Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

I'm heading to Vegas in three weeks and was interested in hearing all of your favorite shortcuts, tips, tricks, fun things to do, etc. that I could try out. For instance, I heard about some 'side door' that gets you from Monte Carlo to the Bellagio in like 10 minutes or something like that. Also, any really good "bang-for-buck" restaurants/buffets? Certain poker rooms I should try out (besides Caesar's, Bellagio, MGM, Wynn and Aladdin tourneys)?

Looking forward to all serious and sarcastic responses. I want to post a trip report when I return, so I'll credit those who give tips that I end up using.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Go to the Venetian. It's the nicest poker room on the strip. The $165 sitngos are a pretty good deal as well. The Mirage $230 evening tourney is pretty good as well.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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For instance, I heard about some 'side door' that gets you from Monte Carlo to the Bellagio in like 10 minutes or something like that.

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Not sure how often this will work (it has worked at least once): But this is one "short cut":
Exit out the side door (near the Tram entrance) of the MC, work your way thru/over/under the fence and walk thru the parking lot to the Bellagio employee bus stop, hop on the employee bus/shuttle and ride it to the employee entrance in back of the hotel. Enter in the employee entrance and stay on the main hallway, go up the escalator to the left, then eventually you'll exit the employee area in to the main casino right next to the Buffet. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

The guard in the parking lot doesn't like people walking thru, so be quick. Fortunately, there are a lot of employees not in uniform in the employee section, so you don't stand out too bad in jeans if you act like you know where you are going.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

In the third stall on the left in the bathrooms next to the lion exhibit at MGM is a teleporter that will transfer you directly to Circus Circus.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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In the third stall on the left in the bathrooms next to the lion exhibit at MGM is a teleporter that will transfer you directly to Circus Circus.

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i tried this last time, but i ended up at stratosphere

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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In the third stall on the left in the bathrooms next to the lion exhibit at MGM is a teleporter that will transfer you directly to Circus Circus.

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i tried this last time, but i ended up at stratosphere

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[img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] Ewwwwwww!!!!!

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Every trip down I drop my vehicle off at the carwash just like 1 mile down Flamingo off the strip...they do sweet job inside n out for maybe $25. Takes around 1 hour...theres a nice pub with great food in mini mall behind the carwash.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Best way into Caesars:

Take Koval to Winnick. When Winnick intersects the monorail tracks, go left (it looks like a one-way but it's not) then immediately right. When that access raod intersects LVB, go straight through the light and you're magically at Caesars without ever having to cross the Strip at a major street.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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I heard about some 'side door' that gets you from Monte Carlo to the Bellagio in like 10 minutes or something like that.

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There's a tram that connects the Monte Carlo to the Bellagio, but 2/3 of the time it isn't running for whatever reason. When it is running, it's uber-convenient. If you're in the Monte Carlo, it picks up just past the brewpub.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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In the third stall on the left in the bathrooms next to the lion exhibit at MGM is a teleporter that will transfer you directly to Circus Circus.

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i tried this last time, but i ended up at stratosphere

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you were in the ladies' room. next time try the men's room

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Sometimes there are these very helpful people on the strip who hand out secret phone numbers of lonely ladies who are looking for companionship. Look carefully and you might spot one.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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There's a tram that connects the Monte Carlo to the Bellagio, but 2/3 of the time it isn't running for whatever reason.

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That tram used to be great, but the past few years, I think it has run for about 12 hours total.

Last time I stayed at MC, we looked out our window to see if it was running (it was). We immediately head downstairs, by the time we got to the tram, it was closed for maintenance.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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Also, any really good "bang-for-buck" restaurants/buffets?

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The Bougainvillea Cafe upstairs at Terrible's (Flamingo and Paradise)... giant biscuit and gravy... good luck.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Dean Martin Blvd will take you to the back entrance of

1. Mirage
2. Caesars
3. Bellagio (until they had tons of construction)

it basically is LV blvd from the backside

learn it
live it
love it

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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Dean Martin Blvd will take you to the back entrance of

1. Mirage
2. Caesars
3. Bellagio (until they had tons of construction)

it basically is LV blvd from the backside

learn it
live it
love it

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Yeah. Dean Martin (formerly Industrial), Twain, and Frank Sinatra Blvd are the keys to navigating around the LVB/Trop-Flamingo 5pm disaster. The best access to Sinatra is Reno. Take Koval south until you get swung right onto Reno. Keep right at the light and cut through all the Luxor parking stuff to Sinatra.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Slots'O'fun, a casino by Circus Circus, offers a 1/2 pound hot dog for 99 cents. My tip: don't eat it.

I would recommend Battista's Hole in the Wall. It is an Italian restaurant across the street from Bally's, (on the side street that is just North of Bally's. The place has great food, reasonable prices, and lots of character.

For poker, don't overlook the Stardust. I think they are tearing the place down next year, but I really like their poker room. It's smokey and old school, and full of characters.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Nothing to add personally, but I've heard good reviews about this guide (haven't read it myself yet). It may not apply to you if you aren't going with a group of single buddies (its target audience).

LV little black book

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

10 quick tips-
1) Bring more than 1 pair of comfortable shoes, and change every day (or even during the middle of a day)- you will be amazed at the amount of walking you will do. Your feet will thank you.

2) Check out the Brewpub in Monte Carlo- their food is really damned good, and the beer is decent.

3) Bellagio has a little bakery/crepe shop (I can't remember the name of it- the place with the 12 foot high chocolate waterfall)- the crepes are outstanding, as is the caramel brioche.

4) Join all the reward clubs you can. Every once in a while you will get a great offer via mail/email. They also track comps that way.

5) Paris and Bellagio buffets were both pretty solid at last visit.

