Well, the folks at MDL know the demographics of their clientelle very well. As I just noted, I too think that DC and Va will be going to the MGM in large numbers. I would think that 20 tables is WAY too small.

For prospective casino workers, I would live in VIRGINIA. Now, I do not like Virginia as nearly as much as Md. but for you it will be the most convenient. Commuting from DC to that spot is not that much fun, and living in the Eastern part of DC is only good if you are on the Hill, and you can only afford that if you get a roommate.

Now, having said that, if you get a roommate or two then I would live on the Hill.

So, I would think that 30 tables is about right. and I think they should have an MGM shuttle from DC and major points in the area like Sugarhouse does in Philly.

Since DC is crime ridden, it would be nice for everyone to have an electronic account at the casino.

I want Taylor Gourmet, Chipotle, Ledo Pizza, or Armand's Pizza ( but I have not tried the pizza from the top dc spots just listed on CNN, so check out those before you pull the trigger. )

Frankly, if you got something along the lines of the Costco pizza they sell hot and fresh that would be great.

Food is important for those who can choose between two casinos.

Next level well, first of all DO NOT DO IT YOURSELF, but you know that.

I really like Thai food, Lebanese, Italian, a little French every now and again, and what not. This is a serious matter, so I have to think about this a bit.

I would like to be able to see the Eagles that soar in that area. ( they have several mating couples )

I would like lots of things, but well, it is time for dinner.

http://www.yesterland.com/images-sid...harbor_map.jpg

Ok, this is the pertinent map.

1. It is 11 miles from the WH
2. It is the center of the world of lpbbyists, which means that every company of any note, in the world will use the MGM. The Hill is going to move left a little.
3. The location is at 6 Oclock on the beltway map, and so Virginia, which has no casinos and no plans will be going to the MGM in droves. It is going to be difficult for Va to drive past the MGM.
4. The other points I made are backed up by the geography noted in the map.
5. If you pull up the map of murders and crime there is a line down the center of the DC map that extends into PG county and around the beltway to the left from 2 to 6 pm on the dial. It is pretty interesting to see that. ( google prn )

My speculation is that MGM will want to replicate much of the design and atmosphere of the Aria in Vegas, which it built and runs. If carried through, it implies that MGM will want the poker room to be stylish with posh seating and elegant decor. Creating that kind of room is in line with what it would like to see in attracting high end players in the DC region. As I see the overview layout and sketches of the casino, I see elements similar to Aria - the nonstandard building footprint, a pediatrian flow that creates a walk with engaging views, and lots of atmospheric touches overhead. I think they will evolve the poker room look from what exists at Aria - more spacious, perhaps more tables, with decor in keeping with that of the casino at large. They also need to decide how to differentiate and position this room from the main competitors in the region - MDL and HS.

I'm holding high expectations of this room and look forward to see if and how they pursue crafting this poker room. If the Aria is a model for how MGM will implement, then I think the poker crew in this region will be very pleased when it finally opens.

Ditto

Ultimately I think the area has more than enough action to support one more casino in the area. What WILL hurt Live, IMO, is the transient population of DC. So many people come into DC for a short stay - on business or on vacation, and MGM is going to be the easier trip for most of them.

It's going to be interesting to see how much of the tourist crowd schedules casino time. A dude with his family in DC for a few days is extremely unlikely to hit MDL unless he's a degen. But he might slip off one night to National Harbor. Then again, will he even know there's a casino at National Harbor? What sort of ad blitz will it take to make these random dudes realize there's a casino 15 minutes away?

I think it's going to be a smashing success, generally. I fully expect the poker room to be fishy. That's one reason I'm trying to build my skills up.

The room will def have the pop and drop effect like all the other rooms have had upon opening, lots of fish to start then they all go broke, and finally an equilibrium. I expect the room to be Aria quality and if I had to guess imagine the room will be similar to the Horseshoe in size. It will be interesting to see what the game selection is like. What do ppl think about if the higher games stay at MDL?
How about 2-5 game selection? I know a decent amount of the 2/2 PLO regs are from the DC area and Nat Harbor will be much closer...

