Upgrades at the Orleans

Yesterday was my first trip to the Orleans in a long time--since July 15, to be exact. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they've done a few upgrades.

They used to have what appeared to me to be the second-oldest and second-crummiest tables in town, with bottom honors going to the El Cortez (http://pokergrump.blogspot.com/2007/04/armpit-of-las-vegas-poker.html). But now they have nice new ones, with a nicely padded edge. I wish they had also gone for built-in cup holders. More importantly, I can't figure out why they are still hit-and-miss on the Shufflemasters, some tables having them and others not.

They also spent some $$ on new chairs. These are very comfortable office-style seats with wheels, height adjustments, and backrest adjustments. For those who don't play poker a lot, it probably sounds like making a big deal out of nothing, but when spending an average of 120+ hours a month at a poker table, having a comfy place to park one's behind can make a huge difference in how pleasant or unpleasant the time is.

There is also now at the Orleans a half-wall around most of the poker room. It's possible that was there before, but I don't remember it, so I think that it's new. Too bad they didn't extend it all the way to the ceiling with plexiglas, the way that Harrah's is, to keep out noise and smoke from the slots area. Perhaps some day....