Vegas Trip Information for anyone looking to go this year.

[Tal]

What level room is that, Simon? Looks similar to one I stayed in a few years ago.

[Simon Galloway]

Good question as I'm not totally sure!

I booked it as a City Corner suite, but the layout of the room was exactly the same as a Panoramic suite,  comparing floorplans from the Vdara seems to suggest it was a Panoramic too, despite the check-in clerk saying no upgrades were available.

The pricing goes Deleuxe<<Vdara<<City Corner<<Exec Corner<<Panoramic, but tbh once you get past deluxe, there isn't that much difference in size/amenities to make it worth paying a significant jump for.

[Marky147]

Nice room for a ton, that!

I'm having a year off this year, so I can try and sort my health out...

Gutted, but I've had a good run, and managed 7 in a row, before it broke me

[Simon Galloway]

Sensible to take a year off then   GL sorting out the health stuff, Vegas will still be there next year.  I'm sure the GN barstaff will be groaning if they read this

It is a nice room for a ton, but tbf, you do have to catch the right week AND the right promo to get it that low.  I've also never had any joy getting a complimentary upgrade, unless ofc I inadvertently did last time!

[tikay]

World Series of Poker® Announces 2015 Main Event Payout Change

1,000 Players Guaranteed to Receive Payout; Means Most Winners in 46 Year History

Main Event Dates Remain July 5-14; $10 Million 1st Place Guarantee Removed

After 5% Entrant Increase in 2014, Organizers Looks to Spur More Growth

LAS VEGAS (Jan. 27, 2015) – The World Series of Poker has made a change to its payout structure for the Main Event, replacing the $10 million first place guarantee in favor of guaranteeing 1,000* places receiving winnings.

“The dream of life-changing money is core to the DNA of the WSOP Main Event and we also want to make it easier to experience playing in poker’s Big Show,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart.  “Our players understand numbers, and 2015 now presents the best odds ever to leave the Main Event a winner.”

With a strategy to more broadly distribute the prize pool, the WSOP Main Event will still award a massive prize to its Champion. If participation numbers are the same as 2014 (6,683) the 2015 winner would receive $8,000,000, a prize consistent to winners of the past decade before last year’s $10 million first place prize to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the event at the Rio.  In addition, all final table participants would receive at least $1 million.

Using the 2014 Main Event entry number – 6,683 entries – the 2015 Main Event payout structure would look like this: (It is important to note the final payout structure will be determined based on number of 2015 entries)

•   1st place: $8,000,000
•   2nd place: $4,663,527
•   3rd place: $3,500,000
•   4th place: $2,750,000
•   5th place: $2,000,000
•   6th place: $1,500,000
•   7th place: $1,250,000
•   8th place: $1,100,000
•   9th place: $1,000,000
•   10-12th place: $550,000
•   50th place: $142,500
•   100th place: $50,000
•   500th place: $20,850
•   693rd place: $16,750 (last year’s last paid place)
•   694-1,000 place: $15,000

The WSOP recognizes the Main Event is a unique tournament onto itself, given the highly international field, percentage of repeat players and lofty $10,000 buy-in.  The WSOP believes paying a higher percentage of players in this particular event, (based on last year’s entry figure would be akin to 15 percent of the field – nearly 50% more players than previously) will encourage both new and repeat participation for the Main Event, and thus an increased prize pool. 

The world’s longest-running poker tournament -- the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em WSOP Main Event championship -- runs over ten consecutive days from July 5 - July 14, 2015 and will feature three starting flights – Sunday, July 5; Monday, July 6; and Tuesday, July 7. 

[Redsgirl]

We've really pushed the boat out with our girls holiday this year, and booked a week in Vegas!  

First time there for all but one of us so I'd love to hear anyone tips and recommendations, especially stuff that doesn't involve poker or naked ladies. (yes, I know, just humour me.)

[Marky147]

Sensible to take a year off then   GL sorting out the health stuff, Vegas will still be there next year.  I'm sure the GN barstaff will be groaning if they read this

It is a nice room for a ton, but tbf, you do have to catch the right week AND the right promo to get it that low.  I've also never had any joy getting a complimentary upgrade, unless ofc I inadvertently did last time!

Yeah, 2 weeks of severe liver training is not really too great an idea, and I'm sure my neuro will be pleased to hear I'm staying close to home this summer.

A couple of the lads are still going, but it looks like most of the drinking team are swerving, and Claude's Bar will be down a couple grand in tips this year

I have to suck it up, because I only ever go during the same 3 week window, and getting a good deal EDC weekend is the only angle I try to shoot.

