Easily the best video poker on The Strip and a host of first rate dining, entertainment and drinking options as well. The property has recently been put up for sale and hopefully any potential new ownership will maintain the player friendly video poker. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 3708 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 702-698.

  1. Types Of Poker Tables In Vegas
  2. Is There Poker In Las Vegas
  3. Types Of Poker Games In Vegas
  4. Best Poker Rooms In Las Vegas

As a recreational player, “peak poker” for me is getting the occasional opportunity to play in Las Vegas. Whether it’s a couple hours’ drive or half a world away by plane, that scene of arriving in the desert and walking into one of the city’s famed poker rooms to mix it up is something that’s whet the appetites of pretty much every casual poker player the world over.

Sin City is the top poker destination in the United States. Many of the world’s best poker rooms are located right on the Las Vegas Strip. The greatest poker series in the world – the World Series of Poker – takes place in Las Vegas. And there are other major poker events throughout the year in Vegas such as the World Poker Tour. Answer 1 of 3: Anyone know where I kind find poker tournaments other than NLH amd Omaha in Vegas?

With that said, not every Las Vegas poker experience is the same; and I’m not referring to whether you’ll walk away a winner or loser at the end of your session. That, of course, depends on numerous factors including how well your game stacks up against the opponents who happen to be seated at your table, and good old fashioned luck. While there’s not much you can do about that latter bit, folks who want to boost their overall poker performance these days tend to enroll at the best poker training sites. But I digress…

The dozens of poker rooms in Las Vegas offer a wide variety of different games, atmospheres, levels of luxury, and other distinguishing factors that mean multiple types of live poker experiences you can have in the city. As such, depending on the type of experience you’d like to have, you ought to make sure you choose the right category of poker room to play in.

The five types of Las Vegas live poker experiences I describe below are based on my having visited upwards of two dozen of the city’s rooms over the past few years. No matter which you choose, you’ll have a great time, but it never hurts to be somewhat “better informed” going into your next session.

The Classic Las Vegas Strip Experience

When you watch movies or TV shows depicting gambling in Las Vegas, 99 times out of 100 they’ll be situated in a Las Vegas Strip casino. Pure recreational players (e.g., wearing nametags after exiting a convention room) almost exclusively play poker in rooms on the Las Vegas Strip. These rooms also tend to feature bachelor party groups, tourists who’ve just taken in musical shows or comedy acts, home game poker enthusiasts, and bunches of folks just looking to have some fun and get in some gamble.

While there are some factors that set rooms apart within this category, for the most part, you’ll have a similar type of poker experience in each of these rooms.

Poker rooms that fit this description would include (but are not limited to): MGM, Mandalay Bay, Caesars, Bally’s, Harrah’s, Venetian, Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, and Excalibur.

The Luxury Experience

While the poker rooms in this category are also located on the Las Vegas Strip, there’s no arguing that they’re a cut above the rest. There’s a good bit of prestige associated with playing poker at the Aria, Bellagio, and Wynn. As the three rooms are located in three of the most upscale properties in the city, it’s perhaps to be expected that “the typical players” in these venues would be somewhat more well-heeled.

Moreover, Aria’s poker room is home to Table 1 (formerly the “Ivey Room”) and the Bellagio houses the famed Bobby’s Room. If the top poker players in the world have chosen these establishments, it’s for good reason.

The Local Experience

Some tourists prefer to experience destinations like the locals do; that goes for poker players visiting Las Vegas as well. With over 2 million people living in the Las Vegas metro area, many of them also enjoy a good game of poker, and they tend to frequent what are known as the “locals casinos,” all of which are located away from the Strip.

Resorts like the South Point, Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, and the Station Casinos (Santa Fe, Palace) all have well-appointed, spacious poker rooms that offer plenty of action with a local flavor. In particular, don’t be surprised if the dealers know most of the players’ names in these rooms and vice versa.

The Mixed Game Experience

In popular culture, “poker” has essentially become synonymous with Texas Hold’em. While it’s by far the most commonly played variant, there are plenty of other great variants of the game we all know and love. The challenge then, for lovers of mixed games, is finding rooms where non-hold’em games are spread.

Types Of Poker In Vegas

While PLO has grown enough in popularity that a table or two can be found spreading it in most Las Vegas poker rooms, it’s exceedingly rare to find any other poker variant being spread, except perhaps at the highest limits… unless you know where to look.

The Orleans, Westgate, and Sahara poker rooms are known for featuring low-limit mixed games, with the Orleans even regularly hosting low buy-in mixed game tournaments. So, while there may be some exceptions with other Las Vegas poker rooms occasionally having a mixed game running, if you’re seeking out fellow mixed game enthusiasts, you’ll usually know where to head.

