I'd say that the MGM has gotten rather skimpy on what they give out of late been noticing the past few years on what lands in my emails. Now I'm no huge gambler but I used to be able to get a free room for two days at the Mirage or MGM Sunday-Thursday now instead I get 40 dollar rooms those days and 90 on Fri and Sat.

Watch the movie Casino. Vegas before Big Business ruined it

Right. It would be like Disney giving free rooms just to get you to come there.

Not to mention the Justice Department. .....

Its hard to say this, but holy cow is this place getting worse! I had to have had the worst check-in experience of my life. Mind you I was checking in at 4:30pm. I was there last week and I was checking in at VIP at Fox Tower (Its all in who you tip, lol) when my regular was busy and I was sent to the other person in the room. Well he started looking up my stay and they didn't have my room available (a handicap smoking room w/ a king bed, as my girl just had ankle surgery and had the scooter) even though I reserved my room. He called the front desk only to find out they have floors that are closed in the hotel. Then he started quoting me policy, that they don't guarantee the rooms that you request, they make a best effort, he offered me no upgrade or change. He said they have no rooms available, that they were "short staffed" and had no idea when the rooms would be cleaned and ready. He wanted to offer me queen beds non smoking and maybe they would get me into a room the next day. I kept telling him this won't work and that I had reservations, again he was quoting policy. I even told him I would leave and go home.

I left to go talk to my GF who was in her scooter in the lobby and told her what was going on and how this place is F*cking us, and to sit tight. When I went back in my girl was free and she told me to sit down she went thru everything herself and saw that the place was all messed up. They had no rooms confirmed cleaned and no way to get the information in the system. She eventually put in a Producer room to clear things up. Reminder this is 430 in the afternoon, and they don't know what rooms are cleaned and ready for occupancy!

In also speaking to other people that work at the place because of so many layoffs they don't have people where they were hired to be. They are putting people in places that have no idea what they are doing just because they need a body at a location, and they have no idea what they are doing.

Other than that the poker was good. Nobody seems to know what is going on with the construction in the middle of the tournament floor. The new rumor is the poker room is moving to the Grand Ballroom or Fox Tower soon. The water park thing seems to be gaining steam and people think it will become a reality.

I'm thinking they have to be planning on closing the entire rainmaker area and doing something else with it. If not a waterpark thing maybe a new ballroom to replace one the poker room might move too. They really need to condense the overall gaming areas and hopefully put something somewhere along the old mostly empty MGM mile!

Can anyone confirm or deny whether or not Foxwoods can and will spread draw games?

After hearing Badugi was in the big mix game that is usually O.E., I asked two different floor personnel and they seemed to think so, but really had no idea.

From what I had heard, their particular gaming commish wouldn't let them spread draw (where players handle the cards), as opposed to across the street, where they can spread it, but rarely spread much FL at all.

I've tried to figure this out and can't get a straight answer. If nobody knows, I'll probably write an email to the poker room manager or something, but I'm putting my faith in 2p2 first, thx.

A dealer told me that the poker room was moving to a ballroom located in Pequot, where the Pirates Of The Carribean exhibit was.
There has been a lot of gossip about rainmaker closing and a water park going in. Who knows?

Something has to happen. The place is too big for its own good given the new level of competition in the area. I can't understand the mall but I'm not a prototypical mall patron nor a mall developer so what do I know. But if you have a hotel, casino, good food options, a mall, and a water park at least you are differentiating from competing casinos/destinations in the area.

Don't forget the ice skating ring.

IMO the water park is a good idea, the mall not so much. I've always felt they needed a small movie theater.

Staying at Two Trees tomorrow night. I don't like paying for the $49 room especially when they add on taxes plus resort fee plus taxes to kick it up to $67. Complained to a host and was told the reason I had to pay instead of the usual free room was that it was very busy this time of year. I don't really think so!

I think the Mall will work. Clinton Crossings is always packed I also like the water park idea.

The poker room over by Pequot would be a interesting spot way more foot traffic.

I just hope it's not horribly condensed and has reduced capacity. Even though the traffic is slowing down it will still be wild during busy nights with Tourney's and cash going on. Btw does anyone know which ballroom which hosted the Pirates thing?

The mall could work if the prices are reasonable. If they are selling jeans for 100+ they probably shouldn't bother opening.

The sunset ballroom in great cedar is where they had the pirates exhibit. The same place they have had tourneys in the past. I'm not so sure that's big enough

One opposing theory last week was they wouldn't want it in the Pequot Ballroom for fear it would take away business from their other table game players who would wander in and play poker instead of games against the house.

Clinton Crossing is right of the highway, Foxwood's is 9 miles in from 95 from that direction, and who knows how far from the other direction. Look at the area Foxwood's draws its gamblers. From my direction, why drive past the Wrentham outlets to go to Conn to shop, and from the other why pass Clinton Commons.

The question about pricing is one that interests me. Are they going to be discount outlet stores? People will travel for that, but that is not the retail model that Foxwoods has, in fact the cash prices are marked up because the value of the points and has to be adjusted so. 1 1/2 points for $1 of gas, $8.50 for a $5 foot long of Subway. Will each article of clothing have a cash price and a points price. Will the stores even accept points. Conversely will shoppers going for a bargain want to pay the current marked up prices for food and drink say at the food court by the MGM. Will they stay overnight at the hotels? Time will tell. It will be interesting to see. Will it be a success as an outlet mall, and what will Foxwood's get out of it? Revenue as land owners? or are they expecting increased gambling traffic? If the mall is a huge success, will the gamblers want to fight traffic to get into the place? (Remember traffic jams when Foxwood's first opened?) As Yogi Berra once said about going to a popular night club in New York, "Nobody goes there anymore, It's too crowded!"

My vote for a new poker room is the Grand Pequot ballroom at the rotunda by Dunkin' Donuts. Knock out the current wall, make it all glass and let everyone that walks past be able to see into the room

Thinking about traveling here for the WSOPC. How regularly does Foxwoods spread OE or straight Stud8 cash games and what stakes? Also, does Foxwoods offer a WSOPC room rate? Looking to stay somewhere for less than $80/night. Thanks for any help!

FYI this is the only ballroom at Pequot and it's not where the Pirate exhibit was held.

Not according to the website.

There is usually a gap between the announcement of the tournament schedule and the announcement of rooms at a tournament rate.

When did the schedule come out?

My impression from FW's press releases announcing this was that it's going to be an outlet mall with discounted prices. This is what Tanger does; they have more than 40 other locations. (This is clearly different from FW's current retail model.)
People will definitely travel for this, the only question is how many and how often. (Tanger already has another location in Westbrook, CT, just off 95, and about 30 min closer to NYC than FW.)
Whether or not the outlet mall will accept points, and at what value, is unclear, but I don't think that serious gamblers who build up huge points balances are actually their main target market for this.
It appears to me that FW is trying to reposition itself as a multi-activity destination for active shoppers and casual gamblers (and possibly families), as well as for serious gamblers. This is sort of what LV did successfully years ago, but FW will never have the critical mass of non-gambling attractions which LV has.
In any case, it's pretty clear that FW's gambling traffic will decline somewhat (if and) when Mass and NY casinos open, and FW will have to shrink its floorspace devoted to gambling, as they've already started, and possibly have to mothball or find alternative uses for a lot of hotel rooms.

Most weekends the hotels are still sold out. I don't think they need to do anything there.

Not sure. It's quite close. I would suggest calling the poker room to anyone who wants to go and can't get a cheap/free room.

Also, the schedule for the PPC satellites just came out, and they have already announced tournament rates.