I just returned from a 4 day trip to Vegas, and was looking to play a few "friendly" poker rooms.

First place I checked out was the Riviera, as this was where I was staying. Even on the weekend, there didn't seem to be much going on, as rarely did I witness even 2 tables running. I was going to play in one of their 10am NL tournaments, but only 1 other person showed up for it! The room itself is merely a fenced off area by the slots. I played a little 2-4 limit but this room just seemed dead. Very few people, not much excitement. Cocktail waitresses were few and far between. The entire casino just got brand new carpeting, so at least the room has that going for it. We couldn't even keep enough players to continue with a game beyond an hour, so I picked up stakes and moved on.

Next stop was the Sahara. I knew that staying at the North Strip would limit the number of tourists and wanderers coming into games, but at least hear there always seemed to be a couple of games going. After playing here a few days, I noticed that the players were a mix of regulars, off duty dealers, with the occasional tourist. This made for a pretty tight game, but the atmosphere was actually pretty lively. The dealers were cheerful and talkative, and the tables were actually fun to play at. The room had newer televisions which would've been nice if the one visible from my table didn't have the captions on set to some indecipherable code. This is not what one would call a ritzy room, as the tables have removable rails (a handful of times, a card would be dealt and we would have to lift the rail up, the Wynn this ain't.) Cocktail waitresses aren't much to look at, but did a good job of keeping the drinks coming. The reason I kept coming back to this room was the laid back atmosphere. I really had fun playing here, even though it looks like it's normally full of tight play that isn't conducive to making much money. Fortunately, on this particular day there was an exceedingly nice Scottish gentleman playing who had obviously watched some poker on tv and decided to play. After watching this man literally give his money to everyone at the table (myself included) for over 3 hours, I moved on feeling almost guilty. Nothing much in terms of comps here, as even their bad-beat jackpot total wasn't listed most of the morning.

Last stop this trip was the Excalibur. As expected, there were significantly more people playing here than at my first two rooms. The level of play was a little looser here than I'd seen this trip. I attributed this to A) there were fewer regulars here and B)I was playing around midnight, where the alcohol factor comes into play. Yet another "room" that's actually just a sectioned off piece of the floor, but it was pretty easy to find, and the management was helpful in getting me seated. The dealers were really varied, with some not engaging in any banter, and some who talked so much and so loudly that I mistakenly thought they were obnoxious drunk players at the other tables. I didn't mind the chatter, but there were obviously a few at my table that did. Cocktail waitresses were still not much to look at, but were pretty fast with the service. Far and away, the best thing about playing here is "The Wheel". Anytime a player had Aces cracked, or hit a 4 of a kind or better, they would get to spin a wheel that paid a bonus of at least $20, plus for some reason everything was being doubled the night I played, so my 4 Jacks turned into an extra $100. This turned a slightly down night into a pretty nice one, and there literally seemed to be someone spinning the wheel every 5 minutes, so this is a bonus that's not impossible to attain.

Overall, I met my goal of playing only lower-stress rooms while having some fun and still turning a decent profit. If you're looking to make a huge score, these aren't the rooms for you, but if you're looking for a few decent casual games, I would definitely recommend the Sahara and Excalibur.