Caesars Poker Room

Just got back from 2 days in Vegas and boy did I run terrible. I didn't feel i played my best game at times but I also had some bad beats. I lost 100% (no lie) of my coin flips and lost 2 key hands that crushed me, one when <b>K[s]10[s] </b> > my KQ AIPF and <b>K[d]9[d] </b> > my KK AIPF. Apparently a sooted King is the new aces.
Played 5 of Caesar's $150 tourneys (which are great) and 2 of the Flamingo $65. I'll be back for New Years and will hopefully play and run better.

Whenever I think I’ve seen a twisted hand—BAM!—another more twisted one shows up. On my recent trip to Caesars, I saw two of the sickest hands I've seen in a while. The first took place in the WSOP Circuit Event and was an amazing (maybe crazy) call; the second took place in a 5/10 cash game and, as you'll see, was a somewhat easier one.
<b>Hand 1</b>
With the blinds at 100/200 in the WSOP circuit event, a young man named Brandon raised to 700 from middle position; he was sitting with 20,000 behind. Chris McCormack called from the BB; figure he had 13,000 or so in his stack.
The flop came 10[s] 5[c] 3[d]. Chris checked. Brandon bet 1,200 and Chris called. Turn was the J[c], and Chris checked again. Brandon bet 2,400. Chris thought for about 20 seconds and called. River card was the 2[s]. Chris checked again and Brando fired another 4,500 at the pot. At this point, Chris tanked for about 2 minutes, emerged, counted out 4,500 in chips and called with an A[d]3[c]…4th pair! Brandon tabled 9[c]6[s]—9 high, no good!
I was sitting next to Brandon and he commented to me that he shouldn’t have bet the river. He said that after he made the turn bet, Chris made eye contact with him and he felt Chris knew he didn’t have anything. Later, I asked Chris what he was thinking when he made the call on the river. He shrugged and said that if Brandon flips up QQ, he looks like an idiot. Good point—in poker, the line between genius and idiot is very fine. This willingness to make a tough call for a big chunk of chips when your gut says you are ahead is a common characteristic of great tournament players. And I can confirm that NO ONE at our table tried to bluff Chris out of a pot the rest of the day.
<b>Hand 2</b>
The other stunner I witnessed was in the Caesar's 5/10 NL cash game. I'd been sitting in the game for several hours when Kenna James showed up and took a seat to my right. He'd been sitting for 15 minutes when the following hand came up.
An Asian kid who'd been playing or raising every pot like Bruce Lee on meth limped UTG for $10. There was another limper and then Kenna popped it to $60. Kenna had watched this kid playing pot after pot and I’m guessing he decided it was time to play sheriff. In any event, I folded, and it was folded back to Bruce Lee who rejected Kenna’s aspirations and repopped to $230. The other limper folded and Kenna called. Ok, we’ve got action.
Flop came QQ6 and Asian kid checks to Kenna, who bet $260 into the $470-ish pot. Asian kid called.
Turn was a blank 3. Check. Check. Come on, fellas. This is boooooring.
The river card was a deuce and the chips started flying. Asian kid bet out $300 into the $1000 pot and Kenna SHOVED for his last $1400 or so. Asian kid insta-calls and Kenna flipped over 45s for the rivered straight. Ha! But then Asian kid turns over a frigging HAREM—QUAD queens—and scooped the $4,000 pot. Whoa! Everyone at the table was stunned but none more so than Kenna.
You really can’t fault Kenna for his push on the river. But calling a big re-raise before the flop with 45s can obviously get you in big trouble. At the same time, this willingness to gamble helps get Kenna action when he makes a big hand. Apparently, it's not so good for the appetite, though. He immediately stood up and bolted from the table leaving a bag of food he’d just purchased from the food court. Anybody want some buffalo wings?
God help me, I love this game!
PianoMan
You can read more about Caesars poker room including my recent trip report and review here...
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tworags.com/CaesarsPalace.html">Caesars Palace listing</a>

Impressions: This is one of the best card room I've played in. One of the nice features is that it is actually in its own separated room from everything else in the casino. You walk down a hallway to the desk and look to the left at a massive card room.
The competition in the (1/3 nl) cash games seemed tougher to me than any other I've played live.
The tourneys are very good and among the best regular tourneys in Vegas. You get 4500 chips and 40 minute blind levels which allows for a lot of play. The competition in the tourneys is a little tougher than average but definitely beatable for a good player.
Atmosphere: Simply the best. Being in its own separate area is a great feature. The room is massive and quiet. The tables are nice. The cash tables have auto shufflers. The chairs are comfortable.
Dealers: Very good.
Food: Better than average service. The waitresses are not among the most attractive, but they do a good job. I think you can get whatever kind of drinks you want.
Service: The computerized waiting lists seem well organized. I've only played in (1/3 nl) cash games a couple times there but didn't have to wait more than a few minutes either time.
The tourneys are very well organized.
Comps: Don't know, didn't ask.

