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BOYNAMEDSUE · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 12:27 pm Post subject: Las Vegas Reviews

Use this thread to write reviews on hotels, cardrooms, buffets, attractions and anything else that might be important to fellow forumers who are planning to visit Las Vegas.

Imperial Palace Hotel & Casino

3.5/5

The rooms are decent. Nothing too fancy, just a place to sleep and shower. The food wasn't that good. Tried the breakfast buffet, despite warnings not to. I should have listened.

What makes this place a good place to stay is it's only $50 a night (Monday-Thursday) and it's located right right on the middle of the strip. Easy walking distance to the Mirage, Wynn, Venetien, Caesar's Palace, Flamingo, Harrahs, Bellagio, Paris, Fashion Mall.

Loose poker room. Deuce bus stop right across the street.

Big Slick x13x · Forum Icon Joined: 18 Jun 2006 Posts: 4117 Location: ROK

I'm just going to reserve this spot for my review, I recently stayed for 10 days in Vegas and have a good idea of the poker rooms and a few buffets, it will take a while to write and I don't have the time right now.

chillbot · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 12:57 am Post subject:

I dunno... it's easier if someone posts and says "I'm going to Vegas and this is what I'm interested in doing and this is what I want to spend."

I spend tons of time in Vegas and I've stayed at most of the casinos there but it's would take a lot of times to write up reviews, especially if people are going on a different budget than me.

I will say a few things:

- When money was tight I stayed at the Plaza downtown or the Sahara at the Strip. They are old and run down but dirt cheap and you can gamble cheap and play pretty good poker cheap there or nearby. If you stay at the Sahara only venture down the strip towards the Wynn and the Riviera, not in the other direction. The Stratosphere is in the other direction and that area is uncomfortably decrepit. The Stratosphere itself is a dump, I would never venture in there again. Though they do have $1 roulette tables if you're really tight.

- When budget is not as big of a concern I stay at the Venetian. It's pretty much in the middle of the strip and has really amazing suites pretty cheap. The gambling is more expensive but the poker room is beautiful and never too busy. They run great tournaments there. They have HUGE suites for about $160 a night weekday and you feel pampered, like a high roller.

- Recently I stayed at the Rio for the WSOP (I didn't play because we had just had a baby, but I was watching some of my friends play). The Rio sucks, hands down, I hated it. Wouldn't gamble there, and I couldn't judge the poker room because it was moved over to the WSOP but the normal poker room was tiny. The only other casino nearby is the Palms, and that sucked too. Basically the Rio is huge and sprawling; you walk forever and it's a bit run down. They have dancers in the sky which only the elderly watch. Check-in took 2 hours in the middle of the week. I will say it is very geared towards the ladies, so if you're going with your wife she might like it there. If you stay there with your buddies you might feel a little gay.

Here's a story about the Rio: my friend cashed for about $5K in the WSOP and they took his ID so they could get him his money. They said it would take about 2 hours so come back in 2 hours. We walked all the way back to the casino (it's 1 mile from the WSOP convention area to the casino, literally) to gamble and drink heavily (he was sooo pissed about busting out with QQ all in preflop vs AJ.) No one would serve him a beer without his ID. He explained over and over again why he didn't have ID with him, and they basically told him he was not even allowed in the casino without ID. They made him leave the casino. Here's the thing about my friend: he's 40. Not only that, he looks 40. Not only that, he was with his DAD, who looks just like him, and who is about 70. I had my ID, though I'm only 30. He does not look younger than me. Jesus. That sums up my whole experience with the Rio.

honkythunder · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 2:17 am Post subject:

I've been to Vegas a lot. I'm only going to share my 'sure things'. The Red Square in Mandaly Bay is completlely kick ass. They have a bar made of ice, a vodka menu with like 200 vodkas in it, and a fantastic upscale menu.

Also, the restaurant on top of the Stratosphere is top notch.

The bar at Hard Rock is fun to waste an afternoon away at.

etc etc etc etc....

Pete D · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:14 am Post subject:

Mandalay is my favorite... the pool is awesome (love the lazy river, lol). The casino is very nice too... good lighting (not too bright or dark), spacious floor, beautifully decorated. I never played poker there, so I can't comment on that.

Interesting story... I had to be in Vegas a few months ago for work and told my wife to join me for a long weekend (it's about a 90 min flight from the SF Bay Area). She called a few hotels and the cheapest room she could find was about $300/night. Geez! It's not like there was anything going on that weekend either, such as a boxing match.

