27 Card Room Poker Tour
To put my experience in good context, it may help to understand my play level and experience. I’m neither a noob, nor an advanced player. I normally play about once a month in the local Indian casinos, usually 2/4 or 3/6 limit. I’ve played the last two years on the same $100 buy in, which now only $400. I’m a bona-fide break-even micro stakes low roller.
I will NOT describe comps, rooms, management, etc, because in reading these trip reports and room reviews for so long, they’ve turned out to be a very good representation of what I found while there. Instead, I’ll summarize my results, because after being home for a week, everything was very much a blur! Below you’ll find the summary, followed by the detail….
SUMMARY
Poker Net >>> +$830 Roulette +$327.
Rooms >>> Of the 27 rooms I saw, these are a MUST SEE: The Venetian (my new gold standard), Mirage, MGM, Bellagio (action!), Binion’s (nostalgic?), Golden Nugget (a family fav, best downtown action), Excalibur (just for the drunk tourist factor).
Players >>> The players I found generally fell in to a few groups, which I learned to avoid, in this order:
1) Locals/comps grinders – especially the elder, Asian or the elderly Asians. No offence intended, ‘cause they really had my number the whole trip! You can’t pry money from them for anything! As a relatively younger man (39) they all have my upmost respect for their patience and endurance.
2) Bottom feeders – you know ‘em, those regulars hanging out at Bills, IP and Excalibur, there for the weakest possible game full of unsuspecting tourists. Yeah, yeah, avoiding the tough games is a smart play, but I could spot you all! But seriously – the bottom feeders were easy to spot, provided some good sport and definitely kept me honest. Some of them were a little crappy, rude or egotistical. Not all tourists were as thick skinned as I.
3) Serious players – the locals, the regulars, the people who are very versed, practiced and just plain good at poker! I don’t mind playing them either, everyone’s beatable with a good hand or occasional bluff. They were a little intimidating on occasion, but overall decent, nice players, made the tables less ‘somber’.
4) Tourists (like me!) – unpredictable (good) and donkish (good), but also unpredictable (bad) and donkish (bad).
DETAIL
The Epic Tour: Friday Day 1
My flight lands me in town at about 11am, I dump my stuff in the room (The Orleans) and immediately jump in!
The Orleans - 12pm, for 2/4 HE -$50 after about 1 hour
Bill's - 2pm, 0.50/1.00 NLHE. +$58, after a 2 hours
O'Shea's - 4pm, 1-5 HE +$5 after 1.5 hours
MGM - 7pm, 1/2 NLHE -$160 after 1/2 hour! (boooo….)
Excalibur - 8:30pm, 1/2 NLHE, +$161 after 3 hours
I cab it back to the Orleans, donate $40 on Roulette, and crash by 1 am.
The Epic Tour: Saturday Day 2
What I first thought was sunrise, I learn by my third day is actually the strip lights. Close your curtains if you don't want to wake up at 5am! I spend the morning unpacking (finally), doing a little work/school work and hopping the hotel's shuttle to the strip again.
IP - 2/4 HE, 10:30 am. +$121 after 2 hours
The Deuce to Freemont. I thought flying was a cattle call, but this bus was packed and ssslllloooooowwww. I saw a guy walking the same direction the bus was traveling, he passed us three times. No joke! In defense of their mass transit - it was Saturday, prime time, great weather, and half the riders were commuting home from work. If you need a bargain, take the Deuce, it gives you a great look at the real strip - not just the glitzy, touristy storefronts of the main casinos on the strip.
Next stop…
Plaza - 2pm, 2/4 HE + $18 after 3/4 hour
Golden Nugget - 4:30 pm, 1/2 NLHE +81 after 2 hours.
