Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

There's a few dealers at the Flamingo that either need to:

1) Get recertified in their "FOCUS" training
or
2) Get fired.

I was playing the garbage 1/2 NL game there last night, and the dealer behavior I've seen was nothing short of atrocious.

First off, and this is somewhat of a more minor complaint, but a dealer broke our table. There were 2 tables of 1/2 NL going, and as the night progressed, they both started getting shorthanded. The tables were 6 and 5, I was on the 5 handed table, when the dealer said "We're going to draw for seats for the full table". No one asked to break our game (I was happy with it shorthanded), and as luck would have it, our biggest donator drew the worst card, and instead of waiting for a seat, he left.

Second, when we moved to the new table, it was the absolute worst case of dealer slow-down I've ever seen. No joke, it was taking this guy at least 25-30 seconds to pitch out the cards to the players. Instead of a normal dealers "pitch pitch pitch pitch pitch" routine, this guy was no exaggeration "pitch- pause- look- pitch- pause- look- pitch- pause-". I wasn't sure if it was just the break-in from hell dealer that just couldn't do any better, until after a particular hand, someone toked him a dollar, and he sarcastically said "Wow, thanks for the tip sir. It's been a lonnng time since I saw one of those. The very next hand, I put out a redbird to live straddle, and he glares at me and rudely says "What's that?" Excuse me, but isn't this a 1/2 game, where like 800 people a night live-straddle? Do I really need to explain what a straddle is to you.

Third, his STOPPING of the game, when I didn't tip. I picked up $8 in blinds, and purposefully stiffed him. Normally, I'll tip the dealer even on a blind steal, but this guy honestly didn't deserve 1 penny, so I gave him nothing. I steal the blinds, player next to me jokingly says something like "musta been seven deuce offsuit", and the dealer then starts suiting up the cards. WTF?! Someone asks the dealer what he's doing, and he says he thought someone said a card was damaged. No one said a damn thing, and if it was suspected that there were damaged cards, then call for a freakin setup.

Dealer finally gets pushed out, and as he's getting up, he rudely says "Thanks to anyone that tipped. For everyone else, tsch...(obnoxious sucking teeth sound)"

Next dealer was somewhat faster but barely any better- saying comments mid-hand like "Only $15 more", no one has a club? (on a board with 4 clubs at the river), etc.

Absolutely atrocious and unacceptable behavior by any standards. And since half the people there don't have name tags, I can't even identify them by name. But FYI, the guy that was on slow down for lack of tips was a tall black guy, working the graveyard shift on a Thursday night/Friday morning (it was about 4am when I played).

Who hires and supervises these people?

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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Who hires and supervises these people?

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I'm going to take a stab at it here. The person who supervises these people was most likely the graveyard shift manager whom most likely was somewhere in the room. You should have brought these complaints to his attention. I bet he knows their names.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

sandman has a point. Instead of just complaining on an internet forum, you really should go to the supervisor in charge. Coming here will do no good, going to someone who can actually do something about it is +EV.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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Who hires and supervises these people?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm going to take a stab at it here. The person who supervises these people was most likely the graveyard shift manager whom most likely was somewhere in the room. You should have brought these complaints to his attention. I bet he knows their names.

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Heh, ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer I guess.

I really don't want these people fired I guess, since that would only increase the chances of them getting a job somewhere else that I actually enjoy playing. And I really doubt that floor cares much, as we were playing on the table right in front of the cashier/board op desk. There's no way that floor isn't aware of the unprofessionalism these dealers have.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Who hires and supervises these people?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm going to take a stab at it here. The person who supervises these people was most likely the graveyard shift manager whom most likely was somewhere in the room. You should have brought these complaints to his attention. I bet he knows their names.

[/ QUOTE ]
Heh, ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer I guess.

I really don't want these people fired I guess, since that would only increase the chances of them getting a job somewhere else that I actually enjoy playing. And I really doubt that floor cares much, as we were playing on the table right in front of the cashier/board op desk. There's no way that floor isn't aware of the unprofessionalism these dealers have.

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Its unlikely that these dealers would be fired simply becdause of your complaints. But they may get some disciplinary action designed to correct the problem. Now if there are repeated complaints of this sort they may get fired.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

I actually like all the dealers at the Flamingo and enjoy playing there whenever I'm in LV.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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I really don't want these people fired I guess, since that would only increase the chances of them getting a job somewhere else that I actually enjoy playing.

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I doubt this highly. The competition is way too insane for any dealing job in this town. I'm surprised people keep leaving their good jobs for this town right now. There aren't any jobs! For example the joint I work in had a part time (on call only) job open up. Over 700 applicants for it, and that job is a 1 day a week, sometimes 2 when called in. Almost every job applicant had "Job status: Unemployed" on there. Trust me, they aren't winding up somewhere else that you play.

omfg stand back people, it\'s nut-kicking time
 

These mo-fos would not be too happy if I was around for this. Wham! Square in the nuts! I'd kick 'em so hard they'd come clean off the ground about three feet.

