I came to Tucson to visit family and came to this casino to play cards while here. I play poker regularly as my side gig. The room is visually nice, snd physically comfortable. As well as the rest of the casino.
However, the way I was treated in the room as a young person (26) was full of injustice. If you are 30 or younger I don’t recommend playing here. The dealers cater heavily to the older regulars and are cold to the young players. I did not feel welcome there. Some players were nice, but I generally got a bad vibe from the regulars and staff. Not only did I “feel” this way, but there was a specific event that caused me to leave and choose to play and spend my money elsewhere.
The event:
I was in a hand with a regular bluffing a draw to the river in 1/3 NLH. Player appeared to have about $60-70 behind which was about how much was in the pot. I bluff jammed on the river (I had him covered) and he put in the call. I mucked my cards, said nice call, and asked how much. He put the stack of $64 in and then threw out from under his hands where he was holding his cards, a $100 black chip. I, surprised having not seen the hidden chip, asked what was up with that. I made it known that it was unfair to me that a chip of such a denomination was not with his stack and being hidden by his hand. I was obviously willing to pay the $64 but not the $100 in addition. The dealer, having already conversed with this player in such a way that they were friends and new each other, called the floor and explained the situation in an incredibly biased way. The floor sided with the dealer and mandated the $164 to be paid. This isn’t about money. I’m fine losing $100 because that’s what we sign up for. But the injustice of it all had me very upset. I told the floor that I would pay the $164 but I would not be playing there anymore, and made sure they knew it’s their responsibility to treat every player the same. It’s a shame that something as insignificant as $100 would compromise the ethics of a poker room, but to be fair the player was a complete donkey and therefore very good for the room. If you are willing to handle being treated unfairly, I highly recommend playing here- as many of the regulars freely donate their money to “real” players. Just be cautious and observant of everything going on!
