Is this REASONABLE? Play poker 40 hours a week and get 400.00 in cash?

Is this a reasonable figure ...
Poker players who play forty hours a week will get food comps at two dollars per hour and will be paid at ten dollars an hour in cash?

Supposedly this is the TI poker room starting January first. Its not to be a prop player... just to play in their room.

How can a poker room do this???

Quote: FleaStiff

Is this a reasonable figure ...
Poker players who play forty hours a week will get food comps at two dollars per hour and will be paid at ten dollars an hour in cash?

Supposedly this is the TI poker room starting January first. Its not to be a prop player... just to play in their room.

How can a poker room do this???

don't know, but a lot of what seems like the best deal ever in marketing often turns out to be the "introductory" part of a contract that obscures the fact that it is actually the worst deal ever. I am allergic to that type of marketing, just hate it. Definitely don't give me anything for 'free' or I am deaf to the offer.

If for this deal there is no contract, it could still be yanked pretty fast.

The publicity on this did not come from the TI.

Based on the assumption that Poker Rooms provide only a narrow profit margin, I find the figure difficult to believe. I'm not asking if it is true but merely if it is at all reasonable.

Quote: FleaStiff

Is this a reasonable figure ...
Poker players who play forty hours a week will get food comps at two dollars per hour and will be paid at ten dollars an hour in cash?

Supposedly this is the TI poker room starting January first. Its not to be a prop player... just to play in their room.

How can a poker room do this???

Has got to have the string that you have to be there 40 hours, hit the felt at 39 hours 45 minutes and you get nothing. Few players can bankroll that kind of play; have the patience to sit for it; and can take off work for it. It would become a job, but worse. The dealer gets a break every 80 minutes or less. The brush will get one probably every 2 hours if s/he does not deal. If you even get up to hit the bathroom and take too long there will be the "missed blind" lamier waiting to greet you. I doubt one player at each table could do it for more than 2-3 weeks.

The owner of TI seems to fashion himself as at least a little of an old-school-before-corporations kind of guy who will try something like this.

Nothing about forty consecutive hours or a mandatory forty hours or get zilch...
Just any player who during one week accumulates forty hours of play in their poker room gets 80.00 in food comps and 400.00 in cash.

Is this a figure that if you heard you would believe or think was wildly absurd?
(I only noted the highest pay scale: ten dollars an hour, but I recall those who put only twenty hours in would still be getting something). I've not yet found an official TI source for this January 1st changeover in their poker room.

What's the catch? Is my first thought.
I'm thinking
a) must play 40 hrs
b) must play 2.5-5 NLH
If thats the case they are just giving back the rake.
btw Flea you said it!!!
must play 40 hrs in the week, that is not easy for most people and if I lived there I would look into it as I can site for hrs.

Quote: FleaStiff

Nothing about forty consecutive hours or a mandatory forty hours or get zilch...
Just any player who during one week accumulates forty hours of play in their poker room gets 80.00 in food comps and 400.00 in cash.

Is this a figure that if you heard you would believe or think was wildly absurd?

In Vegas, not at all...

TI is going after the locals who are the grinders and have to use promotions to turn a profit playing poker. These are the retired men with more moles than teeth and who are more bitter than coffee. They know if they can snag a few of them, they'll have a game going on for the tourists who just happen into the joint. More active tables mean a better poker room (by perception).

The other thing they will get are the kids who come out to Vegas thinking they can get 40 hours a week in. By hour 20, they are bored and fed up, and possibly broke, so TI isn't out anything. You're not going to get the professionals at Bellagio to switch all that time over to TI; high-stakes players aren't living off cash promotions anyways.

It's actually a genius promotion. I would be surprised if they paid out ten people, but it will generate so much buzz that it's good for the room.

So its very tight players pretty much playing for blinds and whatever tourist-prey might wander in by mistake.
But instead of playing for blinds and comped drinks they will be playing for anywhere from five to ten dollars an hour depending on their total hours of play per week.

I just wondered if this was reasonable because 8 tables at ten dollars an hour could be a really hefty figure for a poker room.

Quote: FleaStiff

So its very tight players pretty much playing for blinds and whatever tourist-prey might wander in by mistake.
But instead of playing for blinds and comped drinks they will be playing for anywhere from five to ten dollars an hour depending on their total hours of play per week.

I just wondered if this was reasonable because 8 tables at ten dollars an hour could be a really hefty figure for a poker room.

The thing to me is that I have better ways to earn more money with less risk and effort. Some retired locals might take them up on it.

If you go to a 5-10 nlh the time is about $7 every 1/2 hr x10 player x 2 for the hole hr = $140 hr per full table. if all players qualify for the promo thats $120 hr however most players will no qualify. This promo is ment to have full tables so the touirst will play. When it come to poker the more action you have the bigger the croud gets and that is how a casino brings in $ at a poker room. Btw at a fast paced game with a rake of 10% up to $4/hand you can bring in $120-$160 hr.

I think the bigger issue today is this type of promo is simple one would not expect it from a strip casino.

Quote: whatme

I think the bigger issue today is this type of promo is simple one would not expect it from a strip casino.

Maybe they reas "Casinology 2." Looks like a way to get lots of unpaid/lowpaid shills.

The actual promo is stated as thus (directly from the TI poker manager):

"Play 10 hours earn $50
Play 20 hours earn $150
Play 30 hours earn $250
Play 40 hours earn $400

Each additional 10 hour increment earns you another $100."

The TI pokerroom has the disadvantage of being well away from the casino, and is dark much of the time. In fact, it's roped off with a sign at the entrance that says "opens at 10am", but that doesn't mean there's a line of players waiting to get in. Tourists walk over to the room at noon, peek in and see no game, or 3 people sitting there waiting for more players, and then he goes next door to Mirage, which never goes dark. This promo will keep the room open longer at night, earlier in the morning, maybe even all night.

