[povis]

I was planning to go in Las vegas this summer for poker, but my friend said you need huge amount of money if you plan to stay longer (1-2 months). He said it gets worse and worse every year compared to similar destinations in Asia or EU. I am not a big complainer but if this going to continue many foreigners will choose to stay in Europe like Spain or UK whitch is way less fun and that's not good for entire poker ecosystem. Any thoughts? apart from my poor english i sorry for that.

[captrobey]

Yea i agree not anywhere near what it was when i was younger 30 years back. Rooms were dirt cheap and so was all the food. Next to nothing you could get a room with food included they just wanted you to gamble there.

I know when i went to the AVI (Not in Vegas) they still had some nice deals. An Indian casino they had a movie theater in there too and had really good packages. I think (A couple years back) they had a deal for 2 people $33 a room 2 movie tickets with a small soda and popcorn included for each person and free breakfast for 2 .

[VeggieDog]

Last year I did a little checking online and it looked like there were good deals up by Reno. Seems there's a lot of winter/ski vacation rentals that are empty during the summer months and the monthly rent wasn't too steep.

[StackinGreen]

Been there almost 20 years straight and it was right around 2007-2008 where it changed from a reasonable place to the restaurant, club, "what goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas" overpriced, overrated city

I like to go for 2-3 days now and again, but just for sports. Over that time period casino games have become essentially unplayable, the house edge has been going up every single year. I used to think slots were silly now it's more fun just to get entertainment out of them sitting for a long while, similar to sports. Opposed to playing blackjack for like 15 minutes, lol

[captrobey]

I still enjoy walking down the strip looking at stuff. Although back when the pirate ship was there is when i last remember there being good deals. They had the free ss sake how at the ship remember that pirates falling in the water and all that. Then you could go to any casino and get a next to free buffet . I still enjoy going down the strip just for old times sake . Last time we drove out to area 51 too that is a couple hours away . We used to stay at Lake Havasu so we would land in Vegas and walk around a bit then drive out there.

[gojetsgomoxies]

could not agree more with the general tone of this thread.

i really liked the idea of the old desert inn.... rooms, gambling, restaurants, golf, fitness etc. all close together. like staying at a nice resort that has a good casino..........

things like LINQ/Flamingo/Harrah's are so awful in so many ways. can't believe that complex meets the needs of any guests - it was cheap and the room was actually good but beyond that a disaster. and now they charge for parking.

i think when i next go to LV for sports - probably the one reason i'd go, maybe shopping - i will stay at a suburban casino/resort or even somewhere like laughlin and just to the strip on 1 or 2 days out of the whole week or something like that. not sure how close laughlin is but i know the highway trip would be pretty trivial with nice 4 lane highway and few cars.

i would think the big casino whales would want something like the old desert inn too.... lots of highly accessible activitiies close together.

the whole vegas as high end dining, nightclub "what happens in vegas....." is to me vomit-inducing

one thing i will say is that the old model of everything being cheap but you gave it back with gaming losses wouldn't work these days. too many non-gamblers.

[BigdaddyQH]

My father was a G.C. and worked on several Vegas Hotels, most of which are gone now (Dunes, Sands, Riviera, Hacienda). The two that are left (Caesars and the Tropicana) have gone through more ownership changes that a poor sports team. Back in the day, the Casino (Mob) ran Vegas hotels. The only thing that was important was that these hotels broke even, and the Casino's took care of that by tracking their "Comps" and paying the Hotels for those "Comps". The players were treated to free cigarettes, drinks, and sometimes meals. The "High Rollers" got a lot more. Back in those days, the players for the most part, had class.

Jump to today. The Hotels are owned by Chains like Harrah's, MGM Resorts (Hyatt), Caesars entertainment (Starwood), and others, whose sole goal is to make as much money as possible. That means getting the highest price possible for their rooms and meals. The young patrons at these hotels have very little, if any class. Many are the 21-40 year old "Macho men" or "Yuppies" who cannot spell their names, much less actually think on their two feet. All they think about is impressing people, even though none of them can afford it. They are also very lazy, and would rather throw their money away on slots or the Sports Book, than play the table games at much better odds. Sound familiar? There are many of these yahoos in this site.

