When my old pal Trina asked me about doing some media coverage for PokerAtlas I was tentative. I love PokerAtlas and what they have done for poker rooms, no doubt about that. I was singing their praises way before I agreed to work this event. But I didn't know where the event would run, what the facility would be like, or how far I would have to travel. When she told me that it was at Resorts World here in Vegas, I changed my tune. 

Not only do I not have to travel, but I don't have to deal with strip traffic? And I get to work in one of the nicest rooms in the country, where I play a couple nights a week anyway? And I get to work with people I like? I'm in! 

 I'll skip the raving about the restaurants because I already covered that in my article about the food options at Resorts World. 

Let's get right to the best thing about the poker room at Resorts World. The staff. As a mixed game player, who has played all over the world, I can say with confidence that the dealers and floor staff here are the best I've ever seen. The dealers here are pitching cards to high-limit mixed games every day, sometimes at nosebleed stakes. And those players are not always kind when dealers make mistakes, so working here is a trial by fire. Those who survive are excellent dealers. 

The floor staff, the cashiers, even the food runners, are professional and seem to like their jobs. One of the curses of being a poker pro is that I read people very well, sometimes when I would rather not. And I hate being a customer in a place where the employees are unhappy, even if they are doing their best to paste a smile on their face. I don't get that here. 

I also love the room itself. All the space you could want, no crowding, beautiful appointments, and the most comfortable chairs in town. I especially like that they bought some big art pieces from the wall from my favorite local street artists at Recycled Propaganda. 

Resorts World was serious about poker when they built this room. From the super comfortable leather chairs to the $25,000 coffee machine (you read that right), and the expensive local art on the walls, they really did it right. And the serious players noticed. The private rooms where the big games run are beautifully appointed, which is why the $80/160 mix runs daily here and games as big as $400/800 are common. 

Let's not forget free parking. I can't bring myself to pay for parking. If you don't have an upgraded card (you only need the first upgrade to the white card) see anyone at the poker desk and as long as you played cash or a tournament that day, you will never pay for parking. Free parking is more and more rare in Vegas these days and I appreciate it when I find it. 

I play in a crazy deep stack game twice a week at Resorts World as well. The folks in charge do a great job of accommodating unique games and dealing with all the crazy rules, which is why games like the Absolute Nuts stream runs here and why we are able to have 25k buy-ins and $200 straddles in our $2/3 game. 

Did I mention the coffee? Of course I did. It's delicious.