Low Limit Las Vegas Poker Tournaments
I played my first live poker tournament in years this week at Sam’s Town. It was a $40 tournament that drew about 30 people and ended up with 50 buy-ins. First place was $600. The competition was soft, and it got me thinking that maybe smaller poker tournaments may be worth paying the excessive rake.
I found many other Las Vegas poker tournaments in this price range. Some were on the casino’s websites while many others are compiled by PokerAtlas.
Excessive Rake in Small Live Poker Tournaments
One issue lower limit live poker players face is high rake. The house will take one-third or more of the prize pool. There is often a $5 dealer chip in these tournaments, which is basically a pre-tip, and is necessary for players to purchase. Not doing so will create a short-stacked situation from the start.
One must consider if the field has at least the same percentage in dead money as it does rake to determine if the tournament is beatable. On the other hand, many players at these levels are just interested in a couple of hours of entertainment and free drinks. Those players will not care as much about the tournament rake.
Las Vegas Strip Poker Tournaments $50 and Lower
There are still some poker tournaments on the Las Vegas Strip under $50. These are usually held in smaller poker rooms. These tournaments are No Limit Texas Hold’em.
Excalibur
Excalibur offers four poker tournaments under $50 daily. The 9am is $29+11. The tournaments at 1pm, 5pm and 8pm are $32+13. Players may re-enter the event one time.
Excalibur poker tournament details
Stratosphere
Stratosphere spreads a $31+19 tournament Tuesday through Sunday. It is in the format of the old Sahara tournaments. This includes a $20 add-on where players more than double their starting stack. The Monday tournament adds a $20 bounty.
Stratosphere poker tournament details
$50 and Lower Poker Tournaments Off-Strip
Golden Nugget
Golden Nugget spreads two $33+17 poker tournaments every day. One is at 3pm. The other is at 10pm. Both have the same starting stack and levels. Golden Nugget is located on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas.
Golden Nugget poker tournament details
Green Valley Ranch
Green Valley Ranch offers a daily $33+17 tournament at 10am. The same tournament is held on Mondays and Wednesday at 6:30pm. Green Valley Ranch is in Henderson on the Beltway.
Green Valley Ranch tournament details
Sam’s Town
Sam’s Town spreads three daily tournaments with a small buy-in. The 10am tournament has a buy-in of $14+9. At 1pm, the tournament is $22+8 with a $5 staff bonus that is necessary to not be short-stacked. The 7pm tournament is $28+7 with a $5 staff bonus. On Friday and Saturday, the 7pm tournament moves to 10pm. Sam’s Town is located on Boulder Highway.
Sam’s Town poker tournament details
Santa Fe Station
Santa Fe Station offers two No Limit Texas Hold’em tournaments daily. Each has a buy-in of $34+11. There is also a $5 staff bonus and $20 re-buys. One tournament is held at noon daily. The other starts at 6pm Sunday through Thursday and 7pm on weekends. Santa Fe Station is in the northwest corner of the Las Vegas Valley.
Santa Fe Station poker tournament details