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IsaPalacios

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So I'm planning on setting up a trip to vegas to play some poker.

I'm in AZ and only 5 hours away. There's flights as low as 65 dollars, would going via shuttle or bus be cheaper?

I'm going on my own and not taking my vehicle and don't plan on renting one.

Once I get there. Do you guys know any really cheap hotels located near the aria?
That's where i want to play their 1-3NL games. Rake is okay, people say it's soft and plenty of traffic.
The Eiffel Tower is right across the street and I'll get to go up and see the view.
The Bellagio it's on it's left and I want to see the fountains.
Mandalay Bay is not too far on the right and I want to see the shark reef.
I figure if i want to go to Fremont I'll take the SDX bus.

Any tips on what I should expect to spend or hotels in a walking distance to my destinations? Places to eat at reasonable prices?
 
NoWuckingFurries

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There were loads of cheap places to eat when we were there because they thought if they tempted you in with cheap food you might gamble there. Having said that, it was quite a few years ago.
 
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IsaPalacios

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There were loads of cheap places to eat when we were there because they thought if they tempted you in with cheap food you might gamble there. Having said that, it was quite a few years ago.

Yeah that sounds about right. I'll google that.
 
arahel_jazz

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So I'm planning on setting up a trip to vegas to play some poker.

I'm in AZ and only 5 hours away. There's flights as low as 65 dollars, would going via shuttle or bus be cheaper?

I'm going on my own and not taking my vehicle and don't plan on renting one.

Once I get there. Do you guys know any really cheap hotels located near the aria?
That's where i want to play their 1-3NL games. Rake is okay, people say it's soft and plenty of traffic.
The Eiffel Tower is right across the street and I'll get to go up and see the view.
The Bellagio it's on it's left and I want to see the fountains.
Mandalay Bay is not too far on the right and I want to see the shark reef.
I figure if i want to go to Fremont I'll take the SDX bus.

Any tips on what I should expect to spend or hotels in a walking distance to my destinations? Places to eat at reasonable prices?

Driving is always cheaper from AZ unless your car just can't make it. The road is about 80% 4-lane divided now and it's nice. Heck, I've done the run in about 4.5 hours now that the bridge is done. Flying in and taxis can get pretty expensive. The Bus trips... do your research. Most of the time they are targeted to the slot players and run a 24-hour turnaround.

That being said, cheap hotels near Aria? Not many. I've gotten good rates at Bally's, Harrah's, and The Quad (former Imperial Palace). All are within a good walk to Aria. (Or you walk through Bellagio and take the tram over).

The best transportation value on the strip and to Fremont street is to get a day pass on The Deuce bus. Yeah, it can be crowded at times, but it's the cheapest way to get up/down the strip. You will want to take the bus to go to Mandalay Bay. It's out there.

There are tons of places to eat - but not as many cheap one's as there used to be. The legend is "The Hash House a Go-Go". Worth the trip.
Best of luck.
 
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IsaPalacios

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Driving is always cheaper from AZ unless your car just can't make it. The road is about 80% 4-lane divided now and it's nice. Heck, I've done the run in about 4.5 hours now that the bridge is done. Flying in and taxis can get pretty expensive. The Bus trips... do your research. Most of the time they are targeted to the slot players and run a 24-hour turnaround.

That being said, cheap hotels near Aria? Not many. I've gotten good rates at Bally's, Harrah's, and The Quad (former Imperial Palace). All are within a good walk to Aria. (Or you walk through Bellagio and take the tram over).

The best transportation value on the strip and to Fremont street is to get a day pass on The Deuce bus. Yeah, it can be crowded at times, but it's the cheapest way to get up/down the strip. You will want to take the bus to go to Mandalay Bay. It's out there.

There are tons of places to eat - but not as many cheap one's as there used to be. The legend is "The Hash House a Go-Go". Worth the trip.
Best of luck.

Yeah.. I have old BMW and it would worry me to drive it all the way up there. This is the plan I've made so far, but since you seem to know the city well could you correct me where my faults are?

VEGAS TRIP PLAN:

Trasnportation.
$10 bucks to have someone drop/pick you up at the greyhound 2x.
About $40 bucks to take the greyhound there. 2x
SDX from greyhound to hotel. $3 2x.
Use the vegas trams to get around a bit. Free with Sister casinos.

Where to stay.
*Hooters hotel is $25 a night.
11-minute walk from there to MGM Grand on the strip.
25-minute walk to the Aria
I'll mostly be on the central part of the strip where the resorts are anyhow.
*Howard Johnson for $26 bucks a night, just in case hooters is booked.

Where to eat.
About 10 dollars or less a meal in most Casinos.
New York, New York has pretty great deals.
(Food is cheap because they wanna keep you there.)

Must Have's
Extra I.D. just in case I lose mine. $10
Batteries for camera $10
A knife for protection.
Sweater because it does get cold at night.
Antibacterial hand sanitizer. $5
New watch battery. $10
Paper for allergies.
Sunscreen.
Sunglasses.
Comfy Shoes. $50
Bring cash prior, ATM's are very expensive.


Must do's.
-Top of Eiffel Tower $14 dollars
-Watch the bellagio fountains, goes off every 15 minutes after 8pm.
-Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay $16 dollars, you can take the trams from Excalibur
to Mandalay bay for $5
-Play poker at the Aria. $200

You can end the night prior to getting back on the greyhound drinking at fremont downtown because that's where the Greyhound is.
 
