Casino Arizona Regulars Thread

[CrazyLond]

I have noticed a couple 8-16 regulars playing 20-40 lately but they are not good players. One is weak-tight and the other is a totally awful player who is one of the reasons the WHP 8-16 is so good. Anyway, please leave them enough money that they can still play 8-16 when this charade is over. Thank you.

[that_pope]

Pretty standard IMO.

[motostar508]

Not to start hating in this thread but I have been going more often and guess noticing some things that are starting to bother me about the room. Ive noticed dealers getting mad about people taking time in their action. I actually had a dealer tell me to hurry up when I was thinking about my action. A man to my left stuck up for me and told the dealer was out of line.

Ive started to notice more of the dealers with a ****ty attitude. I've also noticed that chip running has been slow although Im a firm believer in getting your chips at the cage and going to your table, as to when people sit down without chips generally slows the game down when they make calls or bets or even when the deal has to sort out money durning hands. Nothing pisses me off more when someone sits down near the cage with no chips and there is no line at the cage. To me thats pure ignorance.

Maybe its because I play there often that Im starting to pick up on some things. Anyone else feel this way?

[that_pope]

I agree that sitting down without chips is annoying. I never sit down to a game without chips (always get them from the cage) and only about 5% of the time I need a rebuy do I use the chip runner. I usually run up to the cage after I fold a hand. I'm sitting at a poker table for 4-8 hours in a row, I can use the few seconds of exercise. There isn't the demand for them to have more than 2 chip runners working at a time, and they are pretty busy.

As for the time comment, let me guess, you play the spread limit games.

[pig4bill]

IIRC the chip runners get the chips from the cage? The local room has a much better system - the chip runners carry chips with them in "holsters". Apparently they have an arrangement with the casino where they essentially buy the chips from them and sell them to you. There are also kiosks throughout the room where the runners can re-load instead of having to go to the cage. They generally never have to walk more than 20 feet to give you chips. It's a much more efficient setup than CAZ has.

[that_pope]

Back when chip runners kept their own tips, the tall younger guys that used to do it would wander the room with a rack of red, 2 racks of blue, and 3 or 4 racks of white and sell off of that. Much more efficient then the short older ladies that do it today.

[Alizona]

Originally Posted by Howard Beale

I was told by a senior manager that they didn't go w/ the table swipe system bec they were confident that they could seat all comers w/i a half hour and didn't mind paying the points that accumulate from sign-in until the player got seated.

If the average time to seat a player actually is a half-hour or less then it makes sense to do what they do bec they're dealing many more hands by not involving the dealer in card swiping/button pushing (those 'but it's only a few seconds!' add up over the course of a year in a busy room), esp if the dealer has to push the button every time a player gets up to take a break.

C'mon Howard, that is such BS from the casino. They're more worried about a few seconds per swipe of card or press of a button, but NOT worried about paying folks for an untold number of minutes waiting when they're not even paying rake?

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Fort McDowell's system with the swiping and button presses right at the table is so quick and easy and accurate and works fantastic for BOTH the players and for the casino.

(Disclaimer, I haven't been out to The Fort in well over a year, since their "new" room opened... so don't even know if they're still using it.)

The Talking Stick system is so retarded and annoying, it's an embarassment.

I truly think they implemented it the way they did because they KNOW many players will forget to "swipe out" at the end of their play, and it will nullify and void their time accumulated, turning the "half-hour wait" negative into a net positive for them.

There's so many problems with the silly system they put in - the cards don't swipe properly, the computer system is slower than my Apple ][ with a 300-baud dialup modem was back in 1980, the buttons at the tables to call service never work properly, etc. What an embarassment for an otherwise spectacular room. Just my two cents.

[Alizona]

Originally Posted by motostar508

Not to start hating in this thread but I have been going more often and guess noticing some things that are starting to bother me about the room.

While waiting in line to reg for the tourney Tues nite, there was an argument over a change at the cage. They used to use the left cashier for chip redemption only, and the other two or three cashiers would work tourney registration only to try and reduce the line that builds up during the last 20 mins. or so before the tourney starts.

Well, on Tues., they changed that policy and one reg was complaining. One of the TD's came over to speak to the cage about it, and was told that "management" was consulted and directed the cage to no longer do this. All four windows are now to be used for any transaction... meaning those cashing in chips now have to wait in line just like the tourney players.

Just another annoyingly poor decision from "management" IMO.

[that_pope]

That is ****ing bull****. No way I am waiting in a 20+ person tourney registration line to get some chips. I am fine with them using the left window for tourney registration IF there is no one waiting for chips, but the next person who needs chips is next in line. **** that, no way in hell I am following that retarded rule. I could just get kicked out over it if they cause me to make a scene.