The other element of Aria that could translate into MGMNH is that the Aria attracts the LA celebrity crowd (at least those that play poker or looks like they do). When I played Aria last year, I was sitting next to a big name retired ballplayer and then saw Doyle Brunson play in the special room behind us. Given the Washington power crowd, it would be easy to see how more celebrities would want to play/be seen at a poker room near DC. If they make the decor posh and elegant, the backdrop would be irresistable for the "to be seen" crowd. And if they add special tournaments, events, and incentives, this could be the hot spot for east coast poker, and the added competition in the region makes for more choices and values for all players, IMHO.

The owner of National Harbor originally wanted to make his "resort" a tourist attraction. I am not sure if anyone will go to National harbor, but the many tourists will take in a day at the casino, why not.

It is between the WH and Mount Vernon, and just across the river from Alexandria.

It is more of a Virginia casino than Maryland because not many people live in that part of Maryland and lots of people live in that part of Virginia.

price tag went up: $1.2B now
opening date: Fall 2016

prince georges county is so corrupt and inept...
the last person who ran it is in jail as well as his wife (who was on the board of supervisors. what checks and balances?)

and I'm still wary of a building this size being built on a flood plain.
i'll wait out a couple of heavy storms to see how well mgm's engineers do

Excellent. More easy money for me. I can swim.

For anyone who wants to keep up with the latest news on the project, here is MGM's News Page, which collects recent stories on the project.

I was chatting with a friend recently about MGM opening. He was telling me how his wife was suggesting he get out of the house and go do something, but that he felt like he had nothing to do. Then he said "All that changes when MGM opens."

That conversation cemented what I've long believed about MGM "competing" with MDL - specifically that when MGM opens, the local poker market will grow substantially. I expect that MGM will be full to capacity with folks from Virginia who almost never go to MDL. The traffic from Tysons or Fairfax to MDL makes it all but impossible for anyone to play cards in the evening after work.

MGM doesn't need to take a single player away from MGM in order to be successful. It will thrive just on the NoVa folks who want to play, but aren't willing to drive to MDL or CT. Personally, I will probably play 2-3x as often at MGM as I currently do at the other 3 local casinos.

I would be stunned if the room only ended up being 20 tables. MGM runs two of the best and most popular rooms in Vegas, seems like one of the things they know how to do.

As far as MoCo being MDs wealthiest county - NoVa has 4 of the top 6 wealthiest counties in the country (by median income, MoCo is 11th) so I doubt they will be hurting for players/gamblers.

All things being equal, I doubt there's one player in NoVa that would bypass MGM to get to MDL if MGM opens up even a half decent room.

I'm a DC area PLO reg and I fully intend to continue playing at live, unless national harbor offers all of the following:

Good food
Good comps
Button straddles
No flop no drop
Rake of 10% to $5 or less

They know how to run a room but they downsized the mgm room and stuck it in a back corner away from its previous (awesome) location. Plus their premiere room (Aria) is also on the smaller size. What do they have...30 tables? It wouldn't surprise me at all if they opened 20-30. I hope I'm wrong.

I'm in agreement. I don't think MGM will detract from Live OR Horseshoe poker. With flop and hand promotions running at both places this week alone, the waiting lists are 20+ long at both spots.

There is a metric crap ton of money around DC in NoVa that finds it very hard to get to Live that will use MGM.

MGM spells more trouble for Atlantic City, I think but not the local region.

What's the demographic that has chosen AC over MDL, HB, and CT that will now stop going to AC in favor of MGM?

Well, my boss, our department director, for one. He used to go to AC annually. Now he pops over to live every few weeks.

The people who live in NoVa who find Live too inconvenient for a weeknight have no real reason to stop taking their trips. 3 hours driving vs. 1, for a weekend vs. a day? Who cares, lets make a weekend of it.

Once MGM opens, they may decide, "Well I can play MGM anytime, why drive 3 hours?"

IMO MGM will have very very minimal effect on AC. They've already lost what they are going to from Sugarhouse, CT, MDL, HB etc. I know no one that I know/play with that lives in NoVa who has been to AC since CT opened. Not one. Why would you? So you can pay $500 for a Saturday night at a crappy hotel like Caesars?

