Casino recommendations near NYC?

[jacks321]

I'm planning to take a day or two trip to a casino sometime in the next couple of weeks and I'm not sure where I should go. My options are basically Foxwoods or somewhere in Atlantic City, NJ. I've never been to a casino, only played online, so I'd like to try a good low limit game where I won't get eaten alive. Can anyone recommend a place?

[bobbyi]

Foxwoods and AC are pretty much your options. There are rooms in nyc (with good games), but since they're illegal, you have to know someone to get in. If you have playing experience online you aren't going to get eaten alive playing low limit at either place.

[playersare]

foxwoods has the most number of tables overall (76) for a single facility, but you might like having more "variety" with the 6 casinos in AC that have poker rooms. The Taj Mahal, Tropicana and Borgata are large and busy, while bally's, harrah's and sands are small, quiet and intimate.

all casinos on the east coast deal $2/4 hold em and $1/3, $1/5 stud. other replies to this thread will probably give you more detailed insight on player skill at specific places.

[Kurn, son of Mogh]

all casinos on the east coast deal $2/4 hold em

It's been a while since I was there, but I thought the smallest HE game at the Taj was 3/6.

[afish]

Incorrect. Since at least 1999, Taj has had 2-4, 3-6, 5-10, 10-20, etc.

[scott1]

Hey Jacks,

I took my first trip to a casino about a month ago. Had a couple days off so I took the bus down to AC on a Thursday.

I'd say go to AC. The bus ride is shorter and if you choose to go overnight there are more plentiful and less expensive hotel rooms.

In AC Borgata and Trop seem to be popular choices on these boards. I went to the Trop because it is along the strip - Borgata is newer, nicer but off the strip - a cab ride away.

Before you play get a "player card" wherever you go. That gets you comps and room deals eventually.

So, my first casino visit (I'm a winning .5/1 and 1/2 online player) was great. I went to the Trop, changed $140 at the window into chips and sat down at a 2/4 game. No one else had more than $50 in chips. Felt kinda dumb about that. I was nervous. Assumed everyone was a shark.

Didn't get many starting cards for a long time. I don't think I went past the flop for an hour. 1st hand I played past the flop was pocket 9's. Flop came K9x rainbow. I check raised and 5 stayed in. Turn was a 9. Any good player would have seen my hand shaking and not bet. 2 saw the river but folded to my bet. Pot was over $60 without a showdown. Then the cards started to come. Another hour later I was confident I was the best player at the table. 6-7 saw the flop each hand.

I played for 4 hours took a break for dinner and left the table with a lot of chips. Got a poker rate room for 50 or 60 bucks. Came back 2 hours later. Table looked about the same. Sat down with $80 in chips. Same scenario. An hour in I hadn't won a pot, I had loosened up my starting hands earlier (added Axs, Q10, Q9s and K8s even) but still wasn't getting much to play. But the hands I did get won a high percentage of the time. The pace of the game is kinda nice after playing online. You have time to calculate odds exactly and watch the other players starting hands and play closely.

Play was bad, but I was also lucky. Through 8 or 9 hours of play I left up $270. It was a lot of fun.

[Jeffage]

Glad you had a good time! Definitely try Taj or Borgata next time...if you liked Trop, you will be blown away by these rooms.

Jeff

[jacks321]

Sounds great! I'm definitely thinking AC is the place to go, especially since Foxwood's rooms are more expensive over x-mas weekend. Thanks for the recommendations, and i'm glad to hear the low limit b&m games are still pretty soft.

[larrondo]

[ QUOTE ]
Foxwoods and AC are pretty much your options. There are rooms in nyc (with good games), but since they're illegal, you have to know someone to get in. If you have playing experience online you aren't going to get eaten alive playing low limit at either place.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, all you've got to do to get invited to the 'illegal' clubs in NY (which I'm not sure are really illegal) is send an E mail. I went searching, found six or eight E mail addresses, and within a few days had been invited to each of the clubs.

I've not gone yet, but I'm told they are pretty fun. I can't vouch for the quality of the competition.

[scott1]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually, all you've got to do to get invited to the 'illegal' clubs in NY (which I'm not sure are really illegal) is send an E mail.

[/ QUOTE ]

They're definitely ilegal. As to whether the authorities are actively attempting to enforce that law is another issue.

I haven't checked out the NYC rooms yet, but plan to after New Year's.