Bingo! This is the situation in a nutshell. Revel will cater to high-end players, people looking for high-end food experiences, business travelers at conventions, and twenty-something hipsters with income to spend at clubs. Pretty much they are looking for people with cash. They need to do that to have any chance of overcoming the mountian of debt.

They will give poker the bare minimum attention because it doesn't seem to fit the demographic they are looking for. Poker regulars can be immensely loyal, and while they look for comps and other amentities, they are often dismissed as not bringing enough $$$$ to the bottom line. But they do - not in the traditional ways that casino executives can see on an immediate return, however. They do by coming back - by word of mouth, and savvy casino execs do realize that having a world-class poker facility will be a positive in the long run. The Borgata realized this - I don't believe poker was their focus early on, but they quickly saw a void to fill in AC and did it possibly the best in the entire US (although that's debateable). Revel looks like they put together a world-class casino with poker as an after-thought where the knuckle-dragging stiffs who only conrtibute a couple hundred dollars a night are stuck in a remote location away from their true targets.

That's the way I see it, but I hope I'm wrong.

This would have been a more widely read post but I think it was overlooked due to everything being lumped together. IMHO:

This can only be a good thing, IMHO.

Food choices are a must and glad to see they will be increasing in both variety and accessibility. Any entity -- office, restaurant, bar/club, poker room, etc. -- without coffee is doomed to failure.


Interesting observations.


This is the most important. I sincerely hope it will be along a well traveled path. I hate seafood, but I love fish.

Revel will cater to the people you mention -- whether they are gamblers or not -- because they are the one's with the most disposable income. They are spenders...

Yeah, they are not looking for a bunch of degen gamblers who can barely scrape together a bankroll. They're looking for those people that have a high income (or own businesses) and are looking for luxury: high end restaurants, spa treatments, VIP bottle service and the club, etc.

I don't think it's an after thought. I think management would look at it as offering a complete array of games to their clientele. Do you want to play craps? Got that! Want to play roulette? Got that! Want to play poker? Got that too! No need to go anywhere else.

Just as an FYI, they might try to make the poker room into something world class. Let's not rule that out at the moment. If it brings in the type of people they want (esp for other services), they'll do it. They are not officially open yet so let's not rush to judge just yet.

I still maintain that people looking for luxury aren't going to choose to go to the AC Boardwalk for it. The only thing that even looks halfway decent is Revel in the surrounding area. The rest is blight and pretty urban.

I think Revel will have trouble sustaining their image as a high-class resort, because nothing about the area of AC they are in screams "RESORT".

Hell, people in NYC would be better served going to Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun where the resorts at least give the appearance of being secluded and all-encompassing.

Revel is trying to breathe fresh life to an already dead body, IMO. Twenty years ago, they might have been able to bring new energy. Today, I think it will be a burst when they open and then quickly dissapate.

I will reiterate, however, that I hope I'm wrong.

You could be right on this. Only time will tell. Glad I didn't invest my money!

was going to make my first trip to revel this weekend but there is now a 0% chance i go there with bravo disconnected.

i rarely play lower than 5/10 but was willing to get some 2/5 in if it meant checking out the new place. really don't want to waste my time heading down there, going on a safari for the poker room, and walking into a couple of 1/2 tables.

hopefully they get this room off the ground but it's not looking too promising.

Revel had 2 games at 3am as I was playing there. There was good action until one guy left with most of the $$. Then the games were combined. Stayed and played until 5am when that game broke. Workers were coming in and fixing the lights above the tables just as I was cashing out. Yes Bravo was down last night as they said they lost the feed or connection or such. I will be back Friday...Very nice staff and well managed.

If Revel doesnt care about Poker then why 37 tables? Why hire all those dealers, shift managers, supervisors, etc. I havent been there yet but from what I hear they are only getting between 1 and 3 tableas during mid week and everyone is complaining aboput food. Knock out about 20-25 tables and put in a real mini food court pizza, gyro's, fries, etc.. that should help.

Maybe it will change, but Revel has indicated many times that fast food is not going to be an option. There is definitely not going to be a food court from what has been said so far.

Despite what others might think - I believe this is a huge drawback.

In regards to the food court, I'm not sure.

I think they will have "fast food" options, in addition to sit down dining. No one wants to come out of a club at 2AM not be able to get a bite to eat.

I believe Revel wants to have it all, including poker. I just don't think poker is on the high side of their priority list. Revel is a top notch, high end resort and they don't want to be without table availability. Like you, I haven't been there yet, but I probably will be tomorrow. Poker room appearance, location and extravagance are generally a reflection of the room management and how those executives advocate for their customers to their superiors. If poker is not a major part of the strategy like it is at the Borgata, then it will find it's own level. Poker rooms usually are staffed high in the beginning and then adjusted for play. Therefore, they have probably over hired or employed many people who will find their jobs less secure after summer. Corporate job security is a function of supply and demand indicative of a rather impersonal and uncaring private sector world. A world similar to the one I live in every day.

Rather than phase it like "doesn't care about poker", I think it is more likely as "Charlotte Fatman" put it, they don't view the poker community as their ultimate target demographic.

What glitch? Birdy said that it was a new proceedure to not put games on the Bravo App.

Read, that was just during the soft opening. And may not even be that long.

His posts were deleted because he's a Revel dealer. From the FAQ:

(6) Card room employees. Card room employees must become authorized representatives before posting information on their place of employment.

Is this true? If so, I can see going once in a while for day trips from Philly but I do most of my play at places which give me a room - which as of now is Harrah's properties and Borgata.

I moved the discussion of moderation issues w/r/t room reps and room employees to the Moderation Discussion Thread. Please take any discussion of those issues or other moderation issues there. Thank you.

Does the Revel have a bus center/lobby? I imaging as a resort destination it would not but just wondering if any buses are going to be going in there with senior citizens and degens galore.

Nope. Closest bus lobby will be Showboat which is right next to Revel.

Can someone tell me if Revel has a racebook?

Isn't Revel still in their soft opening, or did they open officially yet?

Given it's still soft (I think) why not give them a break as they figure it all out.. Once they officially open, let's (then) see how their staff works the poker room, etc.

Give em a little break.. it's brand new.

it don't

I think the harshest criticisms will be saved until after the opening, but some of the stuff from the soft opening isn't going to change before then - namely the secluded nature of the room and the lack of quick, affordable food nearby.

A couple things have happened that makes the room seem less remote. Since the invite-only preview weekend, they built out the casino floor more with slots into what was dead space, so the entrance to the escalator is not as secluded as it first seemed. They also decorated the walls and added nice seating areas in the hallway/conference room area on the walk from the parking garage. So what seemed like a walk to nowhere feels more like you're still walking within the casino/hotel. It's seeming a little more likely that casual players could wander their way to the poker room.

Can anyone who's played at Revel since the soft opening tell me the attire?

I knew the room was a walk but holy batman I almost turned around because it was so isolated. I felt that it couldn't be that far - wow. A sign or two might at least let you know your in the right direction.