After reading about a couple small Saturday tourneys at the Luxor and Mandalay Bay, we wander through Mandalay Bay as our eyes wander through fake breasts towards the poker room. We get there and are told that there are no weekend MB poker tourneys, although they have a daily weekday tournament, which we already missed. Strike 1. Undiscouraged, we hit the walkway to the Luxor, where I know there is a Saturday morning tourney. The guy at the poker desk tells us that there are tournaments at 10 and 12 the next morning, with only a $20 buy in, but if we want to play we had best get there early. M and I are unsure if this is good or bad news… even the noon tournament would require getting up at around 9 if we wanted to eat breakfast and make it from our downtown Hotel (Fitzgerald’s). We discuss the odds of waking up this early on our way to Excalibur, where we have heard that there is a nice friendly low-limit poker room. On the tram ride over, some girl’s ass inadvertently swallows M’s hand, and we take this as a sign of good luck.

We enter the small Excalibur poker room and ask what tables are available–the business-like manager tells us that it’s a 2-6 game, where players can raise $6 at any time, with a limit of 4 raises. I’ve never heard of this betting structure, and as I’m trying to figure out how this would change the game, I catch sight of the “money wheel,” a wheel of fortune type thing near the back corner of the room. I ask the manager what we need to do to spin the money wheel: Manager: “Either pocket aces beaten, or 4 of a kind or better.” I try to figure the probabilities, and figure that neither of us will hit it in the 2 hours or so we will play, but as people are spinning the thing every 5 minutes or so, optimism rears its pretty face and I wonder if M is also mumbling “mmmmonnnney wheeellllll” like Homer Simpson.

After only a couple minutes I get a seat, as M graciously gives me first shot at the table. Or maybe not graciously. I sit down at the friendliest table I have ever seen (we ain’t in Inglewood, Toto–no angry players like at my usual joint, Hollywood Park). The dealer is even laughing. I get lectured on the rules by the friendly old dealer (“Have you ever played here before son?”), and a hefty dude with a goatee, dark shades, and an upper lip full of dip is to my left. The hefty dude starts off immediately, pulling some sort of cool, talkative Chris Farley act, and I figure that this table is guaranteed money.

I put my $140 buy-in on the table and look at my first cards to find J-10 offsuit in late position, and even though I have no clue what is going on at this table, I figure the players as a bunch of tourist calling stations. I throw in my 2 chips for a call, hoping not to see any raises. But the lady on the blinds raises it 6 to make it 8, and 2 players call. I throw in my 6 to call, still confused by the betting structure. Great start–8 chips to play J-10 offsuit. The flop comes 9c-Qc-Qh and one lady bets 6, I call with my open straight, and the raiser calls. I figure someone has the queen, and I’m happy that I’ve got a shot at the pot, which is now up over $50. The turn is the 7 of hearts… first lady bets, second lady raises to make it 12, and I am ordering a drink instead of calculating pot odds, so I throw in my 12, making the pot huge at $76. The river comes Kh, and I should be happy to rake in the huge pot for my straight, but something doesn’t feel right. The first lady bets, and I call, and button reraises again. Pot is huge so I have to call, but warning bells are going off… I am the first to show, and the early bettor turns over… Ah 9h??? Pair of 9s? Ahh, I missed the flush! And to rub it in, the raiser turns over Q-9 for the full house. I am amazed at the horribility of this play, and I look at my previously full rack of chips–now half empty. First hand in Vegas, and I’m down $36.

Hefty dude with the shades keeps talkin it up, and we learn he is a construction worker from Minnesota. By this time, M has moved to my table, and judging from the height of his stack he is doing better than me… 3rd to act, M raises it 6 to Minnesota Fats, who reraises to 12. I ponder my A-7 offsuit, and decide to throw it away to let M battle it out with Minnesota. Everyone else folds, M calls and the flop comes K-A-A. I am hoping M has A-K, but i can never put him on a hand anyway, so I bail and try to figure out what Minnesota’s got. Fats thinks for a while, and surprisingly comes out with, “That’s a great raise… great raise” and mucks his hand. Matt turns over K-10 and takes the pot, and the woman to Fats’ left asks what he had. “I had an Ace, what do you think I had? That was a great bet, I can’t call that!” I tell Fats I would have called, and the woman says, “Why didn’t you make a great call then?” I tell them I threw away my Ace pre-flop, and knowing Fats style, I tell him that I don’t think he had the Ace. Fats doesn’t like this, and gets quiet, and I decide to move next to M, where a seat has just opened up, although I was barely able to leave the money seat the the left of Minnesota. Fats is quiet for the remainder of the night, and soon leaves, while M and I sadly watch him go. I am sure he didn’t have an Ace.

The next two hours prove relatively uneventful… I lose big with A-K when a King flops and a rock who has played about 5 hands in the 2 hours we’ve been there calls me down to the river, and turns over his pocket Aces. As I ponder my bad play, the rock informs M that he’s in the worst pain of his life due to a recent hernia operation. I feel better and win a couple small pots, while M goes heads up a couple times against a young Asian kid whose girlfriend is sitting behind him silently. He wins the first battle, when 3 Kings flop and he calls the kid’s reraises with his pocket Queens, and the kid turns over a raggedy 7-3 at the showdown. The kid’s bluff proves profitable later on when M refuses to lay down his K-J on the A-Q-7 flop, and the kid shows down A-K.

We leave at 12:40, with M up 20 after 3 hours, and me down 100, mostly on the 2 big hands I lost early. Neither of us spin the wheel, but the look in M’s eye tells me we will be back… the next hour sees us through the residential neighborhoods of downtown Vegas when we take a wrong turn coming off the exit ramp. After driving past the “Default Senior Center,” we stumble upon downtown and arrive at the Fitzgerald at 1:40 AM.

Check in: we discover that we’ve been given 1 king size bed, and of course it’s too late to switch rooms. I feel like the main character in Lolita, as the clerk tells us he can give us a cot for free, and I prepare to fight for another bed for M. Thankfully, the manager is there and comps us a free trip to the buffet, which is good enough for M, who will happily take the cot and the free food. We won’t be sleeping much anyway.

After dropping our bags off (the room smelled strangely of wintergreen Skoal), we grab a late dinner at Shamrock’s, Fitzgerald’s 24-hour restaurant. The fries taste like cardboard, and we discuss the possibility of getting up early enough to play. An 8:45 wake up is not appealing, and we decide to sleep late and try to get in the 7 pm tourney at the Orleans, since we figure to own the blackjack tables at this hour. M wakes himself up and we hit the Fitz double deck tables, which offer pretty good penetration (.6) and great rules. We get a table to ourselves, and the counting begins.

