How's the Monte Carlo in Vegas???

[TurdFerguson]

When there isn't City Centre construction going on, the GF and I really enjoy staying there. It's not overly packed, the rooms are nice and affordable, the brewpub is tasty, it's within easy walking distance to all the major casinos, and it's relatively non-smoky (a big plus for her).

The poker room is a nice little room w/ soft competition that I enjoy for donking around at 1/2 NL. I take my more serious play to the bigger rooms, but MC's room is very relaxing.

Added bonus: the dealers and floor staff play a lot when they're off their shift (I think to keep some tables going, or just to kill time?). They're not very good and can make a table a lot of fun, esp. if they're drunk and giving the dealer crap (the most fun).

[dukenukem]

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Poker player reviews on the Monte Carlo poker room.

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EXCELLENT site helping me get revved up for my first trip to Vegas, BUT, all the "professional" reviews are close to one year old.

[StevieG]

One other thing in the favor of the MC poker room was that you could order the micro brews served by the Brewpub right down the hall.

Now the brew pub no longer brews their own beer, but they do serve the Sin City Brewing company beers.

Does anyone know if you can order those in the poker room?

If things are still like I experienced, and bav says they are, I still don't think I would go to MC to play poker. But that beer might make things better.

[LasVegasMichael]

I wrote the following for another site, but bears crossposting here:

I actually played at Monte Carlo about a week ago or so. It was the first time I had played NL in a casino other then TI in several months.

Since Monte Carlo has a long history of being a glorfied Stationesque locals poker room, I knew that they would have an active 2/4 game for the wife to play, and a cheapo NL game for me to play, and they indeed did.

Things I liked about the room:

1. The dealers were friendly (though there was somewhat a lack of consistentcy when it came to rules enforcement).

2. It is a small intimate room, with autoshufflers in all tables (in this regard, it is similar to TI).

3. Cocktail service was outstanding.

Things I did not like about the room:

1. Cannot buy the button (according to one dealer, he thinks it is because the dealers there wouldn't be able to figure it out. )

2. No reading at the table. WTF?

3. Cel phone rule used to be a lot stronger then it is now, but still, not phone calls, period, even though the room is separate from the sportsbook.

4. No electronics usage at the table (games, PDAs, Phones, etc, though Ipods and Mp[3 players are permitted).

5. No hourly comps on your players card. A coupon for $6 off the buffet or coffee shop is availble if you ask, after 4 hours of play.

6. Locals Freerolls. This explains why the room had an overall "element" at the 2/4 game. It is basically a Stations poker room, but without the $1 per hour comps. Local nits abound.

7. There is only one type of rake reduction. At 5 handed or less, they will drop the rake to $1, and not take any jackpot drop. Period. There is no compromise, whatsoever. Most rooms, including TI, will drop the rake incrementally depending on the number of players, and keep the jackpot unless it is less then 4 handed. Obviously, the $1 max rake, and no jackpot is +EV for a good player, by far, however, tourists that were playing NL were turned off by it, as were the 2/4 local nits that want to chase the jackpots.

8. $50 min/$200 max NL game. I hate this spread. At the minimum, it should be $300, like most other places. I am just spoiled by the $500 max at TI, in this regard.

9. Oddly cut tables with wooden racetracks. Nitty complaint, but I do not care of these types of poker tables.

10. No electronic list tracking nor players card technology.

11. No music.

++++++

The NL game at Monte Carlo was pretty ripe, actually. There was only two local grinders out of 9 at the table (plus myself), which for Monte Carlo is not bad. Play was bad, and had I had a deeper stack, I feel I could have done better overall. I did not adjust as well as I should have to a short stack NL game. Plus, I was gambling. Not being at my home turf made me be a little more reckless then I normally am.

++++

Like I said, the dealers were all quite friendly, though there is some lack of consistency when it comes to enforcement of MC rules with regard to card protection, betting line, and string betting. These issues were brought out moreso at the 2/4 table then at the NL table. At my NL table, all dealers were perfectly fine, and there were no errors made. All were friendly as well.

