F&O were determined to do a photo shoot on this Thursday. So, up and out of the room at the ungodly houur of 1130. They wanted a montage of pix of all the iconic LV sights. They drove to the Welcome sign, the line was too long. They went to the new arch (which is good, by the way), but the lighting was awful for photos during the day. They successfully made it to the Peppermill parking lot, and to Vegas Vickie before starvation set in and having b-fast at eat. Heads up, fans ~ they only serve chicken-fried-steak on the weekends. That’s okay though, all of their food is fabulous. Really.
By now it’s well into prime poker playing time. Ollie is jonesin’ for some O8, and Flynn is amenable to giving the Orleans yet another try for some of their 1/2 NL. Those of you who read our Twitter account will have already heard the highlights of this experience, which was pretty much an epic cluster of ineptness. Ollie was not able to get an O8 seat, as the list was miles long ~ instead he played 4/8 limit while biding his time for Omaha. Flynn got a seat at a new 1/2 NL table, which is his preferred method for getting into a game (everyone on equal footing).
We recap the madness at the Orleans:
Ollie’s experience: The dealer logged out a player who had announced he would be right back, leaving his (sapphire) card at his seat. He was gone for 9 minutes before a different seat opened up, and a new player arrived. The new player demanded to be sat at the ‘occupied’ seat, the floor was called, was told the player was still active, and that he had only been gone 9 minutes (per the clock on the card-swipey thing). The floor LET the new player move into this guy’s seat anyway!!!! WTF? The (sapphire) guy came back within the allotted time, and found his stuff moved to a different seat. Absurd.
Flynn’s experience: Stared a new table. Everyone over 75, with bad hearing and bad eyesight. Dickwad to the right of Flynn immediately takes on role of table captain and YELLS at players (Dumb and Dumber) to his right about discussing hands mid-play. Right, they shouldn’t. No, you don’t scream at them. The fight was on. Both Dickwad and Dumb standing nose-to-nose over the partition, threatening to take each other on in the parking lot. Flynn’s poker table was out on the slot floor, outside the rail. Obviously it took the floor a few minutes to get there, and sadly Flynn didn’t have the speed to get video. Floor finally arrives, the f-bomb is still flying, threats of physical harm are still being made. Dickwad demands a table -change. Instead of sending him (and Dumb) out the door, they give Dickwad his table change. They don’t penalize (okay, not a tournament) anyone for this behavior, violation of etiquette, or even violation of poker rules. WTF?
With Dickwad gone the loud drama subsides, but the utter disregard for any semblance of order is not. Players are betting out of turn, tapping table to check then betting when the next person acts, stating one raise & putting out a different amount, and angle-shooting like Flynn has never seen in his life. Flynn calls the floor once because Dumb wouldn’t keep his mask on. They brought him another mask (“that one was too loose”), which didn’t help at all obviously. Flynn asked the dealer to control the table with the above listed violations, and NOT A SINGLE THING WAS DONE. The dealer didn’t enforce any rules (several dealers, by the way, not just one).
Enough of that sh*&. If Flynn is going to pay rake, he wants the bare basics of service for that. This means competent floor and dealers, who can handle jack-asses and don’t enable cheating. F&O cash out & get out. Flynn will never go back. Ollie may, next trip, since that is the only place to play 4/8 O8.
On to the next poker room, the Aria.
There are no dramatic stories to tell here. The players played in turn, announced or raised properly, didn’t angle-shoot, didn’t fight, and the floor was not called for one-single-thing. Don’t get Flynn wrong, he has seen his fair share of disputes and near-blows at the Aria, but they were handled quickly and efficiently by the staff. Every person wore their mask, it was clean, and the dealers were competent. Flynn and Ollie used some comps to grab a burger (the only thing open and avail to an active poker player), hung out and played for several hours. Happy and peaceful, they ended their Thursday night on a definitive high note. Mission accomplished.
The Chronicle is more than willing to throw in some hand notes if anyone really wants them. Give us a shout.
Fin
Flynn
Still have never felt comfortable playing poker at Orleans. I like the slots there, though, and hotel rooms are nice. Fortunately, I haven’t seen it be as bad as you experienced.
Really wish we could get ahold of the surveillance video of the experience. It was crazy. And, it has been less than stellar in the past, but not like this. I hope for Ollie’s sake, they clean house soon.
Sounds like the Orleans was a cluster! Was it a one time thing, being that our Country lost it’s mind the same night or is it a running theme, dealers don’t care? For a fish like me, just learning… Not an atmosphere I’m willing to risk. I’ll stick to places with good reviews/experiences.
You ask a legitimate question, Les. I think the player attitude was slightly escalated by the prevailing hostility (stoked by media, encouraged by jackasses). However, this does not apply nor account for the lack of response by the floor persons to the gross violations of the published room rules. The dealers, I imagine, were handcuffed as if they had tried to enforce sanity, they would not have been backed up by the floor. The Chronicle believes the Orleans has always been a place that caters to the regulars, no matter how blatantly ‘wrong’ the local player is, as that is their bread and butter. The tourist, in that particular room, is the minority, and therefore not a source of steady income. F&O have played at the Orleans numerous times, it has been borderline in the past. This was excessive.
Thanks for your assessment. Definitely not a place I’d risk as a newb unless they get control. The locals can have the chit show if that’s what they desire.