I found a solution to the continued debate over the difficulty of getting from The Gold Coast to the Rio...


https://youtu.be/ZDOI0cq6GZM

If its good enough for Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook, then surely it should be good enough for Las Vegas.

I always rent a car in Las Vegas if I am there for 3 or more days. I NEED to get out of the casino's and away from the grifters. I simply like the freedom it provides even if the car sits 95% of my stay in town. For an Old fart with a hip replacement I'm still very active and actually enjoy the heat so rolling out to Red Rock Canyon is just a great reality check for me. I can still grind a 14 -16 hour table day back to back yet but the 3rd day I prefer to breathe watch a sunset or admire the youth at the pool :-) for a while. If it is not a financial burden - rent the car. All it has to do is save you one stupid hour of play and it paid for itself many times over.

Fascinating. Please share how you happen to know the perspiration rates of everyone. I’m sure your assertions are quite scientific. Of course, you’re clearly wrong and ridiculous for even speculating on how people sweat and smell given that every person is different. Yes, I happen to sweat a lot. I drink a lot of water and have been a sweaty person ever since I was a kid. That includes my years in football, track, martial arts, and wrestling. But please, tell me more about how out of shape I must be because I sweat more than you. Clown.

Where are you staying? If you have to pay for parking there, you have to figure that into your costs. Parking is free at the Rio. WRT the heat discussion, it's impossible to predict. Most years, it's not horrible walking from Gold Coast across the street to the Rio. But a handful of years ago it was 116-117 every day I was there, and well over 105 even in the parking garage. Also, once you enter the Rio you have a long walk to get back to the WSOP. I had a foot injury and it was like torture.

Are you heat sensitive? If you park in the open Convention Center parking lot you still have a non-trivial walk to get indoors. If the heat bothers you, Uber may be a better choice because they pick you up closer to the building. OR you can valet park in the Convention Center lot but you'll have to bribe them $20. Supposedly valet is for tv poker starts only.

Which events are people most looking forward to? Personally, I'm looking forward to the big bet mix and the 10k plo8

Not sure where I'm staying yet, that's another decision that has yet to be made. Thanks to all for the responses on the rental car for the summer, much appreciated!

Being more mature ( Old Fart) I am excited to play the Sr and Super Sr. I wasn't crazy that they dropped the age in the Super as I just qualified for the 65 this year and I would be the Youngster under the old rules then........ but alas WSOP economics of the expected expanded player pool ruled the day .... and I can't blame the WSOP for making a good business decision. It will be interesting to see how much it does impact attendance.

Also being "seasoned" and having cut my teeth on $20/40 limit Holdem ( I played in the The First Annual Jack Binion World Poker Open limit Holdem $500 event that a young black kid won --- Phil Ivey --- LOL) I am looking forward to the $1500 Fixed Limit event. They are few and far between anymore so I am just glad to just have the chance to give it a shot with no real expectations on my results.

The game has changed dramatically since those days and I find it easier to read trappy old guys than bullet proof hoodies that 4 bet light :-)

It's been 5 years since I made the WSOP pilgrimage and plan on up to 5 WSOP events over my 10 day stay with some of the smaller events in town thrown in if I feel fresh and time allows.

As always, there are many compromises to be made in terms of viable travel dates etc so I can't plan my trip to fit with the events I'd really love to play (the mixed-game events, ideally). Instead - this year - it will have to be "just" the Main Event.

What I am pleased about is the new schedule includes bracelet events AFTER the ME so I can jump into those when I bust ...

Those AFTER events can be a lot of fun and quite profitable and take the sting out of busting in the Main Event. Don't know how this year will be but a lot of name players hit them also in search of the Bracelet. It goes back a decade but in a $1500 during the ME tourney I played with Mike Matusow, JC Tran, Phil H (actually he and Steve Dannenmann were at the table behind me) a couple of British Pro's who's names escape me and out lasted them all. Trust me I am have no 'name awe" but I did enjoy playing and matching wits with some of the "NAMES" of the day and to get to know a bit of their real life personalities.

Brag-- didn't hurt that I cashed for $17K either and took a "bad beat" to hit the rail. But that was a time long ago in today's poker world but I'd bet the same pattern exists this year.

Just for s&g purposes, I spent a few minutes Saturday morning making the walk from Gold Coast to the side door at the Rio. While I can empathize with the outliers who have mobility issues, the walk simply isn't bad. It took me longer walking through the parking garage and up the sidewalk to the crosswalk than it did crossing the street and getting into the Rio. And that is with a serious back issue that, at an age in excess of 50, makes walking a true pain at times and has me living out of a bottle of percocet to deal with the pain...

