We still play the 5/10 NL, last couple of weeks there have been a couple vip players who like PLO more so that has taken preference. The action has slowed and NL will be the main game unless that changes again.

I went recently and the games had some really good players but two bad players in particular. I followed these 2 kids to play 3 handed at higher stakes and they were horrible. I think Matt was one name and Calvin was the other . I cleaned out Calvin in poker and Matt with all prop bets. Next time we play 3 handed I'll probably pay their rake to make it fair.

Glad to hear there's always some easy action floating around!

Any rumors regarding the igaming bill in terms of online poker offered by Ballys? I see slots and live dealer casino games but no mention of poker. Anyone got the scoop?

Twin River was a **** show last night.

They were so short on dealers, the lists for every game were very long. The 1-2 list was over 40 people at one point, around when I noticed that the amount of people hanging out in the room waiting to be called was larger than the amount of people actually playing.

Then it got worse, and they actually closed down live tables to send dealers home.

The dealer shortage seems to be caused by a number of factors:

1 - Twin River is on a hiring freeze for poker dealers - which is completely insane
2 - When Twin hired all the new poker dealers when they reopened the room after covid, they promised them all they'd only tax them on their base rate ($15ish/hr), not their tips. Once they hired all the dealers they needed, they changed their tune and now tax them on that rate + their tips.
3 - There's a cascading effect where dealers quit because of this, so the remaining dealers get asked to work more, then they feel overworked and start calling out, then the ones not calling out get even more overworked, then they start calling out too. Basically, every single day there's call outs. And because they're not hiring, that just means the room is perpetually understaffed for demand.

Basically you can't play here any more unless you are willing to wait an hour+ to get on a table, for the most part, until Twin River gets their **** together.

sad. it has so much potential but I'm seeing some of those dealer issues and can kind of tell the good staff there isn't being given the help they need to succeed and with the poker player crowd its tough as there are so many very particular personalities that can't understand that and make it harder. the system also blows and is outdated so lots of energy is wasted that could be much more efficient.

obviously there is the rumor that Maverick Gaming comes in and changes the game. there was talked about openly in the room according to some regs.

last week on the only friends podcast they were interviewing Wayne Chiang who did Live at the Bike and now just launched Ballys Live at Commerce. it was an offhanded comment but in that interview he mentioned what Bally's was going overall and putting effort into building out there poker brand he mentioned Bally's in Vegas at the Trop, what he was doing at Commerce and also mentioned Erik Perrson opening up a new room and doing a stream in Rhode Island. so that is in the works for sure although actually making that happen might be too much given the situation. that is our only hope in New England for having any decent poker option that ,might even come close to pre pandemic.

It's bonkers how different Twin is on a busy Saturday night post-covid compared to pre-covid.

Pre-covid on a busy Saturday night, every one of the 24 (28?) tables in the room would be full, with 4 or 5 of those being $2/$5 and 2 or 3 being $5/$10. Now on a Saturday night if we're lucky there's 8 tables in play, with two of them being $2/$5 and one $5/10 (with a list that would make an amazing must-move if they had a dealer to launch it)

Also I think the Omaha experiment is completely dead, I haven't seen it running any time I've been there in a month or so

Saturday night was a nice return to form for the room, a total reversal over the Thursday **** show.

They had 16 tables running, including four $2-$5s and two $5-$10s. Action was great

i dont know, that poker is dark and cramped and bad, they only good thing is rake is ok

Will be in the area this weekend, how long should I expect to wait for 1-2/2-5 if I show up at 10pm on a Saturday? Does the room still close at 2am?

Any news about the supposed renovations?

Rumors but dealers are saying the deal was finalized with Maverick. Renovations by year end 2024

Heard the already started clearing slot machines on second floor.

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

More renovations? Is this good or bad for poker? I miss the action here and would def go back

i did hear Monday about the slot machines being removed. they recently changed one of the first floor areas to non-smoking as well. changes are being made.

i'd say its past the point of rumor at this point as its been talked about multiple layers between big picture stuff when ballys was opening the commerce stream, as well as at Twin itself by multiple layers of staff. its just a matter of when.

the action is very hit or miss these days i've found and i'm sure players like bert_stare are heading elsewhere some days but they'd all be back playing at Twin with a little hype that Maverick will bring. if they can actually get dealers, a good floor, start doing good promos and mtts we might actually have a central poker room in new england. until then we are gonna struggle a bit and games will be a bit hit or miss.

all that said, i could have wrote all this three months ago, six months ago etc etc. so i'm not getting excited or making any plans yet.

I used to love this room. Was there multiple time per week in the summer of 2017 --> 2018.

I am going to be in the area for a concert tonight - closes at 2? That was one of the awesome things about this room pre-Covid. played many all-nighters.

Having an 18+ environment was amazing. Plenty of kids who were learning and bluff heavy.

It "closes" at 2am, but what that actually means is that at 1:30 they call last hand. It sucks, the late night shift pre-covid was amazing

Here's the full press release:

https://casinos.ballys.com/lincoln/f...artnership.pdf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BALLY'S TWIN RIVER CASINO ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC POKER ROOM PARTNERSHIP

Providence, Rhode Island (July 8, 2024) -- Bally's Twin River announced today that it has
partnered with nationally recognized Maverick Gaming to elevate the poker room experience
and rebrand the poker area to the Bally's Maverick Poker Room. The collaboration aims to
create the ultimate poker experience for players of all levels, increase revenue generated by
the Bally's poker offering and create new jobs.

