Doing Las Vegas On The Cheap So You Have More Poker Money For The Deeps (Deep Stack Poker)!

With so much poker available and the economy in such bad shape, the recreational gamer must find ways to trim expenses in order to save enough to buy in at the poker table. As a resident of Las Vegas, I am constantly asked how to get comps and where to go to learn more about discounted entertainment deals in my town.

Glad you asked! I constantly recommend SaveLV.com, a website established in late 2007 by Randi Levenbaum to help locals and tourists to save money while in Las Vegas. Randi sends her huge base of email subscribers a tip of the day about something that's either completely free or heavily discounted. These great deals on hotels, entertainment, dining, and attractions have personally saved me oodles of cash over the past year and a half. Best of all, the site is completely free. I suggest you check it out before your next trip to Vegas to know what's happening and learn where the hottest deals are!

Recent offers have included four-night hotel stays for about $20 a night that include a $50 pre-paid MasterCard, $25 dining certificates for $3, $12 Swedish massages, a Neil Diamond Tribute Concert for $5, and two tickets to Natalie Cole in concert for $3.55.

I also learned how to get free food and drinks at a variety of establishments. Wow, as a local I realize it is often cheaper to eat at a restaurant than at home! These are the kind of deals Randi points her readers to on a daily basis. I know I am not alone in looking forward to each day's update and am constantly amazed at what offers are available. There also are charitable suggestions such as blood donations that will score you show tickets or donation days of computer equipment that would benefit the blind and also score you discount or free meal tickets!

I'm taking some of the money I've saved and heading to Reno to take advantage of another great deal ... the World Poker Challenge that takes place at the Reno Grand Sierra February 26-March 15. More information is available at http://grandsierraresort.com. I suggest you meet me there.
Buy-ins are affordable for most players. Many events are priced at $200-$300, although there are some with buy-ins of $500, $3,000, and $5,000.

Hotel rates are only $30 a night in the newly refurbished property, with 26 events taking place over 18 days. In addition to the popular no-limit hold 'em, you'll also be able to find seven-card stud, Omaha, and mixed-game tournaments. Both a ladies and a senior's event round out the tournament offerings.

The Grand Sierra is adding $100,000 to the prize pools with $50,000 going into the $3,000 no-limit event and the other $50,000 spread through the other events. Satellites are available to give players an opportunity to enter events at a fraction of the normal buy-in. You also can earn "rake-back" similar to online play, even in the tournaments. A rare two percent in comps for tourney play plus $2 per hour of live play can be had simply by using your gaming card at all times.

Tournament director Jimmy Sommerfeld is at the helm of a veteran poker room staff and assures me this will be a players' event. With structures that are designed to give players a real bang for their buck. With so much added money, this is a must-try event. Jennifer Harman will host a charity event on March 11 for the Kidney Foundation, featuring a red carpet walk with many of your favorite poker celebrity players in attendance. I hope to see you up there as I "move right along!"

Editor's Note: Jan Fisher is a cofounder of the Tournament Directors Association (pokerTDA.com), partner in Card Player Cruises, and a WPT Boot Camp instructor who is also involved in charity work. Contact her at Jan@cardplayercruises.com.