The Palms. It’s widely known in modern western culture that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. The proprietors of this establishment like to boast that what happens at the Palms, never happened. Yes, The Palms is one of the inner sanctums of America’s adult playground.

But you’re here just for the poker, right? Right.

The Palms Poker Limits - Stakes

The room at the Palms is strangely divided into two rooms, one side for limit, the other for the more brave of heart no limit players. Having to talk to two different people if you want on both limit and no-limit waiting lists can be kind of annoying.

The limit side offers about (exactly)6 tables of 2-4 and 4-8. The 4-8 has the growingly popular mini (half sized) blinds. No limit features 4 tables of 2-5 (200 to 500 buy in) The buy in for $2-5 NL has always been $100-$500 and most days a 5-10 (500-1500 I believe). The $500-1500 is correct On the weekend, the room is packed (even some weeknights). If your time is limited, call ahead. They'll put you on the list.

Both limit and no limit games are eligible for high hand bonuses. Four of a kind or straight flushes (using both hole cards) will net you somewhere between an extra 20 and 599. The bonus amound resets to $50, not $20.

Poker Room Amenities at the Palms

Be sure to get a Palms Club card. Play in the poker room gets you $1.25 an hour.The comp rate has always been $1 per hour with a $7 max in a 24 hour period The great thing about the Palms comps is that they can be redeemed at any of the restaurants (including the food court) and the movie theatre. Pretty sweet. Alize, the high end French restaurant and Nine Steakhouse do not honor poker room comps.

The room is situated a healthy distance from the main casino floor. This provides adequate insulation from the delicious (but sometimes mind numbing) beats of the Black Eyed Peas, et al.

All tables are equipped with automatic shufflers 8 of our 10 tables have shufflemasters. Table 1 and Table 4 do not have shufflers. We typically reserve these two tables for the $2-4 limit games which keeps the pace moving along nicely. The Palms room is one of the only in town that serves real Red Bull in real Red Bull cans. If you're a fan, be sure to take advantage of this perk.

The tables feature the increasingly popular marble edge only tables 7-10 in the no limit room have this feature and it is actually Corian, the expensive counter top material around the perimeter. This is good for stacking chips. This is of great import at the 2/5NL as only red $5 chips play. (Ever tried stacking 1000 chips on felt?) The marble is bad however, for checking hole cards. Some like it, some don't.

Just this past summer the Palms went non-smoking. It was one of the last rooms of any significance to allow smoking. So, for all who desire to puff while playing, make your way to such illustrious Vegas locales as Texas Station or Arizona Charlie's (warning: I believe the latter still required a cowboy hat and chaps for admittance up until the mid 90s). From midnight to 8AM we allow smoking on tables 1-6 in the limit room.

Style of the Games

How's the action at the Palms? Well, it's the Palms. Whether you're in search of avoiding STDs or dragging monster pots, the Palms has it. Sure, each table depends on who's playing, but on the whole, the games at the Palms tend to be on the wild side.

It's a great thing if you can make it to the room on a weekend when Celebrity Poker Showdown is filming. When the live studio audience files out, many brand new poker players are born. The result are games the equivalent of shooting aquatic life in a large, cylindrical, oil transporting container.

Phil Gordon in all his tall, internet geek millionaire glory can be spotted playing 2/5 NL from time to time. Other B list celebrities can frequently be found flinging the cards at the Palms poker room.

But even on normal days, the action can be wild—especially in the no limit games. Oftentimes, you can cut the machismo with a knife. Bring plenty of buy-ins and prepare to be willing to use them. Sure, the Palms has their fair share of local rocks, but after the sun sets, the room is frequently populated with young guns anxious to slam their phalluses (phalli?) onto the table for all to see.

A final word of advice. If you're serious about your poker, get a seat with your back to the casino area. Vegas is a Mecca for hotties. The Palms is a Mecca for slutty hotties. If the poker is just a way to pass the time, sit back and enjoy the show; otherwise, keep your eyes on the felt.