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Santa Fe Station Poker Room Review Last updated: 07/04/09 Sponsored Advertisement Phone: (702) 515-4315 Web: http://www.allvegaspoker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=51 Email: Address: 4949 N Rancho Dr. Editor's Review Santa Fe Station Poker Room News Santa Fe Station Poker Room Information Tables: 14 Betting Limits:
Santa Fe Station Poker Tournaments: Yes
Weekend Wait-Time: Weekdays < 30 minutes Weekends 30 to 60 minutes Smoking Allowed: No Poker Room Rate: No Editor's Review - Santa Fe Station Poker Room Total Rating: 3.75 Room Quality Rating: 4 **Last Updated: 07/04/09** Santa Fe Station is located in northwest Las Vegas, about 12 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, and about 10 miles from Red Rock. A locals casino that recently underwent a major expansion and remodeling, it caters to locals and tourists valuing a nice expansive property with clean and comfortable hotel rooms, and a sizeable family friendly casino (replete with movie theatre, bowling alley, Kids Quest Hourly Child care, and a fast food court). The Santa Fe Station poker room is easily one of the nicest card rooms within the Stations Casino group, having undergone a complete relocation into a new wing of the casino about a year ago. Encompassing 14 tables, all with thick arm rests, autoshufflers, and the Genesis Bravo tableside units, the Santa Fe poker room is significantly nicer and more technologically advanced than most Strip card rooms. Being a locals' casino, Santa Fe offers many perks and creature comforts that Strip rooms would normally not bother with: Coffee and water station in room, comfortable couch and chairs with newspapers and magazines for waiting players and even the ability to page specific names over the casino PA system to alert waiting players to their open seats. Also, players are able to call in and place their names on the list for up to one hour ahead of time. These little perks are why many players vie toward local casinos versus their larger Strip counterparts, as the room tends to focus itself on daily regulars that play extended hours, every day. The room is located quite perfectly within the property, with ample self parking, restrooms, and the Race and Sports book all located very close to the room. The physical layout of the room is also a selling point. All tables are nicely spread apart from one another, with ample space between all tables, and the two entrances to the room are easily accessible from both the north and south side of the room. The overall comfort of the room is yet another selling point. When the room was relocated and remodeled to its new location, all new chairs were brought in, with adjustable height swivel bases, on wheels, with adjustable back support (adjustable back support is very rare with even the best rooms not offering adjustable backs). The tables all have new tight felt, lack wooden racetracks, and the thick armrests have cup holders installed. The customer lounge is located in the northwest corner of the room, and is in plain view of both the waiting lists and sports programming. The aesthetics of the room are sleek, modern, and comforting, though a bit dark. The color palate is that of dark high gloss wooden veneers complimented with chrome silver fixtures and light sconces. The chairs and carpeting are a mixture of dark brown and taupe, which coincides with the entire new wing of the property. The brush desk is large and is set up at the main entrance to the room, which is admittedly far from the customer waiting lounge, but gets the job done. There is a self service kiosk for players that want to sign up for games themselves using their Stations Boarding Pass Players’ Cards, but since it is only a couple feet from the brush desk, many just approach the brush to sign up instead (especially since many names on the list are often call ins, so a seat availability is often questionable). When it comes to technology, Santa Fe is one of the top rooms in the city. Stations casinos have demonstrated their serious dedication to the loyalty of poker players by adding nearly all modern poker management technology to the room. Autoshufflers and Genesis Bravo tableside units have been installed in all tables, and the brush desk has the ability to page players over the casino loudspeaker. These three things in conjunction with each other are things that even the world class rooms cannot compete with, and gives locals casinos a significant advantage when it comes to breeding loyalty. Overall, the Santa Fe Station poker room is one of the nicest in the city with regards to overall room quality. Comfortable aesthetics coupled with a nice and comfortable layout and location make Santa Fe Station a truly underrated shining star within the Stations Casino Empire, and worthy of checking out if you find yourself in the Northwest part of the Las Vegas valley. Competition Rating: 3 The competition level at Santa Fe Station is about what you would expect from a mid level Stations property (high level being Red Rock and low level being Palace Station). The crowd is largely comprised of upper middle aged locals during the day with some younger kids coming out at night. 2/4LHE and 4/8LHE spread the most often usually on 3 tables, with 1/2NLHE starting around 11AM and continuing through the evening, usually on 2 or 3 tables. Overall, the competition level is expectedly weak tight with some guys getting in there and attempting to make moves (usually obvious ones) every now and then. The max buy in is $300, which is high than Red Rock (Station’s premier property), but due to a lack of a daily 2/5 game (something that Red Rock has a near monopoly on), the $300 max fits well within the room, and allows for some decent play. The players are significantly weaker than those found at Red Rock, yet significantly better than those that frequent lesser Stations properties like Boulder Station and Sunset Station. The competition level of Santa Fe Station is not really a selling point of the room, but isn’t a major detractor either. Any educated player should fare well in the game playing a basic ABC tight aggressive game. Most players at Santa Fe are regulars and thus have predictable and learnable styles of play. After playing one or two sessions, you should have enough knowledge to be able to approach the game from a winning angle. Dealer Rating: 4 The dealers at Santa Fe Station are just above average. Though all are skilled in dealing competency