My trip report: I looked at the internet and it said the monarch poker room isn't open yet. The end.

Golfed w the monarch manager a month ago. Said they are building the room right now and will open this summer. Hopefully they spread 2/5 and take some Death Star business.

You one strange dude. When the Monarch poker room opens, I'm sure it will be discussed extensively in this forum.

Monarch Poker Room is not open yet. Opening in May.

The Gilpin County Health Dept. has stated that on May 16th we may go without restrictions (except masks) unless COVID conditions change, which means 9 or 10 handed games. We are hopeful that they bump that up a few weeks for the launch of NL on May 1st.

John P.

We have been running this since early March and have consistently had 80-100 entries every Saturday, so I plan on continuing this. Reentry ends at approx. 3:20PM. If this doesn't work out, we'll change the schedule. So far the feedback has been very positive.

No limit limits announced on ameristar bravo page

"No Limit and Pot Limit Coming May 1st.

Game spreads and Buy-ins:

1-3 NL 100-300
2-5 NL 200-700
5-10 NL 500-2000

1-3 (5 Bring in) PL 100-500
5-5 PL 300-1000
5-10 PL 500-4000

Limit and Spread Limit will also be available as well as bigger NL & PL."


They mean PLO and not pot-limit HE... right????

So Saturday 0000 05/01/21 -no limit?
Anybody will start PLO game anywhere?
When Monarch is opening poker room?

Cant wait for PLO, might have to showup Friday to get the seat...

Monarch has a bravo page now. But there's not anything on it yet

Really stupid question alert:

I've never been to Colorado but I'm considering a visit May 14-16 to play in Black Hawk and visit the general area. I'm wondering if altitude sickness should at all be a concern in Black Hawk? I would be really annoyed if I get to Black Hawk to play and find out 5-6hrs later I have a splitting headache, nausea, can't sleep, etc. which would obviously severely impact my game. It would be a complete waste of money.

I'm a native flatlander Florida boy but I have zero issues whatsoever in the higher elevations of NC mountains (4500ish feet) where I visit every summer, but I understand Black Hawk is around 8500ft.

Drink some water you’ll be fine this is barely higher than denver

Not a stupid question at all. I've been to Blackhawk half a dozen times and it hits me every time I get there...do a flight of stairs and I'm almost winded. So after a 12 hour jaunt between flights and shuttles to get from door to door, I'm usually drained with a bit of a headache when I arrive. So yes, drink lots of water and budget for a nap when you arrive. Once I do that, I'm good to go. It's not like I have symptoms for days, rather, mostly a few hours. The scenery is so beautiful up there, that itself will give you energy, imo.

Per Monarch, they will open May 14th, 11 tables and will spread no limit and PLO. Check their Twitter page for more info

With a lot of restructuring of the poker scene coming up in the next month, I feel like this might be the appropriate window to try and get some new games going. We've talked about this before but it never went anywhere. Does anyone have any suggestions in regard to strategies to generate interest and organize some new games. Perhaps we should start with a survey to see what games and limits folks are most interested in? After that, it might be worth holding some chats face to face with poker room managers to see what they can offer for generating interest and advertising games. Please note, I'm talking about games that ARE NOT No Limit Holdem or Omaha variants. I am very interested in resurrecting mid-stakes limit holdem and especially stud8 ($8-16 to $15-30).

I know interest from 2+2 will not be substantial enough on its own to gather the amount of players that will be necessary to get these games off the ground and running on a regular or semi-regular basis. We'd need to work with the rooms to organize marketing materials/displays and promotions.

Please share your thoughts and opinions. Thanks all

This is a fine idea, however, unitl there is legit competition from another room Ameristar has basically taken an IDGAF attitude- and who can blame them, they have 60 deep wait lists and refuse to take call ins or start games. So, if anyone from Monarch is reading this, you need to offer a similar to Ameristar jackpot structure otherwise the recreational players will never come. Next you need to go to vegas or LA and hire a competent poker room manager who cares about the players. I play 50+ hours a week and am dying to take my action to you, but you need to cater to the players. Competition is so sorely needed- 60 people on a list with 5 empty tables at Ameristar is insane, why is Gates not poaching these players and starting games? There is a massive inefficiency in the Blackhawk poker market ripe for someone to come and make a world class poker room- here is hoping it's Monarch. In terms of starting new games it will be difficult since these places would never ever consider hiring props or hosts which is what it usually takes to get new games going. A great first step would be imploring any of the three locations to hire someone that cares about starting games and generating revenue. 60 deep wait lists with empty tables is pure insanity considering tables generate 200+ hr in rake

they hired the atlantis reno poker room manager, ive played in their room, and he did a great job.

i think the only thing most players want is to get seated immediately no wait. which means be willing to start games without the list getting too long.

also that guys post caused me to find (and check) the monarch poker rooms twitter feed. it really doesnt say anything important, just that they will spread PLO and the opening date. the important thing is are they going to keep the same straddle rules regarding who acts first that reno has, instead of the horrible order they use in detroit, florida, philadelphia, etc. if he used the same rules he did in reno, it will be good.

also, in reno the min buy was low same way it was in tx and florida and the max worked out too because u could match the big stack. most places around the country make the min buy way too high and the max buy way too low. ($200-500) instead of $100-1000 like it should be.