And if I was the boss these people would all be kicked in the nuts, then fired.

I know it sucks when you're dealing and not getting tipped. Then you finally push someone a $700 pot and they throw you a buck. What's the procedure here?

You say "thank you" and you mean it, no sarcasm, no teeth sounds, just a sincere thanks. Then you deal the next hand at your normal pace, without slowdowns or pauses. There is no other acceptable answer, period.

I have no patience for these people. There are probably 500 applications for these jobs. Problem-solution.

Al

Re: omfg stand back people, it\'s nut-kicking time
 

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These mo-fos would not be too happy if I was around for this. Wham! Square in the nuts! I'd kick 'em so hard they'd come clean off the ground about three feet.

And if I was the boss these people would all be kicked in the nuts, then fired.

I know it sucks when you're dealing and not getting tipped. Then you finally push someone a $700 pot and they throw you a buck. What's the procedure here?

You say "thank you" and you mean it, no sarcasm, no teeth sounds, just a sincere thanks. Then you deal the next hand at your normal pace, without slowdowns or pauses. There is no other acceptable answer, period.

I have no patience for these people. There are probably 500 applications for these jobs. Problem-solution.

Al

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Well said, thank you.

Re: omfg stand back people, it\'s nut-kicking time
 

Last time I was in AC, same thing (new dealer sits down, then gives a sarcastic thanks for a $1 tip for a ~ $100 pot...). For the rest of his down, anytime I won a pot, I tossed a $1 chip into the trash can nearby. Got some strange looks, but I'm sure he got the message.

Re: omfg stand back people, it\'s nut-kicking time
 

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Last time I was in AC, same thing (new dealer sits down, then gives a sarcastic thanks for a $1 tip for a ~ $100 pot...). For the rest of his down, anytime I won a pot, I tossed a $1 chip into the trash can nearby. Got some strange looks, but I'm sure he got the message.

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I find this hard to believe that no one went in there after it. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

Ever watch a movie, and root for the bad guys?

In the OP, I was rooting for the dealer, because there have been many times when I wanted to do this:

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"pitch- pause- look- pitch- pause- look- pitch- pause-".

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(Yes, I'm the guy who always defends the dealers around here. And no, I cannot defend the behavior exhibited by the dealers mentioned in the OP.)

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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Ever watch a movie, and root for the bad guys?

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I have been known to root for zombies in the living dead flicks - does that count [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I was at Canterbury this week, and it struck me as interesting how very sincere every dealer I tipped was in getting me a thank you - I note this with some good recall as I hardly ever dragged a pot and when I did, it was usually a crappy one (slumming at 2/4 - didn't feel like gambling - LOL) -

My memory of Flamingo is hazed over by lots of Bushmills or some other cheap ass whiskey, but it wasn't quite THAT bad.

RB

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

1. two weeks ago i spend 4 nights in the flamingo playing poker and of the ~30 dealers i have seen EVERY ONE wore a name tag.

2. the dealer mistakes i witnessed were only a few. one time i bet 25$ into a 35$ pot and hoping for a fold, and the dealer miscounts my bet and says that its "20 to call". fortunately villian folds, i take down the pot and dont tip. the dealer says or does nothing about it. he makes a mistake, i dont tip. no complaining.

3. the dealers in the cashgame tables have shuffling machines and generally deal fast.

4. the floorman is a very friendly person, who cares about his players.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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Ever watch a movie, and root for the bad guys?

In the OP, I was rooting for the dealer, because there have been many times when I <u>wanted</u> to do this:
...


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Oh hell yeah I agree it's something that dealers sometimes want to do, but for the most part the better dealers will just suck it up and chalk it up to tip variance. Sometimes you score, &amp; sometimes you strike out. Just don't ruin it for the other players.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

[ QUOTE ]
1. two weeks ago i spend 4 nights in the flamingo playing poker and of the ~30 dealers i have seen EVERY ONE wore a name tag.

2. the dealer mistakes i witnessed were only a few. one time i bet 25$ into a 35$ pot and hoping for a fold, and the dealer miscounts my bet and says that its "20 to call". fortunately villian folds, i take down the pot and dont tip. the dealer says or does nothing about it. he makes a mistake, i dont tip. no complaining.

3. the dealers in the cashgame tables have shuffling machines and generally deal fast.

4. the floorman is a very friendly person, who cares about his players.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ok, I'll admit the thread title might be a bit vague (not ALL of the Flamingo dealers are bad, just a few that I noticed).

