Beau Rivage Trip Report

[The Big Easy]

So I was very excited that the Beau added a pokerroom because I am so [censored] sick of playing NL holdem. Players in Biloxi (and the state of Mississippi in general) love to play PLO and LHE with a rock, and I was ready for a change of pace. So I decided to stop at the Beau on my way from New Orleans to Perdido Key, FL, and I enjoyed playing there so much that I decided to stop on the way back too.

Friday 9/1 - My friend and I arrive at the Beau at 4:00pm. Walk through the lobby and am very surprised at the small number of people in the lobby and casino. The decor is very nice (reminds me of the Bellagio), but the people are scummy. Get to the pokerrrom (which is in the very back left corner of the casino), and it looks like a mini version of the Bellagio. They have 11 tables on the lower level, and 5 in the raised "high-limit" room. There are 8 games going on the floor - 2 2/5 NL, 2 1/2 NL, 1 20-40 LHE, & 3 4-8 LHE. There are 4 games going in the upper level, 5/10 NL, 10-25 PLO, 25-50 PLO, & 100-300 2-7 TD (spread limit, I assume). I want to play 20-40, but there are 5 on the list, so take an open 2/5 NL seat and also put my name on the 5/10 NL list. I was hoping to play 5/10 PLO, but no such luck. The buyin at 2/5 is $300 min/Uncapped. I play for 5 hours and end up losing $200. The tables are crammed in, and with the drink tables scattered about, it gets really tight between tables. Each table has electronic tracking for comps and seating (I overheard some guy say it is the same system used at Red Rock and TI). The floormen were not used to the system yet, and they were very inefficient at filling open seats. Also, there is a separate host stand for the "high-limit" room, but you still have to check-in at the front podium to get on the list for the "high-limit" games. This makes no sense. But it was the first week, so I am sure they will work out the kinks soon enough. The cocktail waitresses were very good looking and efficient.

Sunday 9/3 - I decide to stop at the Beau on my way back and hit the casino floor at noon. The casino and lobby are like a zoo. The line for the buffet is ridiculous, and there are people everywhere. On the other hand, the pokerroom is relatively quiet. Only a couple 1/2 NL games, 3 4/8 games, and a 10-20 LHE game. They are getting ready to start a 10-25 PLO game, so I take the last open seat. I buyin for $2K (as do most of the others), but after two rounds half the players have gone bust and rebought for $4K or more. The game has a mandatory $50 straddle on the button. Actually, I don't know if it was mandatory, but everyone was doing it, so I just went along. At about 2:00pm, they start a 20-40 game, so I move to that game. I play till 7:00pm and win $2500 (the deck ran me over). Josh Arieh showed up around 1:00pm and helped start a 25-50 PLO game which filled up after an hour. They started a 5/10 NL game around 4:00pm. By the time I left at 7:00, every table was open and every game had a list.

Overall, I really liked playing there. The floormen are very attentive to the bigger players, and want to have consistent higher limit action (including 20/40 and PLO, which I love to play). I like that the 2/5 NL game is uncapped, and I like that they are trying to consistently run a 20/40 game, which is almost impossible to find in any room on the Gulfcoast. One thing I forgot to mention: if you are playing in the upper level, you get free food from the Snack Bar. The food is nothing special, but it's good and it's free. If they continue to run bigger LHE games and maybe get a 5/10 PLO game on the weekends, I will have no problem driving to Biloxi instead of staying in New Orleans and being forced to play only NL.