Poker at borgata seems like a convoluted mess now lol

Tiers don't go on when they add your hours, only the comp dollars. Tiers go on either days or weeks later.

Thanks! Thanks to 72 as well.

4- don’t come at all.

I am too far away to drive in and out for a day session.

I have a day job and would only ever come down for a fri- sun session, so need rooms then, not weekdays.

My game only runs at borgata, I wouldn’t consider staying elsewhere.

The cashier situation I’ve heard and read about here sounds horrendous.

Getting locked out of my game for hours waiting for a seat sounds horrendous.

I can’t think of a reason I would consider going to borgata (for poker, restaurants) until this stuff gets fixed. I realize that some of it may not be their fault, but it is their problem to fix if they want my business. Otherwise I’ll just keep going to Parx.

Yep parx half hour from me

I kno I sound like a broken record but u can get the rooms for Sunday and play late Saturday night then just check in early Sunday sleep then either play a little and go home at night

This sounds like a very degenerate plan. How many recreational players like to play poker until 6am the next day and feel like **** to get their free room? It’s easier to just drive to Parx.

I see all these posts saying how they’re waiting for MGM to “fix” this problem. I would suggest that they are well aware of what they are doing, and taking away poker players comped rooms has just become the new normal. They may give some back during low season, but I’d be willing to bet that during Memoria Day - Labor Day, those $500 Friday and Saturday nights won’t be available.

Hey everyone. I'm looking to end my COVID-induced poker hiatus in a few weeks at the Borgata. I'm hoping that they break out a tournament series right before Thanksgiving, otherwise I'll just grind 1-3/2-5 and the Friday daily for a few days.

Quick question for those who have been to Borg recently. How common is wearing masks in the poker room? I'm just curious what to expect for when I go. I'd probably lean towards wearing one, but don't want to be the only loser wearing a mask or make myself stand out.

Thanks!

My estimate is maybe 25%-30% of players were masked last weekend.

In my experience it’s either nobody or at max 1-2 ppl a table, in regards to wearing a mask

I was just there Tuesday and Wednesday. No one at my table was wearing a mask, table next to me had 2 players with mask on. I'd say about 10% of players overall in room were wearing a mask. I did wear a mask walking through floor but when seated I didn't.

Part of the room issue is that they have, or at least had, an issue staffing in the hotel. They had been closing the Water Club during the week, but I don't know if they're still doing that. Also, even though both towers may be open on the weekends, that doesn't mean all the floors are being used. My guess is that their software knows what to expect in attendance and with the lower staff numbers minimizes the number of open floors. During normal staffing, doing that would cause problems with the staff getting guaranteed hours, violating union contracts, etc. It then becomes a supply and demand issue. Lots of rooms available results in more comps available for the smaller players (players who generate less revenue). Fewer rooms available results in fewer comps for smaller players. Hopefully if and when the hotel staffing approaches normal levels the comps will come back, or mostly come back, for you guys who need them. It's anyone's guess when that will happen.

Closing the poker room in favor of slots would not make financial sense. At most times the majority of the slots they already have are not in use. Nor would adding slots cause more people to travel to their casino. Such a thing would only make sense in a small casino with limited space. The Borgata has a lot of space that's rarely used. Those table games in the isle from the poker room to Bread and Butter are never open. They finally removed some in favor of the displaced video poker machines caused by their new electronic stuff. The poker room is packed most of the day on the weekends and there are at least some players there 24/7.

Feel like a restaurant or bar would be more direct revenue than poker room when you factor in the low poker revenue (max $150/hr per table IF it is occupied) minus staffing (dealer, security, cage staff, floor, cleaner, finance, waitress) minus cost (furniture maintenance , automatic shuffler rental, alcohol, electricity & heating, taxes, marketing). There’s a lot that goes into a poker room in the back end.

This is more accurate. No way 30% of humans wearing a mask in the borgata poker room lol

Please.... no mask debates in this thread!

I made a similar comment in an earlier post. The only revenue generator I can envision at the Borgata at the poker room location is another restaurant. But as things presently stand, the old Bobby Flay location is vacant, and they pretty much have all boxes checked (buffet, coffee shop, sandwich shop, food court, Italian, Chinese, noodle bar, steak house, American/pizza, celebrity chef (Michael Symon -- Wolfgang Puck and Bobby Flay are gone). They only genre missing is a dedicated seafood joint, but they had one that didn't do well and that vacant location to fill if they want one). So what restaurant is really needed? Don't forget poker players sometimes play other games and frequently bring their spouses who do the same, rent hotel rooms and eat at the restaurants. And many poker players take advantage of the sports book. All that traffic will wind up at Harrah's without a poker room. Given all the unused table games and slots at the Borgata, closing the poker room will cost them revenue which will unlikely be replaced by something else. It's the most customer dense part of the casino, for whatever that might indicate.

Given the size of the Borgata casino, if and when they close the poker room, it will be a sign that they are in deep trouble. Has any large casino with a large poker room closed it and done well?

Not a debate, the reality of the room. Someone concerned about it should have an idea of what they’re getting into before entering the room if possible

Those are good points and I am mostly in agreement with you, poker is pretty much a loss leader.

That said, I personally think Ocean’s and Hard Rock made the right decision to drop poker. There was no way they could of competed with Borgata

Sorry.
I was actually responding to a different post that started arguing a case but that post appears to have been deleted or moved. I should have quoted that post to make clear to whom I was referring.

Copy no worries

Hah I was wondering. I deleted that post about 30 min before you posted your response, so I thought you were probably not responding to it, but I wasn’t sure.

It’s probably for the best you didn’t quote it, or I would have deleted it too. But the sentiment is appreciated.

Besides the nit pick of saying Hard Rock never had poker, I would've agreed with you up until recently. Now, I do think a Hard Rock would do really well. It's center of the boardwalk, and there's only three other rooms in town, two being near the Marina, and the other being at the very far end of the strip. With some decent player loyalty initiatives, I think they'd easily be number two in the city, and if they held tournament series, could chip away at Borgata's lofty status as the poker leader in AC.

That being said, it's something they clearly don't care about

Agree here, I think the level at which HR have decided not to pursue poker is higher than just AC (yes I'm aware they do run highly successful rooms elsewhere). There's a brand spanking newly built Hard Rock in Northern Indiana (easily commutable from Chicago) and they've opted for no poker room too...

Doubt the reduction in comped rooms given to poker players has anything to do with staffing. When the poker room first re-opened in October 2020 until April 2021, players were able to get comped rooms very easily. Before Parx re-opened in Jan 2021, there was 5/10 NL running everyday pretty much, as players were coming from PA and out of state and getting comped rooms and poker rates. In April 2021 MGM merged the Borgata with their national computer comp system and everything went into the toilet.

IF YOU COMP IT, THEY WILL COME

So disappointed with this place, I hear a lot of pros are setting up shop close to Parx now.

It is, but it seems to have chased away alot more good players than bad ones.