Vegas Trip Information for anyone looking to go this year.

[tonytats]

I use a tesco credit card for fuel and builders merchants lee to the tune of 3/4£ k a month and I use some of them  points to buy virgin air miles I recently got a ten day return to Vegas in jan for 42 k miles and 211£ in a 4 day sale they had 2 weeks ago it's worth waiting for their sales mate ,I bought the air miles on tesco site

£46 k annual spends gets quite a few miles but they don't always have deals in peak times !!
Plenty of off peak deals £211 is my cheapest flight in August 2013

[rylanclarke]

So I've been stewing on whether to write this post or not for a while now. I've conceded its probably better to put it on this thread rather than start a new one. Anyway ...me and my best pal are heading to Vegas on the 28th September. Primary objective is to play a good solid cash session everyday as well as cramming as much general Vegas as i can possibly take...

A bit about me - I'm a total whale online unless im playing DTD Sats. I'm too much of a gambler to enjoy grinding Micro stakes and not good enough not to get eaten alive by regulars when playing at a reasonable level. Besides if i want to lose £250 i'll jump on the ring road to dusk and donk it off there instead. In summary i'm a recreational player who has cashed in the odd Deepstack and gone deep in a Grand Prix here and there. I would also estimate I am small winner in the £1/£1 at dusk. Given this, i am 100% confident I can crush the low stakes games in Vegas. (Shoot me downs incoming ....) So my questions ...

(1) Money ... Including gambling ammo im on target to have somewhere around $800 a day I'm hoping to stick to this budget at least for the first half of the trip. Winnings go back in the safe etc.. If we lose the lot, we sleep for a while. I arrive on a Monday so i plan to play solid Monday - Friday then go ballistic at the weekend with whatever i have left over. I will have $5000 split accross two FairFx cards and the rest in cash

(1) Is the $1/$2 as easy as people make out ? I can imagine it being quite dull for a solid player. Play the top of your range... Bet the pants of your hand for value and fold to resistance without the nuts right ?? Stay to playing ABC poker and hope not to be swallowed by rake. Use poker Atlas to hunt out the deeper games where you can sit with >100BB right ? Will also take shots at $2/$5 if i feel the games is good. Will also sit and punt a BI at $5/$10 if I'm not a broken man come the end of my trip ? Any advice for the softest games at the minute ? Also advice on which casino's do the best free drinks for poker players afterall i'm on holiday   

(2) The infamous $20 dollar trick. Does it actually work ? Most information I've found to date seems rather dated. Seems to have been posted by Locals in town for a couple of nights ? As an oversees player staying for 1 week how much does the tip have to be ? What can i expect ? I'm in the Luxor and I've been lead to believe this place is more receptive to it than a lot of others ?

(3) Pool Party's ... Where and when ?? Most of the advertising i've seen seems to be for the travelling student type on a shoestring budget. I WANT TO GO NUTS

Overall i'm almost a bit concerned i am going to run out of time. I'm a single punter in my Mid 20's, the kind of person Vegas was built to destroy. Can anyone offer me any top tips to make sure i have a sickkk time ?

Which restaurants do i need to eat in ?
Which strip clubs are the best ?
What are the absolute must do's ?

Thanks in advance for any input.

[Marky147]

1a)

I normally take about $10k for 2 weeks, play around $3k of tourneys, and the rest is for Vodka/Steak/Hookers/Blow.

1b)

I've never played in a very tough 1/2 game, but I haven't played much cash in the last couple years, and still ironed a monkey out at the Nugget last time I sat

2)

Got a Tower Suites room at the Encore for $100 in 2010 (10days),  Augustus Tower for $100 in 2009 (7days and up from the base room).

If you're going to shoot for one, just make sure you know what you want, so you can't get conned. I know people who've handed over the cash asking for a free upgrade, and gotten the same room with new curtains, or no view of the aircon vents.

3)

Wet Republic @ MGM is always popular, and I think the new Drais is supposed to be good, too.


Restaurants is very subjective, but I punt almost as much money on food as I do on Vodka, so should be able to point you at some good ones, if you let me know what you like.

Rhino has the 10/10 girls, but you're going to get upsold to death, and literally do your bollocks.

I prefer going to somewhere like the OG, where the birds aren't all playboy models, but is a bit more relaxed, and you're not going to iron out fortunes in 1/2 an hour.

Most of them will send a limo to collect you, if you call, and you'll have cover charged waived, too. I've always found that if you stay out of the VIP and you won't go far wrong.


Must do...

Hookers, Blow, Craps, and I'm all outta ideas.

