Playing Poker in Las Vegas
My name’s Colin, and I’m a poker-aholic… Ok, now that’s out of the way… I play pretty regularly in a poker league at my local bar, the Links, in Edinburgh, but recently I had the chance to sample the big leagues, in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas - The Home of Poker
If you do the same, be sure to find some time to visit some of the poker rooms in town, as Las Vegas is viewed by most as the center of the poker universe, especially in the summer when the World Series of Poker is running. While Macau and other destinations in Asia may be growing when it comes to casinos and gambling in general, Vegas still holds a special place in the hearts of poker players (even those who mainly play at an online poker site).
Even if you’re new to the game and only know the basic poker rules, simply visiting the poker rooms at casinos such as the Bellagio can be exciting, as some of the world’s top players such as Phil Ivey, Doyle Brunson, and Daniel Negreanu regularly play in the high stakes games there. For a nostalgic look at one of the classic Vegas poker rooms, give Binion’s a visit downtown (but don’t hang around after dark).
If you’re looking to play some poker, Texas Hold Em games are spread throughout the city in both cash games and tournaments. Some of the top Las Vegas poker rooms can be found at the MGM Grand, the Wynn, the Bellagio, the Venetian, and Caesar’s Palace. Games are available in a wide range of limits and the bigger poker rooms generally always have games running, with larger tournaments typically held on the weekends.
The poker action in Vegas reaches a crescendo each summer in June and July when the World Series of Poker (WSOP) gets underway. The series of more than 50 poker tournaments culminates in the WSOP Main Event, which is a $10,000 buy-in tournament that gets thousands of entries and typically pays the winner nearly $10 million in cash.
