Quote:
Originally Posted by ZombieApoc21
I remember you mentioning producing poker room reviews in your PG&C thread awhile back, I had almost forgotten.
Great idea, and it is much appreciated for all you folks making videos of Vegas for those of us who can't be out there.
Thanks!
Cheers, I love spreading a little taste of Vegas to people around the country and around the world.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigWhale
Love the idea, and the second video was much better than first
However, why is your camera so dark inside? It makes the room seem even more depressing than it is.
(granted, it is Luxor, so there might not be a way around it, but still
Thanks, yes the first vid was pretty rough and I made a few tweaks in the second to start sanding the edges and refining.
This is all shot on my HTC phone which isn't great in low light unfortunately. I'll try to invest in a camera in the future.
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Originally Posted by GaminDeBuci
Ditto on both. I am glad you are doing this.
TY!
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Originally Posted by magking1
You should do this on your homeless helping days. Let everyone see whats going on and the impact of your work.
Probably will help with attendance and such...
Yes I've thought of doing some kind of promo vid for the
Poker Player Volunteer Organization explaining what our mission is and what we are all about.
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I would uses a scale out of 10 rather than 5. It provides more flexibility unless you decided to use cumbersome 1/2's on the 5 point scale to provide more rating options.
I see the Luxor getting nothing more than 7 (mostly less than 5 of 10) on everything except wifi. I think you are being way to generous with the Luxor.
I do admit that I am not very objective about the Luxor because to me it's about the worst casino in all of Las Vegas.
I think a 0-10 could be more precise than 0-5 scale but I can always through in some .5s if I feel whole numbers are not accurate enough in a particular case.
These are simply my take, everyone is welcome to add their input as far as what they think of each room and where we may differ in opinion.
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Originally Posted by Zomboid!
Wait... Carl? Sweet guitar riffs?...
OP?
Haha, I'm more of a Metalocalypse guy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MSchu18
Definetely a great idea Carl... it would be nice to discuss each room as you review them.
I am curious why you decided to start with some of the more "marginal" rooms like MB and Luxor? Working your way north on the strip? Planning on doing the off strip properties?
It would be kind of cool if you did a new room on each successive friday or saturday to compare the crowds and play on those busiest days of the week. It would also stretch out your reviews for 10 or 12 weeks...
Things like best place to park, orientation to goods and services is also a great idea dude...
Yes, discussion is welcome. My reviews in most cases will be based on a single or handful of visits to a particular room. Multiple experiences from a variety of players will provide more data points and different perspectives.
I am planning to upload every 5 days and I am working my way from south to north. I will be playing a lot of weekdays as well, if people are curious about peak table count on Fri/Sat they can always use the bravo poker live app.
I can try to throw in best places to eat and location of the nearest restrooms. Hadn't thought of the parking one.
Thanks for the ideas.
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Originally Posted by FWWM
Luxor is also very smoky being adjacent to areas where ppl smoke a lot
I hadn't noticed this, smoke doesn't tend to irritate me personally unless someone is smoking a huge cigar.
Thanks for the input.
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Originally Posted by that_pope
My quick opinion with no artistic style in my blood.
I like the idea of course, I love seeing different poker rooms.
Instead of having the guitar during the shots of the poker room with what seems to be some kind of tinted color filter, could you just have clean shots of the poker room and overlay your review while doing shots of the room. This would cut the videos down to maybe 2-3 minutes in length and then we could listen to the review while seeing shots of the poker room and the surrounding area.
Thanks for the opinion, I'm always grateful for feedback. I will try to incorporate more pics while I give ratings.
I don't think I can please everyone and take every single tip but I am listening and I'll take all advice into consideration.
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Originally Posted by Trihonda
Nice idea. Keep at it. Like the troop, your vids will get better with time. My 2 cents.
If you're reviewing poker rooms, establish a set criteria for all the rooms you plan to review, then stick to these criteria. Sounds like you're off to a good start, but I'd add a few more categories. Ones that come to mind, are play, player caliber, cleanliness, atmosphere, etc...
Secondly, I concur on ditching the guitar riffs at the start and finish (unless it's super brief, like Wayne's World).
Lastly, I think I'd spend very little time in front of the camera (maybe just at the beginning intro, like "Hey, I'm Carl, and today I'm reviewing the Flamingo poker room". Then I'd use footage of the actual casino, and poker rooms. Show the tables, the chairs, nearby restaurants and parking structures, and anything else pertinent to the review. Then you can simply voice over, while you show the footage.
