This is my review of the poker room at Caesars Virginia in Danville Virginia.
Overall recommendation: This is a good poker room for 1/3 NLH.
This review is based on my experience on 12/18/24, the second day of operation.
There are approximately 22 tables. Most of the games are 1/3 NLH. There were also 2/5 NLH and 1 table of Omaha. The second day of operation, on a Wednesday there were about 13 active tables at 10pm.
The poker room looks corporate, like many modern poker rooms, with no positive outstanding features. The room is a long rectangle with two tables across at a 30-degree angle to the walls. Putting the tables at angle is a poor design decision, since it makes it difficult to get a good view of the many TVs around the room. I suspect that the original plan was to place the tables perpendicular to the walls, but the tables didn’t fit because they got oversized tables (see next paragraph). The TVs are too small to be viewed from the distance of most of the seats. The lighting is of moderate quality, like the lighting in the poker room at Aria in Vegas. The space between tables is adequate, like the Bellagio. The carpet is hideous. Overall, I am disappointed about design choices of the Caesars Virginia poker room. I was hoping it would be more like the poker room at the Rivers Casino in Portsmouth Virginia, which is spacious, well-lit and has normal poker tables.
The most disappointing features of the Caesars Virginia poker room are the poker tables. The poker tables have the game “Bonus Spin Extreme.” This game includes 10 circles with annoying lights and a 12-inch screen that displays a roulette-like wheel. This build in game is problematic. First, it includes 10 places, the table has 10 cup holders, and poker at Caesars Virginia has 9 players. So, the 10 tables spots do not match with the 9 seats. The poker table is larger than normal, to accommodate the Bonus Spin Extreme game; many dealers cannot reach the players chips or cards due to the oversized table. If some misinformed individual plays the game, the dealer must enter data ever time the game is played, slowing down the poker game. And, in the rare case where someone wins the game, the floor must come over and fill out paperwork to pay the player, which also slows the game. I saw two payouts for $50 and $55; it is insane that the floor is involved for such a small payout. The decision to include “Bonus Spin Extreme” in the poker table is a corporate money grab. It is an insult to the poker community. I hope that poker players will join in rejecting this decision before it becomes ubiquitous across the poker industry.
Since it’s the second day open, it is unsurprising that most of the poker dealers have never delt before. I have never seen so many misdeals and errors dealing poker at a casino. At my table, the dealer mucked a player’s hand that called an all-in. The pot was $600. The player with the mucked hand claimed he had the nut flush; I believe him. The floor deemed his hand dead. Presumably the dealing will improve with experience. The same can be said about the cocktail staff. The coffee that was served to me at the poker tables was instant, and in my opinion, was undrinkable. The person sitting next to me ordered two shots of vodka and a red bull, it cost him $37 before the tip: what a rip off.
The bathrooms were a mess by 6pm. I didn’t notice any bathroom attendants. I had to go to 3 sinks before I found one with a working soap dispenser.
The food is substandard. I ordered a Philly cheesesteak; the bread was not sturdy enough to pick up the sandwich. I ate the cheesesteak with a plastic fork.
Notwithstanding my numerous grips, if you love poker, and you are in the Danville VA area, I recommend you check out the poker room at Caesars Virginia. See you on the felt.