The first Vegas card room in which I ever played was the Mirage, so it remains my sentimental favourite. While not as overtly lavish as the Bellagio or Wynn, the atmosphere is rather more relaxed, and blends in well with the rest of the property's ambience and decor. The seats could use an upgrade, but the room has, thankfully, not succumbed to the temptation that the Bellagio has fallen prey to vis-a-vis packing the players in together like rake-paying sardines. One of the things that holds my loyalty is the relatively diverse mix of games that the room spreads in addition to the ubiquitous HE farms: two 1-5 stud tables and one 5-10 omaha 8/b table are standard. IMHO, this is *good* for both players and poker: diversity is good for the mind and spirit.
The 1-5 stud tables are composed of 66% local centenarians (geological in both the sense of longevity *and* playing style) and 33% visitors from, primarily, the East and Great Lakes. If a local AARP member raises you, you had better have the goods. Conversely, the rocks could be bullied to a certain extent.
I take a perverse pleasure in returning to the Mirage's 5-10 Omaha 8/b table each year during my annual LAS pilgrimage. I recognize the players; 80% of whom are in the same seats (and probably clothes) as when we last met. The other 20% are above-average visitors - I've yet to see an Omaha virgin play at this table, and any who tried to would suffer the consequences of their decision. The locals know each others' playing styles better than they know their spouses' bedroom preferences. A pre-flop raise of any sort by an outsider is certain to earn an immediate rebuke. On one hand, I actually woke up with A-A-2-3 double-suited (the first time ever in card room play - like lottery wins, I thought that this sort of hand only occured in books) and raised before the flop. The fossil across from me said, acidly, "You must be a *real* professional." Although this table has the most thoroughly unpleasant locals I've encountered in Vegas (the Orleans Omaha 8/b table, by contrast, was actually fun to play at), I've always left with more red than what I sat down with.
Solid, and, on occasion, quite amusing.
As noted in my Wynn review, the staff in this area work hard as individuals - the problem is that management deploys far too few of them for the size of thee room. Long waits, and even the dealers express frustration.
The Mirage management folks are brisk and competent. Sadly, in contrast to their counterparts at the Bellagio (intoxicated with an imperial sense of self-importance), Wynn (new kid on the block enthusiasm) or Orleans (wry sense of fun), the managers also appear to be battling severe cases of clinical depression - I swear I've never seen any of them smile, ever.
N/A - Didn't ask - no idea.
