Tips for Playing Poker in Vegas
Poker will always be synonymous with Las Vegas. Sin City is the top poker destination in the United States. Many of the world’s best poker rooms are located right on the Las Vegas Strip. The greatest poker series in the world – the World Series of Poker – takes place in Las Vegas. And there are other major poker events throughout the year in Vegas such as the World Poker Tour. When you come to Las Vegas to play poker, you’re going to be in for a treat.
You won’t have to drive far to find a game. In fact, your hotel will likely have a poker room. If there isn’t one at your hotel, there will be one nearby. Poker is everywhere in Las Vegas. There are more poker rooms in Vegas than anywhere else in the world. With that said, not every poker room is going to be right for you. In order to have an enjoyable experience, it’s important for you to find the perfect poker room based on your skill level, the games you play, and your bankroll.
The Poker room at the MGM Grand is always a good place to play.
Where you’ll find the most pros
Without question, the best poker rooms in Las Vegas are at Bellagio and Aria. Venetian is a close third. These poker rooms are fantastic places to play. You may even get to see a celebrity or one of the famous poker pros you’ve seen on TV. However, even though Aria and Bellagio are top rated poker rooms doesn’t mean they are the right places for you to play. These poker rooms attract some pretty tough sharks. Sure, there are plenty of fish also that play at Aria and Bellagio, but if you are more of a recreational or inexperienced player, perhaps it’s best to play elsewhere.
These are tough poker rooms for novice players. If you are a serious poker player, you absolutely should play in these rooms. The $125 daily tournaments are profitable at Aria. Bellagio has the best cash game action in town, so long as you’re a skilled player. And Venetian also has some profitable daily tournaments and will spread just about any cash game.
Where you’ll find the loosest action and most fish
There are a ton of poker rooms with loose cash game action that are filled with players that are negative-EV players. Poker rooms such as:
- Mirage
- Caesars Palace
- M Resort
- Golden Nugget
- Green Valley Ranch
- Wynn
- Binons
- MGM Grand
- Planet Hollywood
These casinos have loose games and oh so many donkeys at the table. Very few pros play in these poker rooms. Most of the players are tourists just looking to spend a few hours drinking beers and playing a casual game of poker.
Although the pros don’t spend much time in these poker rooms, they are surprisingly well run poker rooms. They don’t have the aesthetic appeal of Aria, Venetian, or Bellagio, but they are clean, comfortable, and fun poker rooms.
Take advantage of poker room comps
Every poker room gives out comps. The top poker rooms such as Aria and Bellagio give out the best comps ($2 per hour on cash games). Most poker rooms give players $1 per hour in comps on cash games. If you play 20 hours of cash game poker at Bellagio, for example, you’ll have $40 to use towards a nice dinner. Make sure you sign up for a players card before playing and give your card to the dealer when you sit down at the table so that you earn comps right away. Vegas poker rooms give out better comps than most casinos around the country because there is so much local competition. Comps add up fast, so take advantage.
Don’t blow your poker winnings on other forms of gambling
If you’re coming to Las Vegas to play poker, stick with that plan. Las Vegas presents many temptations you don’t have elsewhere. You’ll find slot machines and table games on darn near every block. Beer is available 24/7. Many poker players come to Vegas with the intention of spending their money on nothing more than poker, a hotel, and airfare. But they end up dumping their poker money into other casino games.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t go out and have some fun. By all means, go out for a few drinks and live it up in Sin City. But you need to show some restraint or you’ll dump your entire poker bankroll on one trip. If you win a few hundred bucks at the poker table, take that money back to your room. Don’t dump it into the shiny Wheel of Fortune slot machine. Have fun, but be responsible.