First trip to Vegas in ages - poker rooms and other recommendations! (2 Viewers)

[cpac54]

So, it looks like I'm able to make a short trip over to Vegas for my first visit in ages (15 years to be exact!)

Meeting up with a friend who'll be there on business and will primarily be looking to play poker while there.

Staying at ARIA and will be looking to play 1/3 mainly and perhaps try a daily tournament just for shits and giggles.

For those who've done it: is taking the poker player room rate worth it? Seems there is a sizeable discount for poker players at ARIA, but it comes with an expectation of 5 hours/day of play. Not a big deal, but wondering if that's too restrictive in terms of being able to check out other poker rooms.

Aside from ARIA, I would definitely want to check out some other poker rooms. What are peoples recommendations for 1) best poker rooms 2) softest rooms

Any other tips or tricks for places to grab a casual bite, a nice dinner, or just a quick snack, would be welcome! I'm a bit of a foodie, so finding good quality, fun places to eat will be a bit of a side mission during my visit

Thanks!

 

[bernielomax]

I recently got back from a couple nights in Vegas.

Played two nights of $1/$3 and a $160 daily tournament at the Horseshoe.

$1/$3 games were soft both nights, lots of turnover. The first night I was at a table where everyone was lighting money on fire. Lots of blind pre-flop all in’s. One gentleman bought in for $100 six times over the course of 40 minutes.

The $160 tournament had about 45 people on a Thursday night. (they also have several daily $100 tournaments which get more people). One gentleman bought in 4 times (think about that for a minute as far as payouts go).

Had a good burger and a killer margarita at The Yard House by the Linq (not sure if this is a chain, but I would go back).

 

[Okku]

The Yard House by the Linq (not sure if this is a chain, but I would go back).

There's a few of these around Vegas! One at Red Rock, Town Square and the Linq

 

[springbox]

Lemongrass in the Aria is quite good imo, but I've only eaten there once.

 

[calfdemon]

Yard house is good, but it's a chain. They are all over.

If you want a really good family owned Itallian meal, check out Casa Di Amore. It's not on the strip but call them ahead of time (not day of) and they will send a shuttle to pick you up at your casino, and then take you back. It seriously is the way Vegas used to be. You step inside and you go back in time. Live music from the Sinatra era and a great old school vibe. Food is excellent too. We go once every time we go to Vegas and have been for years.

https://casadiamore.com/

 

[doublebooyah85]

Aria is a great poker room, it’s hard beating the convenience and wouldn’t blame you just enjoying that room.

 

[buzzmonkey]

Yard house is good, but it's a chain. They are all over.

If you want a really good family owned Itallian meal, check out Casa Di Amore. It's not on the strip but call them ahead of time (not day of) and they will send a shuttle to pick you up at your casino, and then take you back. It seriously is the way Vegas used to be. You step inside and you go back in time. Live music from the Sinatra era and a great old school vibe. Food is excellent too. We go once every time we go to Vegas and have been for years.

https://casadiamore.com/

The Yard House in Boston is garbage.

 

[mho]

I’ll be there next weekend with some buddies who go every year, so the softest room is going to be whichever one I’m playing at. Based on my experience, it seems like Caesars Palace always has action packed games. Love Aria, and I definitely want to try PLO there, because I’ve heard it’s a reliable game and I’m a sucker for PLO. Wynn/Encore poker room is also great, and I can confirm Horseshoe has plenty of fish like me splashing around. Resorts World a super nice room but I think they have trouble getting their numbers up depending on the time. Golden Nugget was a gem, uncapped $1/$2, and lots of friendly folks there.

If I had to pick one though, it would be Caesars Palace.

(N.B. Never played at Bellagio, but going to try to this time around)

 

[allforcharity]

Have dinner at Morimoto at the MGM Grand. Some of the best food I have ever had.

 

[shleepytime]

Two suggestions:
1. Make sure to pick up a players card so that you can get credit for your cash game play at the poker rooms. For example, it's a nice surprise when those hourly comps pay for that late night slice of pizza over at Aria or a noodle dish at the Wynn.
2. No question there are incredible fancy dinner options around town. But for a casual bite, I would highly suggest heading over to Palace Station and grabbing a seat at the Oyster Bar and order the Pan Roast. Foodie heaven unless you're seafood-averse. I hate over-hyping something at the risk of unmet expectations... but it's definitely the best comfort meal I have each time I visit Vegas. Pro tip: go between 9:30-10:30am otherwise you're going to be waiting in line for a while.

Have fun!

 

[atrodex]

Aria is a fantastic poker room. It gets extremely crowded on busy weekends so make sure you check the list and call in to put yourself on the list so you don't have to wait as long.

Food-wise, everything in the Aria is ultra expensive now. Highly recommend walking to Park MGM and eating at Best Friend.