I am starting a poker room- what should I include? What should I not include?

A suggestion box.

A boss or knowledgeable poker mind sitting next to the suggestion box.

Hire an experienced poker room manager.

When the first thing on your list is massage girls, you're going to need to just provide the funding and get out of their way.

Will this be in the U.S.?
If so, what state/city/area?

Private, invitational implies membership fees/dues will be charged. Will there be table rake on top of those membership costs?

What games and stakes do you plan to offer? Any casino games or slots, or just poker only?

And I'll agree with the above...massage girls at the top of your list indicates your first step should be to hire a competent poker room manager.

Not in US

Massage could be men too. I just mean the ones that go around and massage players. Every card room I've been to has them (I've been to most US casinos.

Top of list? Maybe that's a coincidence😀

could do a rake on top of the membership if reasonable but a membership sounds good, for example 10% fee of mandatory buy-in then no rake.
(This will cater to higher end players)

Stakes- 2/5 and up (preferably 10-20 and up but start with 2/5

Yes definitely an experienced manager would join, not me as I can't be there all the time

What are the other rooms in your area raking? Where are those people playing currently? Do you have competition? What's their rake structure?

As stated above, definitely hire an experienced poker room manager that's familiar with all these things and someone who could help you with a business plan.

You need cameras not just to watch the tables but to be used as evidence in case someone tries to rob you. A bunch of rich gamblers in one place is already a sweet target. Add on to that the fact that there are plenty of poker players that got their money through associations with organized crime you have even more of a reason to have top notch security.

Personally I prefer a time charge, but many gamblers are too shortsighted to see how it benefits them so may have to take the feedback of the room and institute rake in certain games.

If we’re talking what I want out of a poker room? I tend to like rooms that have great beer selection. I’ve also seen that many high stakes players enjoy buying expensive bottles of wine while they play.

In general atmosphere wise, I want a room where the casino runs the show, not the players. I don’t like floors that play favoritism, I don’t like dealers that won’t enforce the rules, I don’t like it when players are allowed to abuse the dealers and the staff. So above all make sure any toxic elements are eliminated as they come up, because those toxic elements are super hard to root out once they plant roots.

Rake + membership fees seems like the worst idea. Even if both are comparable as a whole, doing both will feel like double dipping to your players. I fail to see how taking a percentage of their buyin as a fee "caters to higher end players" when those players are buying in more and thus, paying more.

Frankly, your first step should be to hire a manager who knows how to operate a poker room and let them make most of the decisions. Based on some of the questions you asked and things you've said (i.e. asking if you even need cameras in a poker room), you don't seem to have a ton of experience or an understanding of what players want and this room would be doomed from the start.

Great answer this is what I'm looking for.
Others commenting with questions - sorry can't answer all of them.
Generally - good governance, etc

Happy ending massage for every 20hrs played. You will be so busy there will never be an open seat

I strongly suggest you get a copy of my book on poker rooms:

https://www.amazon.com/Cardrooms-Everyth...

There are things in this book, such as "the proper balance of luck and skill" that you probably haven't thought about.

Mason

Chairs with arms tend to bump into each other too much. Get something good but not too bulky, like Gary Platt.

Don't get too fancy with the tables. Look at what they have at Wynn. Thick padded rail, simple felt design with a courtesy line and not much else. No race track, no lights no built in cup holders. Get a bunch of those cup holders you stick under the rail.

Absolutely have cameras everywhere, preferably ones where you can look up footage on the spot on your phone/tablet. Cameras on the table, at the entrances, anywhere staff will be handling chips. Even if you trust your players, which you shouldn't, employees see untracked money and some will take advantage.

You should have custom chips with the room's name on them.

This is my biggest concern. But partners do not want cameras - think exclusivity and privacy.
Maybe we can get by with a good manager and few staff, high end clients who won't steal

Everybody steals.

Regarding cameras. Leaving aside the various legal protections they offer, I've seen that the most common use is to verify an action. How many times have you heard someone say "Check the camera"?

Not only that, but a visible, robust camera system incentivizes people not to get out of line in the first place - especially when combined with strong and visible security, ever-present in the background.

The high stakes scene is riddled with theft and cheating accusations. Don’t be naive. I’d be worried about what your partners are doing that they want to limit cameras. That in itself is suspicious as heck.

"High end clients" don't play 2-5 or 5-10.....

Just curious if the partners are planning to play at the table.

I suspect yes, and if so, I suggest watching Ozark for further tips.

Cameras are not only about player theft. There is dealer theft, dealer cheating, player cheating, controversy resolution and more reasons.

If I know there are no cameras, it is a hard stop. No way I play.

No offense - but if you are asking these questions here, you shouldn’t be involved except as a silent partner providing startup capital.

This thread has some great insights.

If I have to give an answer of the most important thing that poker room managers need to understand, it's the idea that successful poker games require "a proper balance of luck and skill." This is also something that I feel very few poker room managers have even a minimal understanding of.

Mason

If someone tells me to not get a camera, the literal next thing I do is get a camera.