The 40 hours per week is easily attained. Grinders all over town do it already for aces cracked, freeroll qualifiers and other reasons, like Palms recently ended their promo where playing just 8 hours got you a free buffet pass. Others play to avoid being bored at home or in their room upstairs, or to enjoy the air conditioning, or free cookies at IP, or free alcohol. You'd be surprised how many CET Diamond members are just low-stakes grinders who sit there all day and drink coffee and then have a meal in the Diamond Lounge when it opens at 4pm. 40 hours is like any other job, except the grinders can do it at any time of day or night, and on weekends. Plus, it's a sit-down kind of job, with music and good conversation with other grinders they've come to call friends. Even 10 hours gets you back $10, which'll keep the weekend tourists at the table a little longer.

Quote: zippyboy

The 40 hours per week is easily attained. Grinders all over town do it already for aces cracked, freeroll qualifiers and other reasons, like Palms recently ended their promo where playing just 8 hours got you a free buffet pass. Others play to avoid being bored at home or in their room upstairs, or to enjoy the air conditioning, or free cookies at IP, or free alcohol. You'd be surprised how many CET Diamond members are just low-stakes grinders who sit there all day and drink coffee and then have a meal in the Diamond Lounge when it opens at 4pm. 40 hours is like any other job, except the grinders can do it at any time of day or night, and on weekends. Plus, it's a sit-down kind of job, with music and good conversation with other grinders they've come to call friends. Even 10 hours gets you back $10, which'll keep the weekend tourists at the table a little longer.

Sounds like my dream retirement.

If the TI poker room is struggling to stay open or extend hours, I can see this as being a break-even type of thing. I mean if they are now returning most of the rake, but are suddenly earning enough to pay dealers to deal rather than sit there waiting for a game, it sounds like a good thing.

Plus they are at an advangate of having people paid to play, while not being rea prop players that would otherwise need to be pointed out when asked.

Quote: zippyboy

...or free cookies at IP...

The poker room at IP is small, and right at the front door. The cookies are on a counter top on the far side, but there's no StormTroopers keeping non-poker players away from the cookies. At most, a floor person will let you take one or two, but remind you it's for the poker players.

Word to the wise: They're GOOD, fresh-baked cookies.

Quote: zippyboy

The actual promo is stated as thus (directly from the TI poker manager):
.

Also on the TI poker room facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/TIpokerlv

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Word to the wise: They're GOOD, fresh-baked cookies.

Yes, I also understand that there is a ten dollar early morning Aces Cracked whereas nearby there is a competing event that charges 20 dollars and doesn't have cookies. So I guess there is competition for this early morning tight-fisted, tight-playing poker crowd of grumpy old men playing for blinds.
I just think it will have to be one heck of a tasty cookie to keep the IP poker room crowd from moving to TI to earn ten bucks an hour doing their same tight game.

Oh joy! my dream to play ata table of grumpy rocks! <sarcasm> My favorite is the poker room at Resorts in Atlantic City when the bus riding old lady calling stations are playing.

Essentially they're paying shills to sit at the tables
and sucker tourists into playing. I'm sure they've
crunched the numbers every way possible and
it looks like a feasible plan. Maybe it will catch on.

Quote: ncfatcat

My favorite is the poker room at Resorts in Atlantic City when the bus riding old lady calling stations are playing.

Hmmm.....

I wasn't aware Resorts HAD a poker room.

Just as the individual player hears "You Can't Win If You Don't Play The Game", the casino bean counters hear "You Can't Collect a Rake If The Room Is Dark".

EDIT!

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Hmmm.....

I wasn't aware Resorts HAD a poker room.

It might be gone now. It's in the Asian Games area on the right coming in from the Boardwalk. Or was - I haven't been able to go this year.

If you're on social security, and can play 6 hours
a day and break even, this would be a hell of a
boost to your standard of living. Thats if you can
break even playing.

Quote: EvenBob

this would be a hell of a boost to your standard of living. That's if you can break even playing.

Perhaps all those geezers who show up TRYING to hold their own against the poker sharks will be the one's who boost the rake? As long as there is a constant supply of players there will be a game available and that is what the casino wants.

Quote: FleaStiff

Is this a reasonable figure ...
Poker players who play forty hours a week will get food comps at two dollars per hour and will be paid at ten dollars an hour in cash?
Supposedly this is the TI poker room starting January first. Its not to be a prop player... just to play in their room.
How can a poker room do this???

From Clark's Vegas Blog:
From Saturday at midnight to the following Saturday at midnight, put in your hours and you'll earn money. And pretty significant money at that.
Play 10 hours, get $50. 20 hours, $125. 30 hours, $200. 40 hours, $300. 50 hours, $500. And 60 hours, $599 (to avoid IRS forms at the $600 giveaway mark).
...
We do wonder how long the room will be able to sustain this, particularly if it draws all the locals who are there just for the promotion.

Please Note: A blog reader responded that the TI was helping sustain this by charging one dollar extra per hand but presumably even a slight enhanced rake is still not enough to put a dent in the cost of the program. Anyone know if the TI poker room is going 24 hours and still getting both local tight players as well as tourists who are thought to leak dollars wherever they play.


But hey, we'll check it out for at least a week and hope that the promo returns them to being open 24 hours (before they were closing around 3 a.m. and then re-opening at 10 a.m.).

deleted

Okay folks,,,,
It started January first ... how does it seem to be going so far?

More players? More fish? Everybody playing tight?

My local cardroom will pay you 500 for 40 hrs a week and an extra 40 a day if you play before 10am.

What state is that?