A guide to where to stay for your first Las Vegas gambling trip
GAMING HOLIDAY Those of you who have been playing poker online for a while now may well be planning that first holiday in Vegas for the summer months. As it's a minefield out there in the desert we've compiled a short list of our favourite poker rooms as a helpful guide.
On the basis of pure nostalgia Binion's Horseshoe is a magnet for poker fans wanting to experience the hallowed soil which hosts the annual World Series of Poker. There are tournaments daily and even mid morning poker classes.
Our personal favourite would have to be the Bellagio as it has a huge amount of celebrity swagger. The likes of Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Chip Reese and Guy Hansen can be seen there playing for huge stakes. Be warned, the buy-ins are high but on the plus side, so are the pots. Hold’em tournaments are a daily event.
The Wynn is the newest large scale casino and they´ve brought in WSOP Champ Daniel Negreanu to promote the luxurious Wynn poker room. Daniel offers all-comers to sit and play one of seven poker games with him for no less than $200,000 and no more than $500,000. Scarey stuff but don´t worry. You can just watch the heads roll and then join a more realistic game yourself in this amazing setting.
For a real value game you can try Bally's Poker Room on Las Vegas Boulevard South. Texas Hold'em games start at a very reasonable $2-$4 and waiting time is generally not more than ten minutes.
Similar value can be had at the world famous Golden Nugget poker room on East Fremont which has over twenty tables on the go at any one time.
HOT DOG - RED DOG POKER
If you're looking for a change in your online fun give Red Dog Poker a try. Most of the big sites have it available and it's easy to learn.
In red dog poker, an automatic dealer runs the game and you have two choices infront of you: BET or RAISE. The dealer will deal two face up community cards. If the cards are consecutive, let's say an eight and a nine, all players get their money back. If the dealer lays down a pair then another card will be dealt face up. If the third card produces three-of-a-kind the dealer pays out eleven to one. If the third card still leaves a pair then all players have their bets returned. The real fun comes with the spread. Let's say the dealer lays down a five and a seven. You can get odds of five to one betting on the next card being a six (In other words the spread is one.) If the dealer sets down a three and a six the spread is two and the odds of the next card coming in between three and six will pay you four to one. The key is to remember to raise when the spread is small as obviously the pay out is much larger than when the spread is wide, say two and a ten. Give it try. Lots of fun.
ALL THE ACES poker column:
Friday, October 28, 2005: Las Vegas gambling vacation
