Played in the 10am tourney at Mandalay Bay. From start to finish it was about 2.5 hours. From start to finish it was about 2.5 hours. I thought it was a well run, & fun tourney for a $30 buy in. Don't let Mandalay Bay's insistence on absurd house rules - the most egregious of which is that YOU CANNOT GET A COPY OF THE NON-STANDARD HOUSE RULES - turn into your problem. Refuse to pay, get 86'd, post negative feedback on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and basically any other review site.
- Poker Tournaments Mandalay Bay Resort
- Mandalay Bay Poker Tournaments Schedule
- Poker Room Mandalay Bay
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Many people feel intimidated the first time they enter a Las Vegas poker room as everything seems new and unknown. However, if you are a beginner player, the first experience with a Las Vegas poker room shouldn’t feel like that. Instead, there are a number of poker rooms in Vegas for beginners you can check. The low stakes poker is what you really need as those rooms are full of fun-loving tourists, just like you. A low stakes poker game is a $2/$4 Limit Hold’em, also known as ‘2/4 limit.’ So, if you want to play poker in Las Vegas for the first time, you should start with a low-limit game. Here are the best poker rooms you can find in Vegas if you’re a poker newbie. If you yet cannot make it to Las Vegas, you can go to various online casinos. However, some of the casinos online have a Gamstop tool that prevents players from UK for example to approach the site. You can check this list of non UK licensed casinos and find the one you like.
Now, let’s see what Las Vegas is offering.
Golden Nugget
This poker room is an exceptional choice if you happen to be in downtown Las Vegas. There are 13 smoke-free tables in a tight room, which is the most luxurious poker room on our list. Moreover, different levels of live cash poker games are always available staring from beginner low limits. The plush décor and the comfortable seats make this room one of the most popular in Sin City.
Bally’s
This poker room is a paradise for beginners. So, you get exceptional cocktail service and the softest games around without a notable absence of pros. The Bally’s offers many exciting varieties of casino poker, which can suit everyone from beginner to the seasoned veteran of the game. The room is open 24/7 and it’s the major venue for no-limit Hold’em players. There are 18 tables in the poker room which offer 1-2 No Limit, 3-6 Limit Hold’em, and Daily Guaranteed Tournaments. However, you might find the room very busy and tiny.
Planet Hollywood
If you are an avid nightclub enthusiast, you’ll love playing in this room. The atmosphere exceeds everyone’s expectations. This isn’t an actual poker room, but just 10+ tables in the center of the casino. The place can get quite busy, but it offers a unique poker experience. You’ll find cash games, tournaments, WSOP events, and $1/$2 and $2/$5 No-Limit Hold’Em live cash cation.
MGM
This poker room is one of the most active rooms packed with tourists. The poker room is part of a spectacular hotel and smoke-free all the time. The drinks are always free and you can easily mistake it for a party. The MGM is quite close to Centrifuge Bar and there is a real mix of players here. It’s the perfect spot for a poker newbie as it will show you the game in Las Vegas. Note that the chances of meeting a professional poker player here are very low.
Excalibur
This cool poker room has it all, from drunk tourists to cheap tourneys. In Excalibur, you get the easy level of play with little or no pro players, but only tourists and weekend warriors. The loose and soft play happens from midnight to 6 a.m., while during the day the games get a bit tighter. The mid-sized poker room on the Las Vegas Boulevard offers lower-limit cash games and tournaments. It is definitely one of the best places on this list for beginner poker players.
Mandalay Bay
Poker Tournaments Mandalay Bay Resort
This nice poker room is located at the far south end of the Las Vegas Strip. The Mandalay Bay has a variety of no-limit and limit Hold’em games, as well as, three daily tournaments. The room is quite small with 12 tables of continuous action. Note that the Mandalay Bay poker room is only open Monday through Thursday, from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 a.m., while it is open 24 hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Additionally, the room also offers free poker lessons for beginners Monday through Thursday at 2:00 p.m.
Flamingo
The 12-table poker room is one of the most well-established poker rooms in the City of Lights. Hence, you will find No-Limit Hold’em, the best 2-4, 3-6 & 4-8 Limit Hold’em, 5 daily tournaments and interesting promotions. So, the Flamingo poker room is one of the best Las Vegas poker rooms for beginners.
Caesars Palace
This 24-hour poker room features 16 tables with free upgraded Wi-Fi and USB charging ports, which can be found at each seat. The Caesars Palace poker room offers cash games of all stakes and a full daily schedule of Las Vegas poker tournaments. This poker room is probably the largest on this list.