[tonytats]

Don't the pool party's wind down at the end of September ?
$800 a day sounds fine to me
Never get a taxi to take you to a rub n tug- massage parlour they are in the mid of nowhere n when you get out there's no taxis
Stick to og s club as mark said maybe try a couple of others lil darlings ? Rhino n sapphire are expensive
Is cash easy ? I never know it doesn't seem as easy as it used to be to me
So many steak places voodoo at the rio was good triple George,  andiamos .hugos ,tank restaurant in nugget vic and Anthony's too , downtown are good
 Ballys Sunday brunch is v good 11 am to 4 pm
Helicopter along the strip
Bullets n burgers in the desert - gun range
9 fine Irish men pub in New York or duelling pianos around the corner
Loads of high end restaurants but they are obv pricey downtown is cheaper to eat n drink
Mob museum - downtown
As to the $20 trick I've never tried it !!
Get yourself somewhere for Saturday night n stay there it's mayhem trying to get a taxi
Enjoy it n tell us how you get on

[hhyftrftdr]

The $20 trick didn't work for me when I was last in Vegas the other month, but in fairness we checked in on a Friday night and the Colossus tourney had just started that day so Vegas was heaving, the guy probs wasn't lying when he said they didn't have any upgrades I'm sure you'll be in with a shout of a room bump at Luxor in September.

Regarding cash, I've not played in many places but the ones I have we're all pretty soft. Special mentions for Flamingo, Excalibur and Monte Carlo (the latter was particularly good I found). Heard good things about cash being juicy at Planet Hollywood, but it's hard to make it past the pleasure pit. Despite Flamingo cash being pretty sweet, I still did about $700 there over 2 sessions; double Sambuca's seemed such a good idea at the time, no wonder the table were encouraging me to drink more, sigh!

Can't offer any advice on nice joints to eat in. For my sins, I tend to stick to quick and easy meals between punting. It's certainly something I want to rectify on the next trip as I love a nice steak and it looks like you're spoilt for choice there.

Certainly can't offer any advice on strip clubs....

[AlcaPwn]

The $20 trick does work but know what you want and ask for it.  Simply ask "do you have any complimentary upgrades to...... I am happy to tip for any help you can give me".  Be realistic, you are not going to get a suite for 10 nights but you might get the next room up.  The longer you stay the harder it is for them to give you are room upgrade so maybe you would like a fridge (normally $20+ per day)?  Be confident, they know the drill and will help all they can. 

The biggest tip I can give you is don't offer more than a $20.  It doesn't open up some magical next level of upgrades; they can only offer what they can offer regardless of the tip and they will do that for $20 as much as they will do it for $50 or $100.  Sure if they have gone above and beyond give them a little extra but don't go in with that as your opening gambit.

As for pool parties its Wet Republic all day long.  If any of the resident stars are playing like Calvin, Aoki, Hardwell etc and you are getting general admittance tickets rather than a table or cabana then get them in advance on their Website you will save a fortune.

Restaurants: Not often mentioned but STK @ The Cosmo is a must for me.
Shows: MJ One and Absinthe.

[Jon MW]

At Caesar's Palace I got a nice upgrade using the $20 trick. All I asked for was if they had any complimentary upgrades with the 20 in my passport. I'd read that Bally's upgrades just about everybody, so I didn't even give them the $20, I just asked nicely and got the same upgrade as others got with cash.

Caesar's Palace were so nice that after they'd upgraded me they even asked if I wanted any change for my twenty

It's definitely worth a try, as long as the hotel don't ban it and they have space you have a reasonable chance of success.

[Tal]

Went from a basic room to an executive corner suite at Vdara for two weeks with a view from the Rio to the strip (including the bellagio fountains) to the airport for $100.

It works alright!

[StuartHopkin]

I'd read that Bally's upgrades just about everybody, so I didn't even give them the $20, I just asked nicely and got the same upgrade as others got with cash.

This has to be one of the tightest things I have ever read on here.

  For the person who checked you in.

[Jon MW]

I'd read that Bally's upgrades just about everybody, so I didn't even give them the $20, I just asked nicely and got the same upgrade as others got with cash.

This has to be one of the tightest things I have ever read on here.

  For the person who checked you in.

meh, I don't give people money to be nice - I give them money because I want something in return. I tipped in Caesars Palace and got a nice suite, and tipped (well) in some bars in Nashville and got massive drinks - if they're going to upgrade you without a tip, then they're not going to get one.

[brookie]

i would love to go the SEMA show next year but it says it trade only what do u have to provide to proof this or can public get into the show

[tonytats]

http://www.semashow.com/category/tags/registration

[hhyftrftdr]

Bit late to the party as it was announced back in April.... but just seen that Norwegian are to do direct flights to Vegas from October, from Copenhagen and Stockholme. If you don't care about where you sit, having food or checking in a bag, there are returns to be had from about £240 for travel later this year and into next.

Flying on the Dreamliner is also nice

[brookie]

http://www.semashow.com/category/tags/registration

no then it a shame would love to go

[anthonyl]

All these cheap flights...I just did in July Vegas holiday, 7 nights in Treasure Island, return flight total cost GBP 561 (expedia booking). I flew from Luxembourg.

Journey there

Lux - LDN - LA - Vegas, total journey was about 20 hours

Journey back

Vegas - Dallas - LDN - Lux, total journey was about 15 hours (wait time of like 50 mins between each connecting flight)