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Hi;
This is my second review for this room. I was overly harsh the first time, 3-to-5 years ago.
When I moved back to town, I chose where I live - based on its proximity to this card room! Though I had previously left a too-harsh review, I knew upon my return to town - what I had known previously! The Lodge is my "Go to" Poker room to play in, when I'm in San Antonio!
I'll say that The Lodge excels at the following points - then I'll explain why, or how it does so, in my experience!
The variety of the games hosted!
The continuous stream of varied styles and depths of tournaments surpasses, by far, the offerings of other rooms in town. I believe that is undisputed!
The staff is cordial, helpful - and always presenting a professional front! Front desk crew, cashier, management, dealers and not least, the cleaning crew, the chefs and the waitresses!
Finally, and most importantly, the depth and variety of the player pool, because of the Lodge's size and of the volume of games hosted, pulls in a ton of players from this Metro-area - as well as people from around the region. This makes for a stellar poker-playing experience!
Let me elaborate then, some more on some points. (I'm just going to use more words - to say more of the same!
I haven't had to interface with the chefs, but the food has been so good that on one or two occasions, I called in a food order To Go!... since / though I couldn't stick around to play poker those 2 or 3 times!!
Whether it has been poker playing issues, arcane tournament problems, the dealers have the experience to handle issues deftly - quickly.
There have been a couple of times when the Floor had been called - but you can tell that the dealers are using process to get to the best outcome and/or solution. Fast - clean - with the objective of getting back to the game ASAP. I mean it is - has been - always smooth at The Lodge.
Ok... let's get down to what you really want to hear about.... The games... the players... the count(s) of Fish and Sharks!!!
Well, in this town, there are two rooms where you have enough tables playing that should you need to change the game, or the types of players your being confronted with, at The Lodge, you have enough tables and players that you aren't locked in!
The pool of players is large here, so if you are feeling that you aren't quite holding your own against the players you happen to be sitting with, in this room, you can possibly change that by getting a table change!
I've only table-changed once or twice. I've seen other "Regs" who 'fine tune' their poker playing day, by making table-change request almost every day I happen to see them playing!
In a couple of the other smaller rooms in town, I've experienced that you have the room's 2-to-4-or-5 Regs, and they may be of the same caliber of players as we encounter at the Lodge, while the rest of those players at those smaller rooms here in town are, I feel, generally "softer" players. I'm sure most of you reading this may be saying, "But Josh! Softer is good - we want softer!"
Well, Yes and no! 3, 4 or 5 players at that smaller room's table may be softer.... but... it the only table - the only game going on in that room - where, or while, at the Lodge there could be 3 to five or more tables of $1/$2 going on!
I have to return to the quality food at the Lodge! I can imagine - and have - thought of eating a meal before going to play at other rooms. This won't happen at this room - the S.A. Lodge - the food is good, and there is a wide variety of choices!
Small thing - but not so small.... The distraction of slot machines. That doesn't exist in The Lodge. (I like slots.... but... they are bad for my pocket book and sometimes I've been undisciplined at those other rooms and have thrown money, best intended for slots, into a slot machine!)
Anyhow, no slots, please, for this boy!
So, I love playing poker! And, I like - really like - playing poker at the San Antonio The Lodge.
Though I might pay $1 or $2 more for time in this room vs. what I/we pay in other rooms, I feel that I get more value for my poker-playing time here at the lodge, than I do at other rooms.