Impressions: Fun to play. Would recommend to friends.
Atmosphere: Very spacious. Recently renovated.
Dealers: Very polite and professional.
Food: Food and drinks in the poker room. Ask for a menu to get food. They do not offer it.
Service: Easy to sign up at the desk. You may call in advance from your room or by cell phone. It did not take long to get a seat for any game.
Comps: Get a Harrahs Total Rewards Card to receive credits toward food and other items.

I spent five days at Caesars Palace for the WSOP Circuit Event and thoroughly enjoyed my time in their poker room. The room is very well appointed, and the staff is professional and accommodating.
It is a good idea to get a Harrah’s Reward Card before beginning play. You swipe in when you enter the room and get points for time played. This can be exchanged for food and other perks. The points are good at any Harrah’s property. Don’t forget to swipe out when you leave. At 5 am the computer resets and you lose your time.
I played in the 2/5 and 5/10 no limit games. There are small minimum buy-ins and no cap. The liveliest games start around 10:00 – 11:00 pm and go throughout the night. The 2/5 game was the juiciest because every so often a couple of tourists would sit down with $300-$400 to test their mettle. This usually lasted about an hour until their money ran out. The regulars are a pretty fair bunch of players although as the night wore on, some drank a little too much and got sloppy. The 5/10 game was tougher (as it always is), but definitely beatable with solid, tight aggressive play. I’d recommend having at least $1000 on the table in the 2/5 game with another $1000 behind, and double that for the 5/10. This way you won’t get pushed around by the regulars. There are a wide variety of other games available.
There are many tournaments throughout the week, but all of them were cancelled because the Circuit Event was scheduled. Locals tell me all the tournaments are well attended.
There is a poker room hotel rate of $139. You receive this rate by putting in 8 hours of playing time each day. The rooms are very nice, and at this rate, a real bargain. For an $80 up-charge, you can stay in the Augustus Tower with rooms the size of a small condo. I would be sure you get your room rate in advance from the poker room. At check out, I had trouble dealing with the front desk to get my rate adjusted. After about 25 minutes of arguing, they finally gave me the correct rate.
One excellent place to eat is the Augustus Café near the Augustus Tower. Their breakfasts are to die for. The fresh fruit is superb, and if you ask nicely, the chef will add some blueberries to your pancakes – a real treat. On the negative side, I’d avoid the food court. It takes 20 minutes to get anything, and the food is not particularly good. The ordering process is very disorganized.
Caesars Palace is right next door to Bellagio. So if you can’t find what you want here, you can take a short walk to Las Vegas poker paradise. I’d recommend Caesars Palace as an excellent place to stay and play.

I wasn't looking forward to heading back to LA but Vegas was booked solid and I wasn't in the mood to pay $300 for a short over-nite stay. I decided to head down 15S to check out the room availability in Jean and Primm, barring getting a room, I'd drive back. Thankfully I scored a cheap room in Jean, about 30 minutes south of the strip and after a decent sleep, I was headed to Caesars for the noon tourney, then the long drive back.
$130 total and I got settled in for a hopeful session of good cards, but that was quickly quashed as we found ourselves seated with a OBNOXIOUS drunk know-it-all. I was laughing it up, having a good time and making table friends as usual which this guy HATED. I got called a mother farker and was told my chip protector was farking gay. That got him his one and only warning...no more friends after that...LMFAO! This guy went on a table tear, ripping into hands and players alike. Management kept a close eye but he never pushed the line enough to get booted and the drinks kept coming his way. Once again, I found myself on the bad-end of cards, playing the push-bot short-stack. When the table folded to me in late position, I pushed with JTs on "his" blind and he called (I had him covered) without a second thought. He tabled J7 and with a flopped 2-pair, I busted the ARSE and became the table hero! 2 table changes later, I open push when I spy a lone ace but get looked up by AQ and AA, AQ turned a straight and that was all she wrote. I hit the road, wishing I'd left the nite before and the drive took over 6 hours with traffic and delays.

