The Truth About the South Point Poker Room Vegas

The South Point Poker Room has been around prior to High Stakes Poker, but High Stakes Poker is what made it famous. The popular television show still leads people to the South Point Poker Room today.

Also, as someone who communicates with thousands of other poker players, I get an idea of what players like and don’t like. I can tell you with absolute certainty that poker players of all skill levels love the South Point Poker Room.

Before getting to the details about the South Point Poker Room as well as some poker strategy mixed in (as always), if you’re not familiar with High Stakes Poker, it was a television show featuring some of the biggest names in the game playing for high stakes against one another.

These were cash games, not poker tournaments. Some of the players featured included Patrik Antonius, Doyle Brunson, Todd Brunson, Peter Eastgate, Jonathan Duhamel, Tom Dwan, Eli Elezra, Gus Hansen, and Phil Ivey. The pots were enormous. For example, Tom Dwan won a pot of $900k+ against Barry Greenstein. I guess Barry did not hit an ace on the river.

Poker players of all levels still watch these episodes today. You might even hear someone at a poker table say to an opponent: “Did you see the High Stakes Poker episode where….” This is even more likely to occur at the South Point Poker Room.

If you’re seeking low stakes poker games, you can also find that at the South Point Poker Room. They don’t discriminate based on bankroll. This is one of the reasons so many people love it here. Another reason is the promotions.

South Point Poker Room Promotions

The South Point Poker Room has so many promotions that I can’t even list them all. Some of them are seasonal, which plays a big role in me not being able to list them all. However, I will list enough for it to potentially weigh in your decision of whether or not to play poker at the South Point Poker Room. Before listing the promotions, you should know that the South Point Poker Room is Off-Strip, but it’s not far, and it’s absolutely worth the trip.

Pair Dates is a promotion where you win money if the pair you’re holding matches the month and date of the pair you’re playing. Below is a list of the pairs you might be holding along with the dates those hands qualify for the promotion (month/day)…

Fours 4/4
Fives 5/5
Sixes 6/6
Sevens 7/7
Eights 8/8
Nines 9/9
Tens 10/10
Jacks 11/11
Queens 12/12
Kings 12/31
Aces 1/1

The poker rules for this promotion work as follows. Flop a set, you win $100. If you make a full house at any point throughout the hand, you win $200. Flop a full house, you win $400. If you make quads, you win $500. If you flop quads, you win $1,000.

The 7-Card Straight is for No Limit. Of course, only five cards can be used in No Limit, but if there is a seven-card straight (just for fun), you win $200. This promotion runs every Tuesday, but it only pays the first eight people to hit their seven-card straights.

In the summer, the South Point Poker Room has a $210,000 Summer Freeroll, which runs in early August. Freerolls are the best kind of poker tournaments possible because it means you’re paying nothing to enter. The one risk with playing a freeroll is that poker players have a tendency to play more poker hands than usual. This can lead to trouble.

A lot of the time, their mindset is that they’re playing for free anyway so they might as well have fun. Instead, it should be looked at as a great opportunity to build your bankroll. When you play a freeroll poker tournament, play fewer poker hands than normal. This will force you to focus more. You can use SPATS or 19%, or you can come up with your own poker strategy focused on playing fewer hands.

In order to qualify for the South Point Summer Freeroll, you must have 120 hours of play from 5/1-7/31. You can accumulate double the hours to qualify between the hours of 9 a.m.-12 p.m., 4 p.m-7 p.m., and 10 p.m-12 a.m.

If you qualify for the tournament, you will receive 10,000 chips. You can get another 10,000 chips for $25, which is highly recommended. If you don’t buy those extra chips, you’re going to be at a huge disadvantage. If you qualified with 240 hours of play, you can buy 20,000 chips for $25. You play that many hours, then you already know this is a no-brainer. Buy the extra chips.

