Learn tournaments.

Seriously. I've stopped playing cash during tournaments.

Believe me, I've been in the tourneys too. That's been its own source of massive frustration, but not necessarily because of the other players.

im coming out this week and was wondering how often either 1-2 or 2-5 PLO has been goin off? also, what are min and max buyins for these respective games?

the 2-5plo is $1500 max and was going semi regularly a couple weeks ago.

cool. sounds like a big game, hopefully they get a 1-2 running also

Excellent work Aria staff! Just missed the switch to 9-handed coupla weeks ago. Will be back for sure because i ran hot so i like it there. Also, the floor/brush guy remembered my name a few hrs after I sat which was a refreshing change from a dump like Bellagio where they won't even give you eye contact at the desk. I anticipate Aria poker room quickly becoming a major player in Vegas Poker (if it isn't already considered as such) based on their apparent attention to detail.

Visited 6/22-26...amazed I could not get anything going in limit beyond 4/8. Appreciated the 2x comps (donked around with 2 buddies of mine a couple of times), but still think Venetian has Aria topped in nearly all aspects. Also observed quite a bit of verbal abuse from player to player on two separate occasions, and the dealer didn't want to do anything about it.

Ah well...I'll still keep on checking in before my next trip end of July.

Mixed reviews on Aria from my standpoint. I've been giving the room another chance and bringing a bunch of friends with me.

Positives:

Cold Figis, very nice touch.

Friendly floor, management, brushes, cage. They are all definitely making an effort to make the customers feel comfortable.

9 handed (please keep it that way).

Poker talk finally not being warned heads up thank goodness.

Lots of games, action and out of towners.

Cell reception great now.

Non-harrahs rake for only 10% up to $4.

Negatives:

Still hit or miss service. Took 70 minutes to get a soup delivered. And often seems to take a long time to get chips to the table.

Some dealers need more training and people skills. I actually had a dealer argue that "pot" was a legal bet on a 1-3 nlhe game. And same dealer insist that pointing towards the pot with an up and down motion was not a check. And another dealer played when he was off and berated the players, even pissing off a woman with a sexually inappropriate comment.

Still can't expose any cards heads up in a cash game.

Kat, what happens if someone does it? Is the hand dead?

I have never seen anyone get decent service at the table. Whatever set-up they have needs to be eliminated or really revised as it is just a joke at this point. Was at a table last week when a guy ordered a sandwich without looking at the menu. He complained that it was taking too long and then eventually forgot about it. It showed up about 2 hours later and cost almost $30.

The list / open seats has not been as well run lately. Usually the lists for 1/3 and 2/5 are managed really well and the waits are short... one of the main reasons I play here over the Venetian. Hope someone fixes this soon.

This sparked my memory as I also experienced this, but not in a sexually explicit manner...more just berating what he thought was bad play. He was dressed in what I would deem pit boss attire at around 2AM, and I flat-out asked him if he worked at Aria, to which he replied no...then the next night, he's dealing my hands. Riiiiiiiight.

Also, how do they operate a room for this long without cup holders?

Great job for the 2+2 party, Aria staffers.

And I'm amazed people are complaining about the level of players here or anywhere else during the WSOP. Sure there are a couple of decent players at your table usually, but it's more than offset by the total donk tourists who are there to gamble it up. 1/3 and 2/5 the last month at Aria and Rio have been some of the softest games I've ever played in.

Same way almost every other room does?

How often does the 1/2 PLO game run and what is the buyin range? thanks in advance. Will likely be visiting in the coming weeks and will post after about experience.

re: cupholders

Actually other rooms have cup holders built into the table or the portable ones that can be slid into the table.

i've been here for a couple weeks and the 1/2 plo has been running a few times. I asked them to start a list each time and the game got going pretty quickly. Buy in is 100 min 200 max.

I understand that. If we're also talking about portable tables, Aria has those. Plenty of rooms do not have cupholders on the table though, and of course Bellagio has neither.

Aria staff did a great job with the 2+2 events last week.

