The New MGM Poker Room (pPlayer.com)

Filed under: Casinos & Card Rooms While Daniel Negreanu was playing 00/00 Omaha High-Low to blow off steam after busting out of the PPT event, I was checking out the new poker room at the MGM Grand, which has been getting a ton of positive reactions. First, the good news: the poker area is spacious, open, with great lighting and a fast, efficient, high-tech system to put players at tables. There's also a nice balance between privacy and allowing players to see out into the other areas of the casino, including foot traffic to nightclub Studio 54. When grinding out 8-hour sessions at the table, players desperately crave more visual stimulation than a fourth repeat of SportsCenter, and the well-dressed clubbers fit the bill nicely.

Judging by my stint at a single $2/$5 NL table, the competition is a mixed bag. Our table was tough, especially for me, who started out underfunded and probably should've asked for a table change when the other stacks at the table started to top $1000. Still, anecdotal evidence suggested that other No-Limit tables were rife with loose money. At one point, I saw half an entire table do shots of what appeared to be Jagermeister. I looked down at the cup holders at my table to see tea, bottled water, and the occasional Jack & Diet Coke. Oh well, sometimes you just draw a tough seat.

My only complaint, echoed by some of the other players, was the volume level of the sound system. Most players seemed to prefer to play without high-decibel musical accompaniment. I personally didn't really enjoy hearing the constant stream of seat assignments and requests, which were pumped out at such volume that they seemed to be coming from inside my head. Still, these objections are minor. Everyone generally agreed the space was great, the dealers were sharp, and the MGM poker room was off to a very nice start.