We’re back and forth with $5 and $10 bets for a while as I wait for a good count. M looks like the game has woken him up, but sadly for me, there is no longer much adrenaline contributed by Blackjack. However, I figure that once the $50 bets come out, things should be more fun. The dealer, a middle-aged Asian guy, shuffles, and M tries to ease his boredom, striking up a conversation. The dealer, Chung, says he plays craps, and seems genuinely friendly. The momentum swings from M and I against the table to include Chung, who nows seems to be honestly rooting for us. So it’s us 3 against the house, but the positive counts are few and far between. The count hovers around zero as the night slowly rolls on, despite Chung’s best attempts to break the house. M and I hover around zero, and Chung looks about as bored as I am… in my favorite dealer moment of the trip, I get a 15 against a face card with a $25 bet out. I ask Chung for a 6, and surprisingly, he turns over a 6, leans forward and nearly punches me in the face as he celebrates the win with a fist pump. Finally after 3 hours of uneventful play, M is down 100 and I’m up 45, and we call it a night. I ask M about his “rogue betting” tactics, as he threw out a few medium sized bets against negative counts. He mumbles an answer, which I interpret to be something about the game being boring, which I definitely agree with. Alas, my love affair with Blackjack seems to be over.

In perhaps the most bizarre moment of the trip, I hop in bed and shut off the lights, and say good night to M who is reading peacefully in his cot. The book has no cover, but looks pretty hefty. I close my eyes for 5 minutes and suddenly remember something M said on the ride to Vegas: H: “Ahhh, what are you reading?” M: (mumbles) H: “IS THAT HARRY POTTER???” M: (grinning) H: “YOU’RE READING HARRY POTTER IN VEGAS!” M: (wider grin) H: “That’s gotta bring bad luck.” M: “No way–it’s magic!”

Saturday we get up at 11:30 after 6 hours of sleep, and amazingly we both feel very awake. We missed the tourney, but we take comfort in the fact that we can play in the Orleans tourney at 7, when the BJ tables will be packed anyway. So we have optimized our gambling as far as beating the crowds. After using our comp for the buffet (of course we missed breakfast by an hour–who the hell makes it up for breakfast by 10:30 in Vegas???), and I force down some spaghetti and meatballs to provide fuel for the day.

Time to bomb some single and double deck tables downtown–the plan is to hit each one for an hour, and move on to the next one. We start at the famous Horseshoe, planning to check out the poker room where the World Series is held. But we do a cartoon character stop at an empty single deck table, and in an hour I drop 90 while M wins 15. I lose a couple big hands with true counts over 5, ignoring the young pit boss who is more concerned with the player betting 4 greens in seat 1. Unfortunately 2 players joined us, so most of the good hands were eaten up and each of us only got to see 2 hands before a shuffle. The tiny poker room is disappointing, although the aura of the World Series is faintly present. But present enough for M and I to agree that we will try to make it for next May’s tourney.

The next hour takes us through a couple Downtown joints (Golden Nugget and Golden Gate) for more uneventful BJ. M wins 20 more over the course of a couple hours, and I drop 20. We just can’t seem to get that high positive count that makes the big money, and the dealers are hitting 5 card 21s and some ridiculous draws. M deflects the little heat we might get from the pit bosses, as he cracks enough jokes to make the dealer laugh and the pit bosses back off. Perfect conditions, just no results.

We finally arrive at Lady Luck, which according to the BJ journals, offers the most profitable game in town with their single deck game. But we opt for a double deck game with one player after not finding any single deck games going on, and the penetration is excellent–once again, great conditions. The trend of slow games continues, although we do see a few high positive counts… the other player at the table busts out, and we welcome the new dealer–a short little guy of unknown ethnicity with a name tag labeled “VALE”.

Vale deals quickly, stone-faced as M and I hope to get on a run with this guy. I ask him where he’s from, but his lizard eyes only look at me and wait for me to hit or stay. I ask again, but he continues to deal, ignoring me. H: “I guess Vale’s not in the mood.” M: “He’s not much of a talker, I guess.” H: “That’s fine with me!”

The uneventful blackjack goes on, and the great conditions continue, but the counts hover around zero for what seems like forever. I try to occupy two chairs to fend off would-be players, but eventually an old Asian lady stops, stands behinds the seat and gets ready to sit down. M and I groan, hoping that the lady will change her mind, and Vale draws a 5 to his 16 to hit 21. She makes some exclamation at seeing the 21, and quickly runs in the other direction. Vale eyes her and looks at us, with what almost looks like a hint of a smile. M: “I guess she didn’t like the dealer!” The smile slowly creeps across the lizard face, and the floodgates are open. Vale waves her away with his 3-card 21, and says “Good riddance!” I smile at M, who has finally cracked the Vale after over an hour of playing in complete silence. The silent dealer turns into a stand up comedy act, faking blackjacks after checking the hole card, and just doing strange things with the cards.

M’s luck with the dealer does not continue on to the cards, where he drops 120 in our 3-hour stint. I am up 50 after hitting and missing a few big bets. We were hoping to hit the pride of the downtown meal, the Horseshoe steak and eggs for a pre-tournament (poker at the Orleans) dinner, but we just can’t leave Vale. Finally at 5:30 we drag ourselves away from the table and grab a quick bite at McDonald’s before heading out. M wolfs down a burger ordered “H-style” (he’s eating healthy this weekend!) and we wade through the humid desert air to the first cab to the Orleans. We decide on the cab, figuring it will be 20 bucks each way, but I will be allowed to drink and won’t have to fight traffic, etc. And our cab drivers sure made it worthwhile…

We hop in the cab and I start coaching M: H: “Remember that people play much tighter in the tourney. Even K-J is a weak hand once the tourney tightens up.” The cabbie, a middle-aged black dude pipes in, Cabbie: “Sounds like y’all are poker players!” M: “Yep, we’re going to play in the tournament at the Orleans.” Cabbie: “Yeah, they gotta lotta em there.” H: “Do you play?” Cabbie: “Yeah…” H: “Which game? Stud?” Cabbie: “Yeah, I used to play some, but not much anymore.” H: “How long you been in Vegas?” Cabbie: “17 years… and it’s the best place to be if you’re lookin for women” H: “Yeah, my buddy and I were just noticing that when we got here…” Cabbie: “Fuck yeah! Finest bitches in the world be up in here, that’s where all the suckers are at!” H: “Yeah, I guess a pretty girl can make a lot of money here…” Cabbie: “I know this one bitch, she say some sucker throwin her black chip every 20 minutes! I say bitch, why the fuck you hangin with me, you better go stand next to that sucker till his motherfuckin feet fall off! Shit, I’d stand there forever if he was givin me black chips! And it ain’t like the old rich guys ain’t getting their money’s worth… even if they ain’t getting pussy, they still get to walk around with a fine young thing on their arm. Money for the spendin! Like Tina said, what THE FUCK has love got to do with it???”

