Finding Cheap Poker Tournaments in Vegas

In Vegas, a city known for its 24/7 activities, it’s not hard to find yourself a poker tournament to enter. Finding one with a hefty prize pool and low buy-in, however, can be a bit more challenging. But take heart, fellow gamblers. A little research can pay off big dividends down the road.

When searching for a tournament, be sure to take the following into account: starting chips, rebuys, add-ons, structure, and the amount of fees taken from the prize pool. And to get you started, here are a few tournaments that might pique your interest.

GENEROUS TOURNAMENTS WITH REASONABLE BUY-INS

Caesars’s Palace holds a great tournament every day of the week at noon. It’s an $80 buy-in, and blind levels don’t increase until the 40 minute mark. Players receive $1500 in chips, but you can also rebuy or add-on for $50 and receive an extra $3000. 81% of the fees go back to the players, which is a very generous percentage.

At 2 pm every Saturday and Sunday at Binion’s Casino, there’s a $10,000-guaranteed tournament. For a $70 buy-in, you’ll get $2000 in chips, with an extra $1500 available for $40 within the first hour of play. For each $70 buy-in, $20 is taken out for the casino. Everything else, however, goes to the players. And the winner is guaranteed to win $10,000.

Another popular tournament is held at The Orleans every Friday through Sunday at 7 pm It’s a $65 buy-in, and that gets you $1250 in chips. This can be increased y an extra $250 through a $5 dealer add-on (nice way to keep the employees happy), and a $40 rebuy or add-on will also increase your stack by $2000, as long as it’s done within the first hour of play. There’s a 200 player limit, and that will generally always be met on Friday (with maybe 100 to 150 on the weekend). Blind levels are 20 minutes long, and antes are also included in the blind structure. First place can usually expect to win about $5000, but the top 25 will go away with something.

If you’re near Harrah’s around 3:30 pm or 7:30 pm, be sure and stop by for their tournament. It’s a $100 buy-in, and there are usually around 40 players present. The casino takes $15 of every buy-in, but that still leaves enough for a nice pay-out. Players start with $3000 in chips, and blinds go up every 15 minutes.

At 10am, 1pm, and 8pm of every day (except 10am on Saturday), The Riviera has a tournament which only costs $47 to enter. A whopping 85% of that fee is returned to the players in the form of prize money. Blinds increase every 15 minutes, and they come close to doubling at every level. Players start with $1500 in chips, but a $3 tip to the staff will raise it another $500.

Finally, there’s the Sahara, which offers a $42 buy-in every day at 11am, 7pm, and 11pm. Players get $3000 in chips but can increase that by $2000 within the first hour for a $20 rebuy or add-on. Blinds go up every 20 minutes, and 66% of the fees go back into the prize pool.

For more information on tournaments, check back with us or pick up a copy of Card Player magazine. They have a list of tournaments conveniently located in the back of their magazine.

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Finding Cheap Poker Tournaments in Vegas