https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9426794

"When smokers are in situations where smoking is prohibited, chewing gum is believed to reduce cravings to smoke. However, there is little scientific evidence to support this widely held assumption. The present study assessed craving for a cigarette and nicotine withdrawal in 20 dependent cigarette smokers under one of two conditions. All subjects smoked an initial cigarette upon arrival to the experimental session and were informed that they would not be allowed to smoke for the remainder of the session. The session consisted of each subject watching a movie, then waiting an additional 30 minutes. Half of the subjects were assigned to a Gum Condition where they were given free access to chewing gum throughout the experimental session; half were assigned to a No-Gum Control. Nicotine withdrawal was assessed immediately following the movie (Time 1) and again 30 minutes later (Time 2). Results from this study indicate that chewing gum reduces craving and helps with withdrawal when a nicotine-dependent person cannot smoke."

Quote: Results from this study indicate that chewing gum reduces craving and helps with withdrawal when a nicotine-dependent person cannot smoke."[/QUOTE]


They can suck on candy. It's a pita when your clothes are ruined, caused by a most inconsiderate gum chewer who is ignorant enough to dispose of it by sticking it under a poker table. And they do it. All the time. I honestly don't know why I play poker with the same people I wouldn't allow in my home. It's an enigma to me.

This has precisely zero bearing on EBH being free to enforce what rules it chooses for what reasons.

It wasn't meant to. It was meant to point out a pair of potentially conflicting policies: the non-smoking policy for the casino, by Mass. law, vs the no-gum policy. However, desire makes a good point that they could substitute hard candy. EB should consider making some available. Gamblers aren't spending their time handing the casino their money if they're putting markers on tables and outside sucking on deathsticks.

They can suck on candy. It's a pita when your clothes are ruined, caused by a most inconsiderate gum chewer who is ignorant enough to dispose of it by sticking it under a poker table. And they do it. All the time. I honestly don't know why I play poker with the same people I wouldn't allow in my home. It's an enigma to me.[/QUOTE]
There was a stick of gum on the bottom of one of the 1/3 table today. Not sure if this type of behavior is peculiar to low limit grinders. Informed dealer who said that I could inform the floor. Not my job, man.

Went to RedCard desk with my mlife rewards card today. $25 (not $50) allegedly put on my card to be used for slots. I was told that I need to put $5 in the slot machine in order to activate the $25 play. Pretty chintzy IMO. Hardly worth the bother to me. Not a slot player. FWIW Foxwoods gave me $75 slot play on more than one occasion.

My lord this thread has gone to shizznit... Can we please rename it "Bubble Yum and Bad Music" instead?

A week after staying there, I received some decent room offers: $299 per night, including buffets for two. The resort fees cost right @60 additional per night.

Encouraging news!

Do the floor staff ever pick up players chips at 1/3 NL? I've seen players leave the table for over 60 minutes, and the floor won't pick up their chips.

They will say that there is no list, but then 5 minutes later they will open a new 1/3 NL table.

I also only got 25 in free play for MLife Pearl on Sunday. But I turned it into $20... then $15... then $20. Then, after getting in my mandatory 3 hours of 1/3, went back and turned it into $45, because I figured I was due for quads at that point.

Ironically, if they'd given me 75 in FP I could have used for 9/6, I would have probably just lost 3 hands in a row but...

Fine, fine.

If there's a list they do; I've seen it a few times. It's actually a hassle otherwise, and as pointed out in the thread, if the player never comes back for the money in a year it goes straight into the coffers of the Commonwealth.

I’ve seen it happen a few times.

If there's no list and it's a time game, they will leave them there until doom's day or their chips run out.

There's a few people that are there for more business than poker business and they are running business errands for hour after hour. Same crew.

No kidding. The gum discussion stays since it has to do with the merits of Encore having such a policy (plus it's basically finished anyway). The music discussion I moved to the New England thread (i.e. the regional low content thread) - I don't mind a couple of off-topic posts but this turned into a full on derail.

They picked up a few people when there is a list at 2-2 PLO after 31 minutes saying they've been gone > 30 mins and the people usually get back in the next 2-3 minutes and wonder why it was so quick. I was gone for > 1 hour one time at a time game and I just had to keep paying...

