Review of MGM Poker Room
The MGM Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is possibly the best low-stakes poker room in town. They offer loose tables, a professional staff, and a fun atmosphere for visiting as well as local players.
Although it’s a long walk from the main lobby of the hotel to the poker room, once you finally get to the room, everything else is simple. The poker room is well staffed and highly professional, making it easy to get a seat, drinks, chips, and to cash out when you’re done. The MGM poker room is known for it’s low-stakes games, running more $1/2 NL and $2/4 FL Hold’em games than anything else. For visitors planning on doing some drinking while they play, sticking to lower stakes games is probably a good idea.
The locals love the high percentage of loose & inebriated tourists, making it a profitable room in the long run. While some of the locals complain that the MGM dishes out the most bad beats in town, the truth is, that’s a good thing. Of course, poker is a long term game which shouldn’t be measured in single sessions. In the long run, these loose, bad players offer locals a chance to make a nice profit in relation to the size of the game. While there is no defense against a bad night here and there, if you stick to playing your ‘A’ game, you can have huge nights as well. Recently I had a night playing $2/4 FL Hold’em where I took home $431 profit in only 5 hours of play! While admittedly the deck hit me pretty hard, it’s difficult to be hit so hard to make 21.5 big bets per hour anywhere else. If I had made the same hands at any number of other casinos, my profits would’ve likely been much less.
The MGM poker room is situated next to the sportsbook, so if you want to make a bet on an NFL game, a boxing match, or anything else, it’s easy to do.
If you’re planning on having a long session at the poker room, bring a sweatshirt or light jacket with you. The ceiling vents for the air conditioning are lower in the poker room than they are in the rest of the casino. As a result, the vents blow directly down on the players, freezing anyone in shorts and a t-shirt. You’ll feel stupid walking through the parking lot with a sweatshirt in 107 degree temperatures, but you’ll feel smart when you’re sitting at your table.
As a result of a great exchange rate for Europeans, it’s not uncommon to sit at a table with more Europeans than Americans. These people have come a long way to vacation in Las Vegas, and most are willing to lose lots of money for the sake of a great time. They help to create loose tables, and a fun atmosphere.
Cash Games
As I mentioned above, the MGM poker room is known for it’s low-stakes games. $1/2 NL Hold’em and $2/4 FL games run 24 hours a day, never breaking. $2/5 NL Hold’em is also popular here, and only breaks during slow times. On some Friday and Saturday nights (or when requested by groups), a $5/10 NL Hold’em game can be found as well.
Mike Green, the Director of Poker Operations, told me that the MGM poker room will run any game you like, so long as you have enough players to open a table. So, if you have a group you’re bringing to Vegas, and you’d like to play Omaha, Stud, or any other game, just let them know. The same goes for playing higher stakes games.
$2/4 FL Hold’em games generate the most playful, loose players. While even the drunks at the $1/2 NL games are taking the game seriously, the $2/4 FL games are mostly about having fun. While there may be a few players that are trying to do well at $2/4, you’ll find that most of them are pretty bad players anyway. Even if you want to sit there and play an ultra-tight game, you can usually get paid off well when you make a big hand. Rarely is anyone paying enough attention to realize that you haven’t been in a hand post-flop for an hour, so don’t be afraid to bet even if you haven’t played in a while. With this said, I suggest that players see as many flops as they can when it’s not raised pre-flop. If your table is very loose, open up your starting hands to various suited connectors and small pairs pre-flop. Then, play your pot odds post-flop. Be sure to add in a bit of implied odds as well, as getting players to fold at these levels is close to impossible. Although betting the river properly is important in any game, it’s especially important in a game like this. If you don’t hold the nuts, but feel confident that you hold the best hand after the river, be sure to bet or raise with it. More often than not, your opponents will feel obligated to call with the second best hand. Let’s put this into hard numbers. Let’s say you have 3 hands in which you’re 3-handed after the river. All three times a huge hand could have you beat, but think you have the best of it. All three times, you bet or raise after the river. Two of those times you get called by one player, and the third time you get called by both players. Your extra bet generates four big bets that would not have been in the pot, which is $16. In the pot you lose, you lose $4 more than you would have had you not made the bet or raise. So, in those three hands, you’ve generated an extra $12 overall. During the course of a night, betting and raising the river in this situation alone could be the difference of going home a winner or a loser.
