vegas casinos

[garyg1]

Just got back from vegas this morning on a 4 day trip designed exclusively to scope out as many poker rooms as I enjoyably could to prepare for next trip to vegas this fall for some serious poker playing. Played 2-4, 3-6 and 4-8 limits.

Found Harrah's a nice big room but only one table with players, rest were empty mid afternoon.

Played at Imperial Palace, super friendly management and dealers. Best place I have ever found for a new player to start their new hobby and get comfortable playing the game and not feel intimidated by players or the room itself.

Palace station filled with all local and mostly retired players playing way too tight for enjoyment or profit. Tied with Monte Carlo as my least favorite place to play.

Excalibur had a odd 2-6 game where you could bet anywhere from 2 to 6 dollars at any time during the hand. Mostly locals there the morning I played. Ok room, but nothing special to bring me back.

Monte Carlo had 2 tables full with tourists but 90% were in their late retirement years. Not playing as tight as Palace Station but the mood of the room was not what I would call enjoyable.

Horseshoe downtown was ok with all tourists, glad I can now say I have played there, made a good profit there, but won't go back for serious play. They do have a nice $60 no-limit buy in tournament every day at 2PM that usually gets enough entries to pay over $2000 to win. Would go back for the tournament if they still have it in a couple months.

Luxor was ok too, but nothing to bring me back for more. Just an average poker room experience for me. Tables full late afternoons and evenings.

And my two favorites at which I will do all my playing next trip out are the Mirage and the Mandalay Bay. Both had short waits, full tables, mixture of young and old, nice mixture of local and tourists, just great enjoyable playing. Virtually every player I played with was totally enjoying the atmosphere of the room, the people they were playing with and just really having fun playing poker. Had the most professional and knowledgable dealers anywhere. Love the special jackpots paid out at the Mandalay Bay for anything you get from 4 of a kind up. One player won $380 with a jack high club flush and another won $101 for a 9 high heart flush at my tables. This great jackpot payout will probably bring me back to Mandalay Bay more than the Mirage. Both casinos look very plush and this ritzi look might antaganize or scare off the new player but don't let this happen to you. Just jump in and start playing and you will never enjoy playing poker more playing at these two rooms.

Those are my experiences. I played from noon to 3:30 in the morning a couple of those days. Came back with a profit for the 4 days of playing so going to take an even bigger bank roll and move up to higher limits next trip.