If you think you are a good poker player, simply pay the entry fee for the tourney you are interested in and they will make sure you get a nice room at a very reasonable rate. If you cannot afford that, do not play. By the way, What goes on in Vegas has stayed in Vegas for over 75 years. Some of you guys will buy anything.

[gojetsgomoxies]

big daddy, good comments.. much appreciated..... not sure how many yuppies stay on the vegas strip though.

what kills me is all the fees.

i stayed at LINQ. very cheap and nice room. nice front desk staff too.............

BUT, my reservation expressly stated there was no resort fee. that's why i chose that option. but the hotel operator told me " take it up with priceline, we charge the resort fee to everyone"


assuming you know about the resort fee......... where's the resort exactly? the pool and gym closed at 7 pm or something similar........$5 to buy water in the lobby/casino when they've already charged "resort fee". you think that might cover free water - like from a water cooler and paper cups.

now they've hived the parking out of the resort fee and charge for that.

mark my words... 5 years from now they'll hive off internet access because the parking and internet access is how they get you comfortable with resort fee... note: technically parking was mostly free and unattended so you weren't really getting free parking as part of the resort fee. but not sure how many people thought like that.

[StackinGreen]

They are also very lazy, and would rather throw their money away on slots or the Sports Book, than play the table games at much better odds. Sound familiar? There are many of these yahoos in this site.

Generally agree with you with your last post, but this is a real head scratcher. I'm not sure if you said that because I casually mentioned slots and sports as ways to get time value of entertainment, but the weird thing is that table games (did you read my post?) have been getting increasingly unplayable to the point that it's a joke.

All in all, of course it was better when the Mob ran it but also, we have to remember that as technology increased and tracking of all sorts did as well, also with bigger government, the post 1980s era was always gonna be destined for decline, which of course really started in the late 90s after our mid 90s peak. It's not like money laundering was going to get easier over time.

[BigdaddyQH]

I meant nothing about you personally. All I am saying is that today's group of 21-35 year olds are not nearly as intelligent as in previous years, and that they have become increasingly lazy. I do not understand why you think that the table games are any different than they were 25 years ago. I will guarantee you that you can still find a Crap table or a Blackjack table where the rules are the same as they were in the 80's. Today's group is easily suckered into the allure of winning a huge sum all at once. I call it the Lottery Syndrome.

Unfortunately the major hotel chains have done just as much to ruin Vegas as anyone else, by charging the resort fees (also getting rather popular in Hawaii and other areas), parking fees, and just about everything else that was once either free or comped. This is one reason why I rarely deviate from my routine when I go to Vegas. There are certain hotels I stay at, certain restaurants I eat at, and certain casino's that I play at. The same holds true for all of my friends, as we normally all have the same goal for our trips to Vegas. These hotels and casino's know what we want, what we will accept, and what we will NOT accept. If they do not take care of us, screw them. We move on. You play the hotel. Do not allow the hotel to play you. There are way too many hotels in Vegas that want your business 350 days out of the year. Do not be afraid to wheel and deal with them.

[Snowball]

I was planning to go in Las vegas this summer for poker, but my friend said you need huge amount of money if you plan to stay longer (1-2 months). He said it gets worse and worse every year compared to similar destinations in Asia or EU. I am not a big complainer but if this going to continue many foreigners will choose to stay in Europe like Spain or UK whitch is way less fun and that's not good for entire poker ecosystem. Any thoughts? apart from my poor english i sorry for that.

There are many casinos in the US which offer poker tournaments.
I can play any card game or poker I want right in New England or a quick bus/train/drive to Atlantic City,
there is no reason to bother with Vegas unless you want the tourist destination stuff, the largeness,
all that you're going to pay for.. and seriously many do go for the legal hookers. Which is stupid because
hookers are everywhere (I personally don't use them, ever) .. and so is pari-mutuel and slots.. card games,
entertainment, etc. etc. it's loaded - Vegas is nothing without prostitution and cash sports betting.

You might want to look at other places if all you want is a poker tournament.
Research other American casinos.
Remember in poker tournaments you need luck, I don't care who you are.
Also remember the hugest tournaments attract the hugest competition and sharks.

[Enkhbat]

What about for sports bettors? any other options than Las Vegas?

