Going to Vegas - anyone familiar with the Orleans?

I'm headed to Denver this weekend and coming back through Las Vegas the 18th-20th. My goal is to play as much poker as possible while I'm there and try out some new spots (I've previously only played at the Sahara).

Anybody played at the Orleans before? It's right across from where I'll be staying. The tourneys all have unlimited rebuys, though, and I prefer either freezeouts or a single rebuy.

The only place I've played is at the Las Vegas Hilton. It's a small-ish card room, but the games are pretty good there. It was back in March so it may have changed some since I was there. But they provide pretty decent progressive jackpots for any 4-of-a-kind or Straight-flush (using both holecards). If I remember right, the most active games there are $3/6 LHE, $4/8 PLO8, and $1/2 NLHE. You can usually get in on any of those games in a fairly timely fashion. There may be higher limit games there now too, I dunno.

Just got back from Las Vegas today. I spent most of my time playing $1/$2 NL at Bally's. Great place to play poker. Friendly players and several less-than-talented players willing to give you their money.

Best tourney in Las Vegas: Caesars noon tourney. $80 entry plus one rebuy at $50, so it is really $130. Can a CardsChat player cash in one of these? One just did!

Go to http://www.allvegaspoker.com/ for trip reports and reviews of Las Vegas poker rooms. It is an excellent source.

Cheers!

From what I know the Orleans is more of a locals casino as opposed to a touristy one, so you may find some good games there.

Roundcat,

I have heard that downtown at Binions' they have some good games there. You may check them out also.

Hey Lightning congrats. Nice job.

Mandalay Bay had a single blind when I played there. That and the fact that I always leave there with more than I came with makes it my favorite casino in Vegas.

Let us know how the Orleans is.

Yeah, nice job, Lightning! I've heard good things about the Caesars tourneys but it's likely I'll be feeling too cheap for the $130 buy-in. Then again, I just got paid $200 for looking at cars for three hours today so perhaps I'll splurge.

I'm also limited by the fact that I'll be dependent on shuttles as I won't be renting a car, don't want to spend the $$ on taxis, and don't want to spend too much time on public transit since I only have two days there.

Players happy to give away their money at Bally's sounds good. I'm a little hesitant to try Binions or even the Orleans because I'd imagine the local crowd is tougher than the tourist crowd, but if I give it a shot I'll be sure to report back. I just hope I don't get into "loner" mode and stay holed up in my hotel room playing online, heh. That would be such a shame and something I'd totally do.

Even if you don't play at the Orleans, I think they have a shuttle to the Barbary Coast, which is right across the street from Bally's. GL and keep us posted!!

We were there in 2004 (pre-poker) and the buses are just fine, timely and plentiful. (Beware party poker nights, though. They get full.) Here's a link to plan your route:

http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/cat/plantrip.htm

We didn't try the monorail, but it looks cool, too:

http://www.lvmonorail.com/

I've read that the Excalibur has the best poker room for small stakes and cheap tournies. It's right up the road from the Orleans.

Don't be afraid of the bus. Be afraid of not getting to the cool poker rooms Downtown, even just to sight-see. There's Binion's Horseshoe (at least get a souvenir or a picture), the Golden Nugget, and the PokerDome where they film the MansionPoker.Net PokerDome Challenge. Then there's the Plaza, where they played the Ultimate Poker Challenge. Or even get over to the Palm's and see where the celebrities play. Whatever you have time for.

In 2004 before I started playing poker, we walked by the Horseshoe (it was closed after their tax problem) and something made me take a picture of it. After I started playing poker in 2005, I went back through the pictures and found that one. It sits right here next to me on my desk as a reminder of my goal to play there one day.

Well, I'm back from Vegas and would like to report that the Orleans rocks! Best tourney I've found anywhere, and I had a good time during four hours of play even though I ended up just two away from the money (9th out of 54). It's $40 for 1,000 starting chips, and you can immediately do a $40 rebuy for another 2,000 chips, plus a $5 dealer add-on for 250, so total 3,250 chips. 20 minute levels and blinds don't double but antes start at the 150/300 blind level and go up fairly quickly. For every player you take out you get a $5 bounty, which was very cool -- I got three bounties. I got down to the final table and think I missed seeing someone in early position raise in front of me (I just remember seeing everyone folding), and being quite short-stacked I pushed all-in with A9 offsuit hoping to steal the blinds. No luck; my opponent had 99, they held up, and I was out. Good quality of play there, though, and no major suckouts like I kept seeing at the tourney I played at Treasure Island the night before. I can see why many people prefer to play with decent players rather than drunk tourists.

Later that night I played about 3 hours in a 2/4 cash game and came out $13.50 ahead (don't ask me where that fifty cents came from, but we were playing with quarters as well as chips). That was also at the Orleans.

The day I flew back home I played a noon tourney at Luxor just for fun -- knew more luck would be involved because it was 15 minute levels and only 600 starting chips including the add-on, but I was looking for a short tourney in order to be on time for my flight. And short it was! 35 minutes later I was out 14th of 23. Went into a 2/4 cash game there and came out $12 ahead before heading for the airport.

I'm ready to go back already!

Yee haw. Sounds like you had a great time. Even though it sounds like you ended up a little behind, it sounds like the overall experience was worth it. And I like the sound of the Orleans tournament. I'm not usually a rebuy tourney player, but if I can pay $85 up front to get all the chips and just play from there then I will definietly give it a shot.

I haven't played there myself, but a friend of mine loves The Orleans, and it got a great review on the poker atlas.

Please tell me where the drunk tourists play !

The Palms.

I played against the most falling down drunken guy EVER (he actually fell out of his chair)...twice in a row he went "all in blind" pre-flop and lost. The first time, against my BF who had pocket 9's. Drunk guy reached back in his pocket, re-bought back in, and then immediately went all in AGAIN pre-flop, this time I was dealt pocket 9's, I called and won.

The guy proceeds to rebuy a few more times. His wife comes over shaking her head - he hands her cash and sends her away.

--

The strawberry smoothie cocktails in the Caesars poker room knock me off my ass - so you might have luck there as well.

I'm going to Vegas for the BAI conference. I'll be there in mid-November... I was thinking of testing out a Black Jack system I did there some years ago as a youngster. It worked back then, but it could have been dumb luck.

Hah! They did that to you too? I was winning and the drinks just killed me! I have absolutely NO tolerance to alcohol. NONE. >>hic<<