With the cash games that go on during the WSOP, I would be inclined to make the short walk long before the sun was even a factor. Gold Coast rooms might lack in some amenities (never stayed there) but at the right nightly rate, it certainly would be a viable option.

That being said, I don't know how much of the WSOP event schedule I will play compared to events elsewhere. I wasn't fond of table location for the Aria series, but I liked the structure in the events I played last year. It is also where I will be staying for at least one of the trips in June (work commitments have me doing several back and forth flights if this June is like last year).

The one advantage WSOP had over the others, at least for me, was online registration with credit cards. Hoping that remains in place for this year...last year, they were the only ones doing it.

I ALWAYS rent a car. I have Platinum so i get free valet and rooms but i love staying on the strip and also coming and going to the RIO whenever i want and a car is much cheaper to rent than you think if you book well in advance!

I have booked my Rio Rooms for June
3-8 (Diamond comped) . Ended up booking my
Air fron June 2- 8 , doesn’t know why !!

Last two week looking to book fair price decent hotel
With no success. Suddenly today found offer from
GoldCoast for comp room . Booked right away.

Look for the offer in your mail . If you are
looking to book , do it quick.

Did you try to make a second reservation at the Rio some number of days after the first? I would think you would once again be eligible for comped nights as long as the two reservations are not back to back.

I booked Rio for June 3rd to June 8th (5 comp
night) . I am reaching Las Vegas on June 2nd
So I need June 2nd which is continuation booking.
At Rio costing me $200. Don’t mind comp night at
GoldCoast

In your experience, how do you find the best rates? Directly through rental company or through third party?

Personally I use the "travel sites" to give me a feel for the rates available but have found that I get my best deal going direct with the rental Car firms.

HOWEVER I do get at least a 10% discount through work so that may impact my personal pricing. I have found Enterprise to be a good value choice for an extended stay( +7 days) and never have issues with the vehicle. If you look long and hard enough you might save a few bucks elsewhere but you certainly will get a fair deal thru them in my experience.

Best of Luck

I always use orbitz just a personal preference and i book months in advance as soon as schedule comes out i make multiple reservations based on times i may go and then cancel the ones that i dont want cause they dont take deposits and dont charge if you cancel so i have a mid size car for a week for onlye $189!

Good rate - at Enterprise for an Intermediate (which may auto upgrade to "luxury") the weekly rate was $210 BUT that is before all of the FEES AND TAXES Las Vegas loves to add LOL. Kind of like talking hotel prices with people the room rates aren't that bad but the Taxes and Hotel fee's are Killers .

Off-airport locations are the best in most cities precisely because you avoid the airport-specific fees. Enterprise/National USED to be good about allowing more than one coupon when booking...have not used a coupon with them in quite some time so I don't know if that has changed.

The frustrating thing with Enterprise is that the status with National gets little from Enterprise. I've been spoiled by the whole 'pick anything and go' with National only to get stuck with crapboxes from Enterprise and no upgrades.

So what is the full benefit from Diamond once you get it regarding hotel rooms? How many free or discounted rooms can you get in a year? What kind of rate would you have gotten for WSOP if you stayed at Balleys or Harrahs?

From what I've read, it sounds like even 7 Star members no longer get complimentary rooms in 2018 - only guaranteed ones - 72 hours in advance.

I have Diamond status . Booked 2 separate trips
during 2018 WSOP (5 nights each) cost “0”
No Resort Fees .

Typically you'll get 5 comped nights per stay, depending on the property. So, if you stay <= 5 nights, the whole thing is comped. And if more, they will comp you on 5 of the nights, and you'll get discounted rates the other nights.

This won't apply to back to back stays (ie, you can't book 10 nights and count it as two bookings... trying to get the whole thing comped). However, if you have a host or casino rep, you can usually work it out to get more than 5 nights comped for an extended stay. Just be aware that typically has more to do with your level/history of play than it does your diamond status. The status alone works through the automated online reservation system... additional perks will depend on how big a VIP you are.

As for your other questions, I'm not sure if there is a max comped nights per year limit. And the size of the discount rate will depend on the property and specific dates (more popular dates, like EDC weekend will have lower discounts). In my experience, the diamond status discount rates are between 25-75% off published rates for the general public (for nights which aren't comped, of course)

I have a friend who is diamond. His casino host will comp his stay at the rio for the entire month of June.

Comped rooms have nothing to do with whether you're Diamond or not. It's just a coincidence. The size and volume of your play determines comps. I'm Diamond and I hardly get any comps, certainly not on weekends, because I don't gamble much.

I've got 5 comped days at the Rio, during the m/e, and that's just from playing a $1500 last summer.