[MalikHusam]

I meant nothing about you personally. All I am saying is that today's group of 21-35 year olds are not nearly as intelligent as in previous years, and that they have become increasingly lazy. I do not understand why you think that the table games are any different than they were 25 years ago. I will guarantee you that you can still find a Crap table or a Blackjack table where the rules are the same as they were in the 80's. Today's group is easily suckered into the allure of winning a huge sum all at once. I call it the Lottery Syndrome.

Unfortunately the major hotel chains have done just as much to ruin Vegas as anyone else, by charging the resort fees (also getting rather popular in Hawaii and other areas), parking fees, and just about everything else that was once either free or comped. This is one reason why I rarely deviate from my routine when I go to Vegas. There are certain hotels I stay at, certain restaurants I eat at, and certain casino's that I play at. The same holds true for all of my friends, as we normally all have the same goal for our trips to Vegas. These hotels and casino's know what we want, what we will accept, and what we will NOT accept. If they do not take care of us, screw them. We move on. You play the hotel. Do not allow the hotel to play you. There are way too many hotels in Vegas that want your business 350 days out of the year. Do not be afraid to wheel and deal with them.

hopefully you don't still buy same pussy you did in the 80s

[MalikHusam]

big daddy, good comments.. much appreciated..... not sure how many yuppies stay on the vegas strip though.

what kills me is all the fees.

i stayed at LINQ. very cheap and nice room. nice front desk staff too.............

BUT, my reservation expressly stated there was no resort fee. that's why i chose that option. but the hotel operator told me " take it up with priceline, we charge the resort fee to everyone"

how much was resort fee and did you recover it from priceline

[StackinGreen]

I meant nothing about you personally. All I am saying is that today's group of 21-35 year olds are not nearly as intelligent as in previous years, and that they have become increasingly lazy. I do not understand why you think that the table games are any different than they were 25 years ago. I will guarantee you that you can still find a Crap table or a Blackjack table where the rules are the same as they were in the 80's. Today's group is easily suckered into the allure of winning a huge sum all at once. I call it the Lottery Syndrome.

Unfortunately the major hotel chains have done just as much to ruin Vegas as anyone else, by charging the resort fees (also getting rather popular in Hawaii and other areas), parking fees, and just about everything else that was once either free or comped. This is one reason why I rarely deviate from my routine when I go to Vegas. There are certain hotels I stay at, certain restaurants I eat at, and certain casino's that I play at. The same holds true for all of my friends, as we normally all have the same goal for our trips to Vegas. These hotels and casino's know what we want, what we will accept, and what we will NOT accept. If they do not take care of us, screw them. We move on. You play the hotel. Do not allow the hotel to play you. There are way too many hotels in Vegas that want your business 350 days out of the year. Do not be afraid to wheel and deal with them.

Understood. I'm referring to if one goes generically to the Strip, table games are horrible compared to the past (even 3 card poker in just 5-6 years) not disputing that there are casinos out there that offer 3/2 blackjack, for example, still.

[Optional]

BUT, my reservation expressly stated there was no resort fee. that's why i chose that option. but the hotel operator told me " take it up with priceline, we charge the resort fee to everyone"

I thought the same thing the first time I booked with Expedia, but realized after I complained that Expedia quoted me the full price inc resort fees but had not charged my card for that part at the time I booked.

[BigdaddyQH]

Understood. I'm referring to if one goes generically to the Strip, table games are horrible compared to the past (even 3 card poker in just 5-6 years) not disputing that there are casinos out there that offer 3/2 blackjack, for example, still.

I think one of the problems is that they are always coming up with new table games which look great, but naturally favor the house. They depend on the total lack of education and understanding by today's younger players to sucker them into playing these games. Stick to a simple blackjack table (single deck preferably) with surrender options and double down or split options on any hand and you will do just fine. Occasionally you will find a game where you can double down after splitting a hand. Normally this is found on a table using multiple decks, but the advantage far outweighs the disadvantage. Craps is Craps. You either know how to play the game or not. If you do know how, you know the difference between 6 TO 1 and 6 FOR one. It is tricks like the language that always trip up the wanna-be pros who do not know what they are doing.

[TheMoneyShot]

Reading these posts about Vegas is very deflating. I'd like to go at least once a year... but hearing about all the fees... and high prices stops me from going.

What the hell is going on in Vegas? Why aren't they giving people deals?