I lold extrmely hard - thank you for this

Damn, well I'm going to give advice anyway.... I know some rooms have "Hosts" for various games. People that get compensated by the room to help get games going. Typically someone who knows a lot of players and has everyone's phone #. I think a "limit" host would be a good idea. Seems like there are different groups that want to play certain games at certain limits but there's no organization and it ends up with people wanting to player higher and others who want to play lower, they argue, and the game breaks.

Doesn't seem like the management has the capacity to run the room at this sort of micro level, so why not? If you've ever watched LATB when they have limit games the host is usually there and Limon out at Commerce hosts the 5-5-10 PLO game. There won't be a gazillion 1/3 games forever. Might as well invest in games that can work in the long run.

Also, where is our Encore Poker Room Rep?? What are we? chopped liver? Wait, don't answer that...

I know for a fact that they are here lurking and have chosen not to communicate. It’s too bad we don’t have a Johnny Grooms here to supply answers and promote some excitement for the room. Maybe they don’t wish to respond to questions surrounding the audacity of $9 timed rake and the outrageous floor rulings in favor of a certain 5-10/10-20 player who is a habitual angle shooter.

I am not sure if this is the case but it seems like limit players never want to play short handed. Are these guys willing to play 5-7 handed at 10-20 and 20-40 limit? I’d prefer limit to be 6 max but most limit players are kind of nitty
Got to start games 4-6 handed to get them going

You said it yourself at the end of your quote.
YOU as a poker player are VERY IMPATIENT.

The world doesn’t revolve around you! It revolves around the business owner, it’s their business.
They’ll continue to come, you’re the exact customer they don’t want. Promo chasing/nitty grinder want everything free or super discounted.

Tournaments are ramping up.

All the more reason for a host. They organize the players so the games get full. As I said a while back, I know some of the limit players from the old 20-40, 40-80 @FW and they describe 2 groups of players that battle over the limits, which inevitably ends in people storming off and not playing.

He's right, you know. In a recent Wynn investor call, they admitted that EB is currently operating below "Wynn standards," and thus they have yet to promote the place to their existing database of VIPs and high rollers. They hope to be up to standards by Fall.

https://www.masslive.com/casinos/201...h-rollers.html

It certainly helps that their top 3 hiring preferences had to be, 1.) Ex-Suffolk Downs employees, 2.) Everett residents, 3.) Malden residents. Three of the most hospitable places in the greater Boston area running a hospitality business. They die a little bit inside whenever they have to say "no." They'll get there.

I've met hundreds of people from 2+2 and over a dozen from this thread alone and I think this statement is probably the biggest joke of all time. I am the most patient and tolerant person you could imagine and I actively work with everyone to try and make the best environment possible so that we can get the place running all the games with the most players possible. I am also the most well known tipper in the room from sign up desk, waitresses, massage girls, cashiers, etc... In fact the floor and management repeatedly come to me saying I am the exact player they do want.

We can all agree that for the first two months it has been an utter fail at every level and I have experienced every level from the beer garden to the gift shop to the Presidential Suite and everything in between so when I speak it is from an experience level that almost certainly no one else can get close to.

I am extremely biased because I own a tourism company in Boston and the success of Encore will directly help me so I don't always speak out as your 1-3 NL player and I am certainly not a grinder. I only play big buy in tournaments and I only play poker for fun and the challenge of competition. I am not a winning high stakes player or a low limit grinder, just a contributing member to the poker society in a variety of ways.

I seriously disagree it’s been a fail at every level - if at all. Been three times and have mostly a great experience every time

Sorry, that is all relative of course. I personally think they're offering something wonderful and not before available in the Boston area so it is a huge success. The only reason it is a fail is they have a certain brand and level of success that they're known for in Vegas and in two other Macau locations and they crush it in both locations by leaps and bounds. The contract to employ a large percentage of locals doesn't allow for their normal hiring standards and dedication to training, etc... so everything is painfully slow to get to that point. I think many who work in high end establishments said this will take at least a year to iron out which is perfectly fine. It took Michael Jordan quite a few years to win a championship.