I finally made it up to the new casino. Overall, I was very impressed. I will definitely go back. This trip was for their first big multi-day event, a $75,000 GTD event stretched over four days. Sadly, I finished on the bubble of my flight. But I did manage to get a feel for the poker room.
First, the good. It is a nice space. The furniture is good, especially the very comfortable seats. They had plenty of tables for the tournament, 93 players, and their cash action. They have good signage, large monitors, television screens, etc. It had an upscale feel to it, without being stuffy. It made an excellent first impression.
The staff that I encountered were all very pleasant and very professional. In particular, the desk and floor people were all gracious and helpful with regard to my visual impairment. I was seated in my requested seat and assisted throughout the tournament with reasonable seating assignments. Although some of the dealers are obviously, and understandably, on the newer side, they were all good at my tables. There were very few mistakes made.
There are a couple of things that could be better. First, the lighting is a little dim, and somewhat uneven. This was a complaint I heard from other players as well as my own experience. Second, and I suppose a matter of personal preference more than anything else, I prefer casinos to use the large index cards. They were using the standard. Third, the men's restroom inside the room is very small, such that there was a line when the tournament went on break. In fact, there was only one urinal, and I think one stall, in the restroom. The one outside and around the corner is a little bigger, but still probably not as big as I'd expect for handling tournament breaks.
The biggest issue, however, is with their tournament chips. The 500 denomination is very difficult to tell apart from the 5000 denomination. One is a bluish-grey and the other is a greyish-blue. It is very difficult to tell the difference from across the table, and even in your own stack, without actually reading the denomination printed on the chip. I miscounted my own stack a few times, and saw it change the betting action on occasion. On one occasion, a player intended to bet 7000, with the blinds at 1200/2400. Instead, she threw in 2500, and was forced to just call.
But despite the couple of very picky negative points, I really enjoyed my day there and look forward to returning. I have heard good things from my friends about their cash games. And they run big weekend tournaments a couple of times per month. All things considered, they are a great addition to the local poker scene.