[gojetsgomoxies]

as per the questions on resort fees,

1) the front desk went and looked at my reservation and then waived the resort fees - technically refunded me as they'd already charged the fees... not certain that they saw that i was right. probably saw that i was right or that it was ambiguous.... $35 x 3 or 4 nights. they refunded all the nights. i just can't remember the number of nights. was on a $50 room - memory?? - at the LINQ

2

2) as per my misreading/misinterpreting..... i was very aware of resort fees..... i went through twenty choices. 19 had a resort fee. the 20th had a line "fees due at hotel" = ZERO... unfortunately, that was before choosing. after choosing they replace it with "fees may be due at hotel"... my guess is that the hotel reservation was supposed to have resort fees i.e. some sort of glitch, but i didn't know that.

two of my friends went to vegas for 1st time in last year....... 1st was with daughter for HS graduation. package tour for elton john concert... 2nd won free trip......... neither had any idea whatsoever about resort fee and of course many people think even if there is resort fee that "i just won't use resort" which i think might have been ok when the fee was originated....... anyway, these guys were livid. they may have ticked or initialized some very very generic language about more fees but they may think that's to use the phone etc. i.e. incidentals.

one thing about resort fees........ your comp of some $50 room doesn't look so good when you are paying $35 resort fee although that $50 room is also paying resort fee.

i saw someone else mention it but any thought on vegas non-strip or places like laughlin, pahrump, primm etc... i know primm is probably a nothing place.. my interests are ease of life, pool, golf, minimally functional shopping etc.

[Yazworm91]

Being in Tennessee Harrahs properties are what's close so when I go to Vegas that's where I stay because I get comped and I try to go twice a year and these resort fees still piss me off every time. Watch BJ on the strip and downtown trying to pay you 6 to 5 vs 3 to 2. For the most part I only play Craps so not much they can change to increase the edge besides what Harrahs does now with the Field.

[StackinGreen]

^ like I said, table games at the strip, every year get worse

blackjack, then 3 card poker, I stopped looking at other games knowing they would too become more and more a rip

If i want to win 4-5 figures I just sack up on sports and have a much greater chance of pulling a fun payday. What's more? I get hours of entertainment.

[Darkside Magick]

Downtown Vegas is better suited for gambling
The Strip is catering to club folks to buy overpriced Champagne and such

[darrell74]

as per the questions on resort fees,

1) the front desk went and looked at my reservation and then waived the resort fees - technically refunded me as they'd already charged the fees... not certain that they saw that i was right. probably saw that i was right or that it was ambiguous.... $35 x 3 or 4 nights. they refunded all the nights. i just can't remember the number of nights. was on a $50 room - memory?? - at the LINQ

2

2) as per my misreading/misinterpreting..... i was very aware of resort fees..... i went through twenty choices. 19 had a resort fee. the 20th had a line "fees due at hotel" = ZERO... unfortunately, that was before choosing. after choosing they replace it with "fees may be due at hotel"... my guess is that the hotel reservation was supposed to have resort fees i.e. some sort of glitch, but i didn't know that.

two of my friends went to vegas for 1st time in last year....... 1st was with daughter for HS graduation. package tour for elton john concert... 2nd won free trip......... neither had any idea whatsoever about resort fee and of course many people think even if there is resort fee that "i just won't use resort" which i think might have been ok when the fee was originated....... anyway, these guys were livid. they may have ticked or initialized some very very generic language about more fees but they may think that's to use the phone etc. i.e. incidentals.

one thing about resort fees........ your comp of some $50 room doesn't look so good when you are paying $35 resort fee although that $50 room is also paying resort fee.

i saw someone else mention it but any thought on vegas non-strip or places like laughlin, pahrump, primm etc... i know primm is probably a nothing place.. my interests are ease of life, pool, golf, minimally functional shopping etc.

Look into Station Casinos
Red Rock, Green Valley are nice
Palace is on the strip but not as nice
Santa Fe is my favorite, but not great for tourists
SunCoast, Rampart has a nifty looking golf course across the street.
Nice casinos, nice neoghborhood

[picantel]

Went to Vegas a couple of months ago and am going back next month for 3 nights. Here are my offers:

Mlife: have 68k points. they offered me one free night starting at their mid hotels. I still have to pay the resort fee

Wynn: only 700 points. They offered me 3 nights for free in an encore king suites+no resort fee+$150 freeplay.

Gee I wonder who will be getting my business.