Poor mans trip to Vegas!

[tinlid]

So I Tinlid and Jonnywheels are back from the neon lights of sunny Las Vegas. Alas paid for out of our own shallow pockets. No LPL freebie for us. (Yet!)

ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!!! What an F,ing City!

You ask the people I play against or who has ever played me, I’m no card shark, by a long way. but even I cashed out plenty in Vegas!!!!!

Now I’m not saying I’m good or the people who we played against were poor! It’s the over all standard of poker play in the LPL, is of a lot higher standard that we all sometimes realise.

For instance over the last ten days Jonnywheels and I have played against poker players from all over the world. From tourists playing just for fun to minor poker stars, someone known as the Grinder? Vegas residents, who play poker for a living. And not forgetting Vegas dealers who play on their days off.

And not one of them was any better than anyone I have played against in the league!

Ok so it wasn’t high stakes games, biggest buy in we did was $120. But we figured win plenty of low games and not pay 30% tax on any prize over $1000. Rather than one or two big games and pay out shit loads in tax.

(Oh yeah that’s another thing, any winnings over $1000 in Las Vegas as subject to a flat 30% tax! This is known as a withholding.) You can fill in some forms with the American IRS six to ten weeks prior to any visit which apparently gives you an American tax number then you pay less tax.) But not 100% sure.

MAKES BEEN A SPONCERED PLAYER A LOT LESS ATTRACTIVE DOSNT IT! 30% to the IRS then 30% of what’s left to your sponsor!?!?!?

Any how I digress!

We played in the Luxor Hotel a couple of times. Shit stack and shit blinds. Didn’t win a bean here. Over all 6 out of 10.

The Tropicana was our hotel, card room was only small but they hand four tourneys a day and a constant cash table going. Buy in to the tournament was $50 and starting stack of 4k in chips with 20min blinds. Didn’t do badly here I got a 1st with pocket AA to kill some Texan off and scooped $400 in prize money. (gave him his buy in back though as it was a hard game) Plus I bought in to two cash tables and both times cashed out over $100 up. Jonny also cashed out here in a three way chopped pot of £400, he had mixed fortunes on the cash tables. Ups and downs. Over all 7 out of ten.

Planet Hollywood. Now this is more like it 60 – 70 runners in the tournaments three times a day. $60 buy ins, plus one rebuy in the first hour. Huge starting stack, 30 min blinds. Card room was fantastic with race track card tables, really good looking waitresses who keep whatever drink you want flowing for free, all just for a $1 tip. Jonny got a very good win here! Chopped 1st 2nd and 3rd though so all got $850 each and didn’t have the withholding 30% tax. I came 4th and got $390. Plus I got 6th here at a later tournament and cashed $190. Constant cash tables here $1 and $2 blinds up to $5 and $10. I cashed out of a $1 and $2 table here over $150 up. Over all this venue was the best for our level of affordability and our type of poker. 9 out of 10. We want to stay here next New Year.

MGM Grand was a $120 buy in with 4k starting stack. However blinds were every 15mins with an anti after the second blind level. Watched a tourney here but looked far too much of a crap shoot with massive pots won by ridiculas hands. Decor 9 out of 10 but poker a 5.

We went into the Bellagio but when we were told all tournaments were £500 and above we soon went back out again. Ha ha

New Years Eve was something else with 300,000 all out on the strip watching $500,000 worth of fire works all going off in 8mins!!! Breathtaking.

Just want to say whoever wins a place to Las Vegas you lucky git!

And to everyone else, Sod going to Ibiza or anywhere else in the world Vegas is the place to be. If Jonnywheels and I can beg steal and borrow the money to get there im sure loads of others in the league can. YOU WONT BE DISSAPOINTED.

Tip for a trip to Vegas: If you stick to the Poker and keep a clear head and not succumb to the thought of free drinks all night. If you can keep off the slots and away from other forms of casino gambling im positive most people in our league would cash out plenty on a trip to Vegas.

Anyone up for a jolly next year?

Tinlid

[tfeilding]

That sounds like you had a great time. I should be going to one of the smaller WSOP events in the summer - I know Vegas is not meant to be at its best during that month - but its the WSOP!

[Johnny5]

sounds a good trip flanny!! out of interest how much did it cost, flights hotel etc?

[Gambogaz1]

Sounds like a near perfect trip. Vegas is by far the best holiday i've had and I didn't even go for the gambling, I went to get married there.
A tip for anyone going, Organise it all yourself, the package holidays are very overpriced. The airport is right on the strip so a Taxi cost to your hotel is minimal.
We got flights for about £350 from manchester and we stopped in the Venetian(2 nights),New York New york(3 Nights) & The luxor (2 nights) Total accomadation cost was about £250.
Hotel costs shoot up on friday & saturday nights.

[tinlid]

I booked our trip only a month prior to going. It cost booking via expedia £1300 for flights and hotel. But we booked the exact same trip with last minute.com and got it for £1100. We could have saved more money by booking it all separate and if we booked it all loads more in advance. We tried this option but couldn’t get a flight to Vegas for less than £800 with such short notice. Plus New Year is a popular time to go, with it been a huge party time in Vegas.

Next year if the exchange rate is like it is now more or less $2 to £1 I’ll book direct with an American airline. Also I’ll book direct off the hotel web site and take advantage of there special deals. If I had booked direct off the hotel web site the room would have been $40 - £20 a night.

Also for anyone else going you can save loads more by getting a hotel off the strip. Some hotels were only $30 a night. After all its only somewhere to rest your heads.

As for my spending money! I only took $400 in cash over with me and drew out another $400 in the whole time I was there. Its not like I scrimped with my money either, did shit loads of shopping and ate out for every meal. Between Jonnywheels and I we won just short of $2000 in prize money which we also spent. This was the first holiday I have ever been on where at the end of it I still had over $200 left in my wallet getting on the plane home. Had to spend it all in duty free! Anyone want any fags? Ha ha

[Johnny5]

200 malboro lights will do nicely!!

[Raiser]

Funniest post ever - in more ways than one. LMFAO

[tinlid]

Funny in what way? Funny like ha ha or Funny like a clown? Like im a F,ing clow to you! So in what way am i F,ing funny?

(Clip from the Goodfellows!)

[morlspin]

Heres a top tip for the next time you visit.....

Take you passport to the poker game with you, when you cash over $1000 show it, and sign a tax waiver.....

The UK has a tax treaty with the USA and we dont have to pay.....

[Dice Man]

Originally Posted by morlspin

Heres a top tip for the next time you visit.....

Take you passport to the poker game with you, when you cash over $1000 show it, and sign a tax waiver.....

The UK has a tax treaty with the USA and we dont have to pay.....

Good trip report. I was going to say this. I'm pretty sure I've heard it said that British players had an advantage at the WSOP in that they could actually win all of the money advertised. That 30% thing is rubbish. I actually thought it was to do with income though. I've heard professional poker players say that they pay tax like any other person so I assumed that they got taxed on their winnings whereas amateurs didn't. (although I don't know how one could justify not being a professional, or something...)

Also, that "Grinder" guy, was it Michael "the Grinder" Mizrachi? If so, he is considered one of the top players in the world, with 2 WPT titles and 2 more final tables.