Checked in to the MGM on Wed. for 3 nights. The wife and I have been playing free bar poker for about 8 months, but never "real" poker. This was also our first time to Vegas. We started by entering the 1pm tournament at O'Shea's as a warm-up ($45). I'd recommend this for any beginner or anyone with a beginner. I agree with previous posts that this place is 2nd or 3rd rate as a poker room, but I appreciate that they don't aspire to be anything more than that. The dealers start the tournament with a brief explanation of the rules/etiquette. Also, the dealers were quite informal and funny. Anyway, my wife placed 2nd for approx. $170. We entered the same tournament on Thur...I placed 2nd for $230. I placed 3rd on Fri for $180. It's a fun little tournament with an informal vibe. The dealers and poker room mgr recognized my wife and I on our 2nd visit and treated us very well...thanks Steve, Danny, Amanda, Joey, and Barry!!!

On the other hand, I probably logged in around 16hrs of 1-2NL at the MGM. I LOVED this place, as well!!! I started at approx. 5am Thur, Fri, and Sat, playing until about 10am. The players were loose (I'm pretty tight), the dealers were VERY professional, and management was good. I like the way the poker room is in the middle of the casino...the railbirds make a 1-2 seem like high stakes poker.

The wife and I played the 11am tournament both Thur and Fri ($65 per person). We both busted out, but it seemed to be conducted well. Again, the railbirds made it feel like you were in a high profile event.

The room was spacious and we never had a long wait for a table. Although nobody from the table cared (I don't think)a British guy was removed from our table because he couldn't refrain from using the F word.

At these tables, patience pays. Most 1-2NL flops (MGM) were seen for $2-7. Of the 3 1-2NL pots that I saw >$700: I won one, split one, and watched another.

My wife and I observed the rooms at Ceasar's and Bellagio. We prefer the MGM. Where else can you play 1-2NL while watching live lions?

Again, O'Shea's was a great place to learn brick and mortar rules, etc. MGM is a great place to experience pure professionalism.

I love this site and hope that this post helps future poker visitors.