It's further up this page. For your convenience...

I love playing at the Showboat when I feel like playing some 2/4 LHE or 1/2 NLHE, but the room struggles to get other games going. I think that advertising a specific game at a specific time and paying double or triple comps like Harrah's used to do (still does?) would help get the ball rolling to get a wider variety of games. Once regulars get used to playing games other than hold'em, dealers get used to dealing them, and floors get used to setting them up, it will be much more likely that those games will happen spontaneously (outside of their scheduled times).

That said, I will continue to play there as long as there are games available because of the dealers, cocktail service, in-room food service, and comps.

I do understand the frustration of some of the posters that have voiced complaints about some of the floor calls being incorrect, or not feeling like they are getting the best customer service. To these posters I have to ask if you got a second opinion of the floor rulings before the hand was over? (i.e. you disagree with the ruling, did you tell the floor you wanted a second opinion before just accepting their ruling?) or did you say anything to the managers about any bad customer service that you feel you received?

People need to speak up when they feel they have been treated unfairly or something bad has happened, or it will never change. A lot of our staff is newly promoted, and they only way their behaviors will change is if you speak up.. not to them, but to a manager so that the appropriate action can be taken. They will never change if they are not told to and think that the behaviors are OK.

I would hope that you give our room a second chance over any problems that you have encountered. As you can see from many of the posters, bad experiences are pretty uncommon in our room, and we always try our best to resolve any complaints to the best of our ability.

I have even told our managers of some of the posts here on this thread, and they have had NO clue about what I was talking about. I honestly feel guilty saying anything to them about it, because it is not really my place to speak up about a customer complaint that I was not involved in. But I do feel it is necessary because I don't want to see a trend in customers leaving because of any one person or a ruling that is never done correctly. We have had that in the past with one of the supervisors that no longer works there, and I'll do anything in my power (which isn't much, trust me.. lol) to keep that from happening again.

Rod and I care about our room very much, as do 99% of the staff in our room. Sure, there may be a very bad apples that make it hard on all of us, but they will eventually get tired of the grind, fired, or corrected so they cannot act that way again. This is the only job I have ever had in which I truly feel connected, in that I am part of a family. When something bad happens to my "family" then I want to do all I can to help out.

Keep posting all you can about anything that is good and bad about our room. We really are trying our best to improve. With the updating of the rulings, the new BBJ coming which will keep our BBJ higher, the possibility of bigger tournies in the near future (not just The Poker Tournament tournies, but actually monthly or weekly tournies with higher buy-ins..) and other possibilities that the management is considering. This place will be a better place, but for now, we have to accept the fact that our room is still new compared to the other rooms in the city, is smaller than most, and we have to work on becoming something other than the 2/4LHE, 1/2NL, and small buy-in tourney casino that we have become known as...

For all the complaining about dealers and floor staff, I thought I'd share some things that happened at my tables last Saturday night that were unusual. I thought the staff handled both situations pretty well.

The first incident was pretty ridiculous, but I thought that the dealer showed a lot of restraint. In a 1/2 NL game, I was on the button in Seat 6, and there was this cranky old guy ("COG") seated to my immediate left. The action proceeded around the table, and Seat 5 tossed in his cards to fold. Thinking that the action was now on me, I stuck in a raise, and the dealer immediately called out that Seat 5 folded out of turn because Seat 4 had not yet acted. So the dealer backed up the action, and Seat 4 decided to fold.

The action proceeded again, and I put out my raise. Now the COG went nuts. He said that Seat 4 cannot just fold, but that he had to put in at least $2 to call the big blind. I'm not entirely sure what his reasoning was, but he was adamant that Seat 4 owed the pot at least $2 and insisted on a ruling from the floor before he would act. The dealer kept pretty calm, stopped the game, and got the floor. Of course, the floor ruled that there was no infraction and directed the COG to make his play. The most ridiculous part of the story is that COG now folded! That's right... he stopped the whole game to make sure that there was an extra $2 in a pot that he did not even intend to play.

