First, the bad news. Yes, aesthetically, this is a very boring room. That is really the only bad thing I can say about it though, and honestly, aesthetics are the least of my concerns whnen playing poker. Now, the good stuff. This is a completely sealed room, it is more sealed then Harrahs, which I didn't think was possible. No windows, no rails, it is a quiet poker driven room. All tables except high limits have auto shufflers, and the room itself is huge, with break away walls for the tournament area. I must say, though, that the chairs are the reason I will return again and again. The most comfortable and convenient chairs in all of Vegas, in my opinion. I thought the Mirage chairs were good, but these take the cake. Adjustable swing chairs, with soft padding on the back and seat I was impressed. As far as vibe, it was good. There are plasmas up on the perimeter of the room, which is fine for those that care (I don't, so they don't bother or please me). As the room is brand new, it is very clean, and has good atmosphere. The cashier cage was quick and efficient, and the table felt is smooth and new. As some others have said, the line is a little close, but is still fine, and no problems there. All in all, a nice room that I would pick over the Mirage (its closest competition).
Caesars Palace draws in quite a few more tourists then Mirage probably because it hasn't really established itself yet. My 3/6 table had three local rocks, and a couple of wild guys, with the others being run of the mill Vegas tourists. The table started extraordinarily tight, with everyone folding to the blinds more then once. Once two rocks left, they were replaced by a couple inexperienced players that completely loosened up the game. High cards were winning pot after pot. After I changed gears, I was able to sweep some sizeable pots that made up for some initial losses. Doubled my buy in, all in the last hour of a 4 hour session. Fun times, and workable competition.
Dealers were very good. With autoshufflers, the dealers don't have to be as quick, and they were just fine. Most had a few years of experience, and kept a smooth running game. A couple misdeals, but nothing that required a floor. Good personalities. I prefer a fast game to a talkative dealer, and fortunately, most of them wanted the same thing (less chit chat, and more cards). For this, they get a 4 rating.
Wow! It seems they are really trying make a name for themselves when it comes to speed of the cocktail staff. One dealer remarked that their goal is "to never have a glass empty." This was not a joke as far as I could see, as the room often had two or three girls taking orders and doing drop offs every few minutes. I ordered a water and OJ, and it was there within two minutes, I was very impressed, and this is one area that CP completely destorys Mirage, which is tough for me to say, as the Mirage is one of my favorite rooms.
Although my table was not privy to any floor decisions, I did see them on the floor making decisions at other tables, and checking the seat count, breaking tables when necessary. At this point, the room is much larger then it needs to be, but with time, this will definately change, and as the room fills up, and word of mouth spreads, the management will have more on their plate. So far, they are handling the room very well, and as expected.
I LOVE the fact that they don't have any cheesy bad beat or high hand jackpots that take money from the pot for a side rake. They give $1 per hour on their card, which is fine with me. A nice room that is basic in decor and style, that allows for a concentrated poker game. I will definately be back, and look forward to word of mouth spreading and the room growing in popularity.
