Any fears of the TI poker room being in trouble have been quashed. I have been playing/staying there a week at at time a few times a year since they opened, and from reading some posts, I thought I was going to have to move back to the Mirage. Not so fast. In six days/nights, the place never closed before 4am. Not once. New felt on the tables, the same great televisions throughout the room, and the overall atmosphere still make this my favorite room for a 1/3 or 2/5 NL game.
This changes every time I visit. On this trip, there was a group of outstanding players from Texas the same time I was there. We had a blast together, but I had to actually play poker with them at the same table. The same tight new tourist faces continue to show up day and night which make it a great place to run over people, or catch them over playing their hands. I missed Yappy and LVM, but I played with the Other Dave on occasion, and saw Motorcycle John one night. This is a wide open room. The $$$ made this trip was higher than usual, even after a catastrophic first day and a half.
Troy (Talon on AVP), Kristi, Isaac, Vance, Wendy, Fitsum, Dom, Rick, and too many others to mention are fantastic. I sit back as a regular player and watch how welcome the dealers make new players to the room feel. They get it. For those that don't know, 90% of the dealers who started the room a few years back are still in the room. That says a lot about both. Matt and Jeff, keep the quads and straight flushes coming my way! Note to Pedro...marry her amigo.
Going by the questions asked on this page: Were they attractive? Yep, even though I'm an old, fat, married, bald guy and never peek. Not. Were they quick and get it right? Yep. How was the quality of the drink? Outstanding. They have Red Bull, they have Tanqueray, they have Corona, and they have great coffee. What else is there?
This response is somewhat biased as I have come to know Chris, Troy, Danette, Michelle, and Jessica pretty well. All I can say is the room is in their complete control. If someone gets out of line (attitude/alcohol/etc), they are dealt with quickly and completely. Just as the dealers treat the newer players well, these guys do a great job also.
Please get an MGM/Mirage card if you go there!! I have never seen $2 an hour anywhere but here. The comps are good anywhere in TI, and the food choices are really good. The only thing I would love to see is pizza in the room late at night again. Every night around 2am some of us would have been pretty happy to tip someone VERY well to bring it in or go get it!
