Reno or Las Vegas?

I'm looking at visiting family in Colorado, then making a side trip to either Las Vegas or Reno to play some poker and take a general break. It's looking like the cost of going to Reno is going to be substantially cheaper during the time I'll be able to go, but I'm not very familiar with it.

Can anyone tell me whether Reno is a worthwhile poker destination? I'm more interested in tournaments than cash games, though I'll likely play a little of both (low limits up to 3/6). Are there any particular casinos and/or tournaments you'd recommend?

My one and only experience in Reno about ten years ago was a miserable one -- I got sick from eating at the Circus Circus seafood buffet and we got snowed in and couldn't leave the city -- but I'm interested in giving it another chance.

The man you want to talk to is Freakakanus, since he lives in Reno.

Ah, yes... so, Freak, any recommendations?

I'm also interested in which hotel would be preferable between the Eldorado and the Silver Legacy.

Guess I'm strongly leaning toward Reno over Las Vegas now since I can get air and hotel for just a little more than the cost of hotel alone in Vegas. Seems the only downside is that I'd have to fly back to Seattle to get the good rate, effectively making it a separate trip rather than a side trip.

I don't know about the El Dorado, but we did stay at the Silver Legacy. It was very nice. I would definitely recommend the Silver Legacy.

OK, thanks Juicee! Both those hotels are the same rate in the package I'm looking at. There are some less expensive ones, but one doesn't look very nice and I'm *never* setting foot in Circus Circus again if I can avoid it.

The Silver Legacy and El Dorado are vitually the same (they are stuck together anyway) so I doubt there would be much of a noticable difference between the 2. You can find tourneys here but they are at weird times, they don't have ongoing or hourly tourneys here but with a little luck you can still find one. Mostly they have cash games or maybe one tourney a day.
If you come, please be sure to send me a pm, maybe we can grab a beer or something....I need another pic. for my Cardschat collection!

Circus Circus, El Dorado, and Silver Legacy are all attached into one gigantic monolith of "take your money" goodness. They have separate sections but when you enter one you are kinda entering them all. You could always try the Atlantis, Peppermill or John Asquaga's Nugget. They are out of "downtown" but all nice casinos.

OK, RC. I'd also vote Silver Legacy tops in Downtown Reno. We stay there once or twice a year on average. Here's a hint: Unless it's a holiday or during a big sports event, wait to book your hotel until about 2 weeks or less ahead of time. You can go to SilverLegacyReno.com and pull up the rates. As it gets closer to the date, you will notice a steep decline in the price. We learned this in July. We booked in May and saw the price go way down. We ended up canceling our reservation and re-booking on the website 2 weeks prior and saved about $80 on 2 nights stay. Don't worry about sellouts unless a holiday or big sports betting event.

As for tournaments, here's a link:

http://pokerinreno.com/renopokerrooms.html

Scroll down and click a casino name under "Poker Tournaments" on the left side. Freak and I have played the $25 Cal Neva SnG and the Harrah's $65 "Winner Take All" SnG. Both are fine. CN's format has low starting chips and a steep blind structure (sort of like a turbo), so you can't play too tight or you'll get blinded out. Harrah's is a better format but gets tough at the final 3 or 4 since it is WTA. Both had loose, semi-soft touristy competition, so smart play and tell reading is rewarding.

Downtown Reno overall is not as nice as say Fremont St in LV, but it still has a dive-ish charm and is still mostly safe to walk the streets. I've heard the outer casinos are nice enough for both play & stay, like Atlantis, Peppermill, & Grand Sierra (formerly Reno Hilton, home of the WPT World Challenge). Use MapQuest to get an idea of the relative spread. Most have shuttles to Downtown, if desired.

Feel free to ask more questions.

My brother and sister-in-law always stay at Atlantis when they go. They seem to think they have better luck there, and they can always get good deals, from what they tell me.

When we stayed at the Legacy, we weren't into poker yet (it was some years ago) so we played blackjack. While I was doing fabulously--playing two hands, doubling down, hitting hands left and right; Matt did horribly! But, we made all his losses back and then some on our way home at Boomtown.

Great information, thanks MrSticker, Freakakanus and juiceeQ! Freak, I'll be sure to drop a line if I go.

I'm so terribly obsessive about optimizing my vacation experiences I may not get this completely figured out for some time, but your replies have helped a lot.