The Aria is a top-tier room and it shows. The Aria (along with Venetian and Bellagio) has the best chairs in town. They play 9-handed. The decor is tasteful. The wait list is handled well.
I only have one complaint about a nitty rule. I was in a hand with a good player and I flopped top-pair weak kicker and he was applying a lot of heat. I showed him my top pair and folded on the flop. the dealer informed me that it was against the rules to show cards or talk about my hand, even when I was heads-up in a cash game. That is a terrible rule and it should be changed. If I could give a 4.5 I would, just because of this rule.
I played the 2/5NL and 1/3NL games when I was there. The competition was about average in both games. The 1/3NL game was passive with people mostly playing the strength of their own hands. The 2/5NL game was a little more aggro both before and after the flop, but it was not what I'd call a really tough 2/5NL game.
The dealers werve very technically proficient. In over 20 hours of playing I only saw one dealer error when a dealer made a mistake in a side-pot. However, there was one major issue. Those who play at Aria probably know 'Crazy Mike'. He plays in Ivey's room at the highest stakes. Apparently when he takes a beating in that game, or just feels like it, he will come to a 1/3 NL game with racks of black chips, buy in for $100 at a time and move in dark every hand. It is free money for the players at the table. The price is that 'Crazy Mike' can be obnoxious and foul-mouthed. However, he tips the dealers well when he wins. 'Crazy Mike' did his thing late Saturday night when I was there. He came to our table and moved in around 8 hands in a row. The dealer, who was also named Mike, obviously had history with 'Crazy Mike' and didn't want his shenanigans at his table. He tried to get 'Crazy Mike' picked up several times. I wound up tipping him $10 just to let 'Crazy Mike' walk around doing his thing until he decided to dump some more money on the table. The dealer should realize that when players at the table are begging for the 'live one' to stay, that it is not his place to try to fill the seat with some stiff. That was out of line and that is the reason for the rating of 4 rather than 5.
Top shelf drinks served quickly by servers who are quite easy on the eyes. They also did an excellent job of remembering 'your' drink and not having to ask over and over again.
Lists, comps, poker-room rate, and table disputes were handled professionally, error-free, and in a friendly manner.
Poker room rate ($179 on weekends) is outstanding for the room quality. $2/hr comps all day (which is higher than the strip standard) and $3/hr comps from 5am-10am.
