Thoughts on Grinding Cash in Vegas, Possible TR to Follow
I am considering this for a week or two and will do it unless I get a good job offer that I need to take right away...I have always done well in Vegas and in cash games in general. I almost always play 2/5 with a bit of 5/10 at the V, but I hate playing poker when I'm not having another source of income (a job).
I haven't played much poker lately, I don't really enjoy the 2/5 500max that spreads in Northern California and LHE is really just a fun way to kill time. The 20/40 Omaha8 kill game died months ago which is where I spent most of my poker time.
I have never played a hand at Aria, mostly due to location wrt where I usually stay. Subjectively, I would assume that given the location of the poker room within the casino that they would get more regs there, but I hear the games there are good.
I will likely play with an abbreviated bank roll since a runbad and losing 10k while not working would not be fun for me. I'm thinking a 5k bankroll and grinding the 1/3 500max to relax/have fun for a week at Aria and then taking it from there. This will be lower than I would usually play and I may get sick of it and play 2/5, but I want to get back to having some disciplined hours at the table...maybe playing 6 hours a day for 7 days and also taking time to work out and eat healthy, maybe go for a hike or 2 at Red Rock...trying my best to live some normalish hours (waking up by noon at the latest) and enjoying some of the sunshine.
Over 4 years of playing 1/2 $300 and $500max in Alberta I was at approx $55/hour...not sure if those games were super soft or if this would be attainable at 1/3 in Vegas long term.
I think Aria also has some sort of $2/h comps program so I will try and remember to sign in when I play (I always forget to do this).
I will likely stay at the Rio so that I am at least a bit off of the strip...I've also never been there. Apparently they have some newly renovated rooms? Does anyone have an opinion about which tower to stay in? I want to be a bit off the strip so that when I need food, etc it is just as easy for me to drive and eat something healthy somewhere as it is to walk and eat crap. My gym also has an affiliated gym which is not too far from the strip.
I've always wanted to see how I would do playing regularly, although I have no desire to do it long term, so it will be a fun experiment and TR if it goes down.
Edit: I would consider selling 20% of my action for fun, but I'm not really sure how to do this for cash games over a long stretch of time
#blending
I haven't played much poker lately, I don't really enjoy the 2/5 500max that spreads in Northern California and LHE is really just a fun way to kill time. The 20/40 Omaha8 kill game died months ago which is where I spent most of my poker time.
I have never played a hand at Aria, mostly due to location wrt where I usually stay. Subjectively, I would assume that given the location of the poker room within the casino that they would get more regs there, but I hear the games there are good.
I will likely play with an abbreviated bank roll since a runbad and losing 10k while not working would not be fun for me. I'm thinking a 5k bankroll and grinding the 1/3 500max to relax/have fun for a week at Aria and then taking it from there. This will be lower than I would usually play and I may get sick of it and play 2/5, but I want to get back to having some disciplined hours at the table...maybe playing 6 hours a day for 7 days and also taking time to work out and eat healthy, maybe go for a hike or 2 at Red Rock...trying my best to live some normalish hours (waking up by noon at the latest) and enjoying some of the sunshine.
Over 4 years of playing 1/2 $300 and $500max in Alberta I was at approx $55/hour...not sure if those games were super soft or if this would be attainable at 1/3 in Vegas long term.
I think Aria also has some sort of $2/h comps program so I will try and remember to sign in when I play (I always forget to do this).
I will likely stay at the Rio so that I am at least a bit off of the strip...I've also never been there. Apparently they have some newly renovated rooms? Does anyone have an opinion about which tower to stay in? I want to be a bit off the strip so that when I need food, etc it is just as easy for me to drive and eat something healthy somewhere as it is to walk and eat crap. My gym also has an affiliated gym which is not too far from the strip.
I've always wanted to see how I would do playing regularly, although I have no desire to do it long term, so it will be a fun experiment and TR if it goes down.