EA2USN

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Hard rock is not far from the aria. They offer free shuttles to the strip. You should be able to get a decent room for around $50 a night (includes resort fee) and the $1-$3 games there were not bad on the weekends last year when I was out there. The Aria has good mix of players for the $1-$3 games and the Bellagio is right next door, although next door in vegas is a walk Id suggest taking the tram. Also the Monte Carlo is probably one of the cheapest rooms on the strip and you can walk to the Aria thourgh the buildings they are connected by the food court(cheapest closest food to aria poker room) less then a 5 min. walk
 
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Debi

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The cheapest best place to stay would be the Monte Carlo - as stated above it is connected to the Aria. I wouldn't stay off the strip to save a few dollars - get on the strip and you can pretty much walk most of it.

Food is not cheap - it is more than you would pay at home - even the fast food. Vegas is no longer known for cheap food - those days are past.

You don't need a knife for protection. I have gone there 3-5 times a year for about 5 years and walked the strip on my own plenty of times. Not only have I never had a problem - I have never heard of anyone else I know having a problem.
 
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I agree with dakota xx. the Monte carlo has great rooms and most of the time great bar acts. There do seem to be a lot of locals in the poker games so watchh for them.
 
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check out flamingo and harrahs - watch out for resort fees. Trop is also inexpensive for rooms.
 
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IsaPalacios

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The cheapest best place to stay would be the Monte Carlo - as stated above it is connected to the Aria. I wouldn't stay off the strip to save a few dollars - get on the strip and you can pretty much walk most of it.

Food is not cheap - it is more than you would pay at home - even the fast food. Vegas is no longer known for cheap food - those days are past.

You don't need a knife for protection. I have gone there 3-5 times a year for about 5 years and walked the strip on my own plenty of times. Not only have I never had a problem - I have never heard of anyone else I know having a problem.

That is really insightful! And I don't mean to be paranoid, I just figured I'd throw it in my backpack, it could be useful for many things. Being on my own in another city sounded sketchy at first, but I've been watching videos and becoming familiar with it. Monte Carlo sounds like a great deal. Any idea on how much i should save for food? 2 day trip. Maybe two meals. One at night, and one in the morning.
 
starting_at_the_bottom

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Good luck in Vegas.

Out of interest what car do you drive? I need another motor soon and am thinking of somthing old with a cam chain instead of a rubber belt. Is your BMW reliable?
 
EA2USN

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The food court at Monte Carlo has a McDonald's so you could get breakfast and lunch for around $7 bucks each you should earn earn enough comps at aria for a pizza for dinner every night.
 
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IsaPalacios

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Good luck in Vegas.

Out of interest what car do you drive? I need another motor soon and am thinking of somthing old with a cam chain instead of a rubber belt. Is your BMW reliable?

I drive a BMW e39 540i, with the v8 and 6 speed transmission. It's considered one of the more reliable BMW's but that thing pours out gas for my dead homies. On top of that it has a lot little issues, window regulators, electronics etc. I think it'd be a cool weekend car because it's fast, rwd, and really well balanced. But I'm planning on buying an Accord or Camry here soon. I wouldn't recommend it as a daily to anyone who's really trying to take care of business efficiently.
 
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The food court at Monte Carlo has a McDonald's so you could get breakfast and lunch for around $7 bucks each you should earn earn enough comps at aria for a pizza for dinner every night.

Sweet, that works. I'm not super fond of mcdonalds but hey if I'm desperate to visit Vegas.
 
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If you end up going to Fremont Street, the light show is worth seeing at least once. And the is a place called Mian Street Station not far from there that has REALLY good cheap food deals! If I recall correctly, you can get 1/2 a rack of ribs and 1/2 a chicken for like $7.99! Now that's great deal! Certain casino's also serve 24-7 specials that are off the menu! Make sure to ask around, and try a google search, it can work wonders! Best of luck on your trip. May it me safe and profitable! :Let us now how it goes!
 
starting_at_the_bottom

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Wow very nice, dont get many V8s here in England. I was considering getting a 530i sport of the same age.
 
EA2USN

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If you do get to Freemont St. Binion a has a steak and egg breakfast for $3.99 it's fantastic for the price
 
Debi

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That is really insightful! And I don't mean to be paranoid, I just figured I'd throw it in my backpack, it could be useful for many things. Being on my own in another city sounded sketchy at first, but I've been watching videos and becoming familiar with it. Monte Carlo sounds like a great deal. Any idea on how much i should save for food? 2 day trip. Maybe two meals. One at night, and one in the morning.

The food court at Monte Carlo has a McDonald's so you could get breakfast and lunch for around $7 bucks each you should earn earn enough comps at aria for a pizza for dinner every night.

Yep - Monte Carlo has a food court. Depending on where you eat I would say about $7-12 should do it per meal.

You definitely will not earn enough comps at the Aria for anything. You get next to nothing playing poker - you primarily earn comps playing other casino games so don't even consider that. :)
 
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Just got back from Vegas for Christmas. Only played a little poker as it was a family trip. I played the 1-2 NL at MGM. There was some pretty soft players mixed with a few locals.
 
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Hotels are cheap Sun-Thurs. Staying a Friday and Saturday is quite a bit more and make sure to avoid major conventions as hotel rates are higher as well.
 
Debi

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Aria comps $2 per hour for poker room

Didn't know that - but then again I never play cash games there.

He only has one buy-in though - so would have to get real lucky to earn a pizza. :)
 
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