Wynn and Bellagio NL Un-capped Buy-in Poker Review (As Per Request)

I had several PM's asking me to make this it's own post because it is caught inbetween a flame war. Here you go.

The Wynn no cap games and most games in the city have much higher min buys than online.

Wynn:
1-3: $100-no cap
2-5: $200-no cap
5-10: $500-no cap
10-20: $600-no cap
25-50 (VERY rarely goes, went during the series a bunch): $2000-no cap

the 10-20 and 25-50 DO go at Bellagio and they have the same buy-in structure on those games.

As for the players/avg. buyins

Wynn:

1-3: Many of the players in this game are college aged nits. They have no bankroll, but maybe play online and are taking shots, but you can tell they get real upset deep inside when they get stacked if they short-buy the $100 to start. Mayve 3-4 of the 9-10 will buy-in for $100. They are generally nits, but sometimes people who have never played before and are looking for a relatively cheap experience. Almost everyone else buys in for $300. They range from locals, to drunks, to nts, really depends on time of day and day of week. It is usually a loose/passive game and can be crushed easily. You sometimes get 1-2 cowboys on each table who bring $1K-10K. The game can sometimes get deeper on average on certain nights when the smaller stacks are doubling up. Many of the deepstacks do not play them well and I usually try to cover whenever I am in.

2-5: It is much rarer for people to have min buys and much more likely they will have more people with more than $500 as well. The games get can really deep and there are many good young professional players as well as many donks. This is another time of day, day of week, time of season type game.

5-10: The game on average is much less of an action game then it used to be. On weekends it is usually an insanely awesome game. You can usually tell the game is good if there is at least one full must-move. Most of the players in this game are regulars that buy-in from $1K-$6K and a few who buy-in more (like Grant, you will know who I'm talking about, he will make sure of it, commenting on how awesome he is [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] ). For the most part, the regulars aren't anything special. Some are solid, but many are weak/tight or too predictable in another manner once you get to know how they play. There are a few that can be pretty aggressive/tricky. When the game is full of them, it is usually just worth sitting in a different game even though it is generally always beatable. When the game really gets going, there are some semi-regular gambling types that play the game and get the game really damn good. They usually show on weekends in primetime poker hours and you can get a really deep, really good game. They are rarer these days it seems, but kind of making a comeback ever since Wynn introduced tournaments. The weekend tourists or business tourists have wide ranges, but all suck trememdous donkey dick. Many buy-in for $500. You can tell everything about them very quickly and usually they are just suckers that may be wealthy business men or just have enough to put in a game like that. Some of the tourists buy-in for more, some of the wealthy ones too. I've been in a game with Antoine Walker which may have been the best game I have ever sat in. He was about $8K deep. There are times when other celebs show up, but much more so at Bellagio.


Bellagio:
10-20: Almost the exact same description as the 5-10 at the Wynn with a couple of differences. More regulars in this game are not weak/tight or predictable. They are pretty tough players. If you don't see that the game is any good, not worth sitting. The game is usually deeper than $2K a person on average with more $10K+ stacks. You will still get all the things mentioned in the Wynn review. More celebs and other people can really get the game going. I sat with Joe Hachem in this game the other day. He played a solid, but really active style that night. He also talked a lot and told lots of stories/jokes. The table played incredibly loose and fast thanks to him and I got to reep the rewards, especially being on his left and not really having to deal with him. He was a standup guy and from the couple hours that I saw him play, a solid player.

This game gets extra good whenever something like a WPT is at the Bellagio or during the month of March, and other things like that. If there are 6 must-moves, the game will be FANTASTIC.

There are a lot of LAGS, especially if you play soon as the Swedish guys are still here, and the regulars love seeing flops. Just think your moves through and don't do anything extra stupid and it is a fun/profitable game.

