1st Trip to A.C. and some questions

[Michael C]

First post ever since my wife and I are about to make our inaugural trip to A.C. the weekend of March 5th and I’ve (of course) got some questions for those of you who make frequent visits. Wasn't sure whether to post here or the Beginner forum but here we go.

First, I’ll be arriving in A.C. Saturday morning around 10:00 a.m. and would like to play around 1:30 p.m. or so. I’ll be staying at the Borgata but can anyone give me an opinion on which poker room generally has the shortest wait times for a 3/6 game (or similar)? Also can someone fill me in on the process of signing in? I assume there’s a specific person to sign in with and is this person very noticeable?

Second, I think we’ll be coming up more frequently in the future (say 4 or 5 times per year) so should I get a comp card? How do I get one of those? I’m really sorry if these are stupid questions but I’m pretty nervous about all the peripheral things at a casino (not necessarily once the action starts) and not bumbling around like a complete knucklehead.

Thirdly, I hear a lot about poker room rates and such. How much do you have to play to get that type of thing? Do you advise the hotel/casino before reserving the room or after? Does tournament time count?

In case anyone’s there that weekend I’ll be playing in the Sunday evening tournament at the Taj and the Monday morning tourney at the Borgata as well as ring games throughout. I’ll be wearing a Canisius College hat (my alma-mater). Thanks for everyone’s help and info!

Also, just wanted to say how much I enjoy learning from everyone posting and hope to start posting after my trip.

Mike C

[JEM7VSBL]

borgata wait times for 3/6 on the weekends can be horrendous. i hear taj and trop wait times are generally signficantly less.

when you arrive, go to the rewards desk and get a my borgata card. even if this was to be your only time here, go ahead and get one. just give them your drivers license and they will take care of the rest. the poker room is in the back, down the escalators. just check in at the front desk, and tell them which game(s) you're interested in. there are several large tv screens hovering over the desk. if there is a wait, you can leave your initials at all the games you're interested in. when you're seated, hand them your red rewards card, and they will start your time in. make sure you check out at the desk when you're leaving.

you have to reserve the room at the poker rate when you phone in ahead of time. sometimes they will "run out" of them, and you're stuck paying full price. on the weekends, the poker rate is $125, regardless of how long you play. it cannot get discounted. on weekdays, it's $100, discountable to $39 with 8 hours of play. all prices are plus tax. tournament time doesn't count, only ring games.

i hope i answered everything.

[Yarney]

Alright, let me see if I can answer all of your quesitons:

1) If you are staying at the Borgata you might as well play there too. They have excellent weekend action. You have a luxury of being there so you can go down, put your name on the list then go about your normal activities while you wait. As for signing in, when you first come down the escalator (the poker room is in the basement) you will see a counter underneath two plasma screens. Just step up to that counter and tell the person there what you want to play and your initials. For example, my name is Jon Yarnall and if I wanted to play 3/6 I would say "JY for 3/6". You can also do multiple listings (for example I usually say "JY for 1/2 no limit and 1-5 stud"). After you do this your initials will be on the monitor and you can see what the wait is. If you want to play at 1:30 I would reccomend swinging down there at 11:30 or so and check out the wait. You can ask the person at the desk how quickly the list if moving and gauge what time you should get on the list so that you will play at approximately 1:30. Then just be sure to check back in accordingly to see if you are getting close.

2) You need to get a comp card no matter what you do. You can get the comp card upstairs and it only takes a couple of minutes. Plus its free, which is always a plus.

3) for a poker rate you generally have to play a certain number of hours to qualify, I believe that on the weekend it is 4. You need to specify that you want the poker rate as soon as possible since they only have a finite number to give out. You also must already have four hours on your borgata card to reserve a poker rate. Tournament time does not count.

The only other tip that I can give you is for getting chips. When they call your name to play (JY for 3/6 hold em) you should respond to that person by letting them know you are there. The standard thing to say is "lock it up." After this they will point out the floor person that you should talk to. Find that person and let them know which game you are taking the seat for. They will show you your seat and take your comp card to log you in. At this point you should note which table you are at and then go to the cage in the back of the room to buy your chips. Then you can come back and start plating. You will have the option of posting or waiting for the blind before you start receiving. Waiting for the blind is just like it sounds. When the big blind gets around to you you post it and start playing like normal. You can also post away from the blind which is the same as there being an extra big blind (supplied by you). The normal small and big blind will post like normal but so do you in whatever position you are in. This is a disadvantage to you though since you will have to post two big blinds in your first round if you do this. Also, you can not post as the button or as the small blind, you would have to wait.

I hope you find this helpful, and good luck. Maybe I will be there to say hello.

-Yarney

[jar]

You can just give the floor your drivers license the first time, and they'll get you a card.

[edtost]

at 1:30 pm, people are just starting to wake up. the room will be empty, with short-ish lists.

[CCx]

Additionally, if you're staying at the Borgata you can call down from your room to the poker room, find out how long each list is and get your name put on whatever list you choose.

There's a phone in the bathroom in each room too, so you can be put on a list while you're blasting a dookie, which I believe is what they are referring to in the Borgata's slogan as 'finding your happy place'.

Good luck!

[poker327]

The room is full by 1:30 P.M.

[VinnyTheFish]

[ QUOTE ]
You can just give the floor your drivers license the first time, and they'll get you a card.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is only at the Borgata. At Taj, they basicall say - "Go SCREW" but not in so many words. The wait at Taj is about 40 minutes for a card, about 10 or less for a table.

[mr pink]

[ QUOTE ]
on weekdays, it's $100, discountable to $39 with 8 hours of play.

[/ QUOTE ]

let me get this straight b/c i had a room for yesterday but i ended up not going down cause of the snow. when you reserve a room, your credit card gets booked up for $100 right? and then after you play for 8 hrs, they knock it down to 40? am i following that right?

[AAquadsAA]

[ QUOTE ]
at 1:30 pm, people are just starting to wake up. the room will be empty, with short-ish lists.

[/ QUOTE ]
obviously you dont play at the Borgata. please dont show up at 1:30 and expect to sit down and play. it will probably take awhile. the room will be full. if a morning tourney is breaking up tables as players are getting eliminated, that always helps. but it seems they open more NL. games nowadays.