Atlantic City General Discussion

What's the status of poker in A.C.? Pretty good, overall, I'ld say. In spite of all of the competition from Pennsylvania and Delaware, there are 7 poker rooms in A.C. that are operating. 8 if one counts the new 6 table room at ACH.

With Golden Nugget (sometime in late December or early January, according to what I was told there) and Revel (mid-May of 2012) both planning on opening poker rooms, that would bring the total to 10 - if none of the existing ones close.

Speaking of Golden Nugget and Revel, I stopped by both places yesterday to try and learn what the new poker rooms were going to be like. Neither one had anyone around who would comment, other than the Revel people saying that their room was going to be really big and really great. No specifics at all.

I got the feeling that plans aren't finalized at either place, so we'll just have to wait and see.

From a player's perspective, lots of competition should mean lots of opportunities for comps and benefits - but it's proving to be a mixed bag.

Borgata has been adding freerolls and other benefits (finally - after being the cheapest in this regard for years) while the Taj and CET properties are cutting back. This latter movement seems strange to me, given the increases in competition, so we'll have to see what the future holds.

Is the total amount of poker being played in A.C. down? Yes, of course. Competing casinos are drawing away business.

But, there are still far more games going on in A.C. than anywhere else short of Vegas - so that gives us all a lot of good opportunities to find a nice game. And with so many rooms to choose from, it is an easy walk or Jitney ride to another venue - something that isn't doable anywhere else short of Tunica.

Call me an incurable optimist if you'ld like, but I see good things in the future for poker in Atlantic City.

Lee