Quote:
Originally Posted by answer20
Poker players want convenience and continuity (if we even know what that means) .. creatures of habit.
The most important thing a poker player should be thinking of ... can the game be beat? That is all that really matters if you are looking at this from a serious point of view. If they are just a rec player, then see above.
I don't really care where I drive to or what the expenses are if I have a realistic opportunity to cover those 'extra' expenses by being there. This is a big portion of bankroll management that most players don't think about. They look and see 12 BI in their right pocket, but pay no attention to how many swipes of the credit card they make along the way.
I've been to Harrah's in Joliet, IL a few times (4 or 5) and during two of those visits a 'certain' player just happened to be at the casino that night and blew $8000 (8 BI @ $800 each) at the 2/5 game on those nights. I'm told that he shows up 1 or 2 times a month and is a serious craps player who always takes 'a break' in the poker room during the night. I think I could find it in my heart to figure out this guy's schedule and be there on those nights regardless of the extra expenses I might encounter!!
As far as other poker room features and follies ... Of course you want every business to operate at the most efficient level, but in today's short staffed/short cut worlds we really need to be 'accepting' of a lot. I think you would find a stark difference between charity and casino operations simply because casinos have other operations going on that allow for them to 'properly' staff the poker room based on previous experiences ... and even that doesn't work too good at times.
My feeling is let the chips fall where they may ... and if that gets a few people 'out of sorts' then great, they are wasting energy on other than the poker they came there to be a part of which gives me a short term advantage. GL
Mostly good points, but at least some of what I expect doesn't require optimal business performance. Not telling the players when the room is going to be closed is unacceptable, and what business that cares at all about customers doesn't have a web site in 2015?
The main reason that I wanted to start this thread (before I found out that you had done it already) is what I learned from the Detroit thread. They discuss and compare their playing options in minute detail, and if two players complain about a room in that thread it can cost that room 10 players at their next tournament.
I've been at tables in both Grand Rapids and Muskegon where there have been Northway Lanes vs. TJs discussions, none of them initiated by me. Some of those players live in the Grand Haven/Spring Lake area and one if just about as close as the other, so they're looking for a reason to pick one over the other.
Those players crave information, and lots of it. We are no different than the players in Detroit. I care that the $50 tournament in Muskegon is slightly deeper than the one at TJs because it starts at 100/100 (TJs starts at 100/200.) I care that in general TJs has bigger player pools for similar tournaments. I consider everything, and I think it stinks that I don't get to play more hands than the guy who shows up 15 minutes late, because a tournament always starts late.
Starting on time, having an up-to-date web site and letting someone know when you're going to be closed aren't advanced business concepts. We should expect those things, at the very least, of every poker room. Let's not set our expectations too low.
I told someone in the Detroit thread that I tried to get a schedule of blinds and antes from TJs (I was told that it would happen but it never did) and the guy responded with: "Are you serious? They HAVE to give you that information."