word.

Alcohol is free in AC poker rooms. However, it is customary to tip the waitress, so a buck or two is the real expense.

Brands/varieties of booze differ from room to room, so ask your local server.

Lee

I went to Harrington's room yesterday (Thursday) at 1pm. Two tables going and wait list was 12 people (wait list was on a clipboard). They got another dealer up there and got the next 9 seated. I had a seat by 2p.

They have signs up directing you to poker room. Go in main doors, go right by high limit slots area, down hallway, up stairs/escaltor and turn left to find room.

Nice room, ten tables, long and narrow with dedicated cage out back. 10 plasmas on the wall and floorperson would switch channels to find game that you were looking for.

Only 1-2 NL was spread because that's what everybody plays these days. I'm ok with that, because that's what I play.

Dealers were ok, not the best that I've seen, but I've played with worse in AC. Auto shufflers were working.

Most players were southern Delaware locals, lots of discussions about when Dover was opening and the benefits of the door charge of the Delaware Sports Lounge in Hockessin.

I live closer to Delaware Park so I'm waiting for that to open on 6/14 (soft opening), but I would go back to Harrington rather than driving two hours to AC.

When I left at 5p, 4 tables were going.

I walked through floor games section on way out and everything was a $10 minimum bet which surprised me. I easily resisted urge to make -$EV bet and went home.

Were there any limit tables at Harrington? And if so, what stakes?

Only 1-2 No Limit yesterday afternoon.

With such a limited number of tables you think they would make it 1-3 at least.

I'm just glad its not all 5-10 with a $10 rake. Being the only game in town (for the moment), people would probably pay it.

I guarantee the $10 standard table minimums was due to the fact they are still the only game in town. I'm staying away from Harrington until they reduce craps to $5 or less.

I wish it were like Vegas where there are 100 casinos to choose from, a few of which have $1 craps (with 25 cent chips! )

While I haven't had the time lately to get to the DE casinos to play some poker, I am discouraged at the quality of the games so far listed. I hope they will improve greatly as the poker management works out the kinks. I though the poker managers were former Vegas managers? Surely they would know dealer pooled tips would suck, and all the other logistical problems.

Manager from Vegas = Delaware Park

****ty pooled tipping = Harrington

I know Delaware Park is going to try and spread anything players want as long as it goes.

Has anyone seen any limit spread since harrington opened?

There was a 2-4 LHE game at some point last weekend.

For what it's worth the dealers have improved quite a bit from what I've seen. Maybe most of the terrible ones quit or got fired?

Just a heads-up, during the "soft opening" (in reality, a run in order to pass inspection), DP will only be offering 3/6 LHE, from what I heard.

This is being done because a hard $25 cap per street is installed by the inspectors during the soft opening/inspection, and having 1/2NL where the most anyone can put into the pot is $25 a street was considered infeasible. Thus, the 3/6 where it'll be a bet and 3 raises for the cap (once the room is live, limit will be bet and 4 raises).

Don't let this info discourage you guys from going to DP during the week of the 14th to check the room out, talk to the management team, whatever you'd want to do. Once the soft opening is done and the room goes fully live (which will be the 19th, maybe the 18th), all games will be offered. Yes, A-5/2-7/Razz/Badugi included for mix games.

BTW, once live, limit games will be spread at 3/6, 6/12 (using $2 chips), 10/20, and up. 1/2NL will be $100-$300 BI, 2/5NL $200-$1,000 BI, 5/10NL at whatever the Venetian in Vegas has it as that's the template being supposedly used.

I checked out the Delaware Poker Room, now named the Delaware Sports Lounge, last night (~9PM on Saturday). They had (4) 1-2NL tables open, and (2) 2-5NL tables going. There was a short list for each game when I arrived. I sat a newly opened 1-2NL table for about 20 minutes before I was moved to a 2-5NL table.

It felt a lot like most poker rooms you go to. Run by a couple of guys that know a thing or two about poker. It seems like it might be legal the way they run it. They have an up front "membership" fee of $30/day, $350/month or $3000/year. There is no rake taken. I felt that if I went to play for more than 3 hours on a 2-5NL table, it was worth it seeing as that I would pay $30 to do so in a casino in AC, and probably the same rate in Delaware Park when it opens.

