Congratulations! You just became the manager of a Vegas poker room!

[MuckerFish]

I didn't read the whole thread, but here's my answer: Pink chip game baby!! 4/8 chip structure instead of 3/6 with big fat pots that will make everyone drool to get in.

Where do I send my W-2 to?

[iggymcfly]

I think I'm in good position to comment here since I play at about the 30/60 level and know a lot of out of town players that will fly into Vegas and play these limits as well.

First, forget screwing with the rake. The kind of players you want won't even notice. The only thing I remember about the time charges is that they did the screwy thing at the Wynn where the player paid it and then got it back when there was a time pot. I have no idea how much each casino took for time.

The most important thing IMO is service. The reason that the Wynn's able to compete as well as they do is that they put the most effort into giving their players good service. The seating's comfortable (unlike Bellagio where you're cramped like a sardine), they have the "massage girls" coming around, ordering food and drinks is convenient, etc., etc. If I wasn't planning on playing higher next time I'm in town, I'd be playing almost exclusively at the Wynn just due to the better service they offer.

Going with this, give everyone pagers when they get on the list. No one wants to sit in a cramped poker room and wait for their seat for an hour. And if you give me a pager when I'm at the casino, you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to go play blackjack. Isn't that the whole point of the poker room anyway, to get people gambling in the pit? This will also make it much easier to get the game started when the list is short.

These are the factors that will make the room thrive in the long run, but if you feel like you need a little extra "boost" to get the room started, do it with comps, not with rake reduction. A casual player will notice "oh nice, I got an extra $100 in comps at the end", but they're certainly not going to be thinking about if they saved an extra dollar an hour in time charges.

[ChicagoTroy]

I'd combine some of these suggestions with e-mail marketing (and phone texting). Track the users who live within X miles of the casino. What time of day they play. E-mail offered comps during specific times of day that "happen" to fall in line with when they tend to gamble. Perhaps the offer is particular sweet when the list and or table is getting short. This allows you to lose rake when you need to rather than when you don't. Track who is opening the e-mails and clicking through to individual offers, and sweeten the deal accordingly. Have the host send "personal" e-mails to good-for-the-game players. Have a policy that these players are welcomed into the poker room and poker table by name. Very straightforward.

[sternroolz]

[ QUOTE ]

6. Offer double comps if a player plays 6 hours or more in 15/30 and up. Hit double comps 3 times and you're invited to the XXX poker player's club. Player's club includes poker rate on rooms, a card with a poker graphic, and maybe the occasional club pass or buffet comp.


[/ QUOTE ]

I really like this. It's actually some of the reason I still play $15-30 at Wynn....they do such a good job at taking care of the players. So even though the action is not at the level of Bellagio, I do play here sometimes.

[Hoi Polloi]

When did this become about whales? The objective is to get a 30-60 game going around the clock w/i 6 months.

[Mr Rick]

Ideas:
1) Offer a "fastpass" (a physical coupon) to anyone who sits down at a table in a short game (6 or less). This fastpass, like in Disney, enables the player to go to the top of the wait list - behind any other fastpasses - for any game at any time. I would use expiration dates of one month or less to ensure loyalty to the poker room. On the boards you would note the "FP" so players could tell if they wanted to use theirs now. Also, as with Disney, alternate seating players with fast pass and no fast pass - so as not to freeze out those waiting without fast passes. This should be a huge incentive to sit shorthanded. Especially in rooms like Foxwoods where normal waiting in peak hours can be >3 hrs. This would have to be actively promoted within the room to be successful (flyers, individual explanations when short games are being started, etc.)

2) When starting a shorthanded game, everyone draws cards. If anybody draws a "2" then their first post is done by the house. When a player sits in a running short game, the dealer throws him a card and likewise if it is a "2" the casino posts for him. If you want to offer better odds to the players use any diamond. Similarly if a game has dwindled to <= 6 handed this can be done again when the next dealer shift starts. This may also encourage people to sit in a short game. And it is quick and fun.

3) Reduced rake is a must. More sophisticated players know that pots will be smaller in general and rakes disproportionately high in short handed games. At some point (like 4 players) don't rake at all...

4) Hire gorgeous dealers. Train models. Train failed show girls. Train dancers who are tired of the grind. Seat these dealers primarily in the 30/60 game and always at the short tables!!! But also sometimes in the feeder games as well (15/30 or 20/40 whichever you will run). Most players are guys. And like me they will want to be near the beauty.

5) Forbid time pots and instead of dealers collecting time, have a stunning "time waitress" go around the table each shift change and subtly collect time from each player. She would have all the "ones" she would need and not deplete the dealer's rack. She then goes off and delivers it to whoever, possibly even placing the collection next to the dealer. This would not slow the game at all - and again gives the guys a chance to ogle. Maybe she takes drink orders too... I don't know policy of players being seated mid shift - but giving a freebie until the next shift at 30/60 would be another perk.

6) As was said somewhere earlier: All boards should include whether a player will play shorthanded or not, and post all lists electronically. However, post all lists at once. If this means 3 or 4 TV screens so be it. Foxwoods scrolls all of their tables using one screen with like 10 seconds per display and it is very very annoying. The huge advantage of being willing to play shorthanded is that if a short game is started you may jump up the list to get included.

7) Offer a 15/30 game with full or half kill to get players acclimated to higher stakes.

8) It was mentioned earlier to auto remove players from other game wait lists once they are seated. This is very hard to do correctly. The best way IMO, is to have players assign a priority to the tables they want to play. Then if they are seated at one game - the system can auto remove all entries at lower priorities.

Good luck with this.

[Clarkmeister]

[ QUOTE ]
The Goal: Establish a daily 30/60 game that runs nearly around the clock within a 6 month period.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think this is possible for a room not named Bellagio. Heck, it's not even possible for a 15/30 in a room not named Bellagio.

[Mr Rick]

I left out my favorite (even though this is mission impossible):

*) Use a rounder table for 30/60 only. Instead of 4 players sitting straight opposite the dealer, there should be a curve, which can be eliptical, so all players can easily see all other players. The table itself should allow extra spacing between players for comfort. The chairs should be distinct and exceptional for their comfort. The 30/60 table should stand out.

-) A point that was made in earlier posts about on-line access to wait lists has some potential drawbacks. First of all, security is an issue. But even if that can be dealt with, imagine that your competitors could see your wait lists at any time. They might plant many pseudo players that either don't show up or keep changing their arrival times. They would do this to make going over to your place look very unappealing. Foxwoods doesn't allow call ins to their wait list, I imagine, because experience would have told them how unreliable it is. People change their minds all the time - without cancelling their reservations. Maybe you could get by with a deposit by credit card refundable only if the player actually shows up at the poker room.

[Clarkmeister]

I realize this thread is old, but I mostly agree with tourneyguy.

As an aside, this mythical poker room could have some other issues.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
I left out my favorite (even though this is mission impossible):

*) Use a rounder table for 30/60 only. Instead of 4 players sitting straight opposite the dealer, there should be a curve, which can be eliptical, so all players can easily see all other players. The table itself should allow extra spacing between players for comfort. The chairs should be distinct and exceptional for their comfort. The 30/60 table should stand out.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you ever played on one of those tables? They totally suck.