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

for that kind of crap they should be fired. they wanted to break down a game so they could get more breaks, and that kind of hustle for tokes is way out of line. i would fire their asses in a second, and see if they could figure out why.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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Ok, I'll admit the thread title might be a bit vague (not ALL of the Flamingo dealers are bad, just a few that I noticed).

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then change the title.

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for that kind of crap they should be fired. they wanted to break down a game so they could get more breaks, and that kind of hustle for tokes is way out of line. i would fire their asses in a second, and see if they could figure out why.

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the floorman is the one who breaks games up, dealers dont. and they do break up short tables and create a new one because they dont want that people get bored from playing 5 handed and leave.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Ever watch a movie, and root for the bad guys?

In the OP, I was rooting for the dealer, because there have been many times when I <u>wanted</u> to do this:
...


[/ QUOTE ]

Oh hell yeah I agree it's something that dealers sometimes want to do, but for the most part the better dealers will just suck it up and chalk it up to tip variance. Sometimes you score, &amp; sometimes you strike out. Just don't ruin it for the other players.

[/ QUOTE ]
So exactly how does this response to being stiffed help? It serves primarily to hugely decrease (to a value asymptotically approaching zero) the tokes the dealer is gonna get for the remainder of the down. And it serves to "punish" those players who ARE toking (unpleasantly reminding me of my days of gym class where we ALL got to run a mile when two guys out of 70 misbehaved). I just don't see how a scorched earth policy can be a good response.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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the floorman is the one who breaks games up, dealers dont. and they do break up short tables and create a new one because they dont want that people get bored from playing 5 handed and leave.

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You miss the point. The point here is that is should be the PLAYERS who request the games be combined. If the players are happy playing short-handed, the house absolutely should let it continue and do nothing to screw that up. It helps out the dealers by giving 'em another table to work and earn tokes from, rather than sitting in the break room or sitting at a dead spread. And the house earns more rake by keeping two short tables going. It makes no sense at all for the staff to try to break a game. And as OP pointed out, there are sometimes major downsides to doing it, like losing your limited access to the donating fish. If I'm at a 5-handed table with all rocks, yeah, I'll ask for a table combination. If I'm at a 5-handed table with 3 huge donators I'm saying not a word. It should NOT be the staff coming in breaking things up.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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the floorman is the one who breaks games up, dealers dont. and they do break up short tables and create a new one because they dont want that people get bored from playing 5 handed and leave.

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You miss the point. The point here is that is should be the PLAYERS who request the games be combined. If the players are happy playing short-handed, the house absolutely should let it continue and do nothing to screw that up. It helps out the dealers by giving 'em another table to work and earn tokes from, rather than sitting in the break room or sitting at a dead spread. And the house earns more rake by keeping two short tables going. It makes no sense at all for the staff to try to break a game. And as OP pointed out, there are sometimes major downsides to doing it, like losing your limited access to the donating fish. If I'm at a 5-handed table with all rocks, yeah, I'll ask for a table combination. If I'm at a 5-handed table with 3 huge donators I'm saying not a word. It should NOT be the staff coming in breaking things up.

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Far too often it is the staff breaking it up. Often it will be a dealer that gets to go home or a misguided floorman that assumes everyone wants to be at a full table.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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4. the floorman is a very friendly person, who cares about his players.

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I'm not sure you realize how your misplaced comma affects the meaning of that sentence.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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4. the floorman is a very friendly person, who cares about his players.

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I'm not sure you realize how your misplaced comma affects the meaning of that sentence.

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I'm a native english speaker and it took me about 8 readings of that before I caught on.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

I've had occasional issues at the Flamingo also. When this crap starts I leave. Why didn't you? Bally's is right next door, and they don't seem to have these problems and offer basicly the same product.

I've never really had a good experience at the Flamingo, but the last time I went there they at least seemed to be trying. They just couldn't get any decent games going.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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4. the floorman is a very friendly person, who cares about his players.

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I'm not sure you realize how your misplaced comma affects the meaning of that sentence.

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I'm a native english speaker and it took me about 8 readings of that before I caught on.

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Eh, not really. You'd need a period and a question mark to really change it.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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one time i bet 25$ into a 35$ pot and hoping for a fold, and the dealer miscounts my bet and says that its "20 to call". fortunately villian folds, i take down the pot and dont tip. the dealer says or does nothing about it. he makes a mistake, i dont tip. no complaining.

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I wonder what you do for a living. And if your boss docks your pay every time you make a trivial mistake that impacts nothing.

my view on dealer mistakes, attitude, tips etc
 

I agree this seems like a trivial mistake. You know I could critique and criticize every dealer all the time, but when I'm playing I don't really care. The dealer can make mistakes and I'm not going to butt in unless it's really critical. I'm not going to stop tipping over a mistake either. Hey, I've made lots of mistakes. Just last week I misread a $25 bet for only being $20. Luckily, I escaped the gallows on that one.