I finished class a little past 12:30 and stuck around the corporate office till 2 pm wrapping things up and saying goodbye to my Vegas crew. I'd decided that I wanted to check out the Goddard Gallery at the Aladdin so off I went. For some strange reason, I missed the turn at Trop and Eastern and flew right past Flamingo, which landed me in strange territory. But no worries, you can see the strip from everywhere right.... I ended up on Twain, then Industrial and by the time I made it back to the strip, I realized how much time I'd lost.
Not wanting to play cards in "work garb" I made the obscene decision to head back to Sunset Station for a jeans/ballcap change, then head back out. Well, by the time I actually got back to the strip and parked, it was already 5pm...
I found the parking garage with little trouble and the walk to the poker room was a much better than the MGM marathon trek! But I still suggest planning your drive and parking WELL in advance
Made my way to the room and got signed up for a players card but had to wait around for them to open the tourney up for registration. The lady at the cashiers desk was VERY curt, not friendly at all. The young lady helping with the players card and getting the tourney opened was nice however, balanced out I guess.
I was meeting my poker buddy Cindy and her friend John at 6pm so I figured I had just enough time to walk over to the Aladdin and check out the Goddard gallery, and damn glad I did! It's not a long walk at all but I feel I've logged the miles this week between conducting classes and walking the poker room-parking treks!
I made my way over to the gallery and was able to peruse the numerous pieces displayed along with some bronze pieces from Tim Cotterill, of which I got one for Christmas I really dig Goddard, it's not everyone's cup of tea but I've always been a fan of pop-art, like Warhol and Peter Max, so add in the gambling schtick and I'm HOOKED. I'll be purchasing the artists proof version of "Flaming Full House." It's a 100 dollar bill with burning pieces of a full house busting out of the center of the bill, very cool stuff. There was also a piece there entitled, "Hold 'Em." You have to see it to believe it, but if you're into the slang, the visual representation of the terms is something to see!
Cindy and John actually met me at the gallery and I introduced them to the wonderful world of Goddard After hanging out for a bit, we headed back to Caesars and got back a lot quicker that I would've imagined so we staked out the tables and talked cards before the 7pm kickoff. Sucks, but all 3 of us ended up at the same table, but oh well....only 38 runners. I was really expecting more players, but maybe it's partly due to what's going on in town and partly due to being a Thursday nite, I sure am looking forward to seeing a little larger turnouts. Seems that room wasn't that busy in general.
I was impressed with the size of the room, the Neiman paintings lining the entrance and the numerous boxing pictures around the main room. Nice, large flat-screens appropriately positioned around the room. The "famous players" pictures hanging in the tourney room along with the "WSOP" chairs was kinda cool to see for a 1st time visitor to the room. I liked the fact the that the chair height was adjustable the no marble ring around the table made things a little more comfortable as well. Plenty of room between the tables and the food service seemed to be taken advantage of quite frequently. Drink service ABSOLUTELY SUCKED, especially for the number of people in the room at the time, atrocious! And not that I give 2-chits about how they look, if that is a concern for you, LOOK ELSEWHERE! I was VERY suprised that an announcement had to made at 3 separate occasions to stop smoking, but they were on top of it right away.
So, 38 runners, 4 tables, 9 handed...now that was new! Started off with T4500 as I rebought right away as did most others, but not everyone. Seemed to be more tourists/business people that locals, decent mix. 5 get paid and it's DAMN top heavy, guess I'm used to seeing those on-line payouts, but not here 40%, 25%, 15%, 12% and 8%.
I had a pretty decent first 2 levels, catching AKo 4 times. Twice I got heads up and made a standard cbet on a blank board and had to back off when I got check-called. One I flopped 2-pair in position but with the board 2-flushed and 3 players in, the raise took the pot down. The 4th AK, ended up with me in position 4-way into a T1200 pf pot. Checked to me on a paired rags board and I fire out 800, getting one caller. Queen hits the Turn and he checks again. I'm just not getting the "he has a hand feeling" so I announce, "two-thousand" and he folds before I can stack off the chips, shoving me a decent pot.
The hand that directly followed, found me with pocket 3s facing an EP raise, and since I'd just ran that 2-barrel'd bluff, I just didn't feel like playing for set value. I'm sure you can guess what happed....flopped a boat and it took several Coronas to get the puke taste out of my mouth, especially when I saw the action that followed....fark me
Queens and K6s rounded out the 1st 80 minutes. Had a loose calling station on my left who opened to 300 utg and heads up from the bb, I made the call. Not too scary of a flop, I check-called his weak bet. Check-check on the turn. Blank River and he weak bet again after I checked. I'd paired my 6 on flop and decided it was the best hand, so planned on check-raising and it worked like a champ as we wondered aloud if his 5s were any goot We headed off to break and I had nearly doubled my starting stack.
The next 2 levels were a WHOLE different story. I was moved to balance out tables and after paying the blinds the table was broke and was moved again, right into the bb....fark me again! Had a GOOFY, vicodan popping, asinine specimen of woman on my right playing with the crapiest of crap cards and taking down pots. Unfortunately I learned this after trying wrestle my bb out of her sb hands, and the ponytail on my left figured what the hell, my sb stand wasn't going to get respect either. So after donking off about 1k in chips and paying back-back sets of blinds, I went into lock-down mode and tried to secure my footing.
I'm not able to do much of anything but stay afloat taking down a sb v bb pot when I flop 2 pair and raising in position after 2 limpers with AQs. Locals may recognize Mitchell who was at my table and seemed like a solid player who moved here several months back, seemed to know a lot of people and they - him. He's in the real estate biz.
I keep myself afloat but with only 5 paying that's not what I needed or wanted, but with the table, there wasn't much else I could do
Sometime after 11pm the final 9 are finally formed up and Loud Sideburns (Elvis Chops) is about to pee his pants, near literally CRYING for us to break. There's 12 minutes left in the 600/1200/100 level but Jed (very nice Floor, very accommodating and personable) gives in and we head off for 10 minutes.
We regroup and I'm one of 3 short stacks remaining, can't sit back, but hell, I've been looking to push for several orbits and just haven't been able to. Damn sure wasn't my goal to limp into the final 9 with only 5 getting paid, and 5th being only double the buy-in. I post and lose my bb, leaving me with a paltry T8100 or so. Table folds to me in the sb and I spy QTo and figure this is MORE than plenty to pick up some chips. I push and after some contemplation the bb calls, chit! He tables A7o (WTF?) and I get no help....I liked the 40 minute blinds but going from 200/400/50 to 400/800/100 to 600/1200/100 seemed VERY quick!
There's a "2nd Chance Drawing" for all tourney players that takes place 1 hour after the tourney ends. Essentially they draw a name and if you're in the room playing at a cash table, you get $700...nice! What the hell, I only have a conference call to attend on Friday (today-now) at noon, FLOOR....
Cash game details (not near as long) to follow shortly.....man it takes a while to type this things out!
Cheers!

