What's poker like in Vegas now?

I've heard a few very brief anecdotal reports that the few poker games that are available are kind of lackadaisical, with the games 99% jaded old locals waiting to be dealt pocket Aces--for which they would only receive action if someone else was dealt pocket Kings.

Even before the pandemic, Vegas poker was pretty much the locals sitting around, waiting for a juicy tourist to swim up to the shark tank. They would all wait and wait and wait, their stacks slowly disappearing into the drop box as they grew beards and gathered dust. It was even worse when the poker room had some kind of "hours played" promo. The exception to all that was the Strip rooms, where the weakness (and affluence) of the clientele made the brutal rake tolerable.

So is Vegas poker worth playing at all now? The only positive I can think of is that the crusty old locals might not properly adapt to shorthanded games (which they all are now), so a savvy player might do better than normal. But what about the tourist fish? Are they still swimming upstream to Vegas to spawn? Or is that pretty much not happening now?

Can anyone report on the current Vegas poker scene?

I'm a LOUSY poker player!I have too many "TELLS".

I would be the fish that the sharks eat.

 I used to play much more often than I do now, I still enjoy playing but I think the game has passed me by. I used to tell people I was an above average player and it was true because all I had to do was play tight to be above average.

 The main reason I'm commenting is about rake. The last time I played poker was probably at least 6 months ago at Jack Casino Cincinnati. I haven't played in Vegas for quite some time so I don't know if this is common in casino poker rooms or not but I quit the game after after 5 or 6 hands after noticing a player won a small pot that the rake was 12% up to $5.00. Granted in a 1-3 no limit game it's not much different than 10% up to $5.00 but it just seemed greedy on the casinos part. 

 One of the other players asked why I was quitting so soon and I told him because of the rake. He tried to belittle me but to me it's a principle thing. What's next 13%..15%....

There's definitely an upward trend in rake just about everywhere. Vegas casinos have been "backdooring" rake increases by such moves as raising the cap (like from $4 max to $5); lowering the threshold where the first dollar is taken; and most insidious of all, grabbing $2 (or more!) for "jackpots" and promos, of which the casino keeps a large chunk.

Vegas casino poker rooms have always had one advantage, though. In California, especially the big LA poker barns, the MAX rake is taken on EVERY hand regardless of pot size. So yes, if the pot is $7 and the rake is $6, the player who wins the pot wins...$1. So no matter how badly the Vegas joints gouge players, it'll always be better than what the CA casinos do to them.

The situation you describe is ridiculous. No one should ever patronize that casino. Ever.

  What you say about the money they drop for jackpots is about ridiculous. ( not that what you say is ridiculous, what you say is true) I was made aware quite a few years ago of what you referenced. That money funds promos other than the bad beat, or whatever the current promo is and most the players don't even know it. It doesn't effect me as much as some players because I don't  see a lot of flops, ( that's a big part of why earlier I said that the game has passed me by)but it is still money coming off the table.

 I was a small part of a big bad beat once and there is no way enough jackpot drop has come out of pots that I have won to outweigh that, but I still wish there were no jackpot promos.

I also love poker and often play it. It's very interesting and cool for me.

The main thing I have learned for myself during the whole time of playing poker is to play in reliable online casinos to be sure of its reliability. And that's why, to always choose such casinos, I read reviews on SchweizerCasinoClub. Reviews are interesting and contain a lot of important and useful information, which is why I recommend them to anyone interested in this area.