Atlantic City

My father and I are making a trip up to Atlantic City in the next few weeks. It was his suggestion, so I figured why not? One person I spoke with said just go to the Borgata, end of story. Another person said it is a complete dump and the only reason to go there is to play poker and leave. Works for me.

So any advice, suggestions, etc. for a first time visitor to Atlantic City? Someone also told me there are some BYOB strip joints. I thought this little tidbit from a fantasy football forum I frequent was quite funny.

Here is a tournament guide that might help you decide where you will play.

http://www.acpokerguide.com/newdaily.aspx

It seems to still be good info. Good luck

My sister stays at the Borgata when she's in Atlantic City and say's it's a very nice hotel.

She doesn't play poker, so can't help you there.

And, dude, seriously, be careful if you go anywhere outside the casino's. Overall, Atlantic City is a cesspool.

Oh, and have fun!

Borgata is probably the nicest casino in AC, poker room is huge so no real trouble finding most of whatever games you want to play in. Harrahs', Trop and Taj have a decent amount of games and I would play at those in that order.

Yea I was told if you are going to be wandering around stay on the strip. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES VENTURE INTO THOSE BACK ROADS!

Ah hate to dig up a semi old thread but I was wondering the same thing. Where should a live beginner play and where can a brother find a cheap place to stay on the weekends?? The prices look outrageous!

I drive up once or twice a year. I stay at the Tropicana because it's on the beach and they have really affordable rooms for the Poker Rate. (All you have to play is 4 hours a day to get rate and that's pretty easy)

I think Borgata is nicer and I usually catch a cab from the Tropicana and go up there and play as well.

Have a good time and let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the advice I will definitely check out the Tropicana.

The Borgata has the biggest and best poker room, no doubt. (Also the hottest waitresses) Wide variety of games. They also have the toughest competition so expect to find some players! I suggest Harrah`s for an alternate room, it`s got a nice cozy feel and the floor people and dealers are top notch. If you go in the next few weeks check to see if the Bad Beat jackpot has hit at the Showboat, its over 300K now and that room is rockin` on a daily basis. If you want to try your luck against the scum of the earth then go next door to the Taj, also a pretty big room. If you want a cheap(er) place to stay then go down Rt. 30 off the island into Absecon, lots of cheap motels. Avoid walking down Atlantic Ave or Pacific Ave and you`ll be fine.

I stll love the TAJ....
It has always been good to me and is where I play when i'm in AC.
You do have to be careful around AC,as staed above.
It can be a scary place away from the casinos.

What is the range of buy-ins at said casinos out of curiosity?

The Borgata is by far the hot spot for poker in Atlantic City. Though as of lately bacause of the WSOP, action there is well a bit slow. Then of course the weekend arrives. All the New York City rounders fill the seats. Gaming at the Borgata is relatively clean for the rest of the casino, nice 4-5 star restaurants to dine. A close second place is the Trump's Taj Mahal then the Tropicana.

The Borgata is by far the nicest casino you will find in Atlantic City, however, its also the most expensive. If your looking for a cheap place to stay, I would recommend the Tropicana. Its a large casino, has a solid poker room, and the rates are the cheapest casino rates you will find. The past few times I have gone to AC, I have stayed at the Trop and walked 10 minutes down the boardwalk every afternoon and played several hours at Caesars, which has a more comfortable poker room. If your looking for the largest, nicest room and casino, Borgata is where its at.

My personal experience:

Borgata - biggest and nicest. Lots of soft players that deposit $100 bills like they're at slot machines, but also some good players to be aware of. I've only played 1-2NL there and I've read that 2-5NL is very similar but with a higher percentage of good players (maybe some fledgling/lower limit pros??). I've only played there once, but due to the action and quality of the room I think it'll be the #1 choice during prime hours (weekend nights 11pm-4am). Plus-as the guy above noted-the waitresses are on the attractive side of the spectrum.

Tropicana - decent size room, several 1-2NL games going at all times (even at low tide ~5am there are 3+ 1-2NL games on weekends). The play can vary a lot so don't be afraid to change tables if you run into a tight table or a big stacked table captain not willing to call when you have a good hand. I've logged about 32 hrs here, and have a decent record there so I usually "head to the Trop" for a warmup session when in town. Plus that qualifies you for the $129-ish poker room rate, which is pretty solid for beachblock casino lodging.

Bally's - Decent sized room, though it doesn't seem to have as many players as the Trop. Lots of weak players there, along with some regulars. Of all the AC casinos I've been to, Bally's seems to have the lowest percentage of breakeven/winning players. I've seen a fair amount of sloppy play from obnoxious older guys that can get annoying (even though its profitable). Overall it's worth a shot due to the weak players, imo.

Ceaser's - Only one session there and it was a late one (5am-10am). There were about three tables going: 1-2NL, 2-5NL, & stud or Omaha forget which. Unfortunately for my bankroll, I played a session there after celebrating a winning session at the Trop and closing down a gentlemen's club (after closing down Hooters @ 2am). Needless to say I found the one rounder there-a college age kid-who proceeded to call every time I bluffed him.. Not good . Anyhow, the room was reasonably nice and the staff was attentive. If the room fills up on weekends it's probably a good game.

That's all I got so far. Going again this weekend to put in some hours. Planning to go Trop-Borgata-Harrah's.

Good luck-

Well we made the mistake of even going to this nasty city. I would recommend if you wanted to gamble to make the trip out to Vegas. We stayed out on black horse pike Sat night at the travelodge which was decent for the price (55) compared to the Trop (249). We stated at the Trop Sun (77), but it was a nasty place in the west tower. Check in was 4 pm hallway filled with soiled linens and room service trays. They even rented our room to someone else who came walking in 45 minutes after we checked in. We did play 2 tournaments $52 buy ins. I didn't do well at all....no cards. Hubby made it to the final table but finished just out of the money. Like I said Vegas is much better.