The WSOP Experience

While the WSOP in the the summer of 2020 is the obvious exception to the rule, there’s nothing like having a WSOP live poker experience in Las Vegas. There’s more poker going on throughout the city during the summer than at any other time of year, with rooms packed and waiting lists common. The true WSOP experience, however, is of course had within the walls of the Rio, and is quite simply incomparable.

Between bracelet events, satellite qualifiers, and daily deepstacks, the venue hosts the greatest variety of tournaments, period. Tournaments aside, though, even taking a seat in a cash game in the Pavilion Room is quite the experience in and of itself. Every game available at every limit, with seemingly unending streams of players at all hours of the day; it’s poker heaven featuring the impossible-to-forget soundtrack of thousands of chips being shuffled.

Types Of Poker Tables In Vegas

Honorable mention goes to the permanent 10-table poker room, open all year round, located at the opposite side of the Rio. Enough players who’ve competed in WSOP events pop in there for cash game play with plenty of great stories to tell from their adventures at the felt to make it worth at least one visit during your Las Vegas WSOP summer sojourn.

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Tips for Playing Poker in Vegas

Poker will always be synonymous with Las Vegas. Sin City is the top poker destination in the United States. Many of the world’s best poker rooms are located right on the Las Vegas Strip. The greatest poker series in the world – the World Series of Poker – takes place in Las Vegas. And there are other major poker events throughout the year in Vegas such as the World Poker Tour. When you come to Las Vegas to play poker, you’re going to be in for a treat.

You won’t have to drive far to find a game. In fact, your hotel will likely have a poker room. If there isn’t one at your hotel, there will be one nearby. Poker is everywhere in Las Vegas. There are more poker rooms in Vegas than anywhere else in the world. With that said, not every poker room is going to be right for you. In order to have an enjoyable experience, it’s important for you to find the perfect poker room based on your skill level, the games you play, and your bankroll.

The Poker room at the MGM Grand is always a good place to play.

Where you’ll find the most pros

Without question, the best poker rooms in Las Vegas are at Bellagio and Aria. Venetian is a close third. These poker rooms are fantastic places to play. You may even get to see a celebrity or one of the famous poker pros you’ve seen on TV. However, even though Aria and Bellagio are top rated poker rooms doesn’t mean they are the right places for you to play. These poker rooms attract some pretty tough sharks. Sure, there are plenty of fish also that play at Aria and Bellagio, but if you are more of a recreational or inexperienced player, perhaps it’s best to play elsewhere.

Is There Poker In Las Vegas

These are tough poker rooms for novice players. If you are a serious poker player, you absolutely should play in these rooms. The $125 daily tournaments are profitable at Aria. Bellagio has the best cash game action in town, so long as you’re a skilled player. And Venetian also has some profitable daily tournaments and will spread just about any cash game.

Where you’ll find the loosest action and most fish

There are a ton of poker rooms with loose cash game action that are filled with players that are negative-EV players. Poker rooms such as:

  • Mirage
  • Caesars Palace
  • M Resort
  • Golden Nugget
  • Green Valley Ranch
  • Wynn
  • Binons
  • MGM Grand
  • Planet Hollywood

These casinos have loose games and oh so many donkeys at the table. Very few pros play in these poker rooms. Most of the players are tourists just looking to spend a few hours drinking beers and playing a casual game of poker.

Although the pros don’t spend much time in these poker rooms, they are surprisingly well run poker rooms. They don’t have the aesthetic appeal of Aria, Venetian, or Bellagio, but they are clean, comfortable, and fun poker rooms.

Take advantage of poker room comps

Types Of Poker Games In Vegas

Every poker room gives out comps. The top poker rooms such as Aria and Bellagio give out the best comps ($2 per hour on cash games). Most poker rooms give players $1 per hour in comps on cash games. If you play 20 hours of cash game poker at Bellagio, for example, you’ll have $40 to use towards a nice dinner. Make sure you sign up for a players card before playing and give your card to the dealer when you sit down at the table so that you earn comps right away. Vegas poker rooms give out better comps than most casinos around the country because there is so much local competition. Comps add up fast, so take advantage.

Don’t blow your poker winnings on other forms of gambling

If you’re coming to Las Vegas to play poker, stick with that plan. Las Vegas presents many temptations you don’t have elsewhere. You’ll find slot machines and table games on darn near every block. Beer is available 24/7. Many poker players come to Vegas with the intention of spending their money on nothing more than poker, a hotel, and airfare. But they end up dumping their poker money into other casino games.

Best Poker Rooms In Las Vegas

That’s not to say you shouldn’t go out and have some fun. By all means, go out for a few drinks and live it up in Sin City. But you need to show some restraint or you’ll dump your entire poker bankroll on one trip. If you win a few hundred bucks at the poker table, take that money back to your room. Don’t dump it into the shiny Wheel of Fortune slot machine. Have fun, but be responsible.