[Marky147]

We've really pushed the boat out with our girls holiday this year, and booked a week in Vegas!  

First time there for all but one of us so I'd love to hear anyone tips and recommendations, especially stuff that doesn't involve poker or naked ladies. (yes, I know, just humour me.)

Can only suggest the usual stuff that most do.

Grand Canyon, Lake Mead, and definitely spend an evening going from one end of Fremont to the other.

Are you all staying centre strip?

[Simon Galloway]

It's not a flat fee.... the more miles you transfer the larger the fee will be.  You can go on the site and click "transfer miles" and play around with the numbers without needing to commit to anything or phone them.

There's ~180 pages of good advice herein

How price sensitive is the group?  If money is an issue, you can definitely do things in advance like book show tickets (and pay for them) now, or pre-pay your hotel now so that there is more spending  $$ to have fun with there.

Above all, remember it is the desert and it is hot, drink as much water as you can every day, it still won't be enough.

A nice meal is probably a good idea at some point, depending on tastes, something that would be an occasion and not just fuelling up.

Click to see full-size image.

As for the rest of the time, I always say that the best way is to find your own Vegas.  Explore, do what you find that looks good and if you aren't having fun, move on.

You might like to think about if you want to be able to keep in touch with each other during the day (mobile call costs/Wi-Fi/meet ups)

And most importantly, stay on strip or under the canopy of Fremont Street, don't wander off further afield than that and enjoy.

[Simon Galloway]

Obv quoted wrong person....

[Redsgirl]

Obv quoted wrong person....

Lol I thought so.
Staying at the Nugget on dads advice so we can wander about safely downtown.

Definitely going on a Canyon excursion, has anyone been on the coach ones? Didn't know about Lake mead as Marky suggested so that's one to look up.

Would definitely prefer to spend my cash doing/seeing stuff than wining and dining but that meat thing looks incredible!  Surely that's for two or three people!
Recommendations of good and preferably cheap places to eat would be appreciated.

Thanks for the phone advice too, that wasn't something that had occurred to me but I'll check ot out before we go.

[Longines]

BA have gutted the Avios scheme so if anyone was planning on using them for travel to LV the old rules will stay in place for bookings made before the end of April.

http://pointsandoffers.com/airlines/massive-devaluation-avios-announced/

[Jon MW]

My Mum is going to America in September, she doesn't know when exactly she'll get to Las Vegas.

Does anyone have any tips of how/where to get the best hotel rates for someone who just shows up rather than books in advance?

[KarmaDope]

My Mum is going to America in September, she doesn't know when exactly she'll get to Las Vegas.

Does anyone have any tips of how/where to get the best hotel rates for someone who just shows up rather than books in advance?

In a word, don't.

Can only get rack rate. That's $200 per night. Even if she books 2 days before she should be ok.

[Simon Galloway]

Last minute bookings can work.  An example of the ups and downs of that from something that happened to me about 10 years ago.

I was staying and playing @ Bellagio and the game was that good (sigh) that I decided to stay for the extra weekend.  However, couldn't get a poker rate extended as the hotel was overbooked and the rates were awful, so I checked out and moved into Monte Carlo, where I found a ~ $40/night rate (for a weekend where Vegas was busy) on an offer code.  At the end of the weekend and due to leave, I checked online to see there was no plane leaving Gatwick, and therefore no plane would be arriving to take us back again.  SO I phoned the airport and asked them the drill.  They told me to pack, come to the airport and get sent to a hotel of their choice and await the following days flight.  As I was still in bed at this point, I declined their kind invitation to do all of that and phoned the MC lobby and asked for a rate to stay an extra night.  It was sky high, so I found a 2-for-1 deal online that was cheaper than the single night stay, booked 2 extra nights on that deal and phoned reception back and asked them to put the bookings together, rolled over and back to sleep.  Next day I checked out, (somehow I got refunded the extra night even though it was not part of the terms (bonus) and went to the airport.  There, a nice lady with a clipboard offered people in the line 50k miles and a free flight the following day to go back to the strip for another night, to ease the passenger volume.

Back to your mum's situation.... if she walks into a particular hotel that she must stay at and asks for a room for that night, she is likely going to get a bad rate.  If she is internet savvy enough to spend 10 minutes searching online, she will very likely still be fine and be able to get a great deal somewhere appropriate at the shortest of notice.

Caveat:  Obv if she happens to pick a massive festival/convention/fight weekend, then there won't be a deal.