The man was a true vulgarian, and M and I thoroughly enjoyed the cynical diatribe on Vegas pussy. Unfortunately the cab ride was nearly 30 bucks with the tip, but hey, what the fuck has love got to do with it. We take our second-hand emotion into the Orleans, a big off-strip casino that supposedly hosts small buy-in poker tournaments. As we wander around looking for the poker room, the sheer size of the Orleans amazes me. The super high-ceilings and sprawling game room is overwhelming for an off-strip casino, and we finally are told that the poker room is in the back past the sportsbook.

Ok, we’re now off to the poker room, which is a small open room near the back of the casino. I tell the lady at the desk we are signed up for the 7 o’clock tourney, and she tells me to go to the desk. A sign says something about a 7-card stud tournament, and I get a bad feeling in my stomach… sure enough, I ask the desk man if the tourney is a Texas Hold ‘Em or stud tournament, and he exclaims “Stud!” and I want to pull an Ed Norton in fight club and punch myself in the face. I tell M, who wants to pull a Brad Pitt and punch me in the face, and we dejectedly turn to discuss our options. What a choke, I didn’t even ask what kind of tournament it was, even though all I had to go on was some lady at the Luxor’s guess that the tourney was Hold ‘Em. A $30 cab fare for nothing.

We decide that we have to hit a poker room somewhere, and the natural choice is to return to the soft games of Excalibur and try one last time to get a spin on the money wheel. M gets the first seat this time, and I join him a few minutes later, saying hi to the rock from last night who had the hernia operation. There are a few young, clueless looking players at the table, and the game looks pretty soft to me. The first hour is relatively uneventful, and I win a couple small pots to pull in $60, while M loses a couple to go down 35. The money wheel sits quietly in the corner, getting spun occasionally by some lucky tourists.

I’m dealt pocket 8’s in early position, and I pre-flop raise it the max to $8 to try to drive some players out of the pot. A couple players fold, and a young redhead girl on the button calls, along with one other player. She has been playing tight, so I think my pocket 8’s are in trouble, but maybe she’s got A-K. The flop comes rainbow 8-J-4, and I figure the pot is mine, hoping that somebody with A-J will call me down to the river. I want to slow play it, but I figure I should just bet, figuring that redhead won’t fold anyway. I bet out 6, and the 2 players fold to the redhead, who reraises me 6, to my delight and surprise. I put her on A-J, and everyone else folds, leaving us heads-up. I reraise it to 18, and she calls, and I can’t be happier. The turn comes 6, which I figure can’t hurt me, so I bet. Redhead immediately raises, and I start to get a little worried. Could she have pocket Jacks? I call her, and think about the odds of two sets on the same hand. But the dealer turns over a beautiful 8 on the river, and I actually feel a bit bad since I think she had me beat before, and I’m about to take all her chips. I bet and am called, and turn over my 8s, as the table “ooohhhs” and she mucks her cards angrily. Ah well… I rake in the big pot and realize that IT’S TIME TO SPIN THE WHEEL! The $60 she just contributed to me is probably a lot more than I’ll get from the wheel, but hey, IT’S THE MONEY WHEEL!

I stand up to spin and ask the manager if the wheel has to go around twice in order for the spin to count. “Yeah but it spins pretty easily, so don’t worrry about that.” I look at the wheel, which is full of $20 and $30 markings, but I want to hit the “Triple” mark, which gives you another spin at triple the value. I try to get 2 full rotations to the triple, and give it a soft spin at what I figure will be the only time I ever spin a money wheel. Click, click, click goes the clacker, and I retreat towards my seat with an eye on the wheel. The triple goes past 2, 3 times and the $20 approaches the pin. The pin goes over the $20s, and ends up anticlimactically at the $30. I groan, and collect my $30 chips from the floorman before sitting back down. Ah well, at least I got to spin!

After 3 hours at the Excalibur, the BJ tables are calling, and after M takes a big pot down with 5s full of kings, I cash out up 100 (miserable after hitting that 4 of a kind), and M down 16. Both of us were doing fine until a kid from Seattle sat down and not only was dealt pocket aces 5 times, but won with them all 5 times. He demolished the table, but M and I managed to avoid most of his Aces, except when I was whooped with my pair of queens after he put a straddle (a blind raise without looking at his cards) on the table. Anyway, I’m back even in poker after last night, and we head towards the front to catch a cab downtown. Feeling good (and at this point heavily buzzed after 3 hours of continuous cocktails), we look for the cab line outside, but can’t seem to find the entrance. Finally we see the “taxi line” sign right in front of the outside of the hotel, and I hop in line, fast-walking to get in front of the guy with the suitcase and his wife. I thought my fast-walk was a fair deal, almost a cut, but we had position, so no big deal. We grab a cab after a short wait, and we’re headed downtown…

M: “Did you hear that guy?” H: “No… what?” M: “He said–did they just cut us?” H: “Yeah we just beat them to the line.” M: (smiling) “Ahhh, no, there was a MASSIVE line going into the hotel.” H: (laughing) “What? No way!” M: “Yup, it was stretching wwwwwaaaaay into the hotel…” H: “That’s hilarious!” M: “Yeah, I wanted to see if the guy said something. He didn’t so I didn’t move.” H: “That’s great.”

We were then in for the ride of the trip, greeted by a jolly foreign driver by a string of “yo what’s up homies!” and other technical slang terminology. M: “Do you gamble?” Cabbie: “No, I used to play poker, but I got kicked out of MGM.” M: “For what?” Cabbie: “Counting cards n shit.” H: (pause) “In poker?” Cabbie: (pause) “…Poker, 21, everything” H: (smelling a rat) “What count system do you use?” Cabbie: “What do you mean?” H: “For counting… you know, Hi-Lo, Halves…” Cabbie: “There are different systems? I just use the one my dad taught me!”

We stepped out of the cab baffled and happy that the cabbie would lie about counting cards, which apparently was a cool thing to do. Yeah, we’re cool!

**********************************************************************

But alas, these 9 pages of trip report must end here. You will not hear of the losing battle that our young narrator and his faithful friend waged that night. The gods of chance were not kind to our heroes that night, and left them beaten mentally and spiritually. You will not hear of how far below the normal curve their results fell. Our narrator doesn’t have the energy to tell you how he placed 3rd in a Sunday Hold ‘Em tournament at the Luxor (yes, our heroes finally made it to a tournament), winning $75 on his $20 buy-in. You will not be given details of the 7 hour ride home, where our narrator played 3 hours of single deck blackjack against his dealing friend, and he was down nearly $2000 fictional dollars. You also can’t be sure that he won all this back and more at card roulette, Dostoevsky style. You won’t hear of the invention of a new casino game, “Find the Joker,” developed by our heroes, and mastered by our non-narrator. What you will hear is that our duo went to sleep that night, not saddened by the money they lost, but strengthened by the experience, and dreaming of the next time the chips are on the table…

[thanks to http2007 and hdouble via cc]

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9. Castaways

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRsxzf7znU8

Castaways was known mostly as a locals casino and claimed to have the “largest bowling alley in the world” with 106 lanes. Unfortunately that tagline wasn’t enough to keep the hotel out of bankruptcy and it was imploded in the early morning of January 11, 2006.