I visited Vegas last week and played in the new room at Casears for the first time and really enjoyed it -- see my review at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tworags.com/index.php?ACTION=comments&todo=view&ID=71">here</a>.
I played the $2/5 game with no max buy-in. Because of this the game played much higher than a typical $2/5 game. Most of the players had several thousand dollars behind them. What was very unusual was that most of the players were inexperienced. They weren't timid though. They were gamblers. One guy saw 100% of the flops and this was for 5 hours. He even called 3 bets PF when the pot was raised to $75-100 and he didn't have anything. It didn't matter, he wanted to see flops. Because of his loose play most of the table loosened up too. One time a guy 3 bet to $100 and 3 other players called with nothing. What’s even better is that two of them had the bottom end of a four card straight on the river and they called a $250 bet when there was also a 4 card flush. They beat the guy who bet – he had top pair only!
I started with $500 and played fairly tight at first, but did manage to win one nice pot. I had KQ and called a raise with position. The flop came KJ7 with three hearts. The guy bets $50 and I called – I pegged him as the one good player at the table, but he had been playing a bit too many pots so I felt that I could be good. The flop was a blank and he bet out $125. At this point I was a bit concerned but now felt that he was a bit scared of me so either he had a two pair type hand and I was beat but he was scared of the hearts, or he had the A of hearts. I called and was hoping that he would slow down on the river and I could likely take it away. Sure enough a fourth card fell, he checked and I bet $250 and he folded. I didn’t have a heart.
An hour or so later a young guy who was pretty good raised to $20 and I made it $60 with AKs. The loose player (who plays 100% of the pots) called and the initial raiser folded. The flop came 46K rainbow and it’s checked to me so I make it $150. The loose player called. The turn came a 7, and it’s checked to me again and I now push and he folds.
I picked up a bunch of other hands during the session by simply raising from position and continually firing away when it was checked to me. Most of the guys at the table were very loose AND passive. They never seemed to put pressure on me when they didn’t have a hand and they usually bet when they had a hand. In fact, during the entire session I NEVER showed down a hand that was not the best hand. NEVER. I also hit trips once and stacked a guy who had TPTK but that was only for $200 or so. I ended the session with $1550 in chips. I was sorry that I had to leave but we were catching a plane back to LA. It was a really fun and stress-free session.

