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I've been a full time player/member at TBS since mid March. I play 4 sessions/wk here, and I'm VERY HAPPY there's FINALLY a room closer than 3hrs away! I personally like TBS, and enjoy being a member.
As with any business, there are always growing pains, and TBS is no different.
Pros:
-openness management has to suggestions
-the facility is clean, and well kept
-the tables are top notch quality
-the poker chips are GREAT, and are well maintained
-appropriate min/max buy-in amounts for new cash games
-the dealers are competent and very friendly
-Managers/Owners are friendly and professional
-the location is great!
-there is a good free cold drink selection
-if you need a quick snack, they offer a small variety to munch on
-tournament structures are solid, and allow substantial play
-GREAT security guards on the weekends
-cash games are soft, friendly, and juicy
-multiple options for members: Poker, Billiards, Corn hole, darts, video games
-ample parking
Cons:
-no ATM (this is unacceptable)
-the chairs are old, dirty, and uncomfortable
-there is no "sitting lounge" or "break area"
-EXTREMELY limited promotions for players/members: No "high hand", no Table hr specials (except Sunday), no "splash the pot", no "free-roll" tournaments for new or returning members, no "lucky seat" draw, no "AA cracked", no loyalty rewards/kickback, no "early bird" bonus (cash or trmnt), etc. (Promotions attract foot traffic, and new players. Also, I feel like customer satisfaction is a vital piece in the success of any business..)
-Food/meals provided for players seems to be random, and doesn't seem to be prioritized. (?)
-In cash games, Players are not allowed to "Run it" multiple times when all-in. (This is bizarre to me for MANY reasons)
-"Match the stack" (any %) isn't an option in big bet NL games.
-The $13/hr "seat rental fee" for cash games, is higher than most all other social clubs that offer poker. (But still l SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than Raked games)
-Ambiance, esthetic, and overall appearance of the room is stale, and offers no real appeal, theme, or comfort.
-Only one TV for sports, events, etc.
-Understaffed on dealers
I feel like TBS has a lot to improve on. But really, it's just a lot of SMALL, INEXPENSIVE things that they could tweak/adjust, that would really put TBS on the map as a premier social club/poker room! A "members first" mentality would help immensely, I believe. It's still in its infancy as a club, and they are definitely moving in the right direction. Definitely worth checking out.
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Hi TAGG, thanks for being a loyal member and sharing your feedback! As always, I am happy to chat with you in person about your ideas to improve the room. I am surprised that I am hearing about some of your concerns for the first time through this review given our previous conversations.
Your first three cons are projects that are currently in progress as our top priorities. It is important to bring the best experience to our members, which unfortunately is not quick or cheap. As soon as we have ETAs for our deliveries, we will be notifying members about when they will be available.
It seems that you have some out-dated information about our promotions. We have an on-time bonus for our weekly Saturday Shenanigans tournament, as well as an early bird rate of $1/hour for cash games on Monday 5-7pm. We ran a seat draw in March which gave out free cash hours. We are continuously working on promotions and special events - you will see them announced on social media, on our website, in our newsletter, on the bulletin board, on flyers, and at the front desk.
We agree that food is one of our weak spots right now. Unfortunately, the vendor that we had set up before opening pulled out last minute, and the opportunities we have explored so far have not met the standards of what we are willing to offer to our members. We are actively in communication with several more leads and are in discussion on what we can offer in the meantime.
Thank you for your feedback on our dealers! We are proud of our team and enjoy working with them to continue providing great game experiences. As we do put members first, we have put limits on certain aspects such as running it twice to ensure that our newer dealers are appropriately trained. We are constantly working on hiring and training; however, not everyone interviewed or hired will work out. Please keep in mind that we are still a new, small business. We are working constantly to improve the room and member experiences and we have never had a situation in which we did not have enough team members on hand to provide a game for players present.
Again, never hesitate to talk to one of us if you have other ideas or feedback. See you soon!
