Bally's Poker Room Review

[krw17]

Bally's website | 888-742-9248
Location: 3645 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas NV
Games Offered: Limit Hold'em, NL Hold'em, and I normally saw a list going for interest in Omaha, Stud and even Pineapple once.
Number of tables: 20
Smoking allowed? No
Member Review by: krw17

Bally's shares a computerized list management system with the Paris casino. This helps if you are looking to play an uncommon game because it should be easier to drum up the interest. I don't think I ever waited more than about 15 minutes to sit down at a table. There is an indoor walkway between the hotels and it isn't that far of a stroll to the other poker room. So if Bally's doesn't have a game that fits your interests, check the board to see if the Paris does. I'm pretty sure the Bally's staff could put you on the list for a game over at Paris, then you could stroll over there as you moved closer to the top of the list. I think the real benefit to the system was finding others that might be interested in the same game you were (e.g. the interest in Pineapple that I saw on the board).

Games/stakes available

I chose to play at the 2/4 limit table. 1/2 NL is always available and there are usually two other higher limit games going on and one other higher NL game happening between the Paris and Bally's. Commonly found other than those already mentioned are 3/6 and 4/8 limit as well as 2/5 NL.

NL Hold'em tournaments are held weekdays at 11AM [$50 buy-in + $5 fee]

Bally's doesn't always have Stud or Omaha games, but check the list and tell management that you are interested.

Decor and atmosphere

Not really a poker "room" at Bally's, just a roped off section on the side of the casino floor. It is rather noisy as you try to concentrate on your cards. However, this appears to attract a few more novice players because it doesn't appear so intimidating. The tables had very nice felt with a betting line. No racetrack and slip in cupholders. The rail felt a little stiff after being there a while and I felt like it could have used a little more padding. There are card shufflers built into the tables.
Dealers that are rotating through the tables usually take turns acting as the chip runners and running the list management. As such, it seems a little disorganized at times, but I had no problem getting what I needed when I just walked up and asked them.

Some pictures of the room courtesy of AllVegasPoker

Quality of opponents

Competitions seemed to vary by time of day. Early afternoon seemed pretty juicy and the action got more serious during the evening, but still this seemed like an overall easy poker room to sit down in and win some money. Most were content with only calling and the others were easily spotted as maniacs that raised and chased everything. Usually though, you could spot at least one or two other players at the table who were decent to good players.

Chips

Chipco chips were used for the $1 chip at Bally's and the connected Paris poker rooms. Bally's and the Paris share the same $1 chips. The $5 chips at Bally's were clay and was usually in rather poor shape and very dirty.

Pictures from silver-state-treasures



and the flip side of that chip



The $5 chip

Additional perks

Caesars and Harrah's have merged, and the player comps system is undergoing an overhaul at the moment. All Harrah’s and Caesar’s properties will be converted to the “Total Rewards” systems of player comps. This system will ultimately include a very large set of gaming establishments. More info here .

Cocktail service is rather consistent although sometimes you really had to be paying attention as the cocktail waitress mentioned cocktails as she sped by! This was limited to only a few of the waitresses.

Reviewer Comments

The dealers were very courteous and helpful. Rarely would they get on your case unless you tried to use your cell phone at the table! I like this rule though, it keeps the action going. Generally, if you aren't involved in a hand, you can use your cell phone, but the dealers here preferred you to stand up from the table if you wanted to use your phone. I only saw a few small mistakes, nothing that caused a misdeal. I did see one dealer accidentally hit the card shuffler button and it flipped the top up and the deck of cards he was dealing went everywhere. Fortunately, that hand had just ended anyway. The dealers generally kept the game moving here without being total stones, so I liked them overall.

The Bally's poker room is just a roped off section of the casino floor. It is smack dab in the middle of the hustle and bustle. This has some positives though. It appears a bit more inviting to those just learning or wanting to learn poker. I stayed at Bally's while I was in Las Vegas recently, so I played a lot here. The noise and loiterers on the ropes were a little distracting at times, but I was usually able to squeeze out some good winnings here. I think it appeals to a younger crowd looking for no-frills poker action. If you prefer a relatively quiet atmosphere with players who are cognizant of good poker etiquette, then you may not really like this room.

[tsuch67]

When I was in Vegas in November...I was looking for the poker room at Paris which was located behind the Sports Book and next to the bar...the poker room is no longer there. Not sure if it's a permamanent