Before poker had its boom in 2003, Fremont St. was the place for poker action. It still has some great poker rooms, but they don’t compare to the new big rooms on the Strip. Poker was grown at Binion’s, and the WSOP was held there until Harrah’s bought it and moved it to the Rio.

The Golden Nugget has a mixture of locals and tourists floating around the poker room. The room is small, but you’ll find diverse action and a great poker atmosphere. The Plaza has a large poker room that will take you back a few decades. They offer daily sit-and-go tournaments, as well as the regular cash game action.

The El Cortez is the other downtown poker room. It has a limited number of tables, and is a favorite with the old timers because a spread-limit $1-$3 or $1-$6 Texas holdem game is played there.

The best tournament poker action in Vegas is still at the Bellagio. There are daily $540 no limit holdem tournaments, except on Friday when it’s a $1080 entry fee; plus a wide variety of smaller stakes events running every day. The MGM Grand has daily $60 no limit tournaments, and $125 no limit holdem events on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

The Venetian has $125 re-buy events on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. On Wednesday it’s a $145 event, and Saturday is the big $540 no limit holdem event. Mandalay Bay has smaller tournaments ranging from $40 to $65 every day, plus a $157 dollar event on Thursday.

All these poker rooms will have special events on top of all these regular scheduled tournaments. Check out the casino websites for special events that may be going on. And get to the registration times early, as these events fill up fast.

1. Barry Greenstein is very successful in tournaments, and is one of the kings of the Texas Holdem cash games. He donates all his tournament winnings, so one can just imagine what he makes in cash games.

2. Daniel Negreanu is the one of the best cash game and tournament Texas Holdem players. He is probably the best all-around Texas holdem player in Vegas.

3. Phil Ivey has won many tournaments and plays in the biggest cash games in Vegas. He started in Atlantic City, but you’re more likely to see him in Vegas these days.

4. Gus Hansen has been dominant both in cash games and in the tournament environment. His game has really evolved recently and he’s more dangerous than ever.

5. Phil Hellmuth is the best Texas Holdem tournament player in Vegas today, but not cash games. His 11 bracelets make him the No. 1 tournament player.

Over $2M was spent on the poker room at Planet Hollywood. They have 14 tables that offer a variety of Texas Holdem and Omaha variations. It’s a spacious smoke-free room located in the main casino and managed by Director of Poker Operations, Brad Bryant, who is a veteran of many years in the Vegas gaming industry. It’s popular on weekends, but the usual wait is no more than 30 minutes to get a seat.

Situated on the Strip, Planet Hollywood was once the Aladdin. Since the buyout and renovations, the resort is finally living up to its potential. The $2M poker room investment includes 100-inch plasma televisions and cushion seating for the players.

A variety of cash games are spread including $2-$4, $4-18 and $10-$20 Limit Holdem. Omaha comes in $3-$6, $5-10 and $10-$20 structured limits. No-Limit Holdem offerings are $1-$2 with a $50-$200 buy-in, $2-$5 with a $100-$500 buy-in.