Binion's is, and always will be, a blue collar sort of poker room, but the veteran staff seems to try hard to make things run smooth, and the place is steeped in poker history, especially with all the photos of WSOP champs and Hall of Fame players. It is worth visiting for that alone
I played $1/2 blind, no limit, no maximum buy-in, which is probably the toughest game there. Also, I played while the WSOP was being played, so the competition was probably tougher than usual. It was a mixture of locals (no signs of collusion) and seemingly experienced visitors. The times I was there, one low level pro was playing, but there was also a player with a $2,000 stack that looked intimidating, but it turned out that was the remainder of a $6,000 buy-in (at least that was what I was told when I arrived at the table after he left and everyone was lamenting his departure). I was also told that he had gotten married to a pair of 7s and called a $200 bet when three overcards flopped. The game is not for novices, but an experienced low limit/no limit player can hold his/her own. There were also 2-4 and 4-8 games spread, but I couldn't say anything about the games except that the palyers seemed to have quite a few chips, and the pots were pretty big, so I suspect there was a lot of raising going on
These are among the most experienced dealers around. They do know what they are doing and seem to like their jobs. In general, they were quite and did their jobs, but could be more talkative if the players seemed to invite it.
I wasn't drinking, so I really didn't pay much attention except to motice that they periodically came by to take orders
The two times I palyed, there was no wait. Management did a good job of welcoming players, getting them seated, and answering any questions.
I don't think there were any comps or jackpots. However, the rake was 5%, with a max of $4, which I thought was eminently fair (I don't know how it compares to other downtown casinos, but it is less than my home casino)
