golden nugget downtown has a great daily tournament. $60 USD for 14,000 starting stack. Starts at 7. And no I don't work there but love the structure.

Rio has a "small" tournament (7:00 I think). Not many players so you would probably be at the same table, just like your home game. When I was there 2 weeks ago, there were only 2 tables signed up. If I remember the buyin was $70 with 10,000 chips starting.

@dcshaker Yea but worst structure in town by far... Start at 100-200 and blinds go up quickly. Would have more fun flushing the $70 down your hotel toilet.

Thank you both. Those are indeed the buy-ins I was thinking about.
We would prefer to play as long as possible with as many people as possible, so I would try to avoid the games where the blinds go up every 2 minutes.

Personally I prefer not to play with the a table full of guys/girls who pretend like they are playing the WSOP. I'm sure we will make mistakes against the etiquette and would appreciate if we aren't insulted because of it.

Maybe a stupid question but is it frowned upon if we speak our native language at the table or does nobody care?

thx

@Pff007 - It's not a stupid question. At the table, it is English only. If none of you are in a hand and start talking in your native language most people won't mind, although the dealer might tell you "English only". Even so, it is better to use English as much as possible because most players won't know whether you are talking about something poker related or that your drunk and want to go back to the room and sleep it off.

Most of the smaller (under $100) buy in tournaments around town are going to be fairly easy going and at least some of the people there will be trying to have fun. But, they all have fairly fast structures as well. You can also try some cash games -- I know several people from the site who swear by at least one session of "drunken $2-4 limit" at Flamingo on their trips out here, just to have fun without risking a lot of money.

Dave

P.S. Remember Vegas is in a desert and alcohol will dehydrate you. So, drink plenty of water while you are out here.

Thx guys, very helpful !

Where are you staying? We can point to you a nearby 'casual' room nearby.

@thamster Stratosphere and the Wyndham Grand Desert. We still have to decide on more hotel around fremont st.

@Pff007 You don't say where in Europe you are from? I am from UK and have visited Vegas every year for 15 years. Stayed in most hotels in Vegas - if you stay downtown: problem is the bus or cab to the strip. Central locations like Harrahs, Flamingo, Monte Carlo or Ballys are all reasonable priced and all have good medium player poker rooms. Last year I was at the Excalibur: good hotel with card room, but bottom end of strip - still need to walk or catch bus. Play the $40 up to £100 tournaments; any higher you are likely to run into the Vegas pros - remember, not all Vegas pros are on the TV or Utube; there are some very good poker players in Vegas, who make a living playing every day, just waiting for guys like us!! English at the table every time!
ps don't forget to tip the dealers if/when you win a pot. (see table talk on tipping dealers)

I recommend MGM or Golden Nugget for some fun games. They seem to have more tourists enjoying themselves from what I've seen

@nutsmike We're from Belgium.
Good to remind me of the tips. Will certainly read that section

@Pff007 OK - well if you are from Belgium; then the American beer should not affect you too much! Have a good trip

@nutsmike Thx, I'm sure we will

It's not a nice looking room at all but Excalibur isn't a bad choice if you're looking to play cash games. You can buy in for as little as $60 ($300 max) and you're less likely to find serious players there. I'd say the same is true for Luxor, which also has a $60 minimum buy-in and isn't too serious of a room.

Mandalay Bay is also not a bad choice (minimum buy-in is $100 there like most of the rooms around town). All 3 rooms are pretty close to each other.

A lot does depend on the table though, not the room. You might find a fun table at a more serious room like Aria, and you might find a boring, nitty table at any room. But if you're looking for a less serious table with a higher percentage of tourists, you're more likely to find them in the rooms I just mentioned IMO.

These rooms also have really cheap tournaments that are really more for fun than anything else. They don't last too long and the buy-ins and prize money are low enough that it's pointless for a serious local player to play them for money.

The first thing I would do is download the Bravo Poker Live phone app. When I go to Vegas it is my go to source for tournament times and buy in amounts. The app also tells you how many cash game tables are running at each poker room in real time. Its a must have for the poker player. To get your feet wet I'd go over to Monte Carlo and play the 2pm tourney for $40. The room is very laid back and the dealers help newer players with the rules of the game. Here are a couple tips for playing. Make sure you put your chips across the line when betting. When raising announce "raise" and the total amount of your bet. I see beginners every trip make the mistake of "string betting". You can look up the term. Keep track of the button and put your blind out when your turn without having to be told. Tip the dealer when you win a pot. Tip the beverage girls when they bring your free drinks. When will you be in town?

@bluechipper In town in 2 days. Getting excited.
Thx a lot for the Monte Carlo idea, sounds exactly what we are looking for.
Will also check the phone app.

@Steve007 I know it's cheesy but I just absolutely love the look of the excalibur. Good to know I can actually play a nice game there too.

Thank you all! Your feedback made planning this trip much easier.

@Pff007 Good luck fellas - I agree with all the comments by bluechipper and steve007

@Pff007 Will you have a car? Stratosphere is kinda by itself but has a poker room. From Wyndham check out Hard Rock. They don't have many tables but its a pretty good casino for younger folks.

@Pff007 problem with the cheap tournaments (including the ones in the rooms I mentioned) is they will go faster and they often don't have that many participants (maybe like 2-3 tables). The upside is they are cheap and probably less serious, and it's not as big of a deal if you do something wrong.

A tournament like the one at Aria will get several tables of players. The one that starts around 1pm often gets over 100 players and the blind levels are longer. But it also has a higher buy-in ($125 plus one reentry) and I'd expect the players to be more serious and tougher.

You could possibly try a cheaper tournament, and if you don't like it that much try a more expensive one. From what you're saying though, you should probably start out with one of the smaller tournaments first and see how that goes.

One thing about the cash games is the fancier rooms like Aria, Bellagio, Venetian and Wynn tend to have bigger stacks at the table. A lot of the players will have around $200-$500 or even more in some cases. Rooms like Excalibur, Monte Carlo, and Luxor will tend to have smaller stacks on average. That's true from my experiences even though the maximum buy-in is the same in all of those places (well except for the Wynn where you can buy in for $500 instead of $300).

depending on your group size, a lot of the Vegas poker rooms will host a private game for you group. This will give you all the feel of playing in a Vegas Tourney, but protect you from the sharks.

However, if you are sure you want to play with others outside your group, stick to the smaller buy in tourneys, they will have the least amount of seasoned money players... because there's really no money to be made there. The top prize in a $65 daily tournament is usually gonna be less than $500.

If you guys decide to sit in on a cash game... be wary of a table with a lot of a loner who has a huge stack of chips and looks like he's still fresh. Also be mindful of any player that the dealers seem to know (there are soooo many players moving through he casinos in LV, if a dealer "knows" a player... he's probably a regular shark).

And remember... have fun and don't ever play with scared money.

Casinos to try: Venetian, Mirage, MGM, Ballys and (off strip) The Orleans.

@Goodshoe I typically play the night games (9:30 or 10) and I've won the top prize on several occasions at the Mirage playing against 13 to 18 players at the $65 buy in and I've never won more than $300. That's nothing to scoff at... but its not gonna make you rich or pay for your whole trip out there either. But, maybe ive just been there one slow nights.