8. The Hacienda

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efObu01sixc

December 31, 1996 brought upon the demise of the Hacienda to make room for Mandalay Bay. The Hacienda was built in 1956 at the south end of the Strip which made it a bit too far from the action that the hotels in the center and north end of the Strip were receiving. That changed in the mid 90s with the arrival of Luxor and Excalibur and the land beneath the Hacienda became too valuable for a hotel with a mere 500 rooms.

7. The Aladdin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRaNwPGcQcM

The Aladdin was imploded in 1998 after a sordid history to make room for, umm, The Aladdin. It’s the only time in Vegas’ history where a hotel was demolished and rebuilt under the same name. Keeping the name may not have been such a good idea since the new Aladdin had similar problems that the old Aladdin had and was bought by Planet Hollywood and rebranded in 2006.

6. The Boardwalk Casino

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xJjzlTd3yA

The Boardwalk started out as a Holiday Inn on the South Strip. The tower was built in the 70s when it was also given its circus/carnival theme. It was bought by MGM/Mirage and was imploded in 2006 to make way for Project City Center.

5. The Desert Inn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwIGlSIz8Gc

In 1966, Howard Hughes was a received as a guest in the top two floors of the D.I. His stay lasted longer than management expected and asked him to leave so that they could use the rooms for their high rollers. Hughes, not happy that his stay was interrupted, decided to buy the hotel and stayed in seclusion on those top two floors for the next several years. The Desert Inn was bought by Steve Wynn in 2000 who soon closed and condemned it so that he could build the Wynn hotel on the D.I.’s grounds.

4. Landmark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYp_djURbGs

The Landmark may have been the strangest looking hotel on the strip but when it was built in the 1960s it was supposed to look futuristic. Although not the most successful hotel, it remained open until 1991. In 1993 the empty hotel was sold to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority who imploded it to build a parking lot for the Convention Center. The implosion was used in the movie “Mars Attacks”.

3. The Sands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vhn2VZw3tQ

For decades, The Sands was the epitome of cool on the Strip. The Rat Pack performed together for the first time on the stage of the Copa Room while filming “Ocean’s Eleven” during the day. For over thirty years it was one of the most recognizable hotels in Vegas. It took less than 30 seconds for it to come crashing down on June 30, 1996 to make room for The Venetian.

2. The Stardust

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6_Z-OiD6ls

The latest implosion on the Strip was of the Stardust that took place on March 13th, 2007. The Stardust first opened in 1958 on the North Strip and would remain open 24/7 for the next 48 years until it was bought by Boyd’s Gaming Corporation and doomed to make room for their Echelon Place which is scheduled to open its doors in 2010.

1. The Dunes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9dvx3ZdEXs

The Dunes is another hotel that just couldn’t keep up with the new megaresorts being built on the Strip in the late 80s. Steve Wynn bought it in 1992 for the land underneath it and in 1993 it became the first hotel on the Strip to be imploded.

[thanks to loon and cynical-c via cc]

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Most never reach the level of poker where the cream of the crop cheaters…cheat. The really good sleigh of hand people aren’t interested in the pocket change being pushed across a kitchen table. Move up a few levels and the card table may be in a well known card room’s private salon and the pots being pushed across the table can buy a house. Ratchet up another level to the major poker tournaments and the amounts of money at stake can finance a third World country for a year or two.

How do we know we’re getting a fair and unbiased cut of the cards in a poker game that allows no player an advantage other than their poker skills? We don’t know. We rely on the reputation of the poker room and the Gaming Control people to police the operations to ensure they are fair and the cards are coming off the top of the deck. So, who does the world’s largest casino operator and owner of the WSOP entrust with this weighty responsibility? According to his website, it is Steve Forte.

Las Vegas resident Steve Forte is the man the casinos, poker rooms, poker tournaments, and practically all other forms of gambling call to ensure players get an even bet. Steve has taught practically everyone in the gaming industry how to set the traps to catch the evil cheating low life. Last June 7th Steve Forte got his foot stuck in one of those very same cheater’s traps when New Jersey State Police officers arrested him and three partners in a room at the Borgata Casino. The police also confiscated several devices used in high-tech cheating including sub-miniature video cameras, two way communications equipment and portable computers.

Ironically, this arrest time frame coincides with the start of the Borgata Summer Poker Open Tournament which boasts a $5K final event with a million plus prize pool. A New Jersey AG spokesperson said the alleged scams were not aimed at the tournament; but, the fact that the arrests were kept quiet until late July spawned rumors in the poker community that Forte and his confederates were targeting the tournament.

Even though he is charged with allegedly conspiring to cheat high-stakes poker games we must remember that everyone is innocent until judged to be guilty. Of course, Steve Forte is maintaining his innocence, according to his friends. No longer the book selling publicity hound, he has refused all request for media interviews. Arrested with Steve Forte were Stephen Phillips of Las Vegas, James Harrison of Duluth, Minnesota, and Joseph Ingargiola of Playa del Ray, California.

FYI, Steve Forte was arrested and convicted of a felony cheating scam in 1990 in New Jersey. He was also arrested in 1982 at Harrah’s and charged with two felony counts related to a fradulent act before pleading guilty to a lessor trespassing charge. When you hire a cheat to protect the poker game from cheats you get exactly what you paid for, a really good cheat that apparently wants much more than just the check for his services.

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• Casino Socks: Hard Rock Hotel and Mirage Las Vegas

Located high above the Las Vegas Valley in the shadows of the Red Rock Mountains the Suncoast Hotel and Casino is another example of a plush local resort finding favor with the tourist crowd. Las Vegas visitors wanting an alternative to the hustle of the strip can head to the west side Suncoast for a relaxing stay and a place to play in a luxurious environment. The Suncoast is a member of the Coast Casino resorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Boyd Gaming Group.

Suncoast Hotel features 388 deluxe guest rooms and 39 posh suites ranging in size from 1100 to 2300 square feet. All of the guest accommodations have floor length windows providing million dollar views of the surrounding valley and mountain vistas. A complete list of amenities are included starting with a 24 hour fitness center outfitted with the latest in workout equipment.

