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POCKET ACES

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Maryann Guberman has been a writer and editor with many gaming publications, including Sports Form, Card Player, Poker World, Player's Panorama and Systems and Methods. She also has written and edited numerous books on gambling.

May 16, 2009

Some Strip Poker in Las Vegas

If you're planning a trip to Las Vegas (or if you live in the area) and want to get some poker action, your first move should be to check out the various promotions and specials listed on each casino's Web site. Those of us who are fortunate and live beneath the neon can hop from casino to casino to find suitable situations. Those who have their favorite haunts, well, they are set, aren't they. They don't even want to know what's going on any place else.

My preference is to find a room with a mix of locals and tourists that also gives some kind of reward for visiting. I'm planning to do some playing this weekend so I checked out a couple of local spots (close to the home). But I also wanted to look at a few Internet sites to see if there's anything appealing or something I absolutely can't live without sampling on the Strip.

My first stop was Mandalay Bay's Web site where I was treated to a quick lesson in the games and an invitation to play poker. "Bring you cash and your best poker face -- we'll take care of the rest." I can forgive the typo; I make enough of them myself. However, I didn't see anything to attract me to that room and I was kind of turned off by the little statement. It made me feel as if they were just waiting to help themselves to my cash, so I moved over to Luxor's site.

I played Luxor in the past when the room was in a nice cozy spot away from the noise of the slots and table games, behind a nice little rail. The last time I visited, the room was gone, moved to an open area near the pit and right next to some restrooms. The location, combined with the movement of people so close to the chairs turned me off. I didn't like the setup at all so I didn't stay to play. Luxor's Web site has an interesting virtual tour but you get to see a lot of slot machines and no indication where the poker room is now. Unlike Mandalay Bay, however, Luxor poker does offer a little morsel to players including a $5 dining comp if you play four hours and a special room rate (at checkout) if you played five hours. Player rates are important, especially if you're on a tight budget, so if you're a tourist, check this out.

Across the shared driveway from Luxor is Excalibur. My most recent trip there was to play the electronic PokerPro tables. I remember the poker room at Excalibur when the casino first opened. It was large and active, featuring low-limit games, that would usually filled to capacity. Things have changed since those glory days. The casino now focuses on the younger crowd with an atmosphere you might expect to find on a Mexican Riviera cruise holiday. The poker room sits near the rear of the casino; the tables surround the poker cashier and desk. The Web site touts the World Series of Poker satellites and a special room rate plus a game of Strip Poker where a dancer slinks around a table removing an article of clothing each time a player busts out. I will pass on this but I'm sure the young guns out there might find this tantalizing.

Skipping past New York-New York (no poker) to the Monte Carlo, the Web site does a nice job but offers little information about poker promotions other than high-hand bonuses for quads and royal flushes. They do offer a small list of low buy-in no-limit and sit-and-go tournaments that should appeal to the average player (me) and the visitor. I'm told by those who have played the room (I expect to be there soon) that the mix of players is good.

You might notice I'm sticking to the west side of the Strip this week, so the next casino on the list is Bellagio. Now, who doesn't know what happens at Bellagio -- only the highest limits, the most well-known faces and the WPT, which means the room gets so much TV time the folks there don't have to publicize any potential promotions. Just visiting the room is worth the trip, though. It's pretty darned classy.

The room at Caesars Palace is a true poker room. It's not in the pits; it's not exposed to the crowds; it's an actual room so when you enter, you feel special. Again, the Web site doesn't cover about much other than the current mega-stack tournaments. But if you're Caesars, you don't need to promote because they will (and do) come (including name players).

Next we come to Mirage, the first really classy hotel/casinos of the new Vegas generation. With all the new places on the Strip, this one is the mainstay favorite of many of my out-of-town visitors. With 25 tables, the poker room doesn't focus solely on hold'em as it offers all the popular games and offers free lessons. (Times are not listed on the site.)

I'm noticing a pattern here in that somebody's falling down on the job with this Internet stuff. I expect these mega-resorts to keep their potential clients informed with up-to-the minute reasons to visit. I don't need a $5 food comp but if the poker action is good, I'll take it rather than go to an equally decent room without the $5 comp. After all, that's like getting a free big blind!

So I'm going to stop at the TI (formerly known as the Treasure Island) with just some compliments on the appealing Web site, the accurate and detailed list of tournaments and the lack of any notice about special promotions for poker players.

As much as we think the Web can offer up anything we're looking for, I've discovered that this is not universal. To find out what's really going on in any poker room, you have to dig deeper, go to the Web sites that have bloggers and writers who play poker, who frequent the rooms and who let you know what to expect. (My recommendation would be http://www.allvegaspoker.com. Some of the room reviews are months old and they do focus a lot on tournament action, but reader contributions help make up for that.)

All negativity aside, I think the rooms don't have much reason to promote right now. Poker's still hot; people still wait for seats; and unlike those who are fearful of pit games, people seem very comfortable with testing their skills at poker. This is good because it keeps the decision makers in the comfy offices upstairs from counting the beans and deciding that poker isn't producing enough.

The casinos all have lovely sites (please, no more flash!) but there's nothing like an in-person visit. So, this weekend, I'll check out the Strip rooms mentioned here in person and see if there's anything exciting that the Web sites don't cover. Maybe I'll get lucky and win a few bucks!