The room itself is situated above Buffalo Wild Wings on Rt. 7, near Kirkwood Highway. you enter through the doors in the center of the building, go up some stairs, and make your way through the labarynth of hallway to the room. This has to be my biggest problem with the room. It has no security measures at all. When I was walking out, there easily could have been someone lurking in the hallway waiting to grab my cash. Inside there was a small bar directly as you enter, about 6 tables directly visible, and ~4 tables around the corner. There wasn't a sign or anything telling you what to do, so I talked to a guy at the Bar- and he signed me up for a "membership". This part was also a little shady, because he never asked me for my I.D. or anything, but I signed his form so i could play.... then I waited to be sat at the 1-2 game, and paid the $30 daily fee and $300 Buyin right before I sat down. Three things to note about the room- 1)there is no smoking (GREAT! I HATE THE SMELL OF SMOKE!) 2) There is no drinking of alcohol in the room (BOOOO, NO DRUNK PLAYERS DUMPING OFF MONEY). 3) All snacks/drinks are $1, and they will order food for you from anywhere around or get you some from wawa or buffalo wild wings.

The actual poker games I played were actually pretty tough, and it sure seemed like there were 6 or 7 players at the table that the dealers knew by first name. In the 2-5 game, there were 3 players stacked deep (1500+), who left within an hour of when I started playing. Nobody there was making big moves, or stupid moves really, so after ~3 hours of play I packed up and left. I will let others comment on the quality of players.

Overall not a horrible experience for a Poker Room, but I can't wait for Delaware Park to open their doors. Although you may think the poker room membership fee is great, it's not that great of a deal unless you play for several hours (5+ in 1/2NL I would say),and that's not counting the drinks (I downed 4 drinks in 3 hours, at a cost of $7 - $4 in drinks and $3 in tips). At a casino I would have probably tipped $1 a drink, and received them free - or $4 total. Since I only played for 3 hours, this actually makes the casino a better deal. Also, at a casino you have a players card that adds up comps (Usually $2/hour at 2-5NL), which can be used at restaurants. I would put a value of $1 an hour on these comps (50% face Value). The most important distinction between the poker room and what I hope to see at Delaware Park are the players. At a casino, you get a lot of people that wander in, sometimes drunk and sometimes just wondering how to play. You get groups of guys that are out to have a good time, and aren't there to just play poker. At the poker room, you know the customers are people there to play serious poker- how else would they have heard about the poker room, and made a trip there JUST to play?

We'll see how Delaware Park looks, but I have to imagine it is going to be much more enticing than Delaware Sports Lounge.

Just got back from Harrington’s. Eh, it’s just OK. It’s good for locals, but I don’t see it worth the 2 hour drive for those who are that far out.
Lot’s of quirky rules:

1. Forward button move if someone leaves while in the blinds
2. Can’t have phone at table. Must move back from table to use it
3. Can’t eat while in a hand.
4. Must use fork and knife while eating even though they sell mostly sandwiches
5. When on the waiting list to play, must wait outside the poker room.
6. Runners get you chips and while they’re gone that person waiting for their chips can still play in a hand and when the hand is over and the person folds or loses, the person who is waiting on their chips to arrive still owes the winner chips. The owed chips could be forgotten.
7. Dealer can’t give out chips from their tray.

Wait list sucks. You’re going to wait unless you walk up at the perfect time. I was first on the list and had to wait 20 minutes which isn’t as bad as other people that have posted, but there were 7 people on the list and they wouldn’t open a new table because they were afraid people may leave and they have tables short 2 people at other tables. So expect to wait. One guy signed up for 2/4Limit and he was first on list, but was a few hour wait because no demand for the game.

Pretty much 1/2NL games. I was told a 2/5NL will prollly start around 6:30pm—not what I wanted to hear. The 1/2NL games are very soft with lots of weak/passive players. Betting over the pots. Calling with real bad hands on stiff pre-flop raises. People giving away lots of tells. Good news is that the play is real soft, but just not a lot of money on the table. For 1/2NL game, min/max buy-in is $50/$200. There were a like 4 people sitting at the table with $50, 2-3 people with $100 and me and a couple nits sitting with $200 plus— took some time to grind out like $50; it’s just not worth the drive for this IMO.

The rake was OK—10% up to $5 at 1/2NL & 2/5NL.

