by briachek » Thu May 04, 2006 11:33 am
The same as with MK, Rhound asked me to write some reviews of the poker rooms in AC. However, since 95% of my time is spent in the Taj which I consider far better than the rest, most of the information is there. Besides the new Borgata, I haven't been to any other casino more than once so I don't have anything to say about them.
Taj Majal – The poker room is huge, which I estimate to have about 80 tables, and plays most of the games you would find in other poker rooms. Limit holdem games range from $2/$4 to $100/$200 from what I’ve seen in the “High Limit” area. They offer $1/$2 NLHE with a $60 minimum buy in and $300 max which is a great deep game to play as the players are pretty bad and normal preflop raises range from $5 to $22. People will often bet big on the flop so its costly to draw but often don’t increase their bets sizes for the turn giving you good odds and will still pay you off at the end. $2/$5 NLHE, with $100 min and $500 max, is normally offered. Other games offered include Limit Omaha8 with a Half Kill, Stud, and 2-way games that are normally Stud H/L and Omaha8. There are 2 daily tourneys and SNGs available however the structures do not favor the good player. SNG’s often turn into crapshoots and only top spots pay, but a deal is often made. The entry fees are high as a $50 SNG cost $65 with $500 going to the winner of the 10 person table. MTT’s are a little better with the structure but their 15 min rounds (5k in starting chips starting at 25/50 blinds) don’t seem like much at first but blinds quickly double and antes start at about the 4th level. If I recall, buy ins for these daily MTT’s range from $100-$500 depending on the day of the week.
Wait time are usually not long since they have so many tables and dealers. Show up around noon when the early MTT is starting to shrink and tables just open and you will wait 15 minutes at most for your game of choice. You do earn comps for playing so make sure to asked to be signed in when you show and swipe out when you leave. Comps can be used for the poker snack bar, which offers service to the table if you don’t want to go to it yourself, or the buffet. The snack bar is actually VERY good and reasonably priced and if you play for about 10 hours, you earn $10 in comp which is plenty to pay for your meal.
Borgata – This room has recently been upgraded and they did a damn good job. They have probably about 60-70 tables in a well spaced comfortable room. Unlike other places that try to cram in one or two more tables in an area and sacrifice walking space, Borgata decided to leave walking space at a premium so you can walk around any table fully. They do have a separated high limits area that often have a named pro or two playing there and easily accessible to the public if you wish to rail. However, games seem pretty limited to NL and Limit holdem, which might not be a problem for most people. Waiting time is normally short due to the amount of table. However, if you wish to play a game like omaha h/l, I couldn't get a game even when the WPT was in the casino.
As for play, kenny can probably add more to it than me since he's played there more. It seems to be what you typically expect from live play. However, I seem to do better at the Taj and enjoy playing there, which i'm sure is not mutually exclusive, but I just feel more comfortable with the game feel at the Taj. Buy in for 1/2 is 300 max (60 min I believe, just like the Taj) and 500 max for 2/5 I believe. Other games higher might be no cap but I have no experience there.
You earn comps as you play as long as you log in. You can use the comps everywhere including for food in the new foodcourt located literally right below the poker room and has a wide variety of places from greasy burgers to vegetarian (located next to each other ironically), japanese, chinese, italian, cheese steaks, and an Ice cream place. If you wish to go other places, the Borgata is isolated from all the other casinos since its far from the boardwalk where most the others are located so its a 10 min drive if you wish to see other places.
Overall, very nice place with friendly staff and a good choice. Worth checking out definitely
Last edited by
briachek on Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:55 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Brian
[9s]
Anyone who gets in a fair fight, has no tactical skills.