GLOBAL POKER INDEX - WSOP 2014 | Page 14

LAS VEGAS The WSOP is a long hard slog and Vegas can be a tough mistress – unless you know her secrets. Read on for the places you have to visit, and the tips and tricks that will ensure you hit the jackpot this summer LYNN GILMARTIN with three tips on health and nutrition: REPLACE PACKAGED FOODS WITH AS MANY WHOLE FOODS AS POSSIBLE. If it took a lab to make it, it likely takes a lab to digest it. The more whole foods you eat, the more nutrients your body receives, which means more energy and mental clarity. 1 2014 WSOP FARAZ JAKA tells you how to survive Las Vegas on a budget: PENNY SLOTS = FREE DRINKS! It’s true the cocktail waitresses don’t come to these slots as often, but you can always scope one out in an area that you see the waitress frequenting and pick a prime seat. Just make sure you tip her! 1 GO DOWNTOWN TO FREMONT STREET. This is the original Vegas Strip, where food and hotels are dirtcheap because the casinos make it as easy as possible to get you in the doors and gamble. 2 VISIT NATURE! Vegas has some of the best hiking around and tourists barely even know about it! Mount Charleston is my personal favorite. It’s about a 50-minute drive from the Strip. 3 BONUS TIP! Go to restaurants OFF the Strip. When people hear off the Strip they think that means FAR. There are plenty of restaurants off the Strip that are only a five minute taxi ride away and will save you a lot of money. Check out Batista’s Hole in the Wall right behind Bill’s Gambling Hall and Saloon. GET OUTSIDE DAILY. It’s hard to be outdoors in Las Vegas during the summer because of the heat, but suck it up for at least 20 minutes per day – we need fresh air. Having a ‘foggy head’ could very well be connected to the recycled, air-conditioned fog you’re breathing, so get outdoors as much as possible for clear air and a clear mind. 2 DRINK WATER! Our bodies are mostly made up of water, and when we aren’t replenishing this we suffer all kinds of problems. If you want your brain to operate at its sharpest, don’t dehydrate it! If you experience a headache, reach for a glass of water instead of an Advil. It’s usually just your body telling you it needs more hydration. 3 RONAN ‘ROROFLUSH’ MONFORT and the three clubs you must visit this summer: XS AT ENCORE. The crowd is amazing and the lineup of resident DJs is the best so far: Avicii, Martin Solveig, Afrojack… 1 HAKKASAN AT THE MGM GRAND. It’s a wonderful place and the Hakkasan Honeys (the wait staff ) are the most beautiful girls in town. 2 SURRENDER AT ENCORE. It’s the best outdoor club with an amazing view of the two pools. They have large cabanas if you’re with a big group. Perfect to celebrate a final table or better yet, a WSOP bracelet victory! 3 With some comic relief, JOE STAPLETON knows how you can avoid busting your bankroll outside the WSOP: TAXIS. Who needs a ride when you’ve got two perfectly good working legs! You know what they say about Vegas: ‘everything is closer than it looks!’ And if you’re anything like me, you don’t mind showing up 1 places in wet clothes because, hey, at least I have this sweet farmer tan. TIPS. Most people in Vegas survive on their tips. And because everybody knows that EVERYONE IS TIPPING THEM. They’re doing fine! They don’t need your money! You need your money! How else are you going to afford those sweet rims and that Ed Hardy watch!? 2 TABLE SERVICE. If you’re trying to meet girls, getting a table is well worth it. Especially if you don’t pay for it! I suggest trying to become friends with David Williams circa 2008. That’s what I did at least. Besides, if you blow all your money on the bottle, what are you paying the girls with? 3 We asked MATT GLANTZ about balancing parenthood and poker: The combination of playing poker and managing a family life has been quite a challenge for all those that have tried. 14 Global Poker Index 2014 WSOP 14_Survival Guide_v2dw.indd 14 19/05/2014 15:03