New Orleans

[Yobz]

Hey, never been to New Orleans before but I'm going to be flying there with my girlfriend after the new year (the 5th of jan). I know they have a casino there, do they offer poker there? If they do, how are the games and how are the lines and hows the casino overall?

Thanks!

[Gatts]

The Harrah's has a 20-table poker room, but I can't comment on the games as I haven't made my way out there. I'd imagine, just like every other live game ever created, it's pretty good [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[CCass]

I was there in May, so my info may be a little outdated.

NLHE - Usually 1 Game going, with 2 $5 blinds and a minimum buy-in of $500. Looked like a pretty tough game, I didn't play in it.

LHE - 2 or 3 3/6 tables, 2 6/12 tables, and usually 2 "higher" limit tables (10/20 and/or 15/30)

Omaha and Stud - 1 or 2 tables usually in the 10/20 limit range.

[ILikeApples]

They recently expanded the room and have about 25 tables now. The NL game is 5-5 blinds (used to be 2-5) and is populated by tight locals and maniac tourists.

The HE games are 3-6, 6-12, 10-20, and 15-30. The Omaha high only games are 4-8 or 15-30. The stud game is 1-5. There is also a half/half HE/Omaha only game that is 1-4-8-8.

If you show up on a Friday or Saturday, then come before 5PM. Otherwise, you should be able to get a seat any other time.

Boomtown (across the river) also has a room but it also has ~7 tables and they don't have higher limits.

New Orleans is known for lots of loose players who like to overtip.

[DrPublo]

I posted about New Orleans both before and after I was down there over Halloween. Search my posts between say Oct 20 and Nov 20 or something like that.

The long or the short of it was I was very unimpressed with the room. Very loud, right in the middle of the gaming floor. Hard to hear the floor call your name for a seat. Also dimly lit, which I thought was annoying.

They seemed to have plenty of 3/6 tables but few 10/20 and above and NL seats. Unfortunately, I was looking to play the 5/5 NL or 10/20 or 15/30 and the lists were not moving at all. I waited 2+ hrs for a 5/5 seat as the 3rd name on the list and moved up 1 spot I think. They had one table going and although they had a seat open the dealer never seemed to alert the floor to that fact. The game looked pretty soft IMO.

I also saw the strangest thing I've ever seen in a poker room. At the 5/5 table someone had been absent for maybe a turn or two and rather than having the floor lock up the chips at the desk, they brought out this lucite box and placed them over this guy's stack at the table, and sat a new player who placed his stack ON TOP of the lucite box. Perhaps this is standard at some rooms but I've never seen it in AC or Vegas so I was surprised to say the least.

Bottom line is I moved over to craps after waiting too long for my NL seat and promptly lost $300 or so. Nice. New Orleans has great food, great little shops and great bars. Poker is NOT its strong suit. In fact I think the casino is struggling because there's so much to do and see in the city that many people don't want to spend their time there cooped up inside a casino. The weather is delightful year round except for August, when its 100 degrees and humid, so I suggest enjoying the city and leave poker for another time.

Restaurant suggestions:

Be SURE to have brunch at Brennan's. Get the eggs shannon and the bananas foster.

Commander's Palace (in the garden district) does a lunch special weekdays with 25 cent martinis. The food is absolutely excellent. I believe it was rated the #1 restaurant in America in 1997.

For seafoood, go to the acme seafood company (or maybe acme oyster company, I can't remember). Great cheap oysters on the half shell and you can't beat the poboys.

Also be sure to hit one of Emeril's restaurants. He has 3 down there. I went to NOLA and it was without question one of the finest meals of my life.

Enjoy New Orleans!

The Doc

[Swampy]

Haven't been to NO in a couple of years, but the last time I was there Harrah's was spreading a wild half-and-half game (alternating orbits of HE and O8) at about the 5-10 level. Huge pots, betting capped pre-flop about 60% of the time. Action, action, action.

Take the riverboat cruise, but don't buy the dinner on board -- maybe the worst meal in the entire South. The Emeril's on St. Charles was great. Also, check out the D-Day museum -- you'll get a real appreciation for what those guys went through.

[tylerdurden]

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they brought out this lucite box and placed them over this guy's stack at the table, and sat a new player who placed his stack ON TOP of the lucite box.

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I believe this is commonly called a "cake box." I've never seen one actually used, though. I have seen cardrooms put towels over a player's chips if he goes to eat or takes an extended break and they want to let someone else "play over" his seat.



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In fact I think the casino is struggling because there's so much to do and see in the city that many people don't want to spend their time there cooped up inside a casino.

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Everytime I've been in there it's been packed. I don't think they're "struggling" at all.

[DrPublo]

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I don't think they're "struggling" at all.

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Really? I spoke to the conceirge at my hotel about this and he had a different story. First, the Harrah's was supposed to open the upstairs for gaming as well to become the largest gaming floor in the world, but they haven't had enough action so far to warrant the outlay. Right now I believe it's closed to gaming and they use it for special events, on occassion. In addition, the Harrah's apparently had to ink a pretty substantial deal with the city in order to get a building/gaming permit, something like $100 mil/year in taxable revenue. It was reported earlier this yeear that the Harrah's has recently told the city that the deal needs to be renegotiated because the figure they were working under is unattainable in the New Orleans gaming market, or else the casino would have to shut down.

So maybe not struggling struggling but definitely not doing as well as they anticipated by a long shot.

Finally, don't you think it's a little bit odd to have one and only one casino there? Usually where business is good, other gaming companies do whatever is necessary to open competing establishments. The fact that there isn't one suggests to me that there isnt enough business to go around.

The Doc

[Fishwhenican]

LOUD Poker room but if you want a good low limit 3-6 game it was a lot of loose fun. The weekend night I played was packed and wildly loose. During the day it was little bit calmer but not by much.

I agree with DrPublo's accessment of the Acme Oyster House. I personally thought it was the best meal I had while I was there and it was my kind of place. But then again I do not like overly fancy places with overly expensive food to begin with. So, YMMV. If you do go there you HAVE to try the Oysters on the half shell. I wasn't sure I would like raw oysters but I really enjoyed them.

[StevieG]

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I agree with DrPublo's accessment of the Acme Oyster House.

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The line at Acme made the no-wait situation at Felix's across the street very attractive. The oysters at Felix's were huge, and reasonably priced. We started standing at the bar with half a dozen oysters and two beers, for $12 total. Sweet.

Went back for crawfish, tasty. Never did make it to Acme's.

Can someone who has been to both places tell me if the line at Acme's is worth it?