25-50: Game is generally deep. Doesn't go too often on non-weekends unless something is going on in town or it is a busy month of the year. There usually is at least one or two really soft spots to make the game worth sitting, but sometimes the game is filled with great whites. I usually try to take advantage on the side in a game like this. Let's say Antonio Esfandiari (who play this regularly) is in. He usually plays fast and can tilt really easily. He may go to war with a certain player and just play crazy (more so in 10-20). Even if he is still play well, I usually gun after the guys that turn really loose/passive or over-agressive trying to snap him off. Lot's of people steam and steam hard at these levels, well all the levels, but more cash here [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]


BTW, a generally statement on all levels at least in Vegas: Most of the regulars/locals are not winning players. I would say most are breakeven/slighlty loosing players.

[Percula]

Now all we need is for LApoker17, EL D or RBK to do the same for the LA rooms.

Maybe I'll give a more extensive review in proper english when I run out of pot.

Larry David hit the nail pretty much on the head here. Since I've spent a good amount of visitor time at the Wynn (one of the casinos I play at regularly while in Vegas), I would like to throw my comments in there as well.

Players/buyins:

1-3 NL: I have spent most of my time at this game, and think that it is really one of the best games on the strip in terms of game selection, if not the best (for NLHE, I think the 10/20 half-kill O8 game is the best at the Wynn). You get to play extremely deep stack poker and leverage your post-flop play ability against players who are used to shortstack poker or online poker.

As Larry said, the majority of the players are college-aged nits or passive/tight players (similar in style of course). They make it known when they have top pair, and routinely c/c c/r with sets and nothing else. They are straightforward, easy players with tons of tells. They will usually buy-in from $100-200, which is not nearly enough to play in this game. The average buy-in at night when the game is average is about $350. There are two regulars that I know of that sit with well over $5,000, but play absurdly tight and just have it there for show (perhaps Larry can confirm). I always cover the table, up to $800-1000 depending on the lineup. If the table is mainly shortstacks and average stacks, I will buy-in for $500 with a few hundreds behind. You will frequently be the best player at this level at all times, and I highly recommend it.

2-5 NL: The average stack at this table is approximately $500, as most of the people here are graduates from the $1-3 game. The $1-3 game gets a long ass list for it, and some people sit $2-5 until they can get into $1-3 and play super-tight. The game is usually a B- on the game selection scale, except on the weekends, when it is either extremely tough and deep or loose and full of rebuyers. I think you know which one to look out for.

5-10: I have never played this high, and have only spectated it slightly. Larry's comments are likely to be spot on from what I have seen, however.

LOL, you may be talking about me in that 1-3. Every now and then I will only play 1-3 for a week or 4-8 limit or something like that. I've played every game in there pretty regularly, I get bored easily, LOL. Guess that's why I know so much about the Wynn games.

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LOL, you may be talking about me in that 1-3. Every now and then I will only play 1-3 for a week or 4-8 limit or something like that. I've played every game in there pretty regularly, I get bored easily, LOL. Guess that's why I know so much about the Wynn games.

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I highly doubt that I am talking about you; it's this tall cowboy that keeps wraps of benjis in silver moneyclips with a big ass black cowboy hat. All the dealers make fun of him.

[Photoc]

If he has a pony tail, that would be "The Duke". I know of him. He likes to sit with up to 10k in a 1/2 NL game downtown and wait for the nuts and just run people over, take a small profit and leave.

[ QUOTE ]
If he has a pony tail, that would be "The Duke". I know of him. He likes to sit with up to 10k in a 1/2 NL game downtown and wait for the nuts and just run people over, take a small profit and leave.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that's him.

[RydenStoompala]

On behalf of all frequent visitors, many thanks for the post. That information is excellent. I agree with much of your assessment and I know what to avoid.

[mikech]

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Wynn 5-10: Most of the players in this game are regulars that buy-in from $1K-$6K and a few who buy-in more (like Grant, you will know who I'm talking about, he will make sure of it, commenting on how awesome he is).

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30-ish, long blond hair? he was buying in with 30k in the bellagio 10-20 last time i was in vegas back in april. better part of a year later and he's moved down? guess he's not as good as he says he is.