The biggest gambling event in the universe, the World Series of Poker, held again at the Rio in Las Vegas, kicked off on Friday with the most expensive event of the tournament, the $50,000-buy-in Player's Championship. Every day in June (except the 13th) a new event will be initiated, including nine designated "championship" events with $10,000 buy-ins.

The main event begins July 5. The public is welcome to watch the action, but the main-event champion won't be determined until November.

MORE POKER: This year, parallel poker tournaments will be held at Binion's, the Venetian, Caesars Palace and the Golden Nugget, each with events almost every day in June. These tournaments have much lower buy-ins than the WSOP (in which the buy-ins are $1,000 and above). The Venetian buy-ins are in the $340-$550 range, Caesars' and the Golden Nugget's are $225-$330, and at Binion's they're $100-$200.

HAPPY HOUR: The Steak House at Circus Circus serves a high-end happy hour daily from 3 to 5 p.m. Dishes start at $5 for hot-rock prime rib and top out at $8 for crabcakes or crab-and-shrimp cocktail. Drinks are half-off and beers start at $5.25 before the discount.

CONCERTS: A new concert series with some big names runs in the intimate Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort every Saturday in June and July.

The June lineup includes the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dave Mason and Little Feat, and tickets are just $20.

LOW MINIMUMS: Head downtown for low blackjack minimums. You can find $3 blackjack at the Four Queens, weekdays from midnight to 9 a.m.; $2 games at Fitzgeralds 24/7; and $1 games at Binion's, weekdays from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Q: How many hotel rooms does Las Vegas have?

A: The official room count, which includes hotels and motels, is 148,891. The year-to-date occupancy rate is 77.7 percent, compared to a U.S. average of 51.9 percent.

Find out about Las Vegas shows, buffets, coupons and deals at www.LasVegasAdvisor.com.