Bally's will continue to operate and manage the poker room which consists of approximately
23 tables, all located on the smoke-free second floor of the casino.

According to Tony Rohrer, Regional Vice President and General Manager of Bally's Twin River,
The Bally's Maverick Room is expected to host daily tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $50
to $450, offering a diverse range of games, including No Limit Hold'Em, to cater to recreational
and professional poker enthusiasts alike.

"Our goal is to elevate the gaming experience of our poker room by tapping into the knowledge
and experience of Maverick Gaming to attract world-renowned poker players and position the
Bally's Maverick Poker Room as the premier poker destination in the region. We intend to
increase revenue to the state from our enhanced offering and create new employment
opportunities as we build a more robust poker product."

He continued, “Building on our legacy of excellence, we are continually investing in every
aspect of the Bally’s experience. In 2023, we embarked on a transformative journey with the
renovations at Bally's Twin River, redefining luxury and enhancing our spaces. We recently
introduced an Asian Food Hall, Korean-style spa, a gaming addition, and new no-smoking
areas. These enhancements underscore our ongoing efforts to innovate and exceed
expectations, providing guests with unparalleled comfort and enjoyment.”

"Our long-term plan is to eventually, with proper regulatory approval, hold tournaments seven
days a week, with varying buy-ins to accommodate all types of recreational and professional
players,” said Eric Persson, CEO of Maverick Gaming, expressing his enthusiasm for the
project. “Additionally, we are excited to bring our poker experience to a major brand casino
such as Bally's Twin River which is an ideal setting for our twice annual circuit event which
likely will attract more than 3,000 players,"

Rohrer concluded, "With its exceptional offerings, Bally's Twin River and Maverick Gaming are
confident that Bally’s Maverick Room will become the premier poker destination in the region."
For more information about Bally’s Maverick Room and upcoming tournaments, please visit
the Bally's Twin River website or contact the poker room directly at 401-475-8300.

About Bally’s Corporation:

Bally's Corporation is a global casino-entertainment company with a growing omni-channel
presence. It currently owns and manages 15 casinos across 10 states, a golf course in New
York, a horse racetrack in Colorado, and has access to OSB licenses in 18 states. It also owns
Bally's Interactive International, formerly Gamesys Group, a leading, global, online gaming
operator, Bally Bet, a first-in-class sports betting platform, and Bally Casino, a growing iCasino
platform.

With 10,600 employees, the Company's casino operations include approximately 15,300 slot
machines, 580 table games and 3,800 hotel rooms. Upon completing the construction of a
permanent casino facility in Chicago, IL, and a land-based casino near the Nittany Mall in State
College, PA, Bally's will own and/or manage 16 casinos across 11 states. Bally’s also has rights
to developable land in Las Vegas post the closure of the Tropicana. It shares trade on the New
York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "BALY".

About Maverick Gaming:

Maverick Gaming is majority owned and was founded by gaming industry veterans Eric
Persson, who previously served as Global Senior Vice President of Slots at Las Vegas Sands
and Justin Beltram, former Vice President of Slots at Bellagio, and Marina Bay Sands. Together
they bring over 30 years of gaming experience spanning gaming markets around the world
including the Las Vegas Strip (Venetian, Palazzo, Bellagio), Macau (Sands China Limited),
Singapore (Marina Bay Sands), and many regional markets in North America.
Maverick Gaming is located in Kirkland, Washington and currently owns four casinos in
Nevada, three in Colorado and twenty-three card rooms in Washington.

Media Contacts:

Diane Spiers, VP of Marketing & Public Relations
Dspiers@ballys.com
Tim Louie, Director of External Communications
Tlouie@ballys.com

Says some of the right things for a press release. I'm curious as I haven't been in the casino since the start of summer if anyone has any details? Have they cleared out space for the new tables? are they planning on Bravo/Pokertracker? Any chance we get 8 or 9 handed cash tables? I'm very curious about all these things. Tournament players must be thrilled and I"m looking forward to the series Bally's runs. Anything is better than what we have and I do believe they have a good chance to become the poker center of New England if they run it right.

I know maverick gaming isn't the greatest but they'll find out quickly they wont have to do much to smash guarantees. The demand for real tournaments in the region is large. Their biggest challenge is going to be finding dealers. I wonder what the timeline looks like.

I'm excited

Does anybody know why there was $5/$10 PLO running last night instead of $5/$10 NLH?

I hadn't seen PLO running at any stake in the room in months, and the $5/10 NLH list was 14 people deep, but the floor started a fifth $1/$2 table instead of a $5/10 table, to everyone's frustration.

So Poker Atlas continues to say that the room has just 8 tables, but I keep hearing that they often have more than that running. For anyone who's been there recently, how many tables are they tending to open on a weekend?

There's 28 tables in the room, and pre-covid they'd all be full on weekends.

Post-covid, I've never seen more than 8 tables going on a week night.

I'm not there on weekends much, but I was there in March on a weekend and they had 16 tables going. No idea what recent weekends are like though.

PA is historically bad at keeping room info up to date on rooms that don’t use PA live list.