Crown Casino (Melbourne, Australia)
I recently spent a week playing tournaments at Crown Melbourne and played some cash games, when I was trying to find information on the poker games I found limited info so I figured I would post my newfound knowledge! I only played up to 5/10/20 NLHE and PLO.
Limits:
1/2-2/5 are always running and often at least one 5/5+ game. Limits 2/3 and lower are probably not beatable due to the rake.
Rake:
1/2 - $5/hr + 10%/$8 - $80 max buy-in. Don't play this.
2/3 - $5/hr + 10%/$8 - $200 max buy-in. Don't play this.
2/5 - $10/hr + 10%/$6 - $500 max buy-in.
5/5/str - $25/hr - $1000 max buy-in.
5/10/str - $25/hr - $2000 max buy-in.
5/5/str PLO - $25/hr - $1000 max buy-in.
5/10/str PLO - $25/hr - uncapped buy-in.
The 5/5+ games have live straddles and often get placed by all players when agreed upon.
Other games:
There were a few other games running during my stay at various times: 1/2 plo, 10/20 limit omaha, 20/40 limit omaha/hold-em, 25/50 plo, 100/200 plo.
Hope this helps!
Scrolling through my text messages from Crown, I can see that in late November 2023, the message changed from 4 mins to 5 mins to collect your ticket from the registration desk. That makes the wait 25% longer when you’re down the list. They would be better off flashing an extra 1 or 2 people per seat.
And I notice that @crownpoker deleted their Twitter account recently. They hadn’t used it much post-covid.
Poker room update, Saturday 2:20pm
2/3 NLH - 3 tables - 42 on list
2/5 NLH - 6 tables - 32 on list
2/5 PLO - 2 tables - 9 on list
10/20 FLO - 1 table - 10 on list
Looking like another under-staffed day.
What is it like now, is it still bad?
Thinking of going tonight to play 5/10 or PLO but this sounds like a nightmare
Queues are crazy today too and every table is open. Its not even a public holiday
86 on the 2/5 list with 6 tables running
8 on the 2/5 PLO list with 2 tables
3 on the 5/10 list with 2 tables
No 2/3 or other games
I’m giving the place a miss for a week. Staffing levels might be better from mid January.
Have heard they will re-do the carpet in sections without the room being closed entirely.
Also heating more rumours of AM in 2026 although they will need more floor space. Does part of the basement re-open for a month? Can they put tables somewhere else? I would love it if they (permanently) got rid of the slot machines next to the poker area. I have often wanted to smash and destroy the noisy machines.
Against better judgement, thought I’d welcome the new year with a poker session. Thursday 3pm, 2/3 and 2/5 lists both over 50 deep. It’s getting to the point where if you don’t come at 10am you might as well not bother at all.
Will staffing levels improve in a week or two? Time will tell.
Bumped o to a guy whose name just flashed for 2/3 NLH., he had been waiting 3.5 hours. I’m not quite that patient to get on 2/3 or 2/5, especially after having worked today. Makes for a very long day if you have to factor in a 3-4 hour wait.
I went and the 2/5 PLO and 5/10 has been okay over the summer - but know that’s not in the wheelhouse of most people
Also has a dealer tell me the tables cost something like $180 an hour to run, and that poker is barely profitable for them
Also has a dealer tell me the tables cost something like $180 an hour to run, and that poker is barely profitable for them
I've heard the $180 figure before (or some variation on it). I'd like to see a breakdown of the costs, especially as we know that the dealers are paid in the $35-40 range, and Crown pays minimal rent.
Prior to the increase in the cap from $15 to $25, I added up the rake on four different occasions over the course of an hour. Average gross revenue per 2/5 table then was $283. Now with the extra $10 from hands where the pot exceeds $250, the average hourly gross is probably closer to $350.
Even if the $180 cost figure is correct, which it is reasonable to doubt, $170 net profit per table, per hour ain't bad.