Edit: I would consider selling 20% of my action for fun, but I'm not really sure how to do this for cash games over a long stretch of time
#blending
Comments
Rio:
$100 Daily Drawings (x4) ~Held everyday at 5AM, 7AM, 9AM, and 11AM ~Any player in an eligible cash game for at least 30 mins prior is eligible to win! Triple Comps ~Earn $3/hr in comps while playing from 3AM to Noon ~~ See a poker room representative for complete details ~~
I found Rio and Aria 1/3 nl to be soft, also Planet Hollywood.
8/16 o8 h/k spreads regularly at Venetian, sometimes you can find a 15/30 mixed game at Aria.
I love mixed games so I may give the 15 30 a shot, but my main game for making $ steadily has always been NL so I'll probably focus on that. I assume Rio poker is pretty dead this time of year, but have no real idea. I think Aria is going to be my poker home while I am there.
hoping for a few, that's what life is about
welcome to the blender
Wherever you stay you should sleep on the couch the first night, maybe even try and move it just a little bit. Just for good luck and the pro-ness of things if you know what I mean.
Usually I would, but I just want to have a cheap trip and be motivated to get out and do normal day to day things rather than staying on the strip.
On the real world note I have had some interest from a couple local clinics, one in Santa Barbara and just emailed the one in Vegas (just in case:))
If you get bored at the lower levels, take your winnings and move up a level and free roll it! I like your idea of having disciplined hours and playing for a limited time. I tend to over do it, get tired and it totally affects my play.
55/HR @ $1/2 is SUPER SOFT (I would never leave) I thought I was doing well at at $38/HR at Casion Niagara. I think I read somewhere that normal hourly rate at 1/2 is in the range of $12-14/HR for soft games.
GL and have fun!!
Aria can get extremely busy with long lists, so make sure you collect the poker room phone number and call ahead to save waiting time.
The walk over the bridge from Rio to Bellagio is longer than you think and although there is a sidewalk, I wouldn't call it pedestrian friendly, esp with all the off ramps to the hwy, cars aren't looking out for walkers.
For my two trips to Vegas in 2012, I mainly stuck to 2/5 and 5/10 at Venetian, Bellagio and Wynn (only played 2/5 at W). I did play at Aria but I didn't really like the room. The thing I noticed about Venetian during the day was there were way too many regulars. When I arrived during my second trip, which was like six months later, I sit down at a 2/5 table and I think 5-6 players I remember from my last trip! Half of the table was grinders. The 5/10 game was really good at both the Venetian and Bellagio. It was the biggest game running at Venetian (usually only started in the late afternoon) and had a lot of business types.
Of all the poker rooms in Vegas, I think Bellagio is by far the best in terms of player diversification. There always seem to be tons of people in the casino, its right beside the sportsbook, and there always seem to be lots of Japanese tourists. A lot of people don't like this room , but I think you should really give it a chance. I would usually start my day off at Bellagio around 10am when they have a few 2/5 tables running and wait for the 5/10 game to open (which usually was at noon). I think they have the earliest starting 5/10 of all the casinos. I would usually play the 5/10 for a few hours and then make my way over to Venetian when their 5/10 would open up. The 5/10 games seemed a lot easier to make money than the 2/5 games.
I can't speak for the other hotels as I personally like to play at the nicer poker rooms. These casinos usually run the bigger games and when I am in Vegas, I don't want to play 1/2. I'm more there for the experience of sitting down beside Jamie Gold or Jimmy Tran and seeing how I make out against these pros. If you want to grind lower stakes, I would also suggest Planet Holllywood in the evening where the 1/3 game is excellent.
The reason I was thinking Aria to start is that the have a 1/3 500max...I think everywhere else it's 300max. Will kind of play it by ear but it will be a starting point. I could use a 10k bankroll if needed, I just don't have the stomach to have a losing run when I'm not working...if I accept the job in Santa Barbara on the drive down I likely won't care as much about my bankroll limitations.
The 2/5 ($1k max) game was much tougher - lots of regs and sophisticated play. Great for improving your game, but not so much for profitability.
I found the Venetian to be very nitty and full of regs. Wasn't much running at the Bellagio when I was there, but I did play a few hours of 2/5 at the MGM of all places - very soft but only 1 table running on a Friday.
challenge accepted:)