3600 S. Las Vegas Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: (702) 693-7290

Official Bellagio Poker Room Website

30 Tables

Trip Report from April 2006:

Arrived at the Bellagio on Tuesday afternoon about 3pm. It takes awhile to get in, because security stops EVERY car and makes you pop your trunk. It’s a bit annoying, but whatever. They saw my spare tire, and with careful precision ascertained that the spare tire was not a threat to the Bellagio.

I feel safe and secure in the knowledge that everybody that I will be playing poker with has had their spare tire inspected. You can’t be too careful.

Walked to the poker room, and was surprised that it was completely packed. I got on two lists, 4/8 Limit, and $200 buy-in 2/5 No Limit. Whatever came first, I would play. I happened to have brought $200 with which to play. I am a local, I don’t take tourist-sized bankrolls to the rooms. I try to grind out some spare cash a couple nights a week, not win a WSOP table.

I am not a Bellagio regular, so Management was a bit a bit standoffish. They got annoyed when I would peek at the list to see where I was.

They reminded me of the kind of waiters you get when you go to a French restaurant. A little snotty for guys who’s job it is to manage a list, but hey, this is the Bellagio and I should have been happy to have been allowed to bring my spare tire into the parking garage.

After a 45 minutes wait (on a Tuesday afternoon!), I got called for 4/8 Limit. I was hoping for the no-limit game, but 4/8 is playable.

The room was beautiful, and the chairs were comfortable. But I don’t look at the room much when I play. The table space was crowded, and there were no drink holders, so there were drinks next to everybody’s chip stacks. The waitress took my order for a soft drink, and was friendly. She arrived 10 minutes later with my drink. Standard Las Vegas drink service. No complaints.

Sat down with a rack of blue and a stack of red.

Everyone sitting at the table seemed like local grinders. VERY serious and not much humor … even at 4/8.

First hand, I raised ahead of a guy behind me, because he had has cards hidden under his hands, and didn’t seem to be paying attention to the game. He wasn’t looking at the cards, just staring into space. Apparently this is how he thinks. I was still getting situated and was unracking and assumed he mucked.

So the dealer makes a big deal of it and some of the other players make a big deal of it, blah blah blah

Dealer cops an attitude with a “Have you played this game before?” to a round of chuckles. Two asshole dudes make a “here’s our fish” comment. O ….. K. I’m playing 4/8 with a bunch of guys who are playing the John Malcovich character in “Rounders”.

I fold several hands in successive deals and both asshole dudes snicker every time. Each of them have about $100 in chips.

About the 10th hand gets dealt. Second hand I play to the flop. I get A-K suited. Several people limp in, three people behind me raise (both asshole dudes raised). I call. A couple of folds occur.

Flop goes A-5-A. I have trip aces, and obviously the best hand at that point.

Lady checks, ah (asshole) #1 bets, ah #2 bets, I raise. Lady folds. Both aholes re-raise. 3 way action gong to turn.

ah #1 checks, ah #2 bets, I re-raise.

Finally, ah #1 curses something inaudible under his breath and folds. He’s now VERY short stacked.

Ah #2 reraises. I reraise. He glares at me for 2 minutes with the don’t you realize that I am a better player than you??!!!” glare. He calls.

Heads up action.

Turn is 3.

Again, we both raise and re-raise the max. Each time I get the glare.

Why does this guy think I am going to fold???? I obviously have the best hand. I’ve got three aces with a King, all he can have is Trip Aces, with a King … which is very unlikely. There are no flush draws on the board. The WORST I can possibly do is split the pot.

But, this guy STILL for whatever reason, expects me to fold the damn-near-nut hand, and caps the betting.

River comes a king. Guy looks exicited.

Bets, I raise, he re-raises, we go at this three times. I am now staring at the largest 4/8 pot I have personally ever played. About $160. My nemesis now has about $15 left in his stack.

He flips his pocket King-10 over with a gleam in his eye. Two pair. Kings and Aces. He just took the fish that was the butt of all the table jokes.

Then I flipped over my A-K. Aces full of Kings. The whole table went silent.

I don’t get it. There are two aces on the flop, and NOBODY puts me on an ace? I obviously have no respect in this room, and as the dealer is pushing $160 over to me, I realize how fortunate my initial mistake made me. I got “fish” stamped to my forehead, and the dudes laughing their asses off now had to reach for their wallet to buy back into the game.

Me? I collected my chips, intentionally neglected to tip the dealer (note to dealers expecting tips: Don’t be a dick), racked them, wished them a good evening, and walked.

I sat with $200 and walked with $350 in thirty minutes playing 4/8 as the fish!!!!

The dealer and two assholes were visible pissed. I cried all the way to the cashier (actually, I was still amazed that the “great player” guy raised the shit out of me with two aces on the board).

In conclusion, the Bellagio has very nice decorations and has a great name attached to the room. The fountains are beautiful. It has a superb buffet.

But ….. the poker room is slightly overrated.

A room with great personnel, good list management, and pleasant dealers and players are much more important to me than swivel chairs and chandeliers.

I’m sure they treat the Pro’s and high stakes player better, but they make most of their cheese on the everyday players. I feel like they are sitting back and resting on their heels because they have the Bellagio name to rest against.

But …. they seem to be doing well. The room was packed.

In it’s current incarnation, I likely won’t be a regular.

It’s definitely worth some time playing in the room because it is the big “O”. But for longer sessions with sub-$500 bankrolls, there are several better choices.