• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

The extravagant heated pools at Bellagio (left) and Wynn.   (Photo: Courtesy of Bellagio; courtesy of Wynn)

If poker is a priority, go to the Bellagio (from $179). The posh hotel has the city’s premier large poker venue and the smaller, exclusive high-stakes Bobby’s Room, frequented by the likes of Doyle Brunson and Gus Hansen.

Find flashy, new-hotel hype at the Wynn (from $179). You’re still on the Strip, but with a nicer room and sharper service.

Feeling Entourage? L.A. glamour—the 29 villas, the pool, the gym, the butler, and the chauffered Maybach or stretch limos—costs between $5,000 to $15,000 a night at the Mansion at MGM Grand (702-891-1210).

Removed just far enough from the din and gambling, the Four Seasons Hotel (from $245) is Vegas’ best “regular” hotel (read: no casino), with friendly service, taxis on demand, and plugged-in concierges.

For Old Vegas atmosphere, Binion’s (from $39.95 a night, online special through Nov. 30) is a no-brainer: faded décor, low-stakes craps, the quintessential downtown coffee shop, and the birthplace of the World Series of Poker.

Vegas’ best mid-priced bet is the Mirage (from $99), melding quality cardplay with decent rooms and restaurants ranging from the casual California Pizza Kitchen to the newly opened Japonais.

October 11, 2006 issue of New York Magazine