Anyway, she called the Tropicana (she won about $1,000 there a couple years ago) and asked if they could give her a good deal... they ended up comping her for 3 nights (Fri-Sun)... yeah, it helped that they wanted their money back (my wife is a Roulette junkie), but the lesser-known casinos might be willing to offer you good deals to get you to come to their casino. Btw, I played some poker there that weekend... they have a dumpy 5-table poker room, but it was fun and the dealers were very friendly.

There are so many excellent casinos in Vegas, so it should be interesting to hear other experiences. And as chillbot said, theres something for everyone, depending on what you're looking for.

byamamoto1 · Bay Area Bidness Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 2175

The strip:

The Bellagio is always packed but its a must visit if you're an avid poker player or poker fan. Just walking by the poker room i brushed by Barry Greenstein and saw Doyle and Eli Elezra in Bobby's room (probably waiting to start a game). Also i saw Minh Ly, who was too busy checking out my girl as we were walking by. Also you have to watch the water show outside. it's not the most awesome thing you'll see there, but for a free show and the experience its pretty cool. They have some high end stores in the Bellagio, but i didn't really waste my time there.

The Venetian rooms are incredible. All suites and the rooms are absolutely huge. The bathroom is the size of certain hotel rooms, no joke. Only knock against it that the rooms are extremely far to get to. if you plan on having many drunken adventures, it will definitely be a pain in the ass for you to get back to your room. In one tower, you have to take an elevator up to another lobby, from there walk across to the tower and take another elevator up. serious hassle. The poker room is also great and huge too. There are plasma screens everwhere and its a pretty chill environment. If you're there with a spouse/date/hooker, then you might want to take her shopping in the mall at the Venetian. They have gondola rides that go through the hotel and back outside. Also a must, you have to go to TAO nightclub if you can get in. Most cracking place ever...

Paris has nice rooms and its also connected to Bally's. Both are on the lighter side of the gambling spectrum and you can play relatively cheap there if your "conservative" like i am. Bally's also has some nice, cheap poker tournaments going on everyday. Not a lot of sharks, mostly tourists in these. Very chill environment and the dealers are pretty friendly there. One of the roulette dealers personally taught me how to play roulette while i was there and i've been hooked on the game since.

Caesar's is a definite must visit while there. They have a huge shopping mall within the hotel and might i say, the beezies flock to it. So many hot girls everywhere it'll blow your mind. They've got a few places to get drinks inside the mall, including a stand where you can get the 'Yard' which has i think the equivalent of like 13 shots or something. if that doesn't put you over the top to start the day, then big ups to ya. Also at night they have a few tables where they have Pussycat doll dancers dance behind the dealers on poles. If you go, you definitely have to either play there for a bit, or just enjoy the view Very Happy

Downtown:

The Golden Nugget is kind of a quiet spot, not too much craziness going on there. The poker room is a decent size, maybe 10 tables, but the dealers are extremely friendly. The play there is yummy, and if you're a decent poker player looking to boost your income, that place would be the spot to go, especially during the late night time. I didn't play much at the tables so i couldn't tell you about that, but the environment of the Golden Nugget seems pretty relaxed. Dark lighting, but definitely somewhere to visit if you're in the downtown area

Main Street, not the hotel but the actual main street, is a must visit. They have amazing light shows going on overhead and its something that will not only catch your attention, but will make you stop to watch if its your first time seeing it. Supposedly theres like 3 different shows, but the one i saw was one of ALL GIRLS, dressed in different outfits dancing. Just imagine this on the biggest HD TV you've ever seen in your life. Also there are a lot of little 'casinos' there but the main thing you're going for is the alcohol. They sell the 'football' which is a football looking mug filled with your favorite liquor of choice. another must for the avid drinker.

Fremont, Binions, Main Street, The Cal, are all good places to play for cheap. Their limits would be the equivalent to the micro's on FT. they even have a blackjack table at The Cal which was $3. if you're just going to have a little fun and not get too out of hand with gambling, then the downtown area would be the place to go. I didn't have a chance to check out Binion's but from what i heard their tournaments are very winnable. late at night they have 2 table tournaments, top 3 getting paid. it's very winnable and basically like a sng. long structure too as well, so you get lots of play. if you're looking to get into something like that, then binions is a good place to visit, poker-wise.

BOYNAMEDSUE · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 2:56 pm Post subject:

Also on Fremont Street, Fitzgerald's. Lots of cheap action. Friendly atmosphere. Had a good time playing some $5 blackjack there.

spike420211 · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:11 pm Post subject:

probly not a place for a Q., but here goes...
been maybe 10 years since i've been to vegas...
do any of the casinos still spread 1-5$ stud?

chillbot · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:49 pm Post subject:

KronX · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject:

The Casino Royale.