The wait lists have been long and tables have sat empty for a number of reasons. We are certainly in unprecedented times with the pandemic and the table capacities have wreaked havoc on staffing levels, and attrition has been plentiful over the past 12 months. The labor pool is approaching bare bones and rooms can't find enough dealers to fill all the empty spots. Plus, room managers are being cautious until things return back to normal. I believe once things settle down after May, managers will have a better idea of long-term staffing needs and act accordingly. There's going to be a dealer shuffle between Golden Gates, Ameristar, and Monarch and the dust will take some time to settle.

Word on the street ... A* will only have 8 tables for Saturday since so many dealers have departed

Games other than Hold'em- What works in other venues.

I play mixed games in three places- Florida (SHRH, IslePomp.) Reno (Peppermill) and The Orleans, LV. And Stud is a staple in the Northeast, at Borgata and Foxwoods. I will only play Stud8, and prefer a structured game, such as 4-8 or 8-16.
Florida- the mixed game colony here is strong, because most are retired from the Northeast corridor. The game gets a full table at SHRH (O8/S8) and a healthy waitlist. At Pompano, historically, they will run a must move table; IslePomp tends to get more players than SHRH. But in talking to the guys who are the cat-herders, they work with the casino to get people in the door, assure the room which days they will play where, and are pretty reliable with their days and time expectations.
Reno-Peppermill. The room is the best-run room in Northern Nevada. (IMO). They will start interest lists for any game days in advance, if you are able to provide at least a few names to start a list, say 3-5. They will then headline the game: Stud 8, 2-6 spread limit, Saturday 100PM interest list, and gladly post that several days in advance. This listing I provided is one that they've used, and I've played in. Reno-Atlantis at one time ran a regular Monday Night mized game where a lot of locals and dealers would play. Not sure if that still goes.
The Orleans is well-known to be a mixed game haven for Las Vegas. But- once you get that reputation, you need to foster it. Omaha8 used to be a staple at Venetian, until they got sloppy and cut comps, shrunk the room, and did a few other things that the locals didn't like. If you have a game that is locals-reliant, don't try and change that. Business/poker 101 one would think. But Venetian has been shooting themselves in the foot for years now.

My Advice: Get a solid colony of players who will agree to Show up together, in advance, at a date/time certain.( Do not expect any room to do any organizing for you. ) Then- dang it, show up. Maybe you don't get a table right away, but you are showing a room that YOU are serious, and want to make their room yours. And don't ambush the room. Tell them in advance that you are coming with 10 players, and would they accommodate you? Lots of rooms run private games; just think of this as starting out as a private that you organize. Except its public. One last advice piece. Use 1.00 chips. Passersby love seeing mountains of chips, and the curiosity factor will help you gain players.

Having played in B.H., my best guess for approachability would be:
The new Monarch Room
Golden Gates
Isle

Ameristar has never struck me as being approachable. Sure, the players are there and they have the best table selection. That won't be forever; someone wil take a run at them. In order to take a business run at someone, you have to be willing to either mimic them, or do something different. BY showing up with 10 or 12 mixed game players, there is a room in BH that will give you their attention.

Good Luck- see you in June for an overnight.

I'm late on my response, but as a fellow flatlander myself (Michigan here) I definitely got some altitude sickness when I traveled to Black Hawk. We rented a car at the airport and drove straight up into Black Hawk once we arrived. I didn't notice anything until I got out of the car and was walking in and got winded extremely quickly.

For me, it wasn't too bad. Mostly I just got winded quickly and felt a little "off" that first night. I felt completely normal the next day. My friend however is a bit heavier than me and had worse symptoms. He didn't feel back to normal until the third day, but by then he felt good enough to join me for a hike up one of the nearby peaks.

Flatlanders, come out and enjoy!

In addition to altitude, it's quite dry and typically sunny out here. If you do outdoor activities, drink more water than you normally do, and make sure to apply sunscreen.

This is spot on. The labor pool shrank dramatically during the pandemic for a few reasons, including dealers finding other work, moving to other open states, just sitting around collecting gov't checks, dealing at underground games that opened when we were closed, etc. Plus, the dealer school in Denver shut down - no casinos open for a year or so, nobody to teach, nobody eager to deal now.

Having a giant list with open tables is the last thing a PRM wants to see. The health dept. limiting us to 6 handed cripples us. The room fills using what dealers we have and we're stuck. The plan currently is to go 9 handed May 16th unless the health dept. dictates otherwise. This will ease some pressure.

I have several folks training as Brushes that will be in the box when ready. In time this will all even out. Remember that we only opened on Feb. 11 after being closed for almost a full year. It seems like we've been open a lot longer with all the stresses right now, but 2.5 months isn't that long after being shuttered so long.

Dave, let's PM and brainstorm on getting some interest in other games. It didn't work last time we tried, but it may now with limits changing.

JP