Caesar’s Palace – Bastion of Poker
By Ron White
All hail Caesar!
The poker room at Caesar's is definitely one of the best on
the strip. Tucked away between the Pussycat Doll Lounge and the sports-book is
the entrance to the 8,500 square foot room dedicated to cash games. The short
hallway that separates the room from the rest of the casino is enough to keep
the casino's smoke and noise away from the players.
Thirty tables fill this well-lit room. Each table is
surrounded by large, comfortable chairs. At many casinos, the tables are so
packed together that there is no room to walk. Not so at Caesar's. There is
plenty of room between the tables to stretch, place your food service table, or
sprint to the bathroom between hands.
Caesar's spreads a variety of poker games including Limit
and No Limit Texas Hold 'em, Omaha, and Seven-Card Stud. Their No Limit Texas
Hold 'em starts at $1/$3 rather than the customary $1/$2 blinds. This makes for
larger pots while the blinds are still small enough for the recreational player.
Adjacent to this large poker room is a 6,000 square foot
room dedicated to tournament play. Having a separate tournament room allows
Caesar's to support large tournaments without reducing the number of cash game
tables. This is a fantastic use of space for poker players.
The tournaments at Caesar's are some of the best value on
the strip. Most tournaments have an entry fee between $65 and $125 with blinds
escalating slow enough that the game definitely favors the skilled player. While
you can find cheaper tournaments in Vegas, these cheaper games will generally
have a much faster blind structure, which results in tournament that favors luck
over skill.
If you manage to come out on top in a tournament at
Caesar's Palace, you'll win a nice chunk of change as the tournaments draw a
large field. In addition, you'll win a beautiful, gold card holder that clearly
marks you as a Caesar's Palace winner. The downside for the recreational player
is that Caesar's Palace reports your tournament winnings to the IRS - so you're
going to have to pay taxes. Generally the recreational player doesn't track his
gambling loses, so he won't have anything to counter-balance the winnings on his
taxes.
Caesar's Palace supports the poker player beyond just
supplying a fantastic place to play with competent dealers. The casino also
provides comps for food at $1 per hour played. They will also provide a room
discount for poker players. As a final touch, if you have 10 friends in Vegas,
Caesar's will provide a dealer and a table, and you can have your own private,
single-table tournament.
If you haven't played poker at Caesar's Palace before, be
sure to stop in the next time you're in Las Vegas. Be warned, however, because
of the nice facilities, there seems to be more sharks in these waters than at
smaller casinos.
Good luck, and see you at the tables!
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