Conveniently located across the street from THE MIRAGE casino, between HARRAH'S and THE VENETIAN!

Great location in the middle of the strip. The rooms are ok mabey a 5 outa 10. nothing special, but if you just need a place to sleep and shower you'll be fine. The dining isn't so great Outback steak house, Dennys, and Subway. You can gets this food anywhere,so I say go eat somewhere more "vegas".

But they have the lowest limits of any games on the strip. Penny slots, $0.25 roulette (haven't seen this anywhere but here). If you buy $20 worth of chips you will feel like a high roller. They have Blackjack Switch. You have to play 2 hands but you can switch any two cards. Its a small casino area but if you want to play cheap on the Strip this is the place.

If you want to drink at a bar cheap on the Strip this is the place. $1 beers and the cheapest shots and mixed drinks on the strip.

The Casino Royale. Great Location, cheapest games, and cheapest drinks on the Strip.

audsb · Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 2:58 pm Post subject:

i like the poker room at the sahara because it is not pretentious.
i like the pool at the stratosphere at sunset. they have a 'grotto' hot tub area like at the playboy mansion.

BOYNAMEDSUE · Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 3:17 pm Post subject:

bluffmanxx · Two Pair Joined: 01 Nov 2006 Posts: 58 Location: nor cal

Best $5 steak dinner anywhere is at Ellis Island casino...corner of Flamingo and Koval way...it is actually pretty decent and is a full steak dinner with baked potato, veggies and salad for the price of a fast food meal.

Just ask for the steak special - it's not on the menu.

One other warning...the cabbies know how to get you there, but you might have to hoof it a couple of blocks back to the strip or flag down a cab on the street since there is seldom a cab waiting.

tacoman98 · High Card Joined: 14 Jan 2006 Posts: 19

Off Strip poker - The Orleans has like 35 to 40 tables and 2 tourneys a day.

Fri, Sat, and Sun night deep stack (5000) with 30 minute levels for $105 buy in. I played in 4 while there last week. None had less than 80 players and Friday night had over 200. Great place to get live experience. Other than the weekend nights, all of the other tourny's were like $40 buy in for 1250 stack with one $40 rebuy for 2000 chips. All are $5 bounty games as well as some $20 bounties for notables, such as dealers playing.

The rooms were decent, also. A little larger than most of the 3 star hotels. Fair rates, but you'll need a car or take the coach to Bill's (across from Bally's) to get to the strip.

I've stayed at the cheaper strip hotels (Strat and Sahara), a couple of the mid priced (Luxor and Excaliber) and the Orleans is a better deal, for me. Another room I liked for mid price was at the South Point. But, again a car is needed.

BOYNAMEDSUE · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 9:19 am Post subject:

Fashion Mall

3 out of 5

BNS loves to shop! The Fashion Mall is very nice, but most of the stores are pricey. There also isn't a lot of variety. It's mostly designer clothing. The main reason I liked the Fashion Mall is that is has a Sharper Image store. Not a big deal for you Yanks, but a big deal for us Canadians who love gadgets. I didn't want to spend too much (I could have, I was like a kid in a candy store) so I just bought a garment steamer and a hand held fan that sprays mist. Ahhhhhhhhh.

Also, decent food court.

Flamingo Poker Room

3.75 out of 5

I liked this room. It's close to the exit on Flamingo so depending on where you're sitting it can have an outdoorsy feel. Took some old lady's money playing $2/4 LHE, got my aces cracked and won a small 'aces never lose' bonus they run during the weekdays, and donked out a monster pot. I just hung my head and stacked my chips.

Harrah's Poker Room

3 out of 5

I didn't like this room as much. I prefer open style rooms, and this one is glassed off. Quiet, though. Some people will appreciate that. Wasn't bustling like the other rooms.

Rio Poker Room (During the WSOP)

5 out of 5

Great place to play live poker. The room is huge, and there's something about playing poker in the room where the WSOP takes place. Watched some of the 50k HORSE main table while I waited for a seat to become available. Less little old ladys, and more younger folk makes for a great time at the tables. I played $4/8 LHE, and they gave me all $1 chips, so I felt like a big stack, even though I only sat with 30 bbs. Mimi Tran was chewing out a dealer at the table next to ours, and famous pros were to be seen all over the room.

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