Greetings from Las Vegas. This is not a drill, the WSOP starts this week. Here are some last minute logistical things to consider.
1. As has been the case the last couple years you can load money into your Bravo account so that you can use the automated registration process. Whether you wired money already or plan to take a lump sum in cash as long as you have created an account on Bravo you can make one visit to the cage to have the money associated with your account. After that you can register for events through Bravo and print out your tournament ticket at the Kiosks and avoid the repeated standing in line. There is a small fixed cost for each ticket ($3 I think), just be careful to use TBIC (tournament buy in credits) and not to go down the credit card path in the app as that has a hefty fee. Also when you load money into the account keep the per ticket fee in mind so you put in enough to buy into all the events you have in mind e.g you might need to load in $2012 not $2000 to fire four bullets in the $500 opening weekend event.
2. Know your way around. Here’s the map they posted of which room is which at ballys/Paris
3. Parking/Rental Cars
Free parking requires platinum status or higher on your Caesar’s rewards card. If you don’t have that I think you can prepay $100 for a week. There’s a couple ways to get platinum status fast, one way is through their credit card if you want to go that route. Otherwise plan on Uber, or use the monorail. Unless you are staying super close don’t forget the 115 degree heat if you are thinking about walking outside.
One hack I’ve noticed on rental cars is if you happen to be arriving in the next 24 hrs or so (or are already here) it appears Tuesday is the cheapest day to start a rental period almost regardless of the duration. I imagine this is because of all the cars getting returned after memorial day weekend. Also rates from the airport are quite a bit higher than several in city rental locations.
4. Know the schedule. As I’ve mentioned previously there are events at multiple venues. The recent addition of events at MGM Grand should also make it onto your radar. There are a couple great sources to look up all the events across venues. The first is the age old Kenny “spaceyfcb” Hallaert spreadsheet here (a mobile friendly option). But the new kid on the block is this amazing schedule compilation by Kim Unger. It’s a little tricky to navigate all the filters on mobile but there is no better way of studying the whole summer schedule than this document on a laptop. Being able to filter by the dates you are there, the venues you like to play and the buyin level really helps navigate all the events available.
5. Be aware of your Caesars rewards. They accrue with every tournament entry but its best to use them before you leave Vegas as they expire after a few months of not earning points on your Caesar’s rewards card.
That’s what I’ve got for you right now. Best of luck to everyone.