BBJ was weird. Not sure, but it was like beating aces full of jacks was qualifier, but here’s the goofy part: Both of the hole cards had to make up the hand. Weird.

Room was OK. Deep and narrow. Cashout was in back of room—nice. Location of poker room was a this way, then that way, then this way, then that way, side-winding to the to the right, up some stairs, hard left and straight ahead. Separate from casino.

Comps? I don’t know much about them, but I did hear they’re actually decent.

On a 10-scale, I give it a 5.5. If I was a local, I might give it a 6.3.

Waitlist is a joke. The guy running it had no clue what he is doing, who he's calling or what game they are in. He decided to simplify things by putting everyone in 2/5. A Limit request brought a puzzled look despite 6 names on the list. I think I just wound up on the 2/5 list. They do have an electronic list up now, but it isn't adhered to. FWIW it is impossible there are that many 2/5 players in lower Delaware.

Are you talking about selling chips out of the rack for cash?

Supposedly Delaware Gaming has a rule that all cash needs to be checked with a counterfeit pen. Basically, dealers would need one of those pens in the box and need to sit there and check every bill going into the well. Slowing down the game.

Is poker 24/7 at Harrington? How about the table games?

Anyone know what the weekday daytime action at Harrington is like if there is any? Might roll up there tomorrow, Wed. 6/9. Sounds like about 40 minute drive from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, yes?

AW

Sounds like a pretty good list of rules. I really like the must use fork and knife rule. Someone might consider requesting a MUST TAKE A BATH SOMEWHAT REGULARLY rule also, or maybe MUST BRUSH TEETH AT LEAST WEEKLY rule.

Playing with money behind while waiting for a chip runner is good, it sure beats getting dealt out and losing position while you wait for chips, or all the problems with allowing cash to play.

Also both hole cards must play in a bad beat is not goofy or weird, it is fairly standard.

on Harrington....

Yes its approximately 40 minutes from the bay bridge. I did a test run from college park and it took about an hour to cross the bay bridge and then it was about another 45 minutes. My total trip time from college park was 1:55 to and 1:45 back.

I took the beltway-50-404-313-317-14 Route. FYI, the Bay bridge toll is 2.50 eastwards only and the only toll. At times that toll can be a complete clusterfrackas even with EZ pass. Parking at harringtons is free.

It was saturday morning so there was less traffic on beltway and 50 but more on bridge and 404 (beach traffic as opposed to rush hour traffic).

When I went on Saturday there were 3 games of 1/2 when I arrived at 1pm which grew to 5 games of 1/2 by 5pm.

The setup is ok. There are plenty of signs up now guiding you to the room, so its not hard to find. The dealers were decent. Kind and professional, but did some things weird, which Im sure was due to poor training as opposed to lackadaisical attitudes.

For instance, they do things like make change for a called bet, before action complete and other such things veteran establishments would avoid for sake of keeping things organized.

Otherwise, its a decent place to go play poker.

However, I think as a Montgomery County resident, in one month, there will be no competition between Charles town and harringtons. The drive and setup at C-town will be the obvious choice, even with a max 6 vs max 5 rake.

I live in AA Co so its not a bad drive and lower rake than some of the "home games" in the area. Sadly it doesn't sound like there would be much action during a weekday day. I'll probably check it out anyway, it's apretty nice drive when ther's no beach traffic.
Peace,

AW

So is the poker room def opening up next week? Have the table games opened yet? im back at udel and need to get my fix in

Delaware Park soft "test" opening is June 14-17, with the official opening scheduled for June 18. Test opening is required by Delaware Lottery officials in order to overview operations before certifying the casino to officially operate table games. This is for table games and poker.

and this soft opening will only have 3-6 lhe?

any idea as to player rewards cards/comps?

That is the rumor, but I do not know how true it is. During the test opening, there is limited wagering, so I can see how LHE would be easy to deal and keep within the limits. When Harrington did their test run they had 1/2 NL and 2/5NL, but the betting amount each street was limited, so who knows what to expect.

Have not heard anything yet. Just guessing, but I would expect it to be in line with Atlantic City comps.

Also, looks like Delaware Park just posted on their facebook page that the test run will be only 6/14 and 6/15 from 2PM-10PM, with anticipated grand opening of 6/18.