Walking the strip of Las Vegas I can't help but think to myself about a scene straight out of a movie, perhaps "Fear & Loathing" or maybe even "Casino". Vegas, as seen in many movies, is arguably the only city that when portrayed to be a certain way, actually is. The lights, the glamour, the beauty, the old, the extremely old, the young, the extreme and the normal all blend in the gambling capital of the world offering a truly unique environment. Once that whole euphoric feeling settled of actually being in Las Vegas, I set off on my mission: poker and parties. You'd be surprised by how much you can learn about Vegas in a short period of time. My findings are as follows:

Let's start off with Poker...

If you feel like starting the morning off with a small tournament and simply to get into the groove of it before heading to the more well-known and bigger places, The Sahara is a perfect place to take care of that. The stakes aren't too high and the minimum buy in is reasonable. The tournament is not too big so if you are there by 10:30 you should have room on one of the tables. The players themselves are not too aggressive and you can actually find yourself 3 or 4 hours later on the final table and in store for a prize of usually $1500 for first place.

If it so happens that the dealer was a slow chunky man who didn't even deal you one good hand, you can head over to The Venetian where the stakes are a little higher and the dealers are great. There are afternoon tournaments going on and minimum buy in can go up to a couple hundred dollars. The players themselves also like to be a little more aggressive, and perhaps will also bluff more than usual. However, if you play your cards right, you can be looking at a nice sum of money at the end of the night. This is also true about playing poker at the Wynn Hotel, and here the poker experience is quite an intense one but filled with excitement as you are playing the game with some seriously good players. You do have the option of either playing in a tournament or simply buying in and cashing out at any point, but at this hotel you have to bring your wits and your A-game as there is no mucking about around the table. Other places to check out include The Palms, where two rooms separate the limit and no-limit games, and once buying in for $100, you sit down among chatty other players, order drinks, play good relaxing poker, and can walk away with over $1000 in less than 3 hours. Caesar's Palace has a very large area for poker players to indulge in, consisting of a separate room just for tournaments while limit Hold'em, no-limit Hold'em, and Omaha are all going on. The Bellagio as well is well known for poker tournaments, but you may want to brush up on your game before heading there as you might bump into Daniel Negreanu or some other champion with a bracelet. Two other well known places to check out are The Mirage and the MGM Grand where in both places you will be within a great atmospheric poker vibe and among different types of players who are looking for a laugh, but ultimately looking for your money.

Now the Party Scene...

Tryst at the Wynn --- incredible club, incredible girls...enough said. Trust me to give it a visit if and when you are there. The first thing you lay your eyes on when walking in is a magnificent waterfall overlooking the packed dance floor. It is a beautifully designed club with an even better vibe.

Pure at the Caesar's Palace --- arguably the most well-known club in Vegas and this is a hot spot for many celebs when there. It is a rather big club with different rooms consisting of distinctive ambiance to give everyone a little something of what they like.

Rain at The Palms --- smaller club compared to the other two, but still consists of a good crowd and good music.

The Playboy Club at The Palms --- check it out if possible merely for the interior where everything consists of the custom playboy logo...oh and the girls of-course (warning - the line to enter does tend to consist of a much more masculine side).

Gentleman's Club - Sapphire --- voted the best on the strip. Go check out the girls by renting a limo to come pick you up from the hotel which will also provide you with a table in the club.

The Tao at the Venetian --- hip hop music filled with half naked girls in bathtubs. Need I say more?

For more information about poker you can read such books as Texas Hold'em 101 or Poker at the Wynn. For more information about going where to party in Vegas, well just figure that out on your own cause it should not be a problem...if problem does persist, ask the guy sitting beside you at the poker table. Enjoy.