I'm curious about the NL Hold Em scene there. From searches, it sounds like the Holiday Inn and the Radission are good beds. Does anyone know the poker scene at the Marriott / Stellaris?

Does anyone have a feel for the quality of players, how big / expensive / often the tournaments are? Are there some good medium stakes games? Are most players tourists who are a bit loose or are there a lot of solid players?

I'll be down Jan 12-18 alone and am hoping to find some fun people to hang out with during the day and play poker lots of nights (unless said fun people lure me out for even more fun).

Cheers.

I have more experience with the limit games, but I have played some no limit as well. From my perspective, the games are EXTREMELY soft. Last year (my last time in Aruba), they only had limit games at the Radisson, but a good selection of games at the Excelsior (Holiday Inn). The Casablanca (Westin) used to have some good tournaments and some late night nl, but I understand they have shut their poker room. I also understand the Stellaris (Marriott) has been giving some trial tournaments for the possibility of opening a poker room. I have been told the dealers had NO idea what they were doing and made frequent mistakes. I have not heard about it since November. I also understand that the Excelsior is giving less tournaments, but I believe that is seasonal, and always seems to be in flux. You will just have to see when you get there. The poker, wherever you play will be a lot of fun. The locals, by the way, are not much better than the pure tourists (lots of gamble in them, in my experience). Have a great time, and post your experiences on the board when you get back! And, if you end up with any tournament chips when you get back, I would love to get my hands on some (not sure I would recommend trying, though, since they probably don't look too kindly on that sort of stuff ).

Have a great time!

Well, I'll darned! I will be there (most likely) again this year for the 13th year in a row in Feb., too bad not when you are!
I played last year at the Holiday Inn and it was a blast! Not too stuffy either. Not sure where else, but it is becoming more and more popular there these days. First time visit to Aruba? Have a great time! Let me know if you find other places to play and how they are. My Dad and I love to go play!