Borgata--They have got to be kidding!

[George Rice]

Drove down to AC today to check out the Borgata poker room. Not a bad place. Played for a couple of hours. Wasn't too happy with the high rake--10% to $4. But I've seen this before.

As I was leaving I noticed a tournament starting and went over to see the stakes, game etc., for future reference. Was told that it was a $30 tournament. "Is that $30 + ??, or $25 + 5?", I asked. $20 + $10 I was told! Are they serious? $10 fee on a $20 tournament? How's anyone other than the casino supposed to make money?

If they need to charge $10 per head for expenses then the buy-in should be at least $40, assuming re-buys are allowed. Even higher if not. It takes a lot of nerve to charge 50% of the buy-in amount for vig. But I guess if they have suckers who are willing to pay it then they will continue it until the suckers smarten up.

Looking into the future I see a nice new non-smoking slot area where the poker room used to be. Maybe two years at the most.