The payout structure is as follows:
1st $40k
2nd $20k
3rd $10k
4th $7k
5th $6k
6th $5k
7th $4k
8th $3k
9th $2k
10th $1.5k
11-20 $1.3k
21-30 $1.1k
31-40 $800
41-50 $600
51-60 $400
Remaining Finalists: $200

Tournament High Hands is a unique promotion because most poker rooms only use promotions for cash games, not poker tournaments. If you’re playing in a poker tournament at the South Point Poker Room and you make four of a kind (two in your hand), you receive $25. You make a straight flush (both of your hole cards must play), you receive $50. If you make a royal flush (both of your hole cards must play), you receive $125.

Playing in an Omaha poker tournament and you flop quads (two in your hand), you will receive $25. If you make a straight flush (both of your hole cards must play), you will receive $50. And if you make a steel wheel or royal flush (both of your hole cards must play), you will receive $125.

The list goes on and on for promotions at the South Point Poker Room, but I don’t have enough room to write about them all. I did list the most important ones, though. And while it might sound like one of the most out-of-left-field poker tips, I would recommend playing here just because of the promotions. The South Point Poker Room knows it must cater to poker players in order to keep them coming back because they’re Off-Strip.

Cash Games at South Point Poker Room

The South Point Poker Room has 22 tables, discounted room rates for anyone who plays for four hours (extremely generous), and free parking (tough to find in Las Vegas these days). Unlike most poker rooms in Las Vegas, the South Point Poker Room offers full blind and half kill pots. Padded-back swivel chairs add comfort, and there are large-screen televisions all around the room playing sports.

I’m not going to list cash games spread here because the situation is a little different. You only need to know three simple things.

One, you will always find 1/2 NL here, with a buy-in of $100-$300.

Two, you will always find 2/4 FL (Fixed Limit) here, which a buy-in of $20-No Max.

Three, you can usually find mixed games, but it depends on the day.

In regards to the latter, I would recommend calling the South Point Poker Room to find out what games are being spread. You can also use the Bravo app. If you’re not familiar with the Bravo app, it lists all cash games and poker tournaments taking place around the world. It will automatically show you the nearest poker room based on your GPS location. If you’re a 2/5 NL player, you can find that during busy hours. The buy-in is $200-$1,000.

To this point, everything has been a pro (vs. a con) for the South Point Poker Room. But there is one negative. The comps here for cash games is only $1/hour, which is one of the lowest in Las Vegas. I would say the promotions make up for it, but that depends on the person.

Some poker players never want to play in poker games where there are promotions because it changes the dynamic of those games and is not true poker. I understand where they’re coming from, but sometimes you just need to have fun. These same players will not play in a poker room if the comps are only $1/hour.

A final note on the cash games at the South Point Poker Room is that they use auto-shufflers. This isn’t uncommon for a Las Vegas poker room, but it does mean more hands per hour than poker rooms where they shuffle by hand.

Poker Tournaments at South Point Poker Room

The rake on the poker tournaments at the South Point Poker Room are still high because they are Daily and Nightly tournaments, but they are by far some of the best deals you will find in Las Vegas. Remember, since this poker room is Off-Strip, they’re going to treat you better. They know they need reasons for you to play there instead of on The Strip.

10 a.m.
Runs: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday (every day)
Registration Opens: 8 a.m.
Registration Closes: 11:30 p.m.
Buy-in: $60 (Entry Fee $45, Deductions $15)
Starting Chips: 10,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: 10 minutes every four levels
GTD: $1,200

This tournament is not great. It has a high rake and it takes place in the morning, which means you’re not going to see much action. One of the best-known poker rules is not to play poker tournaments in the morning because they’re filled with Nits. I’ll play them anyway because it’s an opportunity to steamroll, but most people find these tournaments boring. And I might not play in this one specifically because of the high rake and only 10,000 chips. The guarantee also isn’t great. Don’t let that fool you.