Impressions: I really enjoyed this room and have recommended it to anyone who would listen. It is by far my favorite room. I played in a $2/5 NL game but it played much higher because there was not max buy-in. Almost everyone at the table had at least $500 and over half had a few thousand. What was most surprising was almost every player there was not very good. These guys were more gamblers than poker players. In fact one guy saw 100% of the flops the entire time I was there -- about 5 hours. Even if the pot was 3 bet up to $50 he would call with any two cards. One time a pot was 3 bet to $90 and 4 people saw the flop. Only the last raiser had a hand -- I believe TT. The other guys all had rags.
Atmosphere: This room is 5 star (or chip!) all the way. It is a separate room and is physically segregated from the rest of the casino. You walk through a long private corridor to enter the room. It feels very much like entering a high-end restaurant. The tables are all plush and new, the décor is very classy and it is very roomy, it doesn’t feel cavernous and empty like some rooms.
Dealers: The dealers were all top notch and helpful.
Food: Great food service. They serve top shelf liquor and the waitresses are very attentative. They also serve food right at the table. The menu is great, a bit expensive, but it clearly comes from a high-end restaurant. In fact, I asked for fruit and the waiter told me that he doesn't think they have it but will do what he can. He came back with a huge, fancy fruit spread that probably cost about $20, but he gave it to me for free. They also bring over really fancy tables to service the food on. I could not be more impressed.
Service: I played during the day and there wasn't much wait at all. I wanted to play in the $2/5 NL game with no max buy-in, but a seat was not available. They sat me at a $1/2 table and after about 5 minutes they came over and got me and assisted me over to the $2/5 table. I had just played in the Venetian the day before and the same thing happened, but the manager did not come over and get me. They paged me and I never heard it.

Impressions: Nice room with action all day. Huge tournament room with a pretty big field everytime I have been there. I enjoy the fully enclosed room with no distractions, although food is not at your fingertips. Overall a really nice room
Dealers: No complaints
Food: I didn't see any food options nearby.
Service: About 25 min for 1/2 NL

Impressions: As a woman I might look for things a guy would not. What I like about this room is the nice clean feeling, no smoking, well lit, and an efficient business like atmosphere. It is a distance from the slots, so you do not get that constant noise. I have played here with some good buddies, and we all recommend the room very highly.
Atmosphere: Good vibes in the room. The chairs are probably as comfy as you will find in Vegas, adjustable swing chairs, with soft padding on the back and seat. I was impressed. What I did not care for too much were the plasmas up on the perimeter of the room, which is fine for those that care, but distracting when there is a sports event on, and my fellow players attention wanders and slows down the game, leaving it up to the dealers to set things straight. I think that TV's should not be in a poker room.
Dealers: The autoshufflers made it easier for dealers, as their speed was not a factor, so they were just fine. I have played here a few times, and have always found friendly, experienced dealers, basically mistake free, which is commendable. Games ran smooth, resulting in a pleasant experience.
Food: They had food service and a masseuse, would you believe? Waitresses were efficient and cordial, and my playing partners seemed to be quite happy, especially when the guys were served by an attractive lady. Why not a "Chippendale" looking server for the women?
Service: They have the electronic board and would start a new table with only 6 players. One of the best run poker rooms I have played; very well handled by a staff that pays attention, and shows care for their customers. I believe that this room's rep will get around and it will increase its play. Hope that it does not get too difficult to play here.
Comps: They do not take money from the pot for a side rake, and they give $1 per hour on their card, which is fine with me.