CNE Card Room - Toronto

[Manimal]

Headed up yesterday...

Got there around 3:30, started playing at 5. Headed back after the concert at ~11, wait time was 2.5 hours for 5/10, 1.5 for 10/20.

Hours are noon-6am. No entrance fee, since the CNE is not open yet. Don't know much about parking on site, as I parked across the street at Ontario Place. It is offered, and they have LOTS of room.

For the VIP passes, they say you have to give the pit boss your ID and then play for 3 hours, then they give you the application to give to the pass-givers.

To kill the time, they have BJ, Spanish 21, Roulette, and a wheel. All games are pretty low limit - BJ and Spanish 21 span from 5-25, roulette is 1-10 on the inside numbers, 5-25 on the outside. They do offer multi-action blackjack if you're looking for something slightly bigger.

Dealers are definitely a mixed bag. I played for 1:45, there were only 2 dealers. The first one was excellent. Fast, error-free, called hands immediately and correctly. The second was significantly slower, flipped cards numerous times, and miscalled a couple hands, once trying to award the pot to the wrong player. Even after players told him where the pot was being shipped, he'd stare at the cards for ~15 seconds to double check.

The poker room has some limited food/drink - water, soda, coffee, and cold sandwiches. In the main casino, it's typical tourist trap type food, with the same prices - burgers, hot dogs, and fries for 3.50 and up. They DO have alcohol, though... a limited selection of both beer and booze.