I cashed out of the game shortly after to play in the 7 p.m. tournament. At around 10:30, I was still in the tournament when the following sequence of events occurred.

In Seat 3, there was this guy who was drinking like a fish and playing like one, too. He had a decent stack and was bullying the table with raises whenever he could. On one hand, he raised with 66, and he was called all-in by Seat 8, a player who showed AK when the cards were tabled. The board played out 7 7 J 8 J. The drunk thought that he won his race with Seat 8, but the player in Seat 4 pointed out that Seat 3's hand had been counterfeited.

At this point, the drunk gets a little irate, apparently under the mistaken impression that Seat 4 should have minded his own business. So the drunk starts needling Seat 4 incessantly.

A couple of hands later, I was in the BB, and the drunk in Seat 3 moves all-in when the action gets to him. Everyone folded to me, and I woke up with QQ for an easy call. The drunk showed 64o, but then proceeded to cripple me when a 6 and a 4 show up on the flop.

The drunk then started mumbling something about "justice" and made another rude comment to Seat 4. Seat 4 replied in a way that the drunk regarded as a threat, and the drunk then stood up and began calling Seat 4 out. The dealer made one attempt at defusing the situation, but when it didn't work, the dealer immediately called the floor and security. They arrived pretty quickly, and while they were there, the drunk actually reached out to smack Seat 4 across the face.

The next thing I knew is that both players were wrestling each other to floor, chairs and chips flying in the process. The floor correctly ejected the drunk from the game, and he gave Seat 4 a 10-minute penalty (Seat 4 had made some comments that exacerbated the situation).

When order was finally restored, I looked down to find A2 in my hand. With 3,000 of my chips already posted in the small blind and 9,000 chips left behind, I pushed the remainder of my stack against the CO's min-raise 12,000. Of course, he held AA, and I was back out to the cash games.

All in all, the night was not as profitable as my last trip to the Showboat, when I won a portion of the Bad Beat Jackpot, but in many ways, it was more memorable. In any event, I give a thumbs-up to the staff for their handling of players who seemed determined to ruin a Saturday night out in AC.

I defy you to find much complaining about Showboat dealers in this thread or this forum for that matter. Most of the complaining is about how few games you'll find or poor floor decisions or lack of enthusiasm/respect from the people at the podium.

NJMike.. looking forward to seeing how things progress in the new year. I think you and Rod are doing a great job on here and I'm glad to hear that some of the feedback is being heard by management. Interested to see what new tournment options you guys are coming up with.

Going to be down this weekend.. have Fri/Sat night at Bally's.. will be playing at the Boat for at least part of the day on Saturday. Maybe this is the weekend where I can actually take one of the Boat tournaments down!

The SB dealers on surely the friendliest. Every room makes mistakes. But how they are handled means more to me than anything. So, in my opinion, your staff is heads and shoulders above the other rooms. That said, the criticism about the lack of games is on point and irrefutable.

If I want to play 1/2, I am at the Boat without hesitation. Plenty of 1/2 spread and decent action. 2/5 is virtually non-existent and although I like the 5/5 game, its usually always one table of regulars and I do not like that.

As to staff being clueless to complaints here; given that this thread does exist, it is their obligation to come here and monitor the thread themselves. Anything short of that is negligent and not good business. Not every thread has meaning to the mission of the room, but there have been times where there are legitimate observations shared by more than a few. The fact that a few of the dealers monitor is terrific. That the floors/managers don't is inexcusable.

Also, pointing in the general direction of a table is bull**** and irritating. I grind as much as any and I don't know the ****ing numbers and I don't want to go on a friggin easter egg hunt to find the table. Little things matter when making decisions in a market with competition. Coffee temperature notwithstanding, I find it pretty unfriendly to point in the general direction of a table and walk away. In a dwindling market with a troubled economy and plenty of options, this is unacceptable conduct. Heaven forbid someone smile and direct a player to his seat.

Don't feel bad about it, and for god's sake please don't stop!

Also, nice to finally officially meet you the other day!