Management/Floors/brushes did not really impress/leave a good impression with me, though my interaction with them was admittingly minimal.

Cocktail service was outstanding. This was the one area where Monte Carlo has TI beaten, in my opinion. She was extraordinarily fast, and recalled everyone's drink after one round, and was exceptionally friendly to everyone. I would rate Monte Carlo's cocktail service with regard to speed and efficiency amongst the best I have seen in the industry.

++++++

Overall, the room serves its purpose, but the wife and I will not be returning. Too many things we did not like, largely due to what we have become accustomed to at TI, which MC does not replicate at all. Too many nitty rules and customers, and a rather vanilla NL structure.

[bav]

LVM's list of complaints is pretty accurate. Some of the dealers actually make fun of others of the dealers for being ultra-sticklers for enforcing the niggly rules. Many of the dealers will cut someone slack the first time a player tosses $2 over the line when it has been silently raised in front of him, or when the 1-seat acts out of turn thinking the 10-seat has mucked, but some of the dealers take a "no exception, at all, ever" line and a chip over the line is going in.

I disagree that the brushes are bad. I showed up at MC on Oct 1 after not playing there since March (and I only played in February enough to qualify for the freeroll). Brush sees me from across the room, snaps his fingers a couple times and says "don't tell me", and then spits out my name, and he knows I want the NL game, not 2/4. Remarkable performance to remember one name out of many hundreds that he used perhaps 5 times over the span of a month 6 months prior. That's a person who is going out of his way to remember people. And this fellow is always helpful when folks wander in looking a little lost. And while he's the best of the brushes, I gots no complaints with the others.

Seriously, LVM, I get a MUCH better greeting and generally better service from the MC suits than from the TI suits. The MC folks seem to treat everyone well. Best I can tell at TI they reserve their best treatment for the regulars. Can't say the TI folks are rude, but they often give off the distinctive "oh, if you insist I guess we can put your name on the list" vibe.

[dukenukem]

LVM, THANKS a million for the post. I'm planning a ten day junket at the MGM in December. Was curious about the MC, and will, for the sake of my ongoing poker miseducation, check it out to get that local feel without having to figure out how to get to Palace Station (where OJ will be staying again for Christmas).

[Hipsdontlie69]

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Rooms are fine, although when I stayed there last summer I didn't have a [censored] in my room, which always annoys me.

I like the poker room more than any other on the Strip for the games they spread -- but as others have mentioned, that means 1/2 NL and 2/4 limit. I actually stopped in there this weekend with a friend who plays those games and they actually had a 3/6 HORSE interest list with about six names. We didn't end up staying so I don't know if it ever went, but I was very surprised to see it offered.

I also play most of my table games (pai gow and blackjack when I'm with friends) at Monte Carlo. I just like the atmosphere, for whatever reason.

-McGee

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[Photoc]

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Poker player reviews on the Monte Carlo poker room.

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EXCELLENT site helping me get revved up for my first trip to Vegas, BUT, all the "professional" reviews are close to one year old.

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Yeah, well no one reads those anymore anyways, lol. The most read ones are always the most recent user/visitor reviews which are date stamped.

[Aces McGee]

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Rooms are fine, although when I stayed there last summer I didn't have a [censored] in my room, which always annoys me.

I like the poker room more than any other on the Strip for the games they spread -- but as others have mentioned, that means 1/2 NL and 2/4 limit. I actually stopped in there this weekend with a friend who plays those games and they actually had a 3/6 HORSE interest list with about six names. We didn't end up staying so I don't know if it ever went, but I was very surprised to see it offered.

I also play most of my table games (pai gow and blackjack when I'm with friends) at Monte Carlo. I just like the atmosphere, for whatever reason.

-McGee

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I don't get it.

-McGee