off in June.

I know...whine, whine, whine, but this is getting ridiculous!

At this point would be surprising if its released before march.

It's funny because it's true!

I'd hope not, unfair to those of us that might not be able to get off a certain week. also, evidence suggests from previous years that they'll do about 1-2 non-nhle/plo tourney a week.

Ha. Thats what I did as well. For god sakes I got the quad during the week last yr for like $11 a night. Since I sleep 6 hrs and spend virtually no time in the room, I just am most worried about location and the Quad was close ro everywhere I need to be. Also stayed at LVH for $35 a night on weekends.

Im going to be there May 30th to Jun 8th. If anyboy is looking for a roommate for something along the lines of Ballys/PH/Harrahs etc let me know.

Do you remember when these ran?

The Gold Coast is cheap, but it has the depressing feel to it when you're in the room. IMO, paying the 600 for the rio (another ****hole) is better than 300 for Gold Coast.