Here's a quick little story from my visit to Vegas last month. One afternoon I busted out of the Aria tournament prematurely and decided to play a No Limit cash game as I had been doing most of the trip. Since Aria's No Limit is 1/3, not 1/2, I decided to take the tram to The Bellagio since they have 1/2 NL.
Only played in Bellagio one previous time, a long time ago. I played in the 4/8 limit game and didn't like it. But maybe I'd like it more as a 1/2 NL player? It was worth a shot.
I actually did ok there, but not as good as I should have. I could see myself playing there again. If only the place wasn't so freakin' big. So much walking.
Anyway, I was playing there for about half an hour when I realized that they required new players to the table to "post" the Big Blind amount, or wait for the Big Blind to come to them in order to play their first hand. This was the rule at almost every Vegas casino when I first started playing poker, but I thought it had totally disappeared. It seemed that all of the casinos I'd played in for at least the past year--and probably longer--no longer required you to post. You could get a hand right away for free. I assumed this was Vegas wide.
But apparently Bellagio hadn't gotten the memo. I hadn't noticed it at first because I started playing there at a brand new game that had just opened. So when I saw this a couple of times, I asked the dealer about it. The dealer was a chatty, older lady who can best be described as "fiesty." I said, "You require new players to post? I thought all the Vegas poker rooms did away with that?"
She said, "Not here. Here you have to post."
"Interesting, did you just start that up again, or has it always been that way?"
"Always. This is the Bellagio, dude. We want the money."
Yes - from what I understand that is the attitude there.
ReplyDeleteThey are the Bellagio - deal with it!
I have yet to ever play there. I don't know why, but I have just never bothered to make my way to their room. Maybe it has to do with the 3 mile trek. Maybe I just like playing in the low class joints too much (IP, Bally's, O'Sheas, etc).
Yeah, I guess it goes with the Bellagio. OTOH, the dealer who said this was more like a small room dealer, chatty, fiesty (as I said). Also her age was up there. The funniest part of the story to me was that a woman her age even had the word "dude" in her vocabulary.
DeleteWell, at least she was frank about it. How was the competition compared to most other poker rooms?
ReplyDeleteHard to say, I only played there about 90 minutes. The table I was at was not full of WSOP candidates, I assure you. I need to review my notes, I think I can post a story about it but it will make me look bad cuz I really a hand I played really poorly. But I certainly didn't feel overmatched by anyone at the table.
DeleteTheir elitist attitude is why I never play there..They think just because they're the Bellagio they have they're own rules to live by..meanwhile they've fallen back in the pecking order of "BIG rooms in Vegas...
ReplyDeleteThahks for commenting. I think their place has kind of been taken by Aria, right? I don't play cash games there so I don't know if they make you post like Bellagio does. I must say the few dealers I had all seemed friendlier than you would expect from a "snooty" place.
DeleteHey Dude!
ReplyDeleteI've never played at the 'B', but might stop by next month to check it out. I just assumed the stakes would be too high for my "small potatoes" bankroll, but I can hang at a $1-2 game.
They do have some big games at Bellagio, bigger than most places I like to play....but they do have 1/2 and also 4/8 limit.
DeleteRob - I know what you mean about the walk. I decided to try out the Bellagio poker room once when staying at the Paris. It took more than 35 minutes to get from my room in the Paris to the poker room in the Bellagio. Went to Bally's room after that. I found the management of the waiting list/front desk to be rather frosty but the dealers were fine.
ReplyDeleteActually, I too was unimpressed with the front desk/floor people at the B. They seemed totally indifferent to their customers. The dealers were nice, I guess they take the dealers who don't give a damn about their customers and promote them to floor.
DeleteBut boy is that place big. I thought I'd never see anything as big as the MGM Grand when they opened in their current location. My goodnes, it was city unto itself. But then when the Bellagio opened, it made the MGM seem like a hole in the wall.
A few years ago my good friends got married in Vegas, at the Bellagio. It was the middle of summer, and I was caught walking all around the place trying to find the chapel and then the banquet room in my suit, tie and dress shoes. None of which I ever wear in Vegas! I almost passed out. I think just that evening alone wore out my shoes.
Thanks for commenting, Cranky!