Yay! Vegas! (Three stupid questions)

[Nate tha' Great]

I just booked airplane reservations for my first-ever trip to Vegas. Super excited about it, and hopefully it will be the first of many trips to come. I'll be in town from the 24th though the 27th of July.

A couple of questions for the group, which a half-assed search of the archives did not produce satisfactory answers to:

1) There are some "3-star" hotels available for as little as $30 per night on Orbitz. Would I be doing myself a disservice by not staying somewhere nicer? I'm not a particularly cost-averse person, but on the other hand I don't expect to be spending a whole lot of time doing things other than playing poker and drinking. FWIW, I'm a twentysomething, and am not planning on having a car.

2) To what extent is not having a lot of B&M experience likely to impact my win rate? Am I best off playing 15/30 and 20/40 and saving the bigger games for my next trip back?

3) Stupidest question of all. What's the best way to have a lot of money available in a short time? I'm a bit nervous about carrying a bunch of cash on the inbound trip, especially as I'll be making another, non-poker stop prior to my arrival, but I can't pull more than $250 per day out of my ATM, which won't cut it. Can I pull directly from my bank account by cutting a check to the casino, etc?

[John Deere]

1) What hotels? My guess is that it's like the Stratosphere and stuff like that. On the strip, it's location location location. You don't want to have to take cabs everywhere, and if you're as young as me, you can't rent a car. If you can get a good rate at Imperial Palace, I'd take it -- right between Bellagio and Mirage, albeit on the opposite side of the road.

2) It's just "culture shock" -- once you get used to it, you should adjust pretty well, especially if you consider yourself good enough to play the high limits. Maybe you should spend an hour or two playing 6/12 or 8/16 first, just to get comfortable with the environment.

3) Well, I don't know how big your roll is, but it must be pretty large for a week or playing the high limits. I know most people like to carry cash, and so do I, although I wouldn't have as much as you. You should just buy a cash belt or something like that, and once you get to the hotel, put it in the safe. I find it very doubtful a casino would take a check from a random guest.

Good luck, and let us know how you do!

[jayadd]

hey nate "vegas virgin"

for the answers to your questions a little background needed.
1. are you traveling alone?

2. you say poker and drinking mostly but dude you need to soak up some of vegas like the clubs and enjoy some of the sightseeing stuff no need to go crazy with it but a littl eman come on.

3. Bank wire once you figure out which hotel your staying at ask to speak to a rep. about bank wiring what you will need their.

4. As i have done for a couple of 2+2er's if you need a good deal for your hotel stay PM me or IM jayadd2003 aol
Me, Dans, Ashe will be out there 21-25 so maybe saturday night come join us.



http://www.geocities.com/racentourfd/socialclub.html

[sucka]

IMHO, since this is your first trip - you WILL be taking some time to walk around - so find someplace somewhat central and enjoy yourself. If you plan on playing a lot (at the level you are talking about) you are going to either be at the Bellagio or the Mirage. There are some nice affordable places in that area. Bally's, Harrah's, Flamingo, etc... Check out www.cheapovegas.com for a map of the strip and some good info on all the places in Vegas.

As for cash - I've always got at least 2k on me at all times in Vegas. I started carrying a money clip/wallet thingy that I carry in my front pocket so I don't worry about it getting lifted. If you go to one of 'those' places - don't take a wad of cash - take as much as you are willing to piss away $1 at a time and no more.

Unless you are walking around in dark alleys or something while you are in Vegas you shouldn't really worry too much about how much cash you have on you. Just dont flaunt it around on the street and you'll be fine.

[Cooling Heels]

1) There are some "3-star" hotels available for as little as $30 per night on Orbitz. Would I be doing myself a disservice by not staying somewhere nicer?

As another poster said, location is important. If
you're going to play at the Mirage or Bellagio, then
the Imperial Palace or Barbary Coast are fine. If
your going to play at Excalibur, Luxor, or Mandalay
Bay, then look at the Tropicana or San Remo.

2) To what extent is not having a lot of B&M experience likely to impact my win rate? Am I best off playing 15/30 and 20/40 and saving the bigger games for my next trip back?

Actually, play an hour of 2/4 or 3/6 to get accustomed
to the mechanics and card handling.

3) Stupidest question of all. What's the best way to have a lot of money available in a short time?

Use the hotel safety deposit box before heading out
to the strip club. And sort your wallet first, would
not want to tip Ben Franklins by mistake.

Have fun....

[Drac]

When I worked for a bank a few years ago we could change the daily limits on your ATM card. Just go in, tell them you're going on vacation, they'll check your ID and should be able to jack the limit up to at least 500 if not more. Don't know how much you high rollers need at a time but us low limit players can get by with our initial roll and 500/day.

[John Deere]

If us low rollers (myself included) find ourselves needing to take out an extra $500/day, then we should stick to the 1-3 at the Excalibur. =)

[Kevmath]

Call me silly, but whenever I make the trip out to Vegas, I always bought American Express travelers checks from my bank.

Kevin...

[bwana devil]

i really recommend checking out biddingfortravel.com. it is a bulletin board that offers advice on getting hotels through priceline.com.

i got treasure island several months ago for $40 a night. and the venetian for $100 a night. it takes a while to figure out what the heck is going on the web site but it is useful to use for awhile and post.

after you get the hang of it, just check back and see what everyone else bids. the moderator is a pain.

bwana

all that usual disclaimer about how im not affiliated w/ any of the websites junk.

[BigBaitsim (milo)]

Just got back 30 minutes ago from my very first Vegas trip. Stayed at Mirage, enjoyed the poker a lot. I must say the room was nice, but almost pointless. I used it to shower and catch a few winks, but was in it less than 4 hours a day (including sleep time). The 5:00 am pastry and sandwich platter at the Mirage poker room is no urban legend!

Stay someplace cheap and close to whichever casino you plan on playing. For higher limits that probably means Bellagio or Mirage. Know nothing about the Imperial, but its an easy walk to either casino.

Wrote a trip report on the plane, will post it shortly. When you go to Bellagio, be sure to order the Strawberry Smoothie.