overall, some do border on the lazy when it comes to certain procedures and protocol, including small things like occasionally rolling the deck, waiting for the autoshufflers to complete instead of hand dealing, and at least one dealer matches stacks when a player wins an all in. However, their game control is solid, and their friendliness and overall attitude is generally quite welcoming and friendly. Though a few tend to be a little too social with the regulars (to the point where it has slowed down the game a bit), the average dealer at Santa Fe does their job well, and maintains solid game control. The dealers at Santa Fe are generally older, experienced dealers with a few standing out as being quite above average. Leroy and Linda come to mind as being dealers that are well rounded in their ability to maintain game control while engaging socially with the daily patrons, and seem to go out of their way to recognize and welcome certain customer’s loyalties. Overall, the dealing staff at the Santa Fe are above average. They lack the somewhat high brow attitude that the Red Rock dealers seem to exude, and welcome players by name to the table when known. They seem appreciative of tokes and receptive to player courtesy. Though not necessarily the room’s strongest link, the dealers at Santa Fe are certainly worthy of a positive mention. Cocktail Rating: 4 The cocktail service at Santa Fe Station is average within the Stations chains, and slightly above average overall. Frozen drinks are available, but Red Bull is not. Most basic cocktails are available including some (but not all) top shelf. Players are permitted to order more than one drink, depending on how busy the room is, and most waitresses keep water on their tray at all times for patrons. What the service lacks in selection, they certainly make up in speed. The cocktail servers at Santa Fe seem to always be in the room at all times. Often, it seems that one girl is assigned specifically to the poker room, allowing drinks to come at an often alarming rate (often every 15 minutes or less). Also, the service bar is located quite close to the card room, so drink turnaround is impressive at all hours. The servers are generally quite friendly and attractive and serve their customers with a genuine smile and are thankful for tokes. The cocktail service at Santa Fe is above average and amongst the top when compared to other local's casinos. Quite quick with a slightly above average selection, and on par with other mid tier Stations properties (like GVR and Aliante). Perrier is served in 11.15 Ounce bottles (quite rare now as many casinos serve baby 8 oz bottles instead). Also, waitresses are open to very specific requests (styrofoam cups, lids, beer and shot requests, etc). Overall, the cocktail service at Santa Fe is amongst the best of the Stations group. Management Rating: 3 The management of the Santa Fe poker room is average to slightly below average. Though the room is run efficiently as far as greeting customers and attending to floor decisions and such, the floor management struggles in getting games off the ground and the cards in the air, which is a continuing problem in this room. When taking into account the many positives and negatives of the management at Santa Fe, it is fitting to award them a score of 3/5. The management of Santa Fe is a mixed bag that is outstanding in some respects and below average in others. On the senior management level (i.e. above the floor management), the room is managed fairly well. It is obvious that the corporate decision makers believe in poker and have invested quite of money to relocate and furnish a high quality card room. This is very impressive and warrants high accolades. However, the room management tends to vary greatly. During the day, the room struggles to get games off the ground, usually requiring over 10 names on the list (or succumbing to pressure from waiting patrons) before calling down the list and opening a game. Dealers are rarely placed on dead spread in an effort to get a game started, and often the wait times can exceed reasonable amounts of time due to the unwillingness to call down and start 5 or 6 handed, with reduced rake (though this reviewer understands that many players complain about shorthanded play, it is often a necessarily evil to help get a game off the ground). This may fall more on the senior/corporate management than the room management, but either way, the cellular phone rule needs to be addressed/updated. Santa Fe still follows the very antiquated rule of not allowing players to use a phone when being dealt in. This means that they are supposed to ask you to step away from the table when texting or talking on a phone. With the modern trend in Smartphone usage, and even the TDA (Tournament Director's Association) updating their rules to allow for cel phone use, this rule is in dying need of an update at Santa Fe. Aside from the issues with getting games to start in a timely fashion and the antiquated celular phone rule, the room operates on twenty minute downs, which means that dealers rotate in to the game 3 times an hour instead of the more traditional 2 times an hour (30 minute downs are the standard within the industry). Adding another down to the hour slows the game down and reduces the number of hands that players will get a chance to play, as each new dealer must count their well and notify the floor of any discrepancies. Some dealers are quicker at this than others, but it still takes away time that the players could be playing instead of staring at a dealer counting their box down. Overall, the Santa Fe Station poker room management is slightly above average. Issues regarding game startups will need to be addressed in order for the score to increase. The senior management should be commended for their decision to install solid technology in the room and further applauded for installing autoshufflers in ALL tables (one of the biggest pet peeves of this reviewer are rooms that only install shufflers in a select few tables, leaving all others to hand deal, something that Stations is thankfully not guilty of). When judging the management overall, there are some very high marks mixed with some below average marks. This is an area that we at AVP will reassess in the coming months, especially considering the obvious foundering of the poker room at Aliante; its closest comparable neighbor (located about 6 miles away). Comps Rating: 4 Santa Fe Station follows the same comp system that the rest of the Station