It's appreciated

My favorite thing about the room is the dealers. In some (larger) rooms there are some dealers who are very friendly toward regs, and basically ignore anyone else outside the actual game play. At the boat, most dealers are overall very friendly to everyone at the table, and some go above and beyond to make the game fun for everyone there. There's one dealer I've had a couple of times lately, I think his name is Joseph (might be Jason..?? - Young guy with one of those thin beards just around the jawline), he did such a great job of getting the entire table engaged, making jokes, putting smiles on everyone's face yet still running the game efficiently and accurately. By no coincidence whatsoever, the action was great and even the losers were having a good time.

Obviously the Mikes in the thread get huge props for all they do for the room and us.

A few other dealers I've personally had good experiences with that's I'd like to mention:

Joseph (as previously mentioned)
Fui - great attitude and very friendly
Julio - always runs a fun table
Christy - subject to mood swings on occasion, but even when she's cranky it's in a funny endearing way, and usually runs a tight efficient table

Also, to whoever does the hiring of dealers, thanks for finding us some women who are pleasant to look at!!

(The above is NOT meant to be all-inclusive - Most of the dealers at the Boat share many of the same qualities I talk about - These are just a few I recall off the top of my head)

While I agree with the overall sentiment, if I'm ever not sure which table I should be going to, I've found a revolutionary solution to the problem: I ask for clarification.

Should we have to ask? Maybe not. But in my experience, this is the case in just about every room, not just Showboat.

I agree that the best part about the SB are the dealers. I stayed at Harrah's this past Friday night because I got a free room but left for SB on Saturday so that I can tip some of dealers I know pretty well for the Holidays. Definitely not doing that for dealers elsewhere in AC that's for sure... My only wish is that they stop serving coffee in those 5 oz cups

Not sure if anyone can answer this but I've heard that if you get a room comp in AC, you have to give that casino action or else you will get charged the full rate.

I have a room comp this Saturday at Bally's and was wondering if I'm obligated to play at Bally's for X hours or if I can go over to the SB to play and still be ok for the room comp since SB/Ballys/Caesars/Harrahs are all HET properties.

This rule was in effect for me and I will be going down next week to Harrah's. Just going to put some time in at there roulette table not betting much just to give them enough action.

This rule was in effect for me and I will be going down next week to Harrah's. Just going to put some time in at there roulette table not betting much just to give them enough action.

I'm sorry, but TheBodyGuard brings up a very good point that you can't just throw a sarcastic joke at so as to overlook a big problem that PLENTY of others have with the Showboat Poker Room.

When I go to Borgata, once I lock up my seat, I'm pointed in the direction of a floorman who will then show me to my table and take my players card to swipe in.

When I go to Harrah's, someone behind the podium points to a floorperson who seats me and takes my players card to swipe in.

The same goes for Bally's, Trop, and Taj. The past 3 times I've been to Showboat, I've experienced the famed "point and walk away like they don't want to be there."

Of course I can ask for clarification. Since there are plenty of other games throughout the city, I just prefer to take my business elsewhere. Outside of the friendly dealers and good tourney structure (not that I'm a huge tourney player), there's no other reason to play there.

That's odd, becuase I have never had the point problem at Showboat. I have had it at Harrah's every time I play there. I guess I should question why I still go there.

My name gets called, I go to the desk, the brush points me to the center of the room (always on the left side). I go there, and I just stand there like a dumbass for 1-2 minutes becuase there is no floor person. Ok, a problem, but easy solution. So I look around and find the empty seat. I sit down and the following conversation happens:

Dealer: Was your name called?
Me: Yes
Dealer: Did the floor seat you?
Me: No, my name was called and the desk pointed me to the center of the room and no one was there so I found my seat and sat down.
Dealer: FLOOR!
Me: You have got to be kidding me.
Wait 2 minutes for floor to come over.
Dealer: Did you seat this player?
Floor: No.
Floor: Sir, there is a wait-list. You need to wait for your name to be called to be seated.
Me: My name was called.
Floor: Then why did I not seat you.
Me: Becuase you were not in the location the desk pointed me to. I waited for 2 minutes.
Floor: Next time, please wait for me to seat you.
Me: Next time, please be in the location your desk person sent me.