Binions - 9pm, 1/2 NL +$383 after 2 hours
Fitzgerald’s 2/4 HE +$20 after 1 hour
A few spins on the roulette wheel to end the night: $40 in $57 out
The Epic Tour: Sunday Day 3
I leave the dang window shades open again, and I‘m up at 6 am. I mill around the room, do a little more homework, and I‘m off for breakfast buffet, and a trip to strip,
Treasure Island - 11:00 tourney. $65 in, $0 out, 43 entries
The Wynn – 1:00pm 4/8 HE game. +$20 after 90 minutes
The Venetian – Wow! 3:30pm +$120 after 1 hour and 45 minutes
The Mirage - 6pm +$78 after 30 minutes!
Caesars - 7pm 1/2 NLHE -$19 after 2 hours
Gold Coast - 9:30om, 2/4 HE. -$30 after 2 hours
A few spins on the roulette wheel to end the night: $40 in $110 out.
The Epic Tour: Monday Day 4
Planet Hollywood 1pm - $60 tournament $0 out
Imperial Palace 4pm 2/4 HE -$2 after 30 minutes
Oshea’s - 4:30 pm 1-5 HE +$40 after 1 hour,
Monte Carlo 6pm 1/2 NLHE -$160 after 3 hours
No roulette spin, just too tired!
The Epic Tour: Tuesday Day 5
Mandalay Bay – 12pm 1/2 NLHE +$1 after 1 hour
Luxor – 4pm, 1/2 NLHE, +$0 after 1/2 hour
Bellagio 7pm 1/2 NLHE. +$1 after 1-1/2 hours
The Flamingo 9:30pm 2/4 HE +$40 after 15 minutes!
The Flamingo 9:45pm 1/2 NLHE +$21 after 1 hour
Crashing by 11:30, after a single roulette spin: $20 in, $0 out.
The Epic Tour: Wednesday Day 6
Orleans 5pm - 4/8 OH8 -$100 after 5 hours!
The Epic Tour: Thursday Day 7
Riviera: 3pm – no games, but I was there!
Circus Circus 3:45pm 3/6 HE +$150 after 1 hour
Stratosphere - 4pm 1/2 NLHE +$150 after 30 minutes
The Rio – 7pm, 1/3 NL HE -$100 after 1 hour
The Palms – 8:30pm, 1/3 NL HE +$125 after 2 hours
I close the trip with one last run at roulette. $50 in, $350 out, hitting my birthday – after openly calling ‘last spin!’ - straight up with a nickel. :)
I wonder what is the most number of rooms other people have hit in one week. 27 is a pretty good number considering. Sounds like you had a good time. Stay away from the red/black wheel of death in the future...
No doubt - I may not have that opportunity again. Having done that once on the strip, I'd definity spend more time in chairs playing in the quality rooms than hiking to another minor card room running 2/4 limit. I can say that my poker education was increased more in a week than in the last year hands down. And the wheel of pain - great name for it! (Bust a deal - face the wheel!')
Next up - Tunica, maybe an OKC/Tulsa tour?
I'm impressed. I've been to Las Vegas a dozen times and think I'm up to 20 rooms total. Three rooms in a day is about all I can handle, unless I squeeze in a short early morning or late night session.
Interesting report,thanks. You did something that I think would be difficult, going back and forth from low, low limit to NL. Did you have trouble adjusting to the $50 or more bets (for example) after playing for $2 or $4 max?
@TRB
a little trouble preflop, but not post flop. having played a bit of both its easy to switch up.
AMAZING! In the many many years I have played in about 6 poker rooms period. I am consistent though. I lose in all of them. Funny, I shop hotel prices like a nut. Get into Bellagio, Encore etc for about $100 a night. Then blow a bundle. It's like driving 10 miles to save 2cents a gallon.
nice tour!!! I'm a homer and I like the dives mostly. Bills, osheas, lux, excal and then hit mgm if I wanna go "ritzy"
Cool report like the style
Amazing accomplishment. I want to do the same on my next trip out. I might keep a $1 chip from every room that I play in as a keepsake.