Jen’s Salon De Beaute provides a complete menu of beauty treatments guaranteed to pamper and rejuvenate the weary traveler. An adjacent golf course is available for guest and there’s even a secure game arcade for the kids. Free scheduled airport shuttle service makes coming and going a breeze. Suncoast guarantees the lowest room rates through their website reservations system so your room is just a click away.

Dining options range from a quick specialty coffee and pastry at Seattle’s Best to a memorable evening of superb steaks, chops, and fresh seafood all served with a spectacular view at Primos. Mexican dishes are the mainstay at the brightly decorated Senor Miguel’s. Hearty old world Italian selections combine with flown in fresh seafood at Via Veneto Italian and Seafood.

Diners wanting an endless choice of items will find the St. Tropez International Buffet to be their favorite with its seven unique serving stations. Upscale Las Vegas coffee shop food is available 24 hours at the Café Siene which also offers an extensive Asian menu. Enjoy deli sandwiches and a dessert counter at the Bagel Cafe Express; and finally, my personal favorite, The Oyster Bar, featuring steamers, pan roasts, shooters and fresh catch seafood prepared exhibition style in this traditional oyster bar.

More than 80,000 square feet of casino space is filled with 50 traditional table games including Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, and Pai Gow Poker. Slot and video poker players will be pleased with the vast selection of games to be found among the 2,400 machines. Sports bettors can enjoy watching their favorite events live on the two dozen large televisions plus a feature event giant screen display in the 150 seat Race and Sports Book.

Bingo fans will be thrilled with the award winning bingo hall, voted best of Las Vegas 2007. A separate section for smokers ensures clean air for the rest of us. A convenient snack bar is located in the room and players have a choice of 8 daily sessions. Don’t forget to register for your Club Coast Player’s card to start earning points for your play which you can use for cash and comps. You can apply for your player’s card at the Suncoast website and the card is accepted at all Coast Casinos.

Suncoast Casino’s Poker Room is a spacious, high ceiling room with great lighting that is preferred by most poker players. Located in the main casino the room gives players a view of the casino action with without the usual casino noise. Nine tables with shufflemasters ensure a smooth game in the popular poker room. Managed by casino veteran Pete DeMonte, former manager of the now closed historic Stardust Poker Room, poker players are guaranteed a premium playing experience.

Hold’em players have a variety of game choices beginning with $2-$4 Limit, $4-$8 Limit, and $10-$20 Limit. No Limit Hold’em players can choose $1-$2 blinds with a $100-$300 max buy-in or $2-$5 blinds with a $200-$500 max buy-in. Stud and Omaha are spread with sufficient interest as well as most any poker games and conditions.

Tournament poker players have plenty of choices with a daily 10:00 am No Limit Hold’em event that has a $40 buy-in. Sunday through Thursday at 7:00 pm there is a $60 buy-in event. Friday and Saturday a 6:00 pm bounty tournament ($5 for every player you eliminate) with a $50 buy-in and one optional $30 rebuy is played. Suncoast Poker Room also participates in the joint Coast Casino’s freeroll poker tournament.

Parking and access to the room is close and easy for both valet and self parking. Players earn comps at the rate of $1.25 an hour for 4 hours and then $0.50 per hour there after up to a maximum of $9 a day Comps can be used at all food outlets or applied to room rates. Promotions are ongoing and include cash awards for certain “Bonus Hands” plus a 1:00 am to 6:00 am $100 for pocket aces and a 3:00 am to 9:00am Double Jackpot payout for high hands. Complete details of promotions and games are available by phoning the poker room at 702.636.7111.

Enjoy your visit to the poker room at the Suncoast Casino.

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This clip is from the DVD movie extras for Ocean’s 13. As producer Jerry Weintraub is walking us around the casino set, he explains why the inside of The Bank casino looks the way it does.
“It’s Asian-themed because there is no casino that we know of in Las Vegas that’s Asian so we decided to have an Asian theme.”Err, apart from Imperial Palace perhaps? They haven’t knocked it down yet. OK so I know there’s a few red-herrings thrown in to confuse you as to what their theme actually is, like the collection of classic American cars and the Hawaiian Luau, but it’s definitely meant to be Asian. It even says so in Wikipedia, and that’s almost never wrong.
If the roof doesn’t convince you…

…there’s dragons out front. What more does it need?

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Go south on the famous Las Vegas Strip to Michael Gaughan’s South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa to visit, stay and play at the recently opened resort. Owner Michael Gaughan is the son of Las Vegas gambling icon, Jackie Gaughan, a Las Vegas pioneer known for his early contributions and historic properties in downtown Las Vegas including the Vegas vintage El Cortez.

Michael Gaughan worked hard to build the Coast Resorts brand that he sold in a multi-million dollar deal to Boyd Gaming. Today, Michael Gaughan has focused his energies on the happiness of customers and guests at his popular South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa.

Phase One of the South Point Resort is complete with the hotel offering 1350 guest rooms and suites, all with fantastic views of either the Las Vegas neon skyline or the stark beauty of a desert mountain view. All guest rooms are oversized with upscale furnishings, HD plasma, high speed Internet and plush bathrooms.

Suites are located on the uppermost floors and provide ‘condo to house size’ accommodations for the ‘travel well’ set. All guest rooms and suites come with a full list of quality amenities and the level of service you expect from a major Las Vegas destination Resort. Reservations by phone toll free: 1.866.796.7111 or click to the website: www.southpointcasino.com to book online.

Guests will enjoy the pool and Jacuzzi areas, a convenient child care facility, Business Center, even sand Volleyball Courts. Located on the property is the Spa Costa del Sur, a full service spa guaranteed to rest, refresh and restore your mind, body and spirit. The Spa is the perfect stop after a long night at the tables. Need a really different gift for someone? Give them a South Point guest room gift certificate.

South Point is the only casino with an Equestrian Arena. They designed and constructed a state-of-the-art horse facility without equal, the finest to be found in the country. Show tickets for events at the Equestrian Arena or for the many acts booked into the South Point showroom can be purchased by calling 702.797.8055 or toll free 1.866.796.7111.

South Point offers guests a variety of dining options. Starting at the top with the recently opened Michaels’s Restaurant considered one of the finest gourmet restaurants in Las Vegas and the Zagat Survey has named it one of the top five in the city. Michael’s is the choice for a wonderful romantic dinner and a must try for the serious gourmet.

Great steaks, chops and seafood fill the menu at the Silverado Steakhouse. Enjoy exceptional dishes in an elegant room. Don Vito’s prepares Italian specialties and flown-in-fresh seafood that was swimming in the ocean earlier in the day. Enjoy a romantic evening with great food and impeccable service at either of these fine restaurants.

