I found my new favorite game !
I got to Vegas on Saturday the 20th for a trip with my family knowing that I would play limited poker but would probably get a couple hrs in per day. Staying at Harrah's, my typical stop is the 3-6 LHE game. This game is usually fun and typically profitable in some capacity. I played 3 nights there and made money 2 of the 3 days. The first night I was literally card dead for 3 hours, was essentially blinded out and lost my buy in.
On Sunday we headed down to MGM to try out the new .50/1 NLHE game that they have. For someone like me who cant afford to play good strong TAG poker at 1/2 NLHE, this game is awesome !! $50 max buy in and its no limit. It feels a lot like playing online with betting patterns etc but I really enjoyed it. I realize that most of the people who read this site are not like me with the same limitations in bankroll, but if you are like me, give this game a try. They call it "beginner NL" and in some ways it is. I can honestly say that I have seen much worse poker played in many 1/2 NL games that I have played in. Its not a game where you are going to make a ton of money but if you are playing good poker, it can definitely be profitable.
Back in 2007, during a business trip to San Diego, I played in a poker room in Oceanside. They spread a $1/$1 NLHE that was similar in size to your new favorite (yes, the small and big blinds were the same amount to keep the smallest chip on the table at $1). When I was there, my table was actually more similar to what you see of the pros with the typical pre-flop raise being 3 to 4 times the big blind. The players did have different styles, some tighter and some looser, but none made the wild bets you see online. I was only there for several hours on one day, so my sample was too small to say you would never see a game more similar to what you saw at MGM, but that day was enjoyable for entertainment if not for big profits.
I am right there with you on the .50/1 game at MGM. I just tried it this past weekend for the first time. I played sunday the 5th from about 9pm to 3am. There were two dealers and a friend of theirs playing as well as various folks coming and going. The game wasn't too serious as those three were yapping the whole time and pushing on a whim. The NFR also set up a calf roping area and mechanical bull nearby so we were watching folks try to rope a rolling cow while sitting on a fake horse. A number of times it was called that the girl getting on the horse was going to rope herself since she didn't know what she was doing. Overall, great entertainment.