I think you appear to be reading notes off camera, and are displaying a bit of nervousness. This comes across as a little dry/monotone. If you're narrating off camera (even if using a script), I think you're voice will sound more engaging. And having the footage going while you're discussing each aspect being shown, will be more interesting/appealing. It will sound more "conversational"...
Looking forward to reviews of the rooms mid-strip, which is where I typically play (Flamingo, Ballys, PH, etc...).
Thanks for the input, much appreciated. I'll try to use some of these things pointers.
I may add a few categories as I go along but want to make it fairly consistent. I won't comment on player caliber or how good a specific game is, that is completely subjective and depends on your preference and style of play. Good games can pop up anywhere in any poker room, if the game is not good find a better one. My theory is that a good location with lots of walk by traffic has the highest potential to foster good games.
I have a little pocket sized notebook where I write down all the ratings before recording. I'm not the most naturally charismatic speaker and I will try to work on this, I've joined a Toastmasters club to improve.
I have already recorded a few in my own manner so it may take some time to implement various changes.
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Originally Posted by RockstarRossi
Love the idea man! I think sharing some more tidbits that one can only gather from playing high volume in these rooms on a regular basis like you have over your time here is key to the value of these reviews. I'm not sure if you are soliciting feedback from others to add to the reviews, but I'll go ahead and offer up my 2cents on your Mandalay Bay review for now, and you can tell me to STFU later if you want -
From my few times playing here this past year, I could not even connect to the Wi-Fi. (Most recent session was in November fwiw). One of the dealers said it wasn't even that good anyway, but maybe/hopefully that's been fixed since?
I will also note that this is the only poker room on the entire strip that dealers will enforce a "no texting or being on the phone" once you have cards in front of you in a cash game. Not even "just don't slow the game down" but straight out told no phone in the hand. LOLOK
On a positive note, what I love about this room is that it is right next to House of Blues! It's a great room to go get your drink on before going to a concert (to avoid paying $14 for a Corona inside)! HOB has one of the better musical venues on the strip IMO and they constantly have great cover bands and big name acts in town!
Good stuff bud and thanks for doing this!
Thank you.
Yes it was a bit odd that MB has a stricter rule regarding phones that deviates from the vast majority of the other poker rooms on the strip where phone use is always allowed provide you are not holding up the action.
I have noticed that a lot of the MGM owned properties have upgraded their free internet speeds fairly recently.
House of Blues is a cool little music venue inside MB, been to a few shows there. Got to see Motorhead there recently, RIP Lemmy.
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Originally Posted by Moneyline
Carl, I'm assuming that's you playing the guitar. If I'm right, here's an idea for a prank.
Step 1: Walk into a poker room you never play in with a sidekick (preferably fat guy or midget), guitar and amp.
Step 2: Take off shirt.
Step 3: Have the sidekick plug in and hand you the guitar.
Step 4: Shred.
Step 5: When confronted, take your time stopping, then say something like "my work here is done."
Step 6: Unplug and haul ass out of there before you're trespassed.
Step 7: Have someone film it and post to youtube.
Enjoy.
Edit: Here is your inspiration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaoLU6zKaws
Yep here is a project I started last year where I uploaded 18 original songs and 18 covers of some bands that have influenced me.
Thrash Nonstop
Lmao, I love youtube pranks. Roman Atwood is a genius.
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Originally Posted by PeteBlow
Don't do your speaking to camera work outside. It's hard to hear you over the gusting wind.
You seem to be starting off with some crazy high scores. You appear to have giver MB 21/25.
If you were actually walking to the poker room playing guitar, you could really make a name for yourself, especially if you are dragging a dry ice machine behind you as it appears from the video quality.
You are free to give your opinion of how you rate a poker room if you'd like.
Yeah, I apologize again for the wind and low vid quality. Will work on it.
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Originally Posted by Thousand Tigers
Cool project, Carl. I like the idea.
Almost every room has something unique about it, I would focus on what separates each room from the average strip room (good or bad). Some examples: the presence of a jackpot drop, unusual house rules, or even things like the watermelon juice at Aria or the availability of Fiji water. Maybe try to get a dealer or floor person from the room to discuss some reasons to come try out their room. Keep it up!
Thanks. I will try to highlight anything that sets a particular room apart from the others. I had considered interviewing each poker room manager and asking them why people should choose their room over others... we'll see.
Last edited by pure_aggression; 01-05-2016 at 02:53 AM.