The 24 Hour Coronado Cafe is a cut above the standard Vegas coffee shop fare. You’ll find a complete menu filled with traditional diner favorites, daily specials, prime rib and porterhouse specials, and a special Chinese menu from a separate Asian kitchen. The Garden Buffet is a great Vegas style buffet. Check out the Big Sur Oyster Bar for steamed favorites from the sea. Quick Bites fast food court is where you will find plenty of comfort foods, gourmet coffees and sweet treats.

Try your luck in the 80,000 square foot South Point Casino. 2,400 of the most popular slots and video machines are sure to include your favorites and all are coinless…no more waiting. A 60 table pit includes all of the typical – Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat, Pai Gow – table games. Race and Sports bettors are treated to a 300 + seat Book. Bingo entertains in a 600 seat room that features Cash Ball and a Progressive Double Action Jackpot. We came to test our game in the South Point Poker Room.

Located in the main casino the 11 table South Point Poker Room is one of the most spacious in town. Easily move about the tables without the usual bumps, bangs and side shuffling. Under the skilled management of poker industry veteran Joe Digiacomo the room provides poker players with a quality experience.

I spent some time visiting with Poker Shift Supervisor, Stephen Watkins, and was impressed by the continuous activity at the check-in desk. Games spread include Limit Hold’em $2-4 and $4-$8, both limits offer an optional half kill. No-Limit Hold’em games come with $1-$2 blinds and a $100-$300 buy-in or step up the action with $2-$5 blinds and a $200-$500 buy-in. The room will spread most poker games and conditions with sufficient interest.

Tournament players have a 10:00 am event daily with a $45 buy-in (no rebuy, no add-on) and a 7:00 pm event Monday thru Thursday with a $65 buy-in (no rebuy, no add-on). The TV shows, NBC Poker after Dark and the Game Show Network’s High Stakes Poker, are both filmed at South Point.

Players have easy valet and self parking. A brace of HD Plasmas cover the wall so poker players don’t miss a minute of sporting events. Food comps are earned at the rate of $1.25 per hour of play with a daily max of $9. Qualified players receive a casino rate for hotel rooms. High hands receive cash awards with some earning in the thousands of dollars. Play thirty hours and you will receive a custom poker room jacket. Call the South Point Poker Room’s direct line, 702.797.8073, for complete details of room promotions, games, tournaments and special events. See you at South Point Poker Room.

Michael Gaughan’s South Point Hotel,Casino & Spa
9777 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, Nevada 89183
Toll Free: 866.796.7111
Local: 702.796.7111
www.southpointcasino.com

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Monte Carlo Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas named for a gambling icon across the Atlantic has to fill some ‘big shoes’ because of the moniker. And fill them they do. Combining the Las Vegas all-out live life to the fullest style with the service, comforts and class of a European casino is exactly what the Monte Carlo does best.

Located on the south Las Vegas strip the Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino greets guests with a palatial entrance graced with statues, fountains, old world charm and Vegas glitz. The towering hotel offers 3,002 guest rooms including 259 luxurious suites. Rooms are large and comfortable with included amenities thoughtfully chosen to please and pamper the resort’s lucky guests. High speed Internet service is available in all guest rooms. The Monte Carlo is considered a great place to stay while in Las Vegas, offering guests the best dollar-for-dollar experience on the strip. You can quickly and easily make your reservations online at the Monte Carlo’s website www.montecarlo.com or call toll free 1.888.529.4828 for a reservation and promotion specialist.

Dining at the Monte Carlo can be a never forgotten evening at Andre’s French Restaurant. Combine the romantic elegance, impeccable service, and exquisite food creations from Chef Andre Rochat and you’ll know why Andre’s French Restaurant was honored with a second consecutive AAA Four Diamond award.

Dining at Monte Carlo can be an evening at Blackstone’s Steak House sampling the perfectly prepared culinary delights from land and sea. Savor the rich Kobe beef or catch the fresh Ahi or choose from the different cuts of aged prime steaks and fresh premium seafood selections.Check out Dragon Noodle for Asian specialties or take a seat in an authentic Italian eatery, the Market City Caffe. The Cafe at the Monte Carlo offers a complete Las Vegas style coffee shop menu 24 hours a day with selections for every taste and appetite. For the finicky appetite or those that must have it all, the Buffet is made to order. A selection of prepared to order meats, pasta, salads and desserts compliment the vast arrays of food.Even the Fast Food Court at the Monte Carlo is above average offering well known national branded fast foods for a quick meal or just a leisurely roll and designer coffee. Choose from Starbucks, Nathan’s, McDonald’s, Sbarro’s, and Haagen Dazs.

Monte Carlo Brew Pub is one of the Las Vegas strip’s known great spots for bar food and a crafted brew in a club atmosphere. A club with a huge 10′ x 10′ screen plus flat panels dedicated to sports. Live entertainment includes “Purple Reign,” a Prince tribute band, and some of the hottest DJ’s on the scene today.Shoppers can rejoice with the Street of Dreams. Shopping mall within the resort includes Monte Carlo entertainment headliner Lance Burton’s Magic Shop. Convention rooms and a business center are available plus for those that desire, a wedding chapel. A full service spa and fitness center, great golf and plush pool areas await guests at the destination resort.

Monte Carlo’s casino is 90,000 + square feet filled with all of the popular table games and more than 2,000 state-of-the-art slot and video poker machines. A spacious race and sports book invites the handicappers and sports’ bettors to stay awhile and enjoy. Players from every level and any game preference will find something in the Monte Carlo’s casino that has their name on it. Poker is in our name and the Monte Carlo poker room has our name all over it.Monte Carlo’s 9 table poker room is managed by Susan Sansberg, a seasoned poker industry pro that applies her nearly two decades of the poker industry experience to provide poker players with the best in a Vegas poker rooms. The room attracts a great crowd of players and has a professional, experienced staff dedicated to player satisfaction.

I visited with Poker Room Shift Manager, Ron Carson, and soaked in a feel for the room while getting the vitals. Limit Hold’em is offered in the following flavors…$2-$4, $3-$6 with a half kill, and $4-$8. No limit Hold’em $1-$2 blinds and $2-$4 blinds plus, the poker room will spread most poker games and limits with enough interest.

No-limit Hold’em Tournaments are offered daily at 9:00 AM, $40+$10 Buy-in, and a $50+$10 Buy-in No-limit Hold’em. $50 SNG’s offered at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM Sunday thru Friday and all day on Saturdays based on ten players.Play fifty hours in the Monte Carlo’s poker room during the period between April 1st and June 30th for a seat in a $125,000 Freeroll. The room offers cash prizes from $100 thru thousands of dollars for various high hands. Comps are earned at the rate of $6 for 4 hours of play. A casino room rate is available for qualified players. Phone the poker room direct at 702.730.7780 with any questions and complete details of promos.Take time to check out the Las Vegas strip’s Monte Carlo Poker Room. You’ll enjoy the club atmosphere and smooth service Monte Carlo poker players enjoy every day, every visit, and every poker game.

