Las Vegas Poker Room Reviews: Aria

I've logged hundreds of hours of poker at Aria since 2011, mostly playing $2-$5 NLH, $1-$3 NLH, and the $125 daily tournaments. And I must say, there is a lot to like and not a lot to dislike about this poker room that is arguably one of the best...in the world.

Aria Poker Room Basics:

• Comps: $2 per hour ($3 from 5-10 AM)
• Daily Tournaments: $125 (Daily, 1:00 and 7:00 PM)
• Free Drinks?: Yes (alcohol, sodas, coffee, juices, fruit smoothies, etc.)
• Number of Tables: 24 (plus separate tournament room available if main room is full)
• Aria Location: Center of Strip at CityCenter

Aria's poker room is only a few years old but has quickly become one of the most popular poker rooms in Las Vegas. Between the hours of 12:00 PM and 2:00 AM, Aria's poker room will be packed on any given day. Don't expect to show up for a cash game in the evening and get into a game right away. There's almost always a waiting list unless you arrive early in the morning. 

The 1:00 and 7:00 PM $125 buy-in tournaments Aria has daily are very profitable if you're a good player. The 1:00 tournament generally gets between 80 and 110 players. The 7:00 gets between 50 and 70 players on most nights. The blind structures for these tournaments are favorable to good players. Your starting stack is 10,000 and the blinds increase every 30 minutes. Aria's poker room became popular mainly because of these great daily tournaments. Well, that and because of Ivey's Room, which attracts top poker pros such as Johnny Chan, Jean Robert-Bellande, Ted Forrest, Jason Mercier, etc. on a daily basis.

Aria Poker Room Ratings (1-10):

• Room Comfort Level: 10
• Comps: 10
• Quality of Action: 8
• Daily Tournament Quality: 9
• Cocktail Waitress Attractiveness: 8
• Overall Rating: 9

There's plenty of action at Aria but there's also as many quality poker players there as there are anywhere. There are at least 3-4 donkeys at every table, regardless of the game you play. Aria Hotel Resort & Casino attracts clientele with money so most players staying in the hotel can afford maximum buy-ins. That's good news for you because that's more money for you to win. The best way to play at Aria is to spot the good poker players and avoid playing hands with them and pounce on the donkeys with money. That's how you'll make your money.