Food & Beverages
The MGM does a decent job of properly staffing the poker room with cocktail waitresses. For the most part, players can get their drinks ordered and delivered to them in a timely manner. The cocktail waitresses at the MGM do an excellent job of working the entire room, and they work fast. There are far fewer complaints here than at most live poker rooms. On busy, 3 day and holiday weekends, getting a drink can be slightly more difficult, but the poker room is set up in a way that makes it easy to find a waitress if she doesn’t find you first.
For players looking for a quick meal or snack, try the Stage Deli located directly between the poker room and the sportsbook. There you can get a hot dog for $3.50, a NY Pastrami sandwich for $7.50, or a bowl of one of their awesome soups for $4. If you’re really smart, you’ll ask for your soup in a cup and put a spoon in your pocket for the thick stuff. You can put your soup in your cup holder without having to sit out while you eat, or use a side table while you play.
The MGM Grand Buffet is also very close to the poker room. Prices for the dinner buffet range from $22 - $26, and offers a nice variety for hungry poker players. They have King Crab Legs, Prime Rib, several variations of shrimp, sushi, and a whole lot more. To find the Grand Buffet, from the poker room, head back towards the main lobby. You won’t go far as it’s right around the corner to your left.
Massage
Massage therapists are available at the tables for $2 per minute. Before you hire one, watch a couple of them give other people massages. You’ll find they all have their own style, and some are much better than others.
Cash Game Rake
The rake at the MGM is about standard for the industry.
$1/2 NL Hold’em, $2/4 & $3/6 FL Hold’em: $4 maximum rake. $1 taken at each strike point. The strike points are $10, $20, $30 & $40. So, when the pot reaches $10, they take $1 in rake, and so forth.
$2/$5 NL Hold’em:
$4 maximum rake. $1 taken at each strike point. Strike points are $20, $40, $60, $150.
$4/$8 FL Hold’em:
$4 maximum rake. $1 taken at each strike point. Strike points are $10, $30, $50, $90.
Multi Table Tournaments
Daytime Tournaments - Monday thru Friday at 11:05 am (Registration begins at 9:30 am)
$60 buy-in: $1200 tournament chips
Buy an additional $800 tournament chips for $5
No rebuys
Alternates accepted during the first 4 levels
20 minute blind levels
Blind Schedule
$25/50, $50/100, $100/200, $200/400, $400/800, $600/1200, $800/1600, $1500/3000, $3000/6000, $5000/10,000
Payouts
4 - 49 Players - 4 places paid.
50 - 59 Players - 5 places paid.
60 - 79 Players - 6 places paid.
80 - 89 Players - 7 places paid.
90 - 99 Players - 8 places paid.
100 + Players - 9 places paid.
Nightly Tournaments - Sunday thru Thursday at 7:05 pm (Registration begins at 5:30 pm)
$70 buy-in: $2000 tournament chips
Buy an additional $1000 tournament chips for $10
No rebuys
Alternates accepted during the first 4 levels
20 minute blind levels
Blind Schedule - Same as Day Tournaments (See Above)
Payouts
4 - 49 Players - 4 places paid.
50 - 59 Players - 5 places paid.
60 - 79 Players - 6 places paid.
Sit and Go Tournaments
Sit and Go tournaments run 24/7, as they fill up. They are offered with two buy-in amounts.
$60 Buy-in (50+10), 1000 Tournament Chips, 12 minute blind levels.
Payouts: 1st - $300, 2nd - $200
$115 Buy-in (100+15), 1500 Tournament Chips, 15 minute blind levels
Payouts: 1st - $600, 2nd - $400
Blind Schedule - All Sit and Go Tournaments
$25/50, $50/100, $100/200, $200/400, $400/800, $800/1600, $1500/3000, $3000/6000
