Player's Stories

Reviewing Las Vegas Poker Rooms - Palace Station
By Gone West

PALACE STATION DOES NOT HOLD COURT!

I know, I know! I have already done a Station Review? The problem is so many of these local haunts are around. For those of you not in Vegas, the Stations Casinos are spread all over town and generally attract the local action. This action, otherwise known as, cabdrivers, cocktailers, and retirees, is primarily low-limit and ever-abundant.

ACTION - Palace Station is another of a long list of low-limit havens. Most nights you get the classic small games. $2-4 Hold-em, $4-8 Hold'em, and $4-8 Omaha Hi/Lo. There is nothing spectacular about any of these games. In fact, you can get any of these just about anywhere else in the city. Once a week, this Station will spread a $5-10 Hold-em with a full kill (Tuesdays) and $5-10 Omaha Hi/Lo (Wednesdays). This is a nice touch since there are very few of these transitional $5-10 games in Vegas. The Mirage does have a very regular $5-10 Omaha Hi/Lo game, but that is the only one I have been able to find so far. These games are not attracting a different kind of player, they have become a weekly opportunity for the same $4-8 players to jump up for a change.

At the Hold'em tables, the flop usually comes at the price of six or seven callers and you better have the stone nuts to take the pot. You will not be able to predict what people are starting out with since they will play just about anything from any spot. A great example of this happened to me a few weeks ago. I was sitting in the $5-10 Hold-em in late position. A regular old-timer raised from Under the Gun. Three callers later, I re-raised with pocket Queens. The gentlemen caps out the betting and the flop comes 2-2 -Q. The Gun bets, one person folds, I raise, everyone just calls. The turn comes with a Jack. He bets, I raise, everyone calls. The river comes with a blank. The old-timer bets, the "tweener" folds, I raise, he raises, I cap it out. The gentlemen turns four deuces, I turn over Queens full and I immediately reach for the Tums. Needless to say, I had a terrible session. I really wanted to bounce my head against the wall.

One of the few problems with Palace Station is that they do not offer anything that you cannot get somewhere else on the Strip or in a littler nicer casino. There is just no real reason to go to the Palace Station. Thus, you only get the real local crowd. People who stop there as a convenience in relation to where they live is probably the number one characteristic of those who frequent the Palace Station. This inbreeding inevitably leads to players who all know each other. This can make a stranger feel quite uncomfortable. I am always a little nervous sitting at a table when everyone else is using their first names like they all attended a pre-card game PTA meeting hours before.

I have to give the Action at Palace Station a rank of pocket Tens. Nice to have, but easily folded for better cards.

SERVICE QUALITY - The main problem with the Palace Station poker room is that it is just so unspectacular in almost every way. The Service reflects this concept. I have been inside this room on several occasions and the service has never changed. I have not witnessed a bad experience. I have not witnessed a great effort by any of the staff. You order, they serve, you tip, they leave. It is a dance that has clearly gone on for years and will do so for a long, long time.

I have to give the Service at Palace Station the same rank pocket Tens. Nice to have, but easily folded for better cards.

COMPS - Using your player's card, which is known as the "Boarding Pass", you generate poker dollars at a pretty fair rate. I am not quite sure what the math is, but I did not hear anyone complaining that they were getting ripped off. The nice thing is that you can use they print out for you at any of the restaurants in the casino. Palace Station has the usual casino food stops plus franchisers such as Burger King. The quality of the meals is all over the board, but you do get your options. Another nice touch is that your earned bucks stay in the system so you can easily build up a bank. I have to give the comps system at Palace Station a rank of pocket Queens. Worth the raise!

MISCELLANEOUS - Palace Station is part of the best bad beat jackpot in the city. The stations casinos offer a $100,000 Hold'em bad beat progressive for all of their casinos with a poker room. The standard for hitting this jackpot is steep but fair considering what the amount is and the number of rooms involved. Palace Station also has a local room bad beat on all of their games. Last time I checked, there was ten thousand dollars plus in each of these jackpots. I have neither the time nor the energy to explain all the rules required to qualify for these bad beat jackpots. I promise the deciphering these rules will require a very high-priced lawyer. However, none of these exceptions are any different than all the other rooms in the country. If you have a big hand get beat, make sure they prove to you that you do not qualify. Just the other day, I was at a table where a guy almost mucked a small bad beat because the dealer was not sharp. Fortunately, the rest of us greedy patrons were paying attention, because almost the entire table jumped on the guy to stop him from tossing his cards.

The location of the room is quite ideal. It is just a few steps away from an enormous sports book and various food ports. The room has televisions all over showing the main games of the day. The room does seem a little cramped and the lighting is excessively bright. I have no idea why, but it sometimes seems like I am in that commercial where the homeowners have the spotlights to keep away the roaches and everyone has to wear the goggles.

I have to give the Service at Palace Station the rank pocket Jackets, purely because of the jackpots. Nice to have, but easily folded for better cards.

JOKER - . The biggest problem with Palace Station is there is no Joker. Nothing that goes on with this poker room is extra. Pedestrian is the best term for this room. You show up, you play, you get your free drink, you leave. Nothing blows me away. I can get any game somewhere else. There is just no reason to leave the Strip of Downtown to play here and herein lies the biggest problem. If you are in this area of town, there is nothing wrong with playing here, but there is just no reason to go out of your way.

On the river, I have to give the Poker Room at Boulder Station "Two Pair". It is a winner some of the time. The limit spread is low and those of you who play higher games will be turned off. I found very few flaws with the room and the operation. However, I found very few things to howl about at the same time.