Let me know if this thread already exists... But I’m wondering what people think are the best poker rooms you have played in, and what specifically you liked about them. It could be casinos, or private games.
I’m not talking about the fanciest rooms, necessarily, but the most appealing and comfortable and fun to play in. Places you can’t wait to get back to.
Often, I’d prefer to play kitchen table poker if a friend runs a good game, rather than go to a casino. I’ve played in way more private/social hall games than casinos, and would almost never play in raked games if I could find more friendly home ones.
Nice chips, good felt, a custom table, comfortable seating, proper lighting, some decent food, and most of all people I want to play with (either because they’re good guys, or they’re giving away money) are some of the things I value. And of course a host or manager who handles rulings properly and fairly, and doesn’t allow people to spoil the game with angles or bad behavior.
Full disclosure: I’m asking for three main reasons. One is that if I ever travel again, I’d like to know of some good places to play along the way. Second, I’m gearing up to renovate an old barn on my land, and among other things want to use it eventually for my game—I guess that would make it a barn game, rather than a home game—and am thinking about how to do it, beyond the obvious. And third, as alluded to elsewhere, I’m finishing up a book about the design of the game of poker, and am still looking to evaluate some of my own ideas against other people’s opinions and needs. (I absolutely wouldn’t use any comments on this thread for the book without specifically asking permission.)
I’m not talking about the fanciest rooms, necessarily, but the most appealing and comfortable and fun to play in. Places you can’t wait to get back to.
Often, I’d prefer to play kitchen table poker if a friend runs a good game, rather than go to a casino. I’ve played in way more private/social hall games than casinos, and would almost never play in raked games if I could find more friendly home ones.
Nice chips, good felt, a custom table, comfortable seating, proper lighting, some decent food, and most of all people I want to play with (either because they’re good guys, or they’re giving away money) are some of the things I value. And of course a host or manager who handles rulings properly and fairly, and doesn’t allow people to spoil the game with angles or bad behavior.
Full disclosure: I’m asking for three main reasons. One is that if I ever travel again, I’d like to know of some good places to play along the way. Second, I’m gearing up to renovate an old barn on my land, and among other things want to use it eventually for my game—I guess that would make it a barn game, rather than a home game—and am thinking about how to do it, beyond the obvious. And third, as alluded to elsewhere, I’m finishing up a book about the design of the game of poker, and am still looking to evaluate some of my own ideas against other people’s opinions and needs. (I absolutely wouldn’t use any comments on this thread for the book without specifically asking permission.)