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[marinetech]

Ill be in Vegas jan 9-15th. Been every month the past 5 months! Holding my own. lost 15k last outing, just couldnt win no matter where I played. Bellagio, cosmo, aria, smoked......

Be there for the CFB championship game and playoffs in the NFL saturday. leaving sunday 3pm vegas time...get in monday at noon vegas time. anyone local want to meet up and play some bac, hit me up....

[alrelax]

Not next week for sure, should be there in February for some medical and legal appointments I have.  I really stay away from the mid strip tourist places.  SunCoast, Gold Coast, Palace Station, The D, Tropicana, and some other properties have been more enjoyable the past couple of years. Probably will be there also in April or May for 1 or 2 weeks as well.

[Karen]

Agree with " local casinos" comment vs. the Big Boys

[alrelax]

Nothing 'wrong' with the Bellagio, Mirage, Wynn, P.H., Caesar's Palace, M-Bay, MGM all those. Played them all in their high-limit rooms, never on the main floor.  Too pretentious, everything has changed with hosts and comp policies with CET/MGM chains, as well as their promotional chip programs for front money deposits, etc., etc.  I personally enjoy the off-strip properties and the properties not mid-strip by far for those reasons posted as well as many others.

The players are also much different caliber without the touristy and 'big shot' attitudes and the camaraderie has the players at the non mid-strip properties far above the mid-strip players.  IMO this all changed 2 to 3 years ago.

[marinetech]

played at cosmo, aria, bellagio, venetian, wynn, caesars and some dump called the lucky dragon!

Nothing too great. Bellagio limits were insane, 500 every table, some were 1k and 2k. venetian or palazzo, had big bacc, that was fun but I didn't do to well there...I didn't too well anywheres to be honest...

It seems like I lost a majority of my draws if I were ahead, they would outdraw me more often than not...Frustrated me for sure!

I might be back for the super bowl coming in on feb 1st, haven't decided yet, just got home!

[alrelax]

IMO and all IMO and experience, while thinking about it, most of my friends and contacts since the past few years, collectively everyone is saying it has all changed--I have my reasons and thoughts on why so I will post some and others I will not.

As far as Cosmo and Aria, both ultra pretentious and the players are generally (please, not all I said generally) newbies and/or clueless usually employing some type of systems from the internet or they are the classic, 'I am hip and trying to impress the date I am with', most sport the lock of hair (side-front) just like Justin Bieber having to continually flip it back behind their ears, crowd.  Not every single player and I am not there all the time, of course.  In fact, have not been there for well over a year and a half.  But from what others tell me, has not changed. No one I know or talk to, including family members working in Vegas, know of anything good at those two properties bac tables. 

Bellagio.  Played there plenty, oh god did I.  Love and hate, the hate coming on after 2010.  For a while, especially from the early 2000's until 2010 the high limit room was really good.  Then they started to change around 2011 I think it was.  They always had the one large big bac table directly adjacent to the high limit cashier counter there.  But then MGM changed with their comps, perks and general attitude.  The room was still good, so we played there but stayed elsewhere.  The staff became really nasty, testy, impatient and down out rude.  The players coming in were clueless and the most obnoxious players ever.  Literally humiliating and chastising other players if they wagered against them or would not fall into their role of camaraderie, and all they did was visibly lose more than they were winning. Then they put the 6 or so mini and midi tables with slightly lower limits, all $50/$5k or $100/$10k right outside the south entrance to the high limit room.  The part over by the buffet.  If you were standing directly looking at the high limit cashier counter, that would be towards your left side.  They were actually much better to play at.   But, the Bellagio just kind of fizzled out with so many players for the various reasons I mentioned.  The limits in the high limit was always, $100/10K, $200/15k, $300 or $500/20k and $500/$1k to $25k.  Some people as anywhere else had their special limits.  At their $100 tables, I was always allowed to have a friend or family member sit next to me and wager less than $100 but at least $25.00.  I was a Platinum or Noir rating card holder and played their extensively, so that had something to do with that rule bender. The property is not outrageously large and their 24/7 Café Bellagio (coffee shop) is probably the best hands down on the strip!  The gardens right outside of Café Bellagio is like a sanctuary of sorts and always beautiful and every changing. A great property ruined by staff and players in many ways.

Venetian, played there a few times, maybe 10, stayed there 2 times.  Never won there.  Something about the property, don't know what it is.  I won't go back there.

