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| - I hadn't been to Vegas in years. I had meant to go several times over the past few years, but things kept getting in the way. So when my brother decided to have his bachelor party in Las Vegas, I wanted a home base for the weekend. The Palms served that role nicely.
Rates are fantastic right now. I got a standard room for three nights with airfare for under $500. Unless you plan to invite a table of models back to your room for champagne, the standard room will do nicely. The room itself was on the small side, but everything was nice and modern. The bathroom had a full tub and shower, with little Aveda samplers (and an incongruous Axe body spray sampler) on the counter. The bathroom was not cramped. Furniture consisted of a queen-sized bed, desk, chair, nightstands, and an armoire with closets, TV, and the minibar.
The Palms draws a younger crowd than some of the other casinos. The upside is that you're likely to see young, pretty, well-dressed people at your table. The downside is that you'll hear, "I Kissed A Girl" on the casino floor and in the elevators more than you'd like. That song gets in your head and does not go away quietly. The Palms is OFF the Strip, so if you plan to do most of your gambling ON the Strip, factor time and money for cabs. It seemed to me that it was actually easier to take cabs to the Strip from The Palms than from Strip Hotels because an honest cabdriver could drive directly there via side streets.
The Palms has a sports book, a poker room, a fair number of table games, and plenty of slots for the suckers. There's also Rain, a trendy nightclub for those who like trendy nightclubs, and the Playboy Club, for those who would prefer to lose their money (or on occasion, win money), playing against women dressed as Playboy bunnies. If you're playing $25 blackjack, you should be playing it here. If I recall correctly, I was playing a four-deck chute. The Playboy Club opens at 8:00 a.m and like Rain, closes at 4:00 a.m. There are lower limits on table games on the main casino floor. The limits, like with all casinos, vary with time and crowds. Craps was $10 on the fairly sparse Friday and Saturday nights I played. Same for blackjack. Limits went down to $5 on a Monday morning where the young and pretty crowd (or any crowd at all) was largely absent.
The Poker Room at The Palms was well-appointed, but it's safe to say that the poker boom was over. I didn't get on a plane to play $2-4 limit, but that was the only game running Sunday night. You'd find more action at Bay Area, LA area, and even some Central Valley card clubs any night of the week. I've heard, but could not confirm, that Saturday night brings out the fish/douche contingent, and that the savvy player can make good money.
I only had the breakfast buffet, which was reasonable and unremarkable. The old hand sitting next to me at the poker table recommended the breakfast buffet, but said to skip the lunch and dinner buffets. He looked like the poker room was his second home, so I think his advice is sage. There are other fast-food options past the Bistro Buffet.
I plan to return to The Palms, without the several-year layoff between trips. Service was friendly and professional, and all other things being equal, it's nicer to play blackjack sitting next to 22-year old blondes wearing tanktops than 62-year old bluehairs wearing caftans.
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