[djslumdog]

Does anybody know which games the 40/80 and 75/150 mixed game tables play? Thanks.

[that_pope]

Originally Posted by djslumdog

Does anybody know which games the 40/80 and 75/150 mixed game tables play? Thanks.

Any combination of:
Hold'em
Omaha 8/b
2-7 TD
Badugi
Badacey
Baduecy
A-5 TD

Less Likely but have seen them played:
2-7 SD (spread limit w/ cap)
A-5 SD
Stud
Stud 8/b
Hi/Lo TD

Not sure if I am missing anything, never seen Razz thrown in.

[motostar508]

Originally Posted by that_pope

I agree that sitting down without chips is annoying. I never sit down to a game without chips (always get them from the cage) and only about 5% of the time I need a rebuy do I use the chip runner. I usually run up to the cage after I fold a hand. I'm sitting at a poker table for 4-8 hours in a row, I can use the few seconds of exercise. There isn't the demand for them to have more than 2 chip runners working at a time, and they are pretty busy.

As for the time comment, let me guess, you play the spread limit games.

Yes I do play the spread games. Sometimes you need to think itsnot like calling another bet as in limit, sometimes a bigger bet can make you think alittle longer, you know a AI situation 300 or 500 whatever game your playing.

Annoying thing happened the other night where I must of forgot to tip the dealer right away. I almost always tip if i rake a pot, unless only the blinds or a 12 pot. But he said "nice hand" after he started dealing the next hand, I was still staking my chips but it was obvious he was looking for his tip. I play there enough that the dealer knows I'm not a newbie who doesnt know anything about tipping or that i never tip. I just was kind of annoyed by his statement. Obv, i tipped him. Just another thing though, the bad attitudes are enough. I feel that the game is where people come to have fun. And its the dealers job to make it enjoyable not make everyone feel uncomfortable because they hate their job. Im not saying all dealers are like this, actaully id say theres only a select few. But if you hate your job get a different damn, people are coming to enjoy themselves.

[pig4bill]

Originally Posted by that_pope

That is ****ing bull****. No way I am waiting in a 20+ person tourney registration line to get some chips. I am fine with them using the left window for tourney registration IF there is no one waiting for chips, but the next person who needs chips is next in line. **** that, no way in hell I am following that retarded rule. I could just get kicked out over it if they cause me to make a scene.

That's another difference from my local room (and many Vegas rooms). They have a separate desk or lectern/podium thing for tourney registration. The only time you can go to the cage locally is if you're pre-registering the night before.

[Alizona]

Originally Posted by pig4bill

That's another difference from my local room (and many Vegas rooms). They have a separate desk or lectern/podium thing for tourney registration. The only time you can go to the cage locally is if you're pre-registering the night before.

Yep, and about halfway between the cashier's cage and the exit door, there's a perfect little cut-out office that could be used for tourney registrations. Instead, it's used as some kind of office for the Floor. Essentially, in my view, it's wasted space. Whomever sits in there (not sure if we can use names of casino employees in this thread so I won't) just seems to be killing time.

I'm sure there will be a lot more arguments over the change in policy at the cashier cage... or else perhaps it was just some new knucklehead working the cage on Tuesday night that gave the old "well, management said..." excuse and the lines will go right back to the way they were queueing previously. As far as I could tell, it was working very agreeably with few exceptions. Out-of-town visitors who happened to be waiting in the tourney line with chips were graciously told by waiting tourney players that they could go directly up to the left window and not wait. Leave it to management to ruin a good thing - which is why I decided long ago I'd NEVER work in management and always stay slaving away as "staff" in my line of work. LOL

[jrr63]

Originally Posted by Alizona

The Talking Stick system is so retarded and annoying, it's an embarassment.

I truly think they implemented it the way they did because they KNOW many players will forget to "swipe out" at the end of their play, and it will nullify and void their time accumulated, turning the "half-hour wait" negative into a net positive for them.

There's so many problems with the silly system they put in - the cards don't swipe properly, the computer system is slower than my Apple ][ with a 300-baud dialup modem was back in 1980, the buttons at the tables to call service never work properly, etc. What an embarassment for an otherwise spectacular room. Just my two cents.

I have to agree with Alizona on one aspect for sure - maybe you only remember the bad times but at least half the time I try to swipe in either the system is down or my card won't take (and you have to get one of the staff to put you in) - and I know that I've forgotten to swipe out at least half the times I've played there (my own fault of course). On the other hand it's very unusual for me to get a seat within 30 minutes in the spread limit games (5-10 starts late, 3-5 usually has a long list), so maybe the credit I get while waiting more or less offsets the times I forget to swipe out. I do think it would make more sense to swipe in/out at the tables.