6) Paris and Mandalay Bay have the skimpiest cocktail waitress uniforms, at least that I saw.

7) If you want to wait around to see the TI Pirate show, DON'T WAIT IN THE CASINO! They don't allow anyone out the front doors for like 15 minutes before the show, unless they are staying at TI.

8) The Shark Reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay is really damned cool. It a serious hike from the casino floor, but worth it IMHO.

9) The Monorail is a quick way to move up and down the east (?) side of the strip if you are in a hurry. I vastly prefer a walking tour from MGM to Venetian- nice air conditioned casinos every couple of hundred yards, and lots of bars and shops in between.

10) Shortcut to Caesar's (from Bellagio) through the shops- much faster than fighting through the crowd streetside.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

MGM tips - 1) food for the $ - Wolfgang Puck's Cafe, Steamed Mussels in Bearnaise Sauce + French Fries. Huge portions, add a cold beer and life is good. 2) The Ka show is worth the $. 3) At 2am they sweep the drunken hotties out of Studio54 and they walk right by the poker area. Targets of opportunity.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

The Mirage has one of the best buffets in town

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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The Mirage has one of the best buffets in town

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You pay full price for that buffet? It's always been like pulling teeth to get a food comp outta the Mirage (so I don't even try anymore--and oddly enough, I don't play cash games there much anymore). It's a fine buffet, but probably a small step down from Bellagio/Paris/Alladin/Rio.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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The Mirage has one of the best buffets in town

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You pay full price for that buffet? It's always been like pulling teeth to get a food comp outta the Mirage (so I don't even try anymore--and oddly enough, I don't play cash games there much anymore). It's a fine buffet, but probably a small step down from Bellagio/Paris/Alladin/Rio.

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no...get the comp @ 7:15pm like a normal person

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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I would recommend Battista's Hole in the Wall. It is an Italian restaurant across the street from Bally's, (on the side street that is just North of Bally's. The place has great food, reasonable prices, and lots of character.

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This is the place where Tony Spilatro (the basis for Joe Pesci's character in Casino) and his gang used to hang out. It is a true old Vegas landmark.

Re: cheap breakfast old school style
 

Ellis Island Super 8 on Koval behind Bally's. The restaurant is called "Restaurant" - old style coffee shop with good and cheap eats. I think it was $1.99 for toast, eggs and hash browns. Add $1 or $2 for breakfast meat of choice. The real deal is the off the menu $5 porterhouse.

The brewpub does it own beer and root beer, but I haven't tried those. The breakfast is a good walk from strip poker central around the MGM. A good place for a hike to get away from the tables for a bit and a bite.

Re: cheap breakfast old school style
 

first trip to vegas made a drunken walk to westward ho from excalibur b/c a $.99 footlong hotdog sounded like a great idea.

don't do this.

...everything is a lot farther than it looks(or sounds when thinking to yourself).

Re: cheap breakfast old school style
 

Batista's Hole in the Wall, a fav of mine that I hit everytime I'm in the city.

Do they still have that .99 shrimp cocktail downtown? Was it the Nugget that offered it? A few cold beers and that shrimp was goot!

Re: cheap breakfast old school style
 

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Do they still have that .99 shrimp cocktail downtown? Was it the Nugget that offered it? A few cold beers and that shrimp was goot!

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I am pretty sure that is at the Golden Gate. It is a classic Vegas deal.

Re: cheap breakfast old school style
 

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I am pretty sure that is at the Golden Gate. It is a classic Vegas deal.

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Sweet. Is it still on? I'm in Vegas in 6 weeks for the WSOP.

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Don't bring 2+2wannabe's girlfriend.

Martin

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

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Don't bring 2+2wannabe's girlfriend.

Martin

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ROFLMFAO! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Re: cheap breakfast old school style
 

yeah i wouldn't recommend walking to the ho for a hot dog either. Primarily because it was torn down last month.

Re: cheap breakfast old school style
 

it is still there. the 99 cent one is on the small side, but the 2.99 "big shrimp cocktail" is indeed big, and still a hell of a bargain

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Great stuff guys!

Let me clarify a few things ....

1. I will be with my cousin, 21, who is making his first trip to Vegas and sadly only wants to gamble and chow. No strippers, hookers, nightclubs or shows (unless there's something really cool in town to see). He strictly wants to play poker, learn craps and make some sports bets.

2. We will not have a car, just our feet and taxicabs (hence why I'm looking for some shortcuts).

3. We also want to know which poker rooms have the better jackpots. We're staying at Excalibur, which offers their famous wheeeeeeeeeeel, but we'd like jackpots more substantial.

4. I could actually use some poker media advice since I scored a press pass for the WPT event at Mandalay. Anybody playing in it that wants some pub? Any verified ass-face pros I should stay away from?

Please continue to post your favorite places to dine -- we want to eat at places that give great food for fair (or better) prices. We don't want to eat at some place known for their view or art on the walls. Sadly, we're cultured enough that we want to eat pizza.

Thank you, thank you, thank you,

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

Don't overtip when you don't have too.
Valets $1-$2 on drop off and pick up.
Great walking shoes a must
Also if your not from a dry climate Lip Balm

Re: Post your favorite Vegas shortcuts and tips
 

This applies to most anything in vegas: Smell it before you buy it.

Edit: The mexican place at Mandalay is good and reasonable. I cant belive the cocktail outfits there, I am a perv and I couldnt have thought that up.

Re: cheap breakfast old school style
 

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I am pretty sure that is at the Golden Gate. It is a classic Vegas deal.

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Sweet. Is it still on? I'm in Vegas in 6 weeks for the WSOP.

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I would assume it is still on. I think it has been for a couple decades so I would guess they wouldn't change it. It is about the only thing the Golden Gate is known for.