Played in their poker room 6 different days, and have the following comments;
1. Room and all facilities are wonderful. Top notch. Much better than the "B".
2. Surprised that 4-8 was the only limit holdem game.
3. Played the 9-18 mixed game on the upper deck (Don's game) 4 different times. Excellent time and results. Usually some off duty dealers or "Euro-aggros" in the game.
4. This whole "Kat" thing is a hoax. Asked for Kat every day. Always some lame excuse like in the office, day off, working somewhere else, was just here. I think Kat is a myth.

I played at the Wynn last year during the WSOP because the games were nine-handed. I quit playing at the Aria because the tables were just too small for ten people. I don't mind playing ten-handed if the tables can comfortably accommodate ten people, but places like the Bellagio can't and that's why I never play there. Now that you've gone to nine-handed I'll give it another try.

I played during basketball season and it was impossible to get any games on the TVs. Not only that there was only one person in the room who knew how to work the remote control.

The card room should be able to get every game they have in the sports book.

I know there is nothing you can do about it, but the TVs are small and badly located. You can't even see them from most of the tables.

Lots of poker players are sports bettors, and I personally like to sweat a game I'm betting on while I'm playing poker. It helps to pass the time.

By the way. Do you have to use those all-in placards? Last time I was there every time someone went all-in the dealer had to throw that player an all-in placard. Three people all-in--three placards. It seemed kind of silly.

I'll also say this, but it will fall on deaf ears. Make the rake $3 max for all games and you'll soon fill the place up. The Orleans is the only room I know of that has a $3 rake for no-limit games (plus the $1 jackpot drop).

I think the Venetian is still running their $2 rake for 8-16 games, but it's very tough for other rooms to compete with that. When I play 8-16 limit or 8-16 Omaha I play at the Venetian because of the reduced rake.

I'll stop in this week to check things out again.

Heresy coming: I think $3 rake would be a big mistake. I'm becoming more and more convinced that lower rake only attracts more nits and rocks to a room, and that kills a room. Yes the room might be full, but it will be full of the wrong people who will eventually kill all the action.

I don't know that they add anything- I guess they make it clear to anyone still in the hand that a player has nothing more behind them which could speed the hand up slightly. The dealers are really quick about getting them out there so I don't think it hurts.

As much as I'd love a $3 rake, they don't need it. On weekends the place is packed. Yesterday there was a list 30+ for 1/3 seats and it wasn't because they were going unfilled (as is usually the case at the Venetian). Even on weekdays they draw a good crowd and with the current double comps it is already one of the better deals around town.

They are never going to get a regular O8 game going with a $4 rake. $4 for a split game is asking too much. Look at what happened at the Orleans.

The Orleans had two 8-16 O8 games almost every day. The rake for those games was $4. I have no idea why it was more. Perhaps because split is slower. Anyway , it's a real bad deal for the players. They wouldn't lower the rake, and when the Venetian offered $2 rake for all 8-16 games the Orleans lost both of theirs.

Later they said they would lower it to $2, but too late. Sometimes people have to be kicked before they get the picture.

When the WSOP is over the Aria numbers will fall. Yes, the weekends might be busier, but weekdays, especially early in the week, the games are (were) very weak.

The two or three times (pre WSOP) I went there on graveyard the place was a ghost town.

Pardon my ignorance, but why is $4 rake for an O8 game such a problem if $4 is the standard rake in a comparable limit or no-limit game? The rake gets split in half too. And how would the casino have any incentive to spread a split-pot game long term- which does move much slower than other games- if it were $2 rake?

Because if you split the pot heads up you're paying a $4 rake on a break even situation. In fact, you can lose money if it's heads up.

$4 rake is too much to pay for split pot games.

The casino has incentive if they are able to spread two or more games on a daily basis. They are better able to do that with a reasonable rake.

The way things stand now if a split pot game is spread once or twice a week with a $4 rake, wouldn't it be better to have the game go daily with a $2 rake--which leads to the possibility of two games--or even three.

To my way of thinking it's all about bodies in seats.