The room usd to look pretty run down, with construction on one side of the room taking up a great deal of space. Now, the room has nice carpeting, comfortable chairs, and padded wood floors around the rails. The room exudes poker history without feeling as threadbare as the rest of downtown. A few years ago, the room was a sad testament to downtown's decline, yet recent reinvestment has saved this room.
Evenings at 2-4 are easy with lots of weak players, particularly on weekends. Higher stakes or stud games draw a smarter group. Tournaments draw an eclectic mix of confident locals, young grinders, and terrible tourists.
The dealers are not always the friendliest in town, but make up for it in experience. Most of them are older gentleman who have probably been around the place since Benny Binion kept his office in the coffee shop. They dont watch Sportscenter during hands, they speak English, and they never break dealer etiquette.
Bottled beer is your best bet. They usually come fast and cold, with a decent variety. Cocktails sometimes take a while and are often watery. Unlike a number of larger rooms in town, tournament players get the same attention as cash game players, which is a major plus.
Management is usually willing to start a list for anything, so if you are dying to play $5/$10/$20 stud/8, they might make it happen. Even better, to garner interest in a table, they will often waive the rake until more players get in. Player lists are well maintained. If you are calling yourself in for a lists, they are typically more honest than other big rooms in town.
$2 an hour is pretty good, but you have to remember to get your players card in the front of the casino first. Dont just show up cardless and play for 5 hours assuming you'll get meal tickets. The management is pretty strict on this system.