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Want to know who’s responsible for the more resort feel of Vegas nowadays? Take a look at Steve.

Steve Wynn, who’s real name is Stephen Alan Weinberg, is a Las Vegas casino mogul and developer that has been one of the driving forces in the development of Vegas in the past 20 years. And he has his hand in some of the top casino projects in Nevada. You like the Bellagio Hotel? That’s Steve’s work. Golden Nugget? Steve Wynn. The Mirage? Uh-huh, Steve again. The pirates doing their thing at Treasure Island? Steve Wynn.

Who is Steve Wynn

Wynn was born in 1942 to a middle-class family in New Haven, Connecticut and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963, with a degree in English Literature. English Literature, yup. It’s always crazy to me to see people who have a certain career path and then their college major is completely different from what they do for the rest of their lives. How could English Literature possibly help in his casino business? Perhaps to be more articulate? Since we’re so cultured here at CasinoSmack, here’s a quote:

For most men (till by losing rendered sager)
Will back their own opinions by a wager.
~George Gordon, Lord Byron, “Beppo”

Back to Steve. Time Magazine called him “not only a great salesman of insane ideas and a clever real estate player but also the gaming industry’s most brilliant designer”.

He has casino in his blood 

His dad ran bingo parlors as Steve was growing up, so he got intimate knowledge of the gambling market. Unfortunately, his dad passed away when Steve was in college. Steve then took over his father’s business and used the profit to invest in the Frontier Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, his first foray into the Vegas casino market. That was the start, and it makes you wonder if he knew how far he was going to go. From what I’ve learned, most entrepreneurs have a vision of what they want. Maybe not to the extent of where he is now, but he had to have seen success coming.

The 1970’s were good for Steve Wynn

Through real estate investments, he used the return on his investments to get control of the Golden Nugget, and subsequently expanding and renovating the casino into a four diamond resort. Steve later sold the Golden Nugget for $440 million and began his work on the Mirage, opening in 1989.

You can pretty much trace the opening of all these huge casinos on the Strip in Vegas to the Mirage. Back in the day all you saw were straight up casinos. Now you get these entertainment locations like New York, New York with rollercoasters. This is the moment when Vegas got more of that amusement park feel.

Into the 1990’s

1993 brought the opening of Treasure Island by Steve. Every time you check out the “Battle of Buccaneer Bay” with the pirates and all that, give a little shout out to Steve.

1998 brought the badass hotel, the Bellagio. It’s got an eight acre artificial lake with the Fountains of Bellagio, at an original construction cost of $1.6 billion. Inside the Bellagio you can check out Dale Chihuly’s Fiori di Como, which is composed of over 2,000 hand-blown glass flowers and covering 2,000 square feet of the lobby ceiling. One of the most amazing shows I’ve ever seen is “O” by Cirque du Soleil at the Bellagio. You have got to check that out if you haven’t already.

The new millenium

2000 and Steve sells his company Mirage Resorts to MGM Grand Inc for $6.6 billion in June 2000. The new company is now known as MGM Mirage.

2004 comes and Steve Wynn officially becomes a billionaire, with a net worth at $1.3 billion. Billion dollars, daaaammmmnnn.

2005 and the arrival of Wynn Las Vegas Resort and Country Club, a five diamond resort on the Las Vegas Strip by Steve Wynn in Paradise, Nevada. 215 acres, this resort is HUGE. It’s the tallest building right now in the Las Vegas area, 48 stories in the air. I like the fact he named it after himself. I mean, he’s had so much success, why not gloat a little bit and see your name out on the Strip in big letters?

Steve, now in his 60’s, figures to have tons more success in the casino market in the coming years. I’m personally excited to see what’s next with him.

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Out front stands an active volcano that erupts at the top of every hour in a traffic stopping fiery display of might and magic. Out back dolphins swim in a peaceful ocean lagoon. It can only be one place on Earth, the Mirage Resort in Las Vegas. The spectacular first jewel in the legacy of Steve Wynn’s Las Vegas strip makeover. When the resort opened in 1989 it brought a new level of luxury and themed sophistication to the Las Vegas resort scene creating a new “Mirage Class” of Las Vegas resorts.

The Mirage Hotel offers 3004 rooms and suites with a level of space and amenities to please everyone, even the most discriminating. Standard rooms are oversize and well appointed with attention to even the slightest detail. Suites are spectacular and will provide an unforgettable Las Vegas stay in the lap of luxury and space. Guests can book reservations by calling the toll free number 800.374.9000 or by clicking here for the Mirage website. Hotel guests can enjoy the Mirage Spa with a full service salon and a Health Club that includes a wide array of state-of-the-art exercise equipment, trainers, a lounge and juice bar.

Dining options at the Mirage Resort range from the long line of dollars signs guaranteed to provide a never forgotten food experience down to the fast food outlets from nationally known brands. My favorite deli west of the Hudson is Carnegie Deli at the Mirage; and yes, it is the latest from the family owned, world famous Carnegie Deli in New York City. The popular California Pizza Kitchen specializes in wood fired ovens and is located across the way from the Deli. Keep in mind that both restaurants are close to the poker room.

The white table cloth set will enjoy the varied choices of upscale restaurants operated by world renowned chefs. Fin, Stacks, Samba Brazilian Steakhouse, Kokomos, Caribe Café, Paradise Cafe, Japonis, Coconuts Ice Cream Shop and numerous coffee bars will provide whatever you seek to eat. For those that aren’t sure what they are craving it’s the Cravings Buffet considered by many to be the best of the strip. Room service is available 24 hours and features a full menu for your pleasure.

Nightlife with the beautiful people at the Mirage happens at the popular Jet nightclub or the Revolution Lounge. If your passion is entertainment and you come for the live shows then book reservations to take in the Danny Gans Show, “The man of a thousand voices.” The Beatles(tm) Love(tm), by Cirque du Soleil(R) performs nightly at the Mirage Resort, Reserve Tickets Online or call 702-792-7777 or 1-800-963-9634.

Mirage Resort’s casino is 100,000 square feet big and filled with more than 2,300 state-of-the-art slots and poker machines. A full complement of tables games including Black Jack, Craps, Roulette, plus all of the currently popular game variations. A 296 seat Race and Sports Book provides comfortable accommodations for the bettors. Keno players will enjoy the plush Keno Lounge. Included in the Mirage casino is a 30 table poker room.The Mirage Poker Room supports 30 tables with Shufflemasters for a secure, fast, smooth game. Games spread vary from low dollar all the way up to “How much you got?” Limits vary from entry level $3-$6 up to a structured buy-in, No-Limit format. Varieties include Texas Hold’em, Omaha 8 or Better, 7 Card Stud and most other variants with enough interest. The Mirage Poker Room is one of the most popular in Las Vegas because of the management style of Donna Harris, Director of Mirage Poker Operations.

