Question about the casino in Gary, are NL games time collected or do they rake the pots? I plan on making a trip to Chicago in the spring & want to play @ a casino that does not charge by the half hour, they do have several casinos in the area, which ones dont charge by the half hour, thanks in advance for replies.

Majestic Star, Ameristar & Horseshoe all have a max rake of $5.00 plus $1 for promotions on 1-2 and 2-5. Originally Majestic Star had a time charge every half an hour but switched to a rake after about a year. The best action is now at the Horseshoe’s 34 table poker room.

Thanks for the response, now i have another question, what about an economical motel/hotel i can stay in for about 4 or 5 days, just need a place to shower & sleep, not going to spend alot of time in room, thanks in advance.

I’m just about done updating the Chicago Poker Room Guide. www.cardclubs.net/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=165 As you scroll down I have three motels listed close to the Horseshoe. Just click on the motel to get room rates.These motels are not that far from the other two. The Ramada gives discounts to Horseshoe customers. Majestic Star & Ameristar have special rates on rooms during the week for poker players. The only problem is it gets lonely playing in their poker rooms.

^lol

Looks like they have a Motel 6 in Hammond, i'll probably go with that option, if i make the trip next Spring.

Majestic Star does have a poker room rate. The Hammond Horseshoe is about 4 or 5 miles away. I have driven back and forth between the two on many occasions. Majestic is not as popular as it once was due to the Horseshoe's larger nicer room. Majestic does have a bad beat jackpot. Also the dealers and floor people from the Horseshoe come to Majestic to play and don't seem to mind it. Of course, they aren't able to play anywhere else in the area. Resorts(ameristar) card room is hardly worth even trying.

Majestic pays $1 hour for food comps. I think they might be a little lenient with their comps. Not sure.

My real reason for heading to Majestic is to play in the Heartland Poker Tour event that is scheduled for April 2009, i hope i can satellite my way into the main event, probably check out the Horseshoe as well for a little cash game action.

I'm heading out to Chicago in March for a conference - staying at the Hilton. What would be the best way to get to the Horseshoe from there? Cab? How much can I expect to pay if I wanted to use a taxi?

Thanks in advance for any responses...

-P

the buyins for the horseshoe listing are incorrect.

1/2 is 60-200.
2/5 is 200-500

There's another thread on the Horseshoe on the first or second page, you might be better off asking there. I believe that there is a motor coach service from the Hyatt, which is about a $7 cab ride or a $2.25 bus ride from the Hilton. A taxi would be rather steep - about 16 miles at about 2.50/mile, plus a toll, plus time charges for any traffic, plus tip.

Thanks I made the corrections.

Majestic is a good change of pace for me too. I have been treated very well there.

Sunglasses and I have had this debate and I don't mean to harp on it, but someone asking about poker rooms in the Chicago area may want to hear all of the various opinions.

In my opinion, and others will certainly disagree, the Majestic is a pit and I have found the customer service to be terrible. I think most people will have a more pleasant, fun experience at the Horseshoe. Also, the structure and organization of the tournaments at the Horseshoe is better.

Good luck and have fun

Rocco, what about the HPT events that the Majestic puts on, would you care to comment on those, they seem successful.

Sorry, I meant to comment on the Heartland. I played in the Heartland last Spring and had a great time. I got a seat in the main event through one of the qualifiers and just missed the money in the main event when my AK got cracked by AQ.

The tournament was well-run by the Heartland staff. The tournament is not "put on" by the Majestic. The Heartland staff comes into the host casinos and runs the tournament. The tournament has a great structure. Long levels, lots of starting chips, slow escalation of the blinds. I will play in this again in the Spring.

My only complaint was that on day one of the main event, we played poker for something like 8 or 9 hours and there was no lunch or dinner break -- only short breaks after every few levels. The Majestic does have a sandwich bar next to the poker room, but it is even worse than anything they have at the Horseshoe. My point is that I was hungry. So, if you play the Heartland, bring some snacks in your pocket that you can eat during the short breaks.

Thanks for your input Rocco, i hope i can make it for the one in the Spring, if i do, i hope i can find time to see some of Chicago while im there, i only plan on staying for one week.

Disagree again Roc - The food at the sandwich bar at Majestic is very good. I have gotten many sandwiches there. At the Shoe I had a hamburger at JB’s that was so dry I couldn’t swallow it. As far as good food vs. bad it’s the buffets. The buffet at the Majestic is terrible compared to the buffet at the Shoe. The buffet at the Shoe is great.

If you don’t want a sandwich at Majestic it is a good idea to bring snacks but you can take a quick elevator ride down to the first floor and grab a good HOT DOG! They do have the much debated HOT DOG at Majestic.

In fact, I am looking forward to being at Majestic on Friday and plan to have the Ham and Swiss on Marble Rye and a cup of soup. MmmmmmMmmmmGood!

I 100% agree

No casino in this area had better food options than Resorts. Great buffet, great sports bar, great steakhouse, very good 50's diner, vip room that regular poker player were entitled to eat in, great hot dogs on the third floor, and some very decent sandwhich choices right in the poker room.

If Resorts (now Ameristar, of course) still had a busy room with a wide variety of limits, I would deep-six the Horseshoe faster than I could finish this sentence.

This is true coco. Cept' the poker room always felt like I was playing in a cave. And if someone would have yelled "fire" in that room you would have been trampled. My last experiences there were bad too. There was a complete "I don't care" attitude with the floor and dealers at Resorts(Ameristar).

I like Majestic because at least there are some windows in the room. Also, I like the idea of some competition as far as poker rooms. Majestic personnel treat me well and I don't have a problem getting seated or having a table go short. 10-handed makes a difference to me.

Does anyone know how many people on average the Star is getting for their tourneys now a days?

The thought of eating in that place makes me retch but to each his own. Enjoy.

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Why don't you just phone and ask them? - 219-977-7444