Originally posted on 06/14/2017:

A couple of thoughts:

Bring a light jacket in case your poker room is a freezer...I'd say that 30% of players wear a jacket/sweatshirt.
You really don't want to buy one in the gift shop for an arm and a leg.

All of you should check out www.bravopokerlive.com/venues/ and put the app on your phone.
You can filter results by State, but it is best to enter "89103" in the Zip Code box and "6" in the Search Radius box. Click the "Apply Filters" button and you'll have all the rooms in Vegas that might interest you, including the Golden Nugget.

You can see how many tables are going at each poker room...the game types being spread, blinds, how many on the waiting list, etc. When you click on a specific room you will need to log in using your Facebook, Yahoo, or any of several such sites. Once you are logged in and have clicked on the room you're interested in, you will see the phone number to call and put your name on the waiting list (you will stay on the list for an hour...never just walk in, that's -EV ). You can also click on the "tournaments" tab in each room and learn what tourneys they have... buyins, structure, etc.

The rake has gone up around town...Bellagio (and I guess the Aria) went to $5. The Mirage is $5 rake + $2 jackpot. That's $7 on every pot >=$50...tough to beat a 1/2 game like that for a decent hourly rate. Harrah's is $5 + $1 jackpot. Caesar's Palace is the only $4 rake that I know of... it's 1/2 blind.

If you want to see the famous players, the best spot is Bellagio. Today the high limit room was jammed.
Phil Ivey, Gus Hansen, Johnny Chan and many others were there.

Bellagio is a good place to play if you want to change games/limits. They have 8 tables IN the sportsbook and have 1/3 and 2/5 NLH games there. Play poker and watch a game on the big screens...you can get a bet down in less than a minute without missing a hand.

I wish you all good luck and I hope to put a face with your SBR username.