Poker players have plenty of close-in parking spaces in the eight story garage. Free poker lessons are offered daily 5:00 PM-1:00 AM (except Tuesday and Wednesday). Players can earn food comps including a Mirage buffet ticket. Casino room rates are also available. For complete details of promotions, cash games and tournaments call the poker room at direct 702.791.2290.The Mirage Poker Room runs the Mirage Poker Zone Tournaments daily, Sunday through Thursday evenings with details as follows:

• Sunday, 5:00 PM No-Limit Hold’em $430 buy-in
• Monday, 7:00 PM, No-Limit Hold’em $230 buy-in
• Tuesday, 7:00 PM, No-Limit Hold’em $130 buy-in
• Wednesday, 7:00 PM, No-Limit Hold’em $230 buy-in
• Thursday, 7:00 PM, No-Limit Hold’em $230 buy-in

The Mirage Poker Showdown tournament begins May 7th and continues through May 23rd when the $10,000 WPT Championship final table is played before the WPT TV cameras. The Mirage Poker Showdown final Championship event is the 2007/2008 season opener for the ‘World Poker Tour.

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Five hotel towers offer a selection of 3,350 guest rooms. Guests have a wide variety of accommodation choices from the standard rooms with a long list of amenities to suites that were designed, constructed and furnished for the most jaded royalty. A stay at Caesars Palace will be an unforgettable vacation in Las Vegas. Make your reservations on-line at the Caesars Palace website or call toll free 1.800.338.2127.

Dining at Caesars Palace comes in a never ending menu of choices. From the legendary dining experiences to be had at Restaurant Guy Savoy, Bradley Ogden or Rao’s to a quiet moment for a cappuccino and pastry at the Cyprus Street Marketplace. Hungry for great southwest specialties then head for the Mesa Grill while Asian food connoisseurs will enjoy a visit to 808, Hyakumi or the Empress Court.

Neros remains one of the best spots in town to order a steak and those that can’t decide can stop by the fabulous Vegas style Cafe Lago Buffet. Coffee shop food with many upscale menu items can be had 24/7 at Augusta Cafe. Find the comfort and luxury of your room too much to leave then order in-room white tablecloth service from a complete menu twenty-four hours. Numerous coffee and pastry outlets are located throughout the property along with a generous number of bars and lounges.

Most shoppers that experience Caesars Palace for the first time believe they have found the holy grail of shopping and, in fact, they have. Known as a world class shopping destination the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace offer a range of items not to be found anywhere else and all of it is contained within the most decadent, luxurious mall in creation. With more than 160 boutiques and shops and 13 restaurants the Forum offers a unique shopping experience for even the most jaded. The restaurants include many of my local favorites including Joe’s Seafood, Palm Steakhouse, B O A. Steakhouse and Sushi Roku.

Nightlife includes the famous Pure Nightclub, favorite haunt of the rich and beautiful people, includes the ultra trendy Pussycat Dolls Lounge. And now the nightclub has been joined by the Pussycat Dolls Casino. A Caesars Palace casino creation that redefines casino games as something much sexier and way more fun.

Caesars Palace Gaming includes a 250 seat Race and Sports Book beckons to the bettors from a cavernous wall of video screens including more than half a dozen theatre size giants. A favorite place to spend a day at the races or to bet while you watch all your favorite sporting events. Almost 130,000 square feet of casino with thousands of slots and video poker machines that including the latest and all of your favorites. Every popular table game – Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Caribbean Stud, Keno, Pai Gow Poker and much more-will tempt you. A live game poker complex located between Pure Nightclub and the Sports Book is our destination most days including today.

After a quick turn into the garage off the Las Vegas strip there are plenty of close-in, easy parking spaces, then an elevator ride and a short jaunt across the sports book and we’re at the Caesars Palace poker room. Though the entry corridor hung with original art work from American painter LeRoy Neiman and we’re into the main poker room with 28 tables thoughtfully positioned in the spacious complex. I spent an enjoyable afternoon in the poker room chatting with Jim Medulla, Caesars Casino Manager & Poker and Chris Tessitore, Poker Shift Manager.

Both were excited to talk about the popular poker room and the many amenities offered to poker players at Caesars Palace. Players earn food comps for hours of play with all play time tracked through your Harrah’s Total Rewards Player’s Card. Don’t forget to sign up for your Harrah’s Player Card before sitting down to play. You can use some of those earned comps for table-side food service ordered from a complete menu then served on a white cloth on a larger than average side table.

The poker tables have Shufflemasters so you are assured of a secure and quick shuffle for a smooth game with the maximum hands per hour. Poker players are offered Limit Hold’em with $3-$6, $4-$8 with a half kill, $6-$12 and any limit that has enough interest. No-Limit Hold’em comes in three basic flavors…$1-$3 Blinds with a $100-$500 Buy-in, $2-$5 with a $200-NoMax Buy-in, and $5-$10 with a $500-No Max Buy-in. Most poker game varieties and structures may be spread with sufficient interest.

Tournaments at Caesars Palace are held in the separate 33 table Tournament Room that adjoins the poker room. Often the site of major poker action such as the recently concluded NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship III or the upcoming WSOP Circuit event April 22 through May 2 the daily schedule of tournaments at Caesars are under the direction of Tournament Director Jason Halperin.

Tournaments are offered at 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM every day. The 12:00 PM tournament has an $80 Buy-in with a $50 Rebuy and the 7:00 PM event is $120 Buy-in with a $100 Rebuy. An 11:00 PM tournament is offered daily with a $60 Buy-in getting $1,000 in chips while a dealer donation of $10 gets another 1,500 in chips. Tuesday evenings at 6:00 PM is a Ladies Night Tournament with a $75 Buy-in for 1,500 in play money and $5 Add-on gets another 500 chips. The room recently added a $330 Buy-in Saturday afternoon event that starts at 3:30 PM. Players begin with 7,500 in tournament chips and blind levels are 40 minutes. For complete details of cash games, daily tournaments and promotions including current WSOP $10K seat giveaways, satellites, and high hands that pay thousands call the poker room direct at 702.785.6566.

Try a cash game or one of the many tournaments (all tournament winners receive a limited edition medallion) and play a test round. Play in the most progressive poker room in Las Vegas, the Caesars Palace Poker Room and you’ll become a regular Caesars’ player just like the many that return again and again after discovering how enjoyable it is to play in a well run room with a friendly, professional and motivated staff.

Caesars Palace Las Vegas
3570 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Toll free: 1.800.338.2127
Local: 702-731-7110
Web site: www.caesarspalace.com


Photos courtesy of flipchip and lasvegasvegas[thanks to Poker Profs]

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