The World Series has emailed most known poker players with its special rate hotel packages, which include rates as low as $35 a night.
I’ve always kind of felt one of the biggest drawbacks to the extended format, not just the overall WSOP calendar, but the main event, is that in addition to the entry fee, a hotel stay ca get quite costly. Especially if you end up being a person eliminated right before the money spots.

Sure a lot of players win their way into the tournament now, with the entry fee and all travel and room fees paid, but there’s still a lot of events that just grant the player an entry into the main event. Travel and lodging is left up to the contestant.
I think this is what adds to the fourth day of “Day 1″ play being so crowded and led to the 2009 disaster that left a good number of potential players looking on after registration on the final day closed.
Just look at this year’s schedule. If you opt to play in Day 1 of the main event, you begin on July 7. Make it past that day, and your next action comes four days late on Monday July 11. Make it to “Day 3″ and you next play Thursday July 14. So you’ve been there a week, and only played three days, and have likely at least one more day to play before you make the money.
In reality, you could spend about 9-10 days in vegas at the main event and not make money. 10 days at even a $35 hotel room is $350 + tax. Of course, when you have $10,000 invested, $350 is chump change. Good luck though finding the $35 hotel room.
The WSOP email list the Imperial Palace as the hotel offering that rate. Other deals include Bally’s and Harrah’s for $45, Flamingo $49, Planet Hollywood $65, host-hotel Rio $69, Paris $79 and Caesers $110. If you don’t stay at the Rio, you also have to consider travel. If you stay close enough walking is an option, unfortunately, unlike most of the strip or downtown, not too much is too close to the Rio.
If you aren’t familiar with Vegas, the best option for your first time is to stay at or close to the Rio and use the public transportation/taxis to get places far. Find out the best bus route to take, and learn the schedules so you don’t get stuck where you don’t want to be at 1 a.m. Remember, Vegas has buses and a monorail.
The main thing is, have fun and win.