I'm sure that research would yield a more accurate review, but as this is all about first impressions, maybe better to leave the naive first takes in place.
First off, we assumed a hefty parking fee as is true most everywhere, so we parked in the land that time forgot over at Circus Circus for free. We then proceeded to cut through the Clown Town, with the mirrored walls and funhouse atmosphere. We then cut through Slots-A-Fun, which has been reduced to a ghost town collection of 1980s era slot machines. The first building noticeable was the mini-Police Station facing the strip. We thought this was interesting, like maybe there’s a kangaroo court inside and an opportunity to sweep anyone unruly off the streets and into what might be a makeshift prison inside. But all of this is imagination, as the mini-Police Station offered no tours and no real front door to check out.
After turning the corner and walking up the incline to the entrance (there’s got to be an escalator in the future, right?), the Resorts World was spacious on the Tuesday late morning we were there. We took in the Disco Ball Sphere, 3 stories high which seemingly had its own light show occasionally. "Is there a restaurant inside there?", my sister-in-law asked. Then we saw the spherical remains of a VW Rabbit as an art exhibit and I felt like we were closer to Meow Wolf than any casino. There was a donut display under glass also that we observed longingly and, after 3 hits, we felt that the circle/sphere theme was now apparent.
There were also about a dozen Rolls Royces lined up in an exhibit of some kind, but no contest in which to win them. So disappointing. I always thought that anything you see in a casino, you could theoretically win and take home with you.
We wandered into the Crockford, a room within the Resorts World, which we think is the library or study room, separated by glass doors from the rest of the room. There were table games (blackjack? Baccarat?), but it was quiet, so we began to whisper just to fit in. I walked over to something like a cage, but more upscale looking, maybe a checkin desk vibe (without a single person in line though). I whispered to the one of the associates "is there a poker room". The associate, Hannah, went ABOVE AND BEYOND and walked the three raggamuffin tourists over to the Poker Room, remarking "You know, I've been working here 3 weeks and still get lost. Let me walk you over to the poker room...". She then asked who we were, where we came from and with the poker room only about 100 feet away, gave us a mini-tour of the room, even showing us the "gift shop in the back of the poker room, which you could always use for a quick escape or sudden entrance". Ha ha.
Customer service: A+
As others have noted, the room is its own universe, unique to me except for the Caesars Palace circa 2010 or so, before they shoved the players into the sport book area. Anyhow, 9 to a table, extremely comfortable chairs with wheels. It smelled like a new house. They did allow one dork to be on his phone during several hands and then use his laptop with another chair he had brought over - had the strong feeling he was "working from home". But really, I think neither phone (talking, texting OK) nor laptop should be used at the table.
But that would be the only distraction - pristine conditions for poker. There were very few distracting TV monitors. Foot traffic of people walking by was minimal.
There was an odd white particle debris on the ultra clean felt and the dealer explained that the brand new chips were shedding (even the chips have chips). Several players questioned what the heck Resorts World is supposed to mean and our multi-national table had a Malaysian gentleman who explained how big Resorts World is huge in Pahang (google rwgenting sometime) and other places in Asia, which many of us were ignorant of.
Getting on a table was quick. I was put on a list of 3 and somehow within 5 minutes I was seated (where did the other players come from?). Drinks were immediate - the attendant was there waiting for us to start to take our orders and stopped by frequently. The rake was 10% up to $5, with no irritating promotions (where the promotions/rewards are handed out to regs at specific times). They also offered a button straddle, which is kind of fun if you like being in position. Poker Atlas was very observable, where each vacant table had its LCD display showing the Poker Atlas symbol. Good for you guys!
Overall, I'm sure I had the benefit of showing up at a slow hour, but this was a great experience and a sure future return. While the Golden Nugget poker room has a familiarity like playing in Grandpa’s rec room, this one felt like being on Grandpa’s yacht. Well, if I imagine having a grandpa who had a yacht and not an old fishing boat.