2 p.m.
Runs: Saturday
Registration Opens: 1 p.m.
Registration Closes: 6:10 p.m.
Buy-in: $150 (Entry Fee $126, Deductions $24)
Starting Chips: 20,000
Blind Levels: 30 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: five minutes every four levels
GTD: N/A

This is an excellent structure for a Daily. One of the best in Las Vegas. You’re not paying a ton of rake, you start with 20,000 chips, and the blind levels are long. This is one of the few Daily poker tournaments in Las Vegas where you will actually get to play some poker. I highly recommend playing.

2 p.m. – Omaha
Runs: Tuesday, Thursday
Registration Opens: 12 p.m.
Registration Closes: 3:30 p.m.
Buy-in: $80 (Entry Fee $60, Deductions $20)
Starting Chips: 10,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: N/A
GTD: N/A

Pass.

2 p.m. – Satellite to Mega
Runs: Friday
Registration Opens: 12 p.m.
Registration Closes: 3:30 p.m.
Buy-in: $60 (Entry Fee $45, Deductions $15)
Starting Chips: 10,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: 10 minutes every four levels
GTD: N/A

This is a satellite to another tournament. To keep it simple, one of every five players will receive $225 to play in the Mega, which is a bigger poker tournament.

2 p.m.
Runs: Monday
Registration Opens: 12 p.m.
Registration Closes: 3:30 p.m.
Buy-in: $60 (Entry Fee $45, Deductions $15)
Starting Chips: 10,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: 10 minutes every four levels
GTD: N/A

Pass.

2 p.m. – NL Crazy Pineapple
Runs: Wednesday, Sunday
Registration Opens: 12 p.m.
Registration Closes: 3:30 p.m.
Buy-in: $80 (Entry Fee $60, Deductions $20)
Starting Chips: 10,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: N/A
GTD: N/A

The rake is a little high and you don’t get many chips, but I would recommend playing it because it’s a way to learn a new variation of poker at a cheap price.

6 p.m. – Deepstack
Runs: Sunday
Registration Opens: 4 p.m.
Registration Closes: 8 p.m.
Buy-in: $125 (Entry Fee $100, Deductions $25)
Starting Chips: 15,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: N/A
GTD: N/A

Not bad, especially for a Sunday night.

6 p.m. – ML Mega Stack
Runs: Friday
Registration Opens: 4 p.m.
Registration Closes: 8 p.m.
Buy-in: $200 (Entry Fee $165, Deductions $35)
Starting Chips: 20,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: N/A
GTD: $10k

It’s a nice guarantee, the rake is very low for a Nightly, and you get 20k in chips with 20-minute levels. This is definitely a tournament to consider playing in.

6 p.m. – Deepstack
Runs: Wednesday
Registration Opens: 4 p.m.
Registration Closes: 8 p.m.
Buy-in: $125 (Entry Fee $100, Deductions $25)
Starting Chips: 15,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: N/A
GTD: $7,500

This is a high rake with a moderate amount of chips, but there is a guarantee. It’s a decent structure.

6 p.m.
Runs: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Registration Opens: 5 p.m.
Registration Closes: 7:30 p.m.
Buy-in: $100 (Entry Fee $77, Deductions $23)
Starting Chips: 10,000
Blind Levels: 20 minutes
Starting Blinds: 25/50
Break: N/A
GTD: $2k

The rake isn’t terrible, but you’re only getting 10,000 in chips and the blind levels are 20 minutes. This will make it play like a turbo. Most poker players don’t like that, but that can be good news for you.

Remember: Always play the opposite of how the game is playing. I have many cashes in turbo poker tournaments because I sit back and wait for others to make dumb mistakes—they think they have to rush. Simply by being patient, I usually watch half the field eliminate itself. That’s when I begin playing poker. I recommend the same approach.

Final Thoughts

The South Point Poker Room is The Joint! I can’t refer to every poker room as The Joint! But when I do, it means you should put that poker room toward the top of your list. Most poker tips focus on in-game poker strategy, but playing in the right place is just as important.

♠ pokerjournal.org

South Point Poker Room – FAQ