The Wynn.  Another story.  I had Susan S. as a host, she has been there since day one.  The best way to describe here is a female that is pregnant, on her period and she caught her husband cheating on her.  I then had Charlie Ward, but he went to Macau a few years back.  The last time I went there, my friend was there playing baccarat and I was at The Mirage winning.  I cashed out and went over there.  The tables were busy and he held me a seat.  Instead of buying in at the table I deposited front money right there at the cage, a bit adjacent and within view of the baccarat tables.  Everything went wrong and after a solid 20 mins of trying to get my money at the table, my buddy pushed me over a few stacks of his chips.  Every other casino in Vegas, if the pit person does not personally know you, will take your deposit receipt, call the cage to verify and cut the chips out and place corresponding plastic lamers in the commission box until the problem is solved or the pit clerk gets the paperwork and marker completed and ready for your signature.  Not the Wynn, No Sir!  You deposit in cash, even with a receipt, is not valid until it shows up in their system and the pit clerk can prepare the paperwork.  Okay, of course I was aggravated and mad at this point.  I tired to call everyone, no one answered their phones.  A slew of apologetic phone calls came the next day, but I experienced the worst customer service and pit personnel ever.  I can't shake the experience. The property is nice but the high limit bac players and the staff are not what I desire any longer.  It seems with the properties in Vegas, there is the norm with most or all of them and then there is the way The Wynn does things.  I am sorry, I just don't crave the food with the unknown sauces and side dishes that no one really knows what they consist of and their personalities on the floor, well---I can get about the same at Wal Mart.

I simply love Caesar's and have done well there.  Yes, lost also but overall there are no complaints from me and I do believe they have about the best high limit room staff and management at the mid-strip larger property places.  Of course, these days, CET like MGM has drastically cut their promotions and comp and they are of the mind frame, they need the revenue from everything they used to comp.  I had a huge fight with my Caesar's host because Asian New Year last year, we could not get a 2 bedroom suite at the last minute.  So I called our Planet Hollywood host (another CET property) and he had a 2 bedroom suite at Caesar's in his block of rooms they were holding, so he gave me one.  The Caesar's host freaked out and got mad at me for using another CET host.  The whole trip blew up and we switched property to Treasure Island.  But all in all, I really do like the Caesar's property overall, except the huge walking distance from the hotel to the restaurants and the casino, etc.  And, I have found out of the mid-strip properties, the players at Caesar's were usually always getting along and the camaraderie and friendliness was amongst the best. 

As far as the Lucky Dragon, don't know much about it, just a group of investors from China got together and all invested $500k each or more for USA citizenship, etc.  They will not survive catering to the Asian crowd only from what I hear.  Although the Golden Steer Steakhouse right next door, nothing to do with the property is one of the best non-casino steak houses in Vegas!

The Mirage had a fantastic, spot on, large and comfortable baccarat room which was right next to their regular high limit room.  But last couple of years they consolidated it down to the regular high limit room and made it into a high limit slot room.  They staff and dealers were among the best in Vegas.  I don't know their current situation, I have not been there since the change.

As far as you, getting beat by the other side and getting outdrawn on the other side 3rd card, it happens.  Time for a break when that happens to myself.  I learned the hard way.  Yes, that has to be the most frustrating thing when you have a good hand on the first 2 or the 3rd card draw and then the other side gets the win with 1 point higher.  Especially when it happens consistently no matter what side you choose, hand after hand.

With what I mentioned, only a fraction of what I experienced in Vegas the past several years, made me explore and play at many off-strip and non mid-strip properties, I have found them more enjoyable, more relaxing and better all the way around.  The only thing the other properties do not have is the celebrity chef restaurants and all the high $$$ designer stores and of course all the tourists, crowds and pretentious players that are ultra aggravating. 

[soxfan]

played at cosmo, aria, bellagio, venetian, wynn, caesars and some dump called the lucky dragon!

Nothing too great. Bellagio limits were insane, 500 every table, some were 1k and 2k. venetian or palazzo, had big bacc, that was fun but I didn't do to well there...I didn't too well anywheres to be honest...

It seems like I lost a majority of my draws if I were ahead, they would outdraw me more often than not...Frustrated me for sure!

I might be back for the super bowl coming in on feb 1st, haven't decided yet, just got home!

Did you come across any ez-bacs game in yer travel, hey hey?

[marinetech]

Did you come across any ez-bacs game in yer travel, hey hey?

is that the no commission? if it is, then no i didn't.......i did see the stadium type setup where u bet on the machine and 1-2 dealers stand in front and deal the cards,,,,i didn't play it but it didn't look to bad.....

[alrelax]

EZ Bac is going to be hard to find on the strip or Mid-Strip in particular.  Off strip some places have it.  The two busiest places for Baccarat in Vegas is Gold Coast and of course Baccarat Haven over at Palace Station, the both have it, at least 10 tables of it, if not more.  Sunset Station had it and also RIO.  M Bay had it a couple of years ago, got rid of it and brought it back.  But I think they since got rid of it once more last year.