Bellagio
The Bellagio poker room is the most stylish one in Sin City. However, it has a busy cash action and thus, it offers just one daily no-limit Hold’Em (NLHE) tournament at 2:00 p.m. It is a very luxurious room which might feel a bit intimidating for you as a beginner, but you’ll get an unforgettable experience.
The poker room in Mandalay Bay is typically a slow poker room. Located at the far south end of the Las Vegas Strip, there is little in the way of foot traffic in front of the room beyond hotel guests. The poker room is home to a solid set of locals, as well as a few tourists.
Home to 10 tables, there are typically only a handful of cash games running. The main game is a $100-$300 buyin 1/2 No Limit Texas Hold’em. Occasionally there will be a 2/5 no limit game or a small fixed limit game.
When there is UFC on at the hotel, the games usually fill up much quicker and the quality of the games goes up considerably， due to the number of recreational players who are just in town to watch the fights. The best nights for playing are usually the nights before and the night of the UFC events, as players are generally in town just to party and don’t mind throwing away a few buyins at poker after downing some beers earlier in the night.
Services Offered and Other Amenities
Mandalay Bay Poker Tournaments Schedule
The poker room uses automatic shufflers at the tables. There are several TVs, and big screen TVs that can be seen in the adjoining sports book. Restrooms are just beyond the sports book. Players may receive a massage at the table. The standard poker room cocktail service is offered.
Is the Poker Room Smoky/Noisy
Most of the time the Mandalay Bay Poker Room is pretty much smoke free. Mandalay Bay is not a smoky casino to begin with, and the poker room only shares one open wall with it. The sports book can be loud during major events, though the majority of the time, the poker room is extremely relaxing and quiet.
What are the Comps Like
Like all MGM properties, Mandalay Bay gives players $1 an hour in comps when players clock in with their M Life card. Comps may be used for food or hotel. Players that average 5 hours a day will qualify for the casino rate at the hotel. Casino rate is 25% off of the published price.
Are Any Non Holdem Games Available?
The Mandalay Bay Poker Room offers only Texas Hold’em games.
Mandalay Bay Poker Tournaments
Mandalay Bay offers many different No Limit Texas Hold’em tournaments. Every Monday-Thursday, there is a $30+$10 tournament at 10am. Players start with 3000 tournament chips. At 3pm and 7pm every Monday-Thursday there is a $40+$10 tournament. Players start with 3000 chips in these tournaments as well. On Friday and Saturday there is a $30+10 at 10am and a $40+$10 at 1pm. Both tournaments start with 3000 chips. Sundays at 11am and 2pm there is a $40+$10 tournament that starts with 3000 chips.
All of the above tournaments have 15 minute levels. At 5pm every Friday and Saturday, there is an $85+$15 bounty tournament. The bounty is $25 and is included in the $85. The bounty tournaments start with 5000 chips. Bounty tournaments have 20 minute levels. Players may reenter or late register for the tournament during the first two levels.
Poker Room Mandalay Bay
The Mandalay Bay Poker Room also offers sit and gos. These are one or two table tournaments, depending on demand. While they do not run often, they do take off during some peak times. The buyin is $50+$15. First place wins 70% of the prize pool, while 2nd place receives the other 30% of the prize pool. Players may reenter or late register during the first two levels. Levels go up every 10 minutes.
Poker Waitlists
The Mandalay Bay Poker Room does not distribute their Genesis Bravo Poker system information to the Bravo Poker app. Players must call or visit the room for information. Call ins for the waitlist are accepted.
How Much is the Rake and is There a Jackpot Drop?
Like many of the other south Vegas strip properties, The Mandalay Bay Poker Room rakes 10% up to $4. There is also a $1 jackpot drop taken when the pot reaches $10. This jackpot drop goes towards splash pots and high hands. There are $50 splash pots every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday between noon and 4am. Between 4am and noon, splash pots are $100. A splash pot occurs on the following hand when a player hits a qualifying high hand of four of a kind, straight flush, or royal flush using both hole cards. Four of a kind wins $50, a straight flush wins $100, and a royal flush $250 for the winning player in the hand that triggers the splash pot.
Poker Tournaments Mandalay Bay Buffet
How to Get There from Inside the Casino
The Mandalay Bay Poker Room is located on the west side of the property. When coming in from the front entrance, walk to the casino floor and follow the far left wall. The poker room is between the casino cage and sports book. If arriving by the tram that travels from Excalibur, walk to the right, then straight ahead when reaching the casino floor. When reaching the far west wall, the poker room is between the casino cashier cage and the sports book. If walking over from Luxor, the poker room will be on the right shortly after stepping off of the escalator.