However, just about everyone I know has done weekend trips to Vegas, with nonstop flights out of National and a pretty easy to come by two night room comp at places like MGM/Paris/Rio - its cheaper than driving to AC and certainly less of a hassle.

I'm actually happy to be able to earn mlife points there.

You know as well as everybody here knows that no one is ever paid $ 500 to stay at a hotel in AC. People go to AC because most of them get comp room so no one hardly pay unless you stay more than two days. As for Vegas, it's not cheaper to fly to Vegas than driving to AC because driving to AC only cost $ 140 with tolls plus gas, flying to Vegas runs around $ 700 and takes much longer. Just waiting at the airport is 3 hours before boarding. So it's a lot more hassle going to Vegas because you also need a rental car in Vegas if you want to get around. When people make weekend trip to Vegas, they don't do a 14 hour poker session like they do at Live, they go to Vegas for entertainment, party, visit the Red Rock Canyon, and good food of course. Why would anyone want to fly to Vegas and stay in the poker room all day? There are hardly any games going in most of the Vegas poker rooms if you look at Bravo. So when people go to Vegas, they go for the party just like when I go on a cruise, I stay out of the casino.

I wouldnt describe dc as collectively 'crime ridden'. Certain neighborhoods, sure


Im fairly excited for mgm to open. The 5 minute commute will be much better than the 45+ getting to mdl

This post is too absurd for me to ignore, lest others think you're stating fact.

Washington, DC to Atlantic City, NJ is less than 400 mi round-trip. Tolls are somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 round-trip. If your car gets 27 mpg and you're paying $3/gallon, gas is under $50 round-trip. That's a total of $90. That's (relatively) not close to $140--you're about 50% over.

A Kayak search of flights to Vegas from the DC region shows direct round-trip flights for the weekend one month from today for $326. That's not even in the same ballpark as $700.

Waiting at the airport for 3 hours before boarding is OK if you are working a shift for TSA or a retail kiosk in the airport before you fly out. Arrive an hour in advance of your boarding time, 90 mins if you really want to play it safe.

It's not a hassle to get around in Vegas and you definitely do not need a rental car. Take a cab or a shuttle from the airport and walk the strip or take cabs if you want to go off-strip.

I've had long poker sessions in Vegas. (I've also partied and had good food there.) I've never been to Red Rock Canyon. People go to Vegas for different reasons. Some of them go just for poker.

Let's avoid stating opinions as fact. Also, back up your arguments with fact instead of either engaging in hyperbole or lying. (Not sure which of the latter you did, but the effect on the community is the same.)

There's nothing for me to gain to make things up. Here is the fact, round trip flight to Vegas from Southwest is $ 680 if you leave this Saturday out of BWI and the OP did say is a weekend trip to Vegas so here is the link for $ 680 https://www.southwest.com/reservatio...ions.html?int= so my $ 700 flight cost is correct. I have a bigger car so I don't get 27 MPG but I do get 18 MPG so it costs me more and I just estimate about $ 140. When I go to Vegas, I like to hike in the Red Rock Canyon which is about 30 miles outside Vegas so I need a rental car to get there. I don't go to Vegas to commit myself in the poker room because when I am on vacation, I rarely gamble. What would I want to go on a vacation to gamble when all the actions are here at MDLive. To say I am either "engaging in hyperbole or lying" is just unfair.

Rapini is right. Your posts are hot garbage. If you're spending $700 on flights to Vegas and $140 on gas and tolls to ac, something is very, very wrong.

Also I've gone to Vegas 4x for the wsop and only ever had 1 rental car for a single day and I usually did stay in the poker room all day so speak for yourself please.

Well, you go to Vegas to play the WSOP so of course you have to stay in the poker room all day. What choices do you have? I am responding to the OP's weekend trip not about going to Vegas playing the WSOP so there's a big different there. My flight search does show $ 680 from BWI to Vegas so I did not make that up and AC trip cost is not that far off so there's nothing wrong with my estimates and no one is lying here.