I was recently playing poker in Austria. I did a trip report so I'll just re-post the relevant part

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The rake was 5%/15 euros max ($23.50 CAN / $20US). I remark that it only being at 5% is pretty reasonable (ignoring the 15 euro max). The regs at the table tell me that Casino Wein has the highest rake around, all the card rooms (poker only) are usually 3%!

Going to Montreal on the 2nd to pick up my girlfriend from her dance intensive (not pole). I'll probably hit up the poker room at least once while I'm there. Has anyone played LHE there? If it's like everywhere else then I'm sure it's donkalicious. If any 2p2ers want to meet up, I'll be there until the 6th.

The only good thing at the poker room ... THEY ALLOW YOU TO HAVE MP3 PLAYERS. Listen to eminem while playing poker FTW.

they have a 3/6 game running... there was no wait time last time i was there around 6 to 7 ppl playing

Actually, technically, they specifically -don't- allow any MP3 players at the table. Just played last night and a dealer pointed that out to one of the players. But, they don't enforce the rule so you do see maybe 1/2 players per table using them and floor doesn't seem to care.

yesterday they had 40 people on wait list for 1/2, 30 for 2/5, 10 for 5/5 and a few for 5/10.... AT 5 PM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The worst casino I've been to by far

they really have to open up the other side of the room with real dealers... Do you know if they converted the Sit n Gos with dealers now? or is it still in electronic...

3 months back it was still electronic and they said they were working on making the sng with dealers

sng are all electronics... If I could put some money on that, I would bet that they're trying to make this fail...

What do you mean? that their trying to make the whole poker room a failure in montreal???

If they don't, they're sure making a good job letting us thinks they do... I haven't been to every casinos on the planet, but I've played in maybe a dozen. I've never seen any of those even remotely close in terms of failure than Montreal's...

I went there in June and the day I went there were not any limit hold em games whatsoever. It was all NL, mostly 1/2 NL. If you didn't want to wait, you had to play an awful electronic poker table 1/2 NL that couldn't pick up your touch. It was ridiculous. Everyone there was tippy tapping with a player's card to try to make the stupid-ace thing respond. The only value I saw to the poker room was if you wanted to get high/drunk before you arrived and ride up the escalator. That was pretty.

As others report, I had to go to a bar and I could not bring any alcohol out of the bar, I had to drink it all there, instead of going back to my table game. That's right. No smoking and drinking at the poker table is stupid enough, and but NO DRINKING on a dice game??? To add insult to injury, I got sweated very obnoxiously on the dice game by a hostile, glaring pit person who gave me the impression that he'd like to see me extradited from Canada immediately if not sooner. I mean, this suit came and stood right by me much too close in my personal space so I could be sure to understand I was receiving the "hairy eyeball." I was being quiet and well-behaved and didn't touch a blackjack game, so I really didn't feel I needed quite so much heat. They had my real name as I had to give my passport to get Canadian $$$ to play with so apparently they knew who I was. I mean, I can't really assume that they are so "welcoming" to every visitor.

Hey, peoples, if you let me drink at the dice table, maybe you wouldn't be sweating it so much that I was a "skilled" shooter.

We had a negative expectation in this casino -- the only reason we made $$$ is because the craps table was dumping. In my humble opinion, the only reason to visit this casino is entertainment, not profit. Nice architecture, nice views...but spare me the friendly table games staff and bizarre alcohol policy.

I agree with the whole alcohol thing... I'm surprised this guy was such an ahole. They had 3/6 limit running when I went, wasnt a full table but 6-7 handed. They honestly can be the best poker room in Canada if they tried so much harder... open up the other side of the room with real dealers with better management and that poker room can be the best in Canada imo.

Feels like you're going to a hip strip bar imo.

Anyway yeah I agree with most of you, their execution of their poker room is quite sad. It has potential to be so much more, I really don't know wtf they're thinking.

I was there last weekend and the games are soft as always. That was 1/2. May go back tonight or tomorrow.

As a visitor without a car, is the casino easily accessible? or do you need a car to get around here? Any cheap lodging options around?

You can't easily walk to it from the city if thats what you are asking, its kinda on and island on the St. Lawrence river. Cab from city should be 10m with a little traffic.

They have Live sngs now. 100$ (total buy in with rake) and 5$ dealer tip for like 40% more chips. I played in the first live SNG and won it. Lasted a long time with a dencent blind structure. people where on the bubble with 100 chips and kept surviving cause the btn/sb just folded everyone was scared.

The waiting list is still a problem. I understand the concept they only want 3 200nl table open at the same time. Fine. That's ok. What's not ok is people come put their name on the list and get tired of waiting and leave.... they don't tell anyone their leaving they just leave.

