Vegas, a few 4-8 reviews

[ohkanada]

I was in Vegas this past weekend and although I mostly played tournies I did find some time to play some 4-8 at 3 casinos.

1) Bellagio 4-8

I played Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening and both times the games were quite easy. In both cases I hit some decent flops and came away with good profits. I love the no smoking policy and the Strawberry Julius's. Both days the Poker room was packed. Seems there are lots of new players who normally play blackjack/craps but are willing to sitdown and play some poker (like on tv) and watch the football games. I also met 2+2er and Zoo member cubswin at the table on Sunday evening.

2) Orleans 4-8

I only played for a short while after one of my tournies. Although I enjoy the tournies I generally don't enjoy playing the live games at the Orleans. I certainly believe they are profitable and the 1-2 blinds allow you to play more hands.

3) Binions 4-8

When I was in Vegas a few years ago I played one evening at Binions. What I remembered was an older crowd ( mostly locals), a rock garden, lots of smoke and very few games. Well they still have lots of smoke but everything else has changed. I played late Saturday and late Sunday. Both times the room was packed. They had 3 2-4 games and 2 or 3 4-8 games. They also had a 1-2 NL game and some medium limit HE games. The rocks weren't anywhere near my 4-8 table. It was a very beatable game and I recommend it if you didn't mind the smoke and you happen to be downtown. The dealers even commented that they don't even recognize most of the players. I am sure the 2-4 game has helped things as has WPT/ESPN/on-line poker.

4) Mirage 3-6

My friend played some 3-6 at the Mirage for a few hours while I was playing a tourney Sunday afternoon. He thought the game had a mix of decent players and some very bad players.

All in all a profitable 10 hours of live 4-8.

Ken Poklitar

[Ed Miller]

The Orleans drives me nuts because they have the yarbles to rake even if there is no flop. It looks really bad when you steal the blinds and get a pot full of quarters. The outside of the damn place is supposed to look like the French Quarter too, but the pink and green paint all over the wrought iron just makes the facade look ludicrous.

It's not my favorite room.

[TobDog]

Does anyone think that the new 'poker boom' will pressure more casinos to add poker rooms? When I first began playing (about 3 years ago) I don't remember a 2-4 game anywhere in Vegas, now there appears to be many(not that the the 2-4 players are running the poker world, but these are probably newer players to the game). I was in Vegas 2months ago and couldn't believe the amount of players playing poker, so for your story about most of the players not being the regulars that frequent the casino everyday, probably true.

[Ted Geisel]

Poker takes up too many square feet per dollar of net revenue compared to other casino floor options.

You may see a few more rooms, but they will fail, because they will be too small to sustain themselves, i.e. 4 or 5 tables, a figure arrived at by compromise within the casino.

I could be totally wrong however, because I am bad at guessing what comes next in Las Vegas, (I never thought that Treasure Island would pull the Pirate show)

[squiffy]

I agree with Ted. With dealers you have to pay a salary and benefits, worker's comp, etc. Slot machines run 24 hours a day, and don't complain when you treat them like crap. They don't take up much space. You could probably fit 10 machines into the space that a poker table and players fill up.

I read several years ago that the average machine in Vegas brings in $100 a day. That includes small 5cent and 25cent machines. So a top machine at a top casino probably does a lot better with a steady crowd.

That's why online poker is a Godsend. Such incredibly low overhead. No misdeals. No disputes. Perfect betting order with players acting in turn. Many many many more hands per hour. I have heard estimates that you can get in two or three times as many hands per hour. Wow!!!! No tips to the dealer.

It's really a shame, though, that live poker cannot do better.

Then you have the downtime. Internet poker clubs certainly have slow times, but if you have a worldwide clientele you can have games hopping 24 hours a day.

Every day I thank God that I have been blessed by Him or Her to be living in the age of Cyberpoker.

But you are right, there will be some growth in live poker due to the revolutionary WPT coverage, where for the first time you can see the hands and play along,

Making poker, for the first time that I can think of, a truly enjoyable spectator sport, along with chess and cricket!!!!!!!!

But there are always booms and busts. At one time bowling became a craze. Then tennis. Then golf. Poker boomed previously in American history. Then came back, I don't know, was it in the 40s and 50s?

Now maybe poker is back again. But for how long, who know?

[TobDog]

[ QUOTE ]
You may see a few more rooms, but they will fail, because they will be too small to sustain themselves, i.e. 4 or 5 tables

[/ QUOTE ]

That brings to mind the failed LAs Vegas Club poker room of about 6 tables in teh alcove in the middle of the casino.