I don't want to sound overly negative, because I really do enjoy playing at the Showboat when I go to Atlantic City. But I just wanted to mention something from Tuesday (December 30). I went to the Showboat on a day-tripper bus and arrived shortly after noon. I Immediately went to the poker room and there were 12 people on the list for 2/4 LHE and 14 people on the list for 1/2 NL. There was one table of 2/4 running and two tables of 1/2 running.

I waited around for a few minutes to see if a new a 2/4 table would open, then waked next door to the Taj. I really dislike playing at the Taj, but I would rather at least play than stand around and wait for another table to open on a Tuesday afternoon. I was able to get a seat at 2/4 immediately at the Taj and was able to move to a 3/6 game after about 20 minutes.

I wasn't mad about the huge list at the SB and I still prefer playing there over the Taj. But I walked away because the Showboat only had three cash game tables total running, and a list large enough to start a new game at both 1/2 NL and 2/4 LHE . I imagine this happened because the majority of dealers were busy with the 11 a.m. tourney, but if I walked away because I couldn't get on a cash game table, I am sure other players did as well.

I think we all could agree that Showboat has some issues that need to be resolved.

To be fair to Showboat, this is the only poker room in AC with it's own dedicated active thread on 2+2. If there was a thread like for every poker room in AC (I'm not saying there should be), then we would see the same thing in everyone. Yes - even Borgata. I have been in every poker room in AC and could give you a descriptive list of my likes and dislikes of every room.

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You should make this thread. I think it would be great to have one that encompasses all the AC rooms. And I think it would be manageable because there are only, what, like seven or eight poker rooms in AC? It wouldn't work for LV or CA because there are too many rooms in those places.

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I think Showboat could run more promotions to bring in more players and might get a better player base. Why don't they have holiday or special event tournaments like the Borgata for holidays and such? This would bring me in to play some more. The management there needs to think outside the box a little bit and try some stuff to bring in more players because it is one of the nicest rooms in AC.

The floor pointed and walked away. It's happened to me too. Other times I've had to ask more than once. I don't effing work there and I don't know tables numbers. And yes, you're right - it's about every room ... and it's irritating EVERY time. Especially at a place like the Borg where they point in the general direction of oh, about 15 tables. I feel like KITN.

we have thought outside the box, we had asked them to change things up, they have done nothing to improve the room yet from all those meetings we have had. I am getting increasingly upset with the comments itt. I just hope these guys just put some money into this room, but things will def get better when it gets warmer.

This is a direct result of the management killing the room. The dual rate floors at the front are either doing 3 peoples jobs or are just upset about something. I am not making excuses for them, because every time I seat a player I walk them there or I tell them its table 9 second row, second table. It is as easy as that. I will talk to them about this.

You got my business as long as you keep sending me reward credit multipliers :-)

They are boss...

I'm not sure if these actually work for poker. A couple months ago I played with a 6x multiplier for 10 hours, and I know I did not get $60 in comps.

On Tuesday (December 30). I went to the Showboat with 2 friends we arrived 10:45 AM Immediately we went to the poker room to play in the tournament and it was 70 we put are name in the list for there were 23 people on the list to be call we had to way for one hour we ask why can they open more table for the tournament they said they do not have enough dealers. 13 people on the list for 1/2 NL. There was one table of 2/4 running and two tables of 1/2 running.

We waited around for an hour to be call for the tournament or a cash game, that is bad management off a poker room, we waked to the Taj in 5 minutes we where playing in the cash game.

I was mad because I brought to 2 more guys with me to play poker at the SB.


At 1 o’clock I and one off my friend left the Taj to play in the 2:00 pm tournament
In the SB. There where 77 players for the tournament sweet we got in the tournament I love the way the blind are set up in SB. I finish in 3 places an won $534.00 not bad for
6 hr off poker I had to grind a lot.

The SB need to run a better poker room for the cash games.

I had a red NY Giant had on.