So i'm sitting on a 200nl table and 4 spot are empty with a 30+ waiting list. Doesn't make sense right? they call a name and wait 10 minutes for people that aren't even there. there are about 5 people waiting at the bar and a list 30+ going well off the screen. people go play other games don't come back, that's not right. It's not always their fault there is a waiting list with no ETA and no way to find out where you are on the list unless you are in the poker room... So basically you wait 3 hours of empty name calling and get on a 6 person table where everyone refuses to paly until the table is 8 people +.

Another problem is people that just came pretend to be someone who was already on the waiting list. so they announce "calling Freddy!" , "2nd call for Freddy" some random will go I'm Freddy even though their Karl and are last on the list.

Organization is always bad. Most dealers still can't do their job properly. There is on dealer however who deals extremely fast, but they switch dealers every 30 minutes and that takes another 5 minutes. They no longer bring keno runners to the tables (which they used to do). The poker room is freezing like a freezer and 1$ for drinks. I know they say they're free... but if you don't tip they make faces and stuff.

Finally they allow up to a double straddle. Which is fine, but i think it's out of hand when others at the table bitch at you for not putting the straddle/double on (if you have a crazy table which is rare). I was on a 1/2 table and since they only aloud a double stradle 1 person put a blind raise and gave me 32$ to put a blind raise to. so we played a hand of 1/2/4/8/16/32 on a 1/2 table. I couldn't pass on 32$ free. I did it got kings and got sucked out by 4/10 all in pre flop in a 1200$ pot. Then people made fun of me and laughed at me it was epic.

End of rant

You can take the Metro to the Jean Drapeau station and then there's a free bus transfer to the casino. The entire trip shouldn't take much more than 30 minutes from downtown, but the Metro stops running around 1:00 am.

At least during the summer, a free shuttle bus runs during the day to and from the casino to a couple of downtown hotels.

Not sure what you consider cheap lodging. I can usually get a 3* for $50-65/night through priceline as long as there isn't a major event going on.

You can take the subway though. That's like 3$ and then their is a free bus that brings you to the Casino and back.

Pricey food is right, my ex and I went to the buffet and the bill came to $80 for the two of us.

Just get it from the little old lady pushing the cart around... BOTTLE of water is free, tip $1. Works for me.

Arguably the worst card room in North America, if not the world.

-First, the rake is not $7 it's $10 max.

-They say it's 5% but it's not 5%, really. It is misleading. The betting on every street is round up to the highest 20 and rake is taken accordingly. Eg: Preflop raise to $15 and a call (ie $30), they take $2 right away. Flop betting $25 and a call (ie $50), they take another $3. That's $5 out of an $80 pot. Etc. Truly misleading.

-It has possible the most corrupted staff I have ever encountered. The game has zero integrity. The room's level of integrity is comparable to that of a third world's underground room. If you tip well, all is okay. If you don't then they'll screw you over by ruling against you during an angle shoot that was clearing intended against you.

One time my opponent went all in for $600 preflop after I 3bet him to $100 and while I was pondering, he flipped over pocket Aces claiming to have heard "call". The floor comes in and in 3 seconds says "it's a call".

One time a dealer called the floor and said that I called him a "****ing jerk". I hadn't said a word. The whole table backed me up. They told me to leave and the little dealer was happy that hopefully someone who will tip better will take my seat.

-There are zero comps.

-Not only can you not eat or drink alcoholic beverages at the tables, they are priced at literally 3x the price of a convenience store. A Red Bull is $8.

-The only drinks that are free are water and watered down soda. And for that you have to tip, cause if you don't you'll get a dirty look. Might as well bring your own soda cans.

-Employees are unionized and rude. Not only are they paid $25+/hour base, they can be as rude and unfair to you and nothing will happen to them. Not even a warning.

I had been going to the Poker room everyday ever since it opened its doors and got more than my fair share of horror stories.

I was one of the most loyal customers. In 2012 I was a VIP at that casino of the highest level. Meaning I had to lose about $100K in table games to earn that status. And the rewards I got out of it were precisely c*ck compared to Vegas and Foxwoods.

I have now put myself in a self-exclusion program from that Casino. I still gamble, a lot. I have no problem with losing as winning streaks come and go just as well. But this is about sending a message. Doubt they care though.

I've never experienced any unfair rulings @ this casino. Actually I've always felt it was a well run card room, although the cultural pressure towards tipping is absurd and the rake is extremely excessive.

AFAIK rake is / was $7 max @ 1/2 and $10 max @ 2/5 and 5/10

It's not nearly as bad as some people in this thread have made it sound, but truthfully, they aren't doing nearly enough to be competitive with all the other card rooms in the area.

You won't see an unfair call if you're a tourist dropping by on a trip or even just go there once every now and then. Try going for 5 years everyday consecutively and you'll witness more than your fair share of unfair calls. Against you as well as against other players.

One would think they would treat you like a King for giving them so much business. But no, the dealers making $100+ an hour aren't satisfied with what they're making. They need to be corrupted against that one guy who doesn't tip well and go biased towards those that do, at the expense of the integrity of the game.