I'm more concerned with the dealer's overall impact on the table. A new dealer who's paying attention and trying hard can make a mistake and that's ok. I'm not going to be a ballbuster over little things while playing (I'm not while dealing either). Dealing is much harder than it looks, as I found out when I was new. Friendliness is also of paramount importance to me, as is appreciation for tips. They don't have to be chatty, but they do need to be friendly. (I don't want inexperienced dealers being chatty at all, less worried about experienced ones as long as they're not constantly screwing up cuz they're talking). And for cripes sakes, say thank you for a friggin' tip. I say thank you for every tip, which equates to saying thousands and thousands and thousands of thank yous every year. I'm ok with that because I do appreciate getting tipped.

Al

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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[ QUOTE ]
one time i bet 25$ into a 35$ pot and hoping for a fold, and the dealer miscounts my bet and says that its "20 to call". fortunately villian folds, i take down the pot and dont tip. the dealer says or does nothing about it. he makes a mistake, i dont tip. no complaining.

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I wonder what you do for a living. And if your boss docks your pay every time you make a trivial mistake that impacts nothing.

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Of all things to stiff for, this is one of the silliest I've ever heard, honestly.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
one time i bet 25$ into a 35$ pot and hoping for a fold, and the dealer miscounts my bet and says that its "20 to call". fortunately villian folds, i take down the pot and dont tip. the dealer says or does nothing about it. he makes a mistake, i dont tip. no complaining.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder what you do for a living. And if your boss docks your pay every time you make a trivial mistake that impacts nothing.

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Of all things to stiff for, this is one of the silliest I've ever heard, honestly.

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This is just stupid. Dealers miscount bets all the time. Just correct him and get over it.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

I mean dealing isn't really that hard, but it doesn't come with a backspace key. You're also moving a a decent pace, or at least trying to, and multitasking. Plus at 1/2, lol, players are making tons of mistakes you have to keep on what with acting out of turn, posting blinds, etc.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

Sorry, that wasn't directed at you. I was just continuing the thread. I sit in the 3 or 8 seats by preference and if I put out a $45 bet, it's frequently misread as $40 or $50 or whatever. This is never a federal case, I just tell the dealer what I put out and it's over.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

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2. the dealer mistakes i witnessed were only a few. one time i bet 25$ into a 35$ pot and hoping for a fold, and the dealer miscounts my bet and says that its "20 to call". fortunately villian folds, i take down the pot and dont tip. the dealer says or does nothing about it. he makes a mistake, i dont tip. no complaining.


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You actually stiffed a dealer because he misscalled your bet by $5 and you didn't even bother to correct it? You are cheap sir, lol. If you're not going to tip for a small pot then don't tip, but the above reasoning for stiffing is just lame.

Re: Flamingo LV Poker Dealers are unprofessional & spoiled
 

I played at the Flamingo last year during March Madness. Poker Room was filled with drunk Gambooolers.

Had a few instances that caught my eye about way the room was managed.

1. I was seated at table where a few friends were already playing. Asked to be placed on the table change list and was told that table changes were not allowed. That seemed odd to me.

2. Drunk player at my table (who I later found out to be a cop from some small town in Washington) took off his shirt after he went all in and through it on the table. Nothing was said to him by dealer and play resumed.

3. Had one dealer who sounds like the one the OP was describing. Very very slow, added sarcastic comments and did not control the table very well at all.

Overall I did like the room. Played most of my daytime poker there because of their high hand jackpots. Also had a better drink selection then the casino I was staying at. (Imperial Palace)

Re: omfg stand back people, it\'s nut-kicking time
 

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Last time I was in AC, same thing (new dealer sits down, then gives a sarcastic thanks for a $1 tip for a ~ $100 pot...). For the rest of his down, anytime I won a pot, I tossed a $1 chip into the trash can nearby. Got some strange looks, but I'm sure he got the message.

[/ QUOTE ]

This didn't get nearly enough love. nh, sir.

Re: omfg stand back people, it\'s nut-kicking time
 

Why not just play 1/2(3) at the Wynn or Venetian? Much more pleasant and makes this entire thread moot.

Re: omfg stand back people, it\'s nut-kicking time
 

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Why not just play 1/2(3) at the Wynn or Venetian? Much more pleasant and makes this entire thread moot.

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Sure there are tons of other (good) rooms spreading 1/2 (1/3), 2/5, and whatnot. I play at different rooms just about every day, I just felt like trying the Flamingo for a change (last time I was there was probably almost a year ago). I wont go back there for a while.