The description uses the WSOP name to describe the room. ""WSOP Poker Room, a live Poker Room named for and carrying the spirit of the legendary World Series of Poker,""

http://caesars.mediaroom.com/2021-08...0DMTx5PMxL-FQM

I think I've posted about my IoC experience in the past. Short: Got a room for my parents there. Moved them to a different hotel after the first night of a prepaid 5 night reservation.

I highly doubt a "redesign" will transform that dump into a reputable casino hotel.

Think it is more than a "redesign", it was previously owned by El Dorado resorts who didn't have the best reputation... hopefully with Ceasar's purchasing the El Dorado properties it will be able to match the quality of Golden Nugget and Lauberge to give SWLA a third nice option. We shall see though.

I took the word "redesign" from the link you posted..

The Inn at the Isle is or will be demo’s to become a parking lot.

The rest of the renovations are really more than reno. The last boat Grand Palaise or whatever is gone. In the old parking lot they are building a casino (law change allows this). Tower hotel supposedly gutted down to concrete and studs. The new facility is attempting to be a resort. IoC had given up on the location years ago; down graded it from destination to just a casino. And we’re trying to sell to any buyer. Ceasars’s appears to be attempting to make at least a resort if not a destination.

Yes there will be a poker room. Currently saying 10 table. Nothing close to the entire floor of the old small boat with 26 tables of old but in line with number of tables before closure. It will be largest room in the area, even bigger than Coushata. Honestly might still be too big for area. LB closed room because could not make money (won’t go into why imo). But combined LB and GN were only peaking at maybe 10 games on weekends. Now if TX cracks down on gray matter rooms or if shootings continue, things might change

With all that said, I expect a major improvement in the facilities. But will still be in a crap location next to a cement plant with *****ty access road. That might improve when I10 bridge replaced but that is years away from completion if it even happens. And they still can’t have a golf course without some HUGE costs. So I don’t see how they can compete with GN and LB. Sure maybe for poker they can, not like GN is wonderful, but as a casino I don’t see it and poker can’t carry the whole casino.

But it will be better than the Belle in BR. LOL

Supposedly the “new” Horseshoe casino, the old Westlake Isle of Capri, will re-open Monday December 12th. It will now be a land based casino (no boat, no barge, no crew included licensed Capt).

Poker wise have heard about 10 tables and using the WSOP brand. No idea if tournaments might be held in a conference or ballroom. Not sure if new regs allow this or not.

Be interesting to see what happens between HS an GN (also Cashouta) over next 6- 18 months. Unless courts s/d poker in TX I don’t believe SWLA can support 2 or 3 rooms of 25 or so rooms. Imo not even the ~16 between HS and GN. At least not long term. But It will be nice to have a choice for awhile.

I would imagine GN would be happy to close their room and make it an extension of the sportsbook or something along those lines. I would imagine the Horseshoe will become the prime SWLA poker room if they try. Also not sure about tourney regulations, but I genuinely believe they could have huge numbers for a circuit stop being so close to Houston. Hopefully they have a ballroom or something where they could host.

Generally agree that if HS wants to become the dominant poker room in the area. That isn’t saying much given the efforts GN is putting forward. Heck, post COVID LB next door could have dominated if they wanted. But LB owners seem to have less interest in poker than GN. I am still a little surprised LBBR even reopened those 4 tables on the floor.

As to larger events. I do know that when gaming had to occur on a boat/barge, none of the casinos chose to run them. I know that GN event center was on the barge but was not considered part of the gaming sq ft. However at Harrahs Nola the theatre was used to host tournaments. Either the true land based casino had differing rules or GN had much less interest. I suspect the latter or both. But since the new HS is still considered biat based, they may be under the old rules. So it really depends on much I don’t know about the new rules

Anybody been to play in the horseshoe yet? Would like to go check it out this week. Heard there was a couple of good plo games that got rolling over the weekend.

Only been once but nothing spectacular NLHE. This was back shortly after they opened.

There was a pretty active PLO. 2-5 iirc. Biggest issue was the room did not really have the chips for the games. For buy ions, add ons and rebuys the player needed to go to main casino cage for chips. They may have fixed this.

I know originally they offered 5-10 limit holdem. I was toLB by a floor (been around a long time)) that they went with 5-10 vs 4-8 to reduce the number of white chips in play. Again, this was factually stated not a player nor dealer opinion. Now they are offering 4-8. (I say offer, very seldom have I seen any FL game running)

MODS: Would be good to uodate the name in subject line
Maybe the lack of chips issue has been resolved. But it seems like the PLO game goes pretty regularly each Fri and/or Sat. Don’t recall seeing PLO during the week but I have not been monitoring close.

There is some scuttle butt that several dealers want to go back to GN. Have not seen any come back though. That might be sour grapes from a dealer who did not move or might be the normal initially overstaff so folks don’t get the hours desired. Such staffing also lets casino have room to selectively prune.

TLR
Nothing spectacular good or bad. 1 table of (often) 2-5 PLO most weekends. Can get deep.

2-5 PLO got rolling about 5pm Friday, Feb 3. Personally, I find HS room to be a much more professionally run room than GN at the moment. Once Horseshoe fires up tournaments which should be this month, it will be yet another point of favorable separation between it and GN. It would not surprise me to see GN room close, although I have one poker playing friend who is friends with Fertita who says that he is committed to poker in all of his casinos. If true, he needs to show the Lake Charles room some love quick before it dies.

As your friend why GN Biloxi doesn’t have a room. Where that room used to be is now a bunch of sports book machines. I could see GN deciding to place some horribad 6:5 BJ and bad slots in the sports book area just like LB did where Jack Daniels used to be. Might leave a room for a whopping 3poker tables. But then again that would likely be enough.

I also believe GN has been really in decline. If LB had made a real attempt post COVID sd I think we would be discussing a HS vs LB survival. I have watched GN really decline post COVID sd. Seen some pretty good dealers just give up and decay in place

Given GN doesn’t even have any full time mgmt poker staff, I am confident HS is more committed to poker than GN and Fertita. Consider, when was last time GN even att3mpted any tournaments. Basically never have. Not even when they were still on casino floor with more tables. One free roll based on hours in a seat and some pathetic weekly ones early on.

Honestly, as long as grey market poker remains in TX, Htown in particular, I don’t think LC can support two rooms, three if you include Coushata. The whole area might only support one.

And speaking on tournies, Coushatta has completely gotten away from any tournies of significance. This is the first year in some time they didnt run the Winter Blowout so I assume there will be no Summer Blowout either, even though the last one got a really nice prizepool >$40k. Spoke to a couple of people at the Shoe and sounds like they will be gunning for a circuit stop in '24 so hopefully that goes through.

Is the Friday night PLO game still been going off?

Don’t think I hav seen it the last couple of days weeks

It goes most Fridays.

Game is largely built around one particular player and much more likely to go if he is in town.

Game regularly attracts some difficult personalities (one in particular), and there are is a lot of conflict and yelling with the occasional chest puffing and stare downs.