What's the status of poker in A.C.? Pretty good, overall, I'ld say. In spite of all of the competition from Pennsylvania and Delaware, there are 7 poker rooms in A.C. that are operating. 8 if one counts the new 6 table room at ACH.

With Golden Nugget (sometime in late December or early January, according to what I was told there) and Revel (mid-May of 2012) both planning on opening poker rooms, that would bring the total to 10 - if none of the existing ones close.

Speaking of Golden Nugget and Revel, I stopped by both places yesterday to try and learn what the new poker rooms were going to be like. Neither one had anyone around who would comment, other than the Revel people saying that their room was going to be really big and really great. No specifics at all.

I got the feeling that plans aren't finalized at either place, so we'll just have to wait and see.

From a player's perspective, lots of competition should mean lots of opportunities for comps and benefits - but it's proving to be a mixed bag.

Borgata has been adding freerolls and other benefits (finally - after being the cheapest in this regard for years) while the Taj and CET properties are cutting back. This latter movement seems strange to me, given the increases in competition, so we'll have to see what the future holds.

Is the total amount of poker being played in A.C. down? Yes, of course. Competing casinos are drawing away business.

But, there are still far more games going on in A.C. than anywhere else short of Vegas - so that gives us all a lot of good opportunities to find a nice game. And with so many rooms to choose from, it is an easy walk or Jitney ride to another venue - something that isn't doable anywhere else short of Tunica.

Call me an incurable optimist if you'ld like, but I see good things in the future for poker in Atlantic City.

Lee

I think AC's poker biz is still on a decline and hasn't yet bottomed out yet. There are still the hardcore AC players who havent visited the new casinos. Poker has only been alive in PA for about 13 months. AC needs to rebrand itself as an entertainment destination based on at least one overnight stay. Daytrippers will always stay close to home to gamble. The new Revel and Golden Nugget rooms will probably kill out the older smaller rooms in AC.

BTW, Vegas is not the center of the poker world. Southern California has the most variety of games and the largest poker rooms. Foxwoods has the largest room east of SoCal and also spreads a wide variety of action.

When (if?) NJ finally pushes through and legalizes sports betting it'll probably trigger a pretty big AC poker revival. Theres a huge overlap between poker players and sports fan/bettors.

Hopefully someone will give all the pertinent detailed info/fact check me before I have time to do so, but my understanding is that the short answer is that NJ will not have legalized sports gambling unless/until the rest of the nation does.

When the federal ban on sports betting went into effect, four states had legalized sports betting. Those states are grandfathered in to the extent that they had legal gambling at that time. That's why Delaware has only the goofy NFL parlay bets: that's all it had at the time the federal ban went into effect.

NJ on the other hand had no sports betting at that time.

iirc, didnt they pass some kinda referendum in NJ in favor of sports betting and NJ senators are now pushing at the federal level? I might have to do some googling here :/

I didn't mean to imply that Vegas was the center of the poker world - just making the point that there is noplace closer with so many poker rooms in such a small area. No matter what one thinks of Parx, Harrah's Chester, Bethlehem Sands, Delaware Park, etc. they are not close to each other. You can't walk from one to another, and even driving takes a good amount of time.

Advantage on this point: Atlantic City - and I think that it's a big one.

As for the continued decline - time will tell. Personally, I think that the biggest competitor to A.C. is going to be Parx. They are planning on a hotel, resort, an even bigger poker room, etc. They will continue to draw big business from A.C. As will the other places as they expand.

Still, the advantages of A.C. are considerable - if used correctly. Happily, those in charge are finally taking the proper steps to achieve long-term financial health. Adding entertainment, adding stores to the Walk. Adding restaurants. All things that make the city attractive from more than just a day-tripping gambling destination.

Which I think we can all agree is the past - not the future.

Revel's opening should be huge for the city as a whole. And, they are going to be starting construction on the second tower as soon as they open, according to what their PR people are saying. More good news!

As is the Hard Rock - although it's location seems far from ideal to me, especially if ACH goes under.

Lee

There's tons of good information in the old version of this thread, which can be found here:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/20...hread-1088201/

Where do you guys like to eat besides the Irish Pub? Any particular "bang for your buck" places to use comp dollars?

$10 amphora lounge in borgata is the best value imo, you need to have or be with someone with a black card however :/

Heck, if you or a friend have a Black Card, then the buffet at Borgata is only $10 as well. Unless you're drinking - it is a better food deal.

6ix a Bistro at Bally's is very good. And the noodle bar at Caesar's gets rave reviews.

Lee

Can't use comp dollars but I always love taking a trip over to the white house on the corner of Mississippi and Artic. I'm surprised/amazed at the amount of people that have been to AC over 50 times and never stopped at the white house.


http://www.yelp.com/biz/white-house-..****antic-city-2

There is now another White House branch at the Taj Majal (second floor, near Starbucks), and they take Trump comps at full value.

I saw that when I was in AC last week but I didn't stop at the Taj on this trip.


I'm curious if it's just as good as the original location.

I saw the show "Human Nature" tonight. Went with a very good friend, and the show was fantastic! We both loved it, and would love to see it again.

Here's a very important warning!!

If you do go and see the show (which I highly recommend) and are going to be sitting near the front - take a video camera (or cell phone with good video capability) with you!! My friend was taken up on stage for the song "My Girl". She stole the show (ok, I'm highly biased here) and I would love to have video of this. As it is, my cell phone is a cheapy and takes bad photos. I really do wish that I'ld had a better camera!!!

So - be warned! Have a decent camera with you!

And by all means see "Human Nature" - it's a great show. Every bit as good as "Straight No Chaser", which we also love seeing (3 times so far).

Lee

wow really?

did they replace the burger joint?.. that place was pretty good imo... :/

At Harrah's there are some weeknight specials at McCormick's that are pretty decent.

You can pick-up a freshly made burger for $2 if you order a drink (can be non-alcoholic). Cheese and other extras (sauteed mushrooms, etc.) are a $1/each. Not a big meat eater, but burger was excellent. Total cost w/a fresh OJ at <$5 was also very appetizing!

No the burger joint is still there. The White House Sub place is on the same level as the burger joint but over by Sabarro's. It's alright but their subs are definitely an acquired taste.

The Johnny Rocket's at the Showboat is another good burger joint. I like that place over the Taj's because of more selection and better fries.

With the imposing hurricane, what do you expect volume to be like this weekend? Any chance of poker rooms closing on Sunday?

I was considering going down on my birthday(28th) to play one of the showboat tournaments. Do you think the turnout will be significantly lower than usual?

I doubt that any poker rooms will be closed, but I assume that the Poker rooms will be emptier. I've heard that when there were big snowstorms in the winter the rooms were empty, so the hurricane might have the same effect. On the other hand, if people already made plans to visit AC, perhaps they'll spend more time indoors and play.

^Stan just announced over in the Borgata thread that they have cancelled their tournaments on Sunday and Monday. I guess I'll wait for another weekend that I am available...

I don't get why they (AC city official, hotel owners, convention center official, etc.) don't push for conventions in the city. I only started going to Vegas because of conventions, and that got me hooked.

I agree that rebranding is important as Midas suggests, but drawing convention business as well could create more business.

I may not go down this weekend because of the Hurricane.

Prob a good idea

What's the fish ratio like, these days?

Borgota cancelled the events Sun and Mon