I've been playing Texas Hold'em Poker since well before poker was cool. For you young guns out there who think hold'em was invented six years ago, think again. I love the game so much that eight years ago, I relocated from my lifetime home city to Las Vegas so that I could play whenever the spirit moved me. Suffice it to say, the spirit moved me quite often, and I've logged plenty of time at almost every Vegas poker room. I may not be the ultimate expert on Vegas poker rooms, but I'm pretty close. Here are my favorites:

The Ace: Aria Casino

I have a custom of playing at one Vegas poker room for about a year and a half and then moving on to the next.

My undisputed poker room of choice right now is the Aria. My criteria for choosing my almost-daily venue are (in no particular order): staff, dealers, parking convenience, generosity of comps, room temperature, comfort, number of games going, and a few miscellaneous others. Although many people can't relate to this, I have to say that temperature is probably my number one consideration. I'm almost always cold.

When arriving at the Aria, I use the self-parking, which is very easy and close to the poker room. It might take you one or two times to figure it out, but then you'll have it down. There are also two valet parking areas, one of which is closer to the poker room than the self-parking lot. To find that one, take the southernmost entrance (of two) into City Center off the strip and that takes you right to the self parking garage or to the south valet.

The temperature in the poker room is usually okay, with some tables colder than others. The tables are nine-handed, which actually isn't my preference (ten-handed all the way, I say). Chairs are comfortable and the staff is excellent and friendly. Most of the dealers are terrific; there are a few that are less than competent, but you'll find that in all rooms. Players get $2 an hour in comps and $3 during the graveyard shift. I don't think you can beat that, and with the restaurants so good and beautiful at the Aria, you'll really enjoy spending your comps.

As for food, I love the buffet and Lemon Grass (Thai). You can order food at the table from Lemon Grass or Skybox, which is decent sports book fare. I don't care for the Cafe (coffee shop) at all, but that's just me.

There are, on average, about nine games live in this room. These are mostly $1-$3 no-limit and $2-$5 no-limit. There are more games on the weekends, of course. You'll find a mixture of local residents and visitors. All poker rooms need a reliable core of locals like me to survive. One major misconception is that all local players are good—not true!

The tables get short at dinner time (common wherever you play), and the staff will break a table when requested with no argument—very important to me and one of the main reasons it gets an ace in my deck.

Pair of Jacks: The Venetian

Before the Aria, I played pretty much exclusively at the Venetian Poker Room, which I think is the largest poker room in Vegas. The Venetian has four deep-stack tournaments a year, which really brings in the crowd. The tables seat ten players, which I've mentioned is my preference. The staff is good, and the room is generally well run, but when a room has so many tables, some small problems inevitably ensue. There is a lot of movement at the tables, and people are constantly making table changes. For me, the biggest problem at the Venetian is the temperature. Depending on what table you're at, the A/C might be creating a full-force gale right over your head. I realize many players aren't bothered by this.

The comps at the Venetian are fair, and I enjoyed playing there almost every day for a year or two. They have a good number of dealers, especially during the deep-stack tournaments, when they bring in extras. In those cases, some of those extra dealers aren't great, but generally The Venetian gets a thumbs up.

Straight Draw: The Wynn

I also had a good one-year run at the Wynn Poker room. The Wynn room is about the same size as the Aria room. The no-limit tables seat nine, and the limit tables seat ten. The self-parking at the Wynn is the poker room's greatest asset. It's close and easy to figure out, even on your first trip.

The tables are very close together, so players are constantly getting bumped by cocktail waitresses and others going by. Now, you've probably figured out that I'm not the type who would find repeated body contact with cocktail waitresses to be a plus, so, in my opinion, this is the Wynn's room biggest problem. A large number of the dealers are terrific, and the rest so-so. Management and staff are both very good. If you find a dealer you like, The Wynn might just take the pot.

Fold: Bellagio

The last room I want to cover briefly is the Bellagio. I played at this room for quite some time, as I generally find myself at the latest and greatest casino to enjoy the new ambience. Bellagio has become known as the place to play for tourists who don't know any better. The tables are extremely close together, and I've found a general lack of concern and attentiveness among the poker room staff. As such, this has become a "pass" for me, even though my kids keep telling me that I should play where the tourists who don't know better elect to play!