Wowza. The poker area has a really nice layout - more spacious than other poker rooms I've been in, which means there's no risk of knocking into seated players as you walk to or from your table. The tables are brand new, and NIIIIIICE. Some others are apparently not so hot on the ring of polished stone (granite? marble?) that lies between the felt and the outer cushioning, but I really liked it. The solid surface makes it easier to stack and pick up your chips. I was worried at first about the automatic shuffler posing an obstacle to the dealer in sliding pots across the table, but my fears were quickly allayed.
I played $2/4 on a Sunday from 3-7pm. There was one uber-fish present when I sat down who managed to last almost my whole session (bless his fishy little heart), even as he saw *every single flop*. I am not kidding. A few other lesser fish came and went. Unfortunately there were also a couple of local sharks present. Although they weren't seated at my table at the same time, they each cut into the profit margin noticeably. The rest of the opposition ranged from pretty decent to mediocre. All in all, I'd have to say it comes out to about a 3... maybe a 3 1/2.
Others have had some criticisms of the MGM's dealers; of the 10 or so that I had, I only thought one was substandard - and two or three were *very* good. No real complaints here.
In terms of cocktail waitress looks they were average - which is to say, collectively a bit better-looking than the general population. Their speed was on the whole also average: the first drink came nice and quick, but the ones after were increasingly slow to arrive. I'm wondering if perhaps they prioritize the alcoholic drink orders first, before those of non-drinkers like me... come to think of it, if I'm right I don't actually have a problem with it, since I'd like my opponents' judgment to be as impaired as possible.
There's no denying that the computerized waiting list system kicks all manner of @#$%. I saw no instances of the management flubbing with it, so perhaps they've gotten it down to a science since the editor's review. My only minor gripe is that the room managers could have been a little less brusque in answering my questions. It also would have been nice if I'd known about the pager-system thing that the editor's review described (if they still have it - I'm wondering if maybe it didn't work out well). Still, I can't say the management didn't keep the room and the waiting lists running smoothly.
As a relative B&M cardroom newbie I didn't even think to ask about comps, especially since I was going to be on my way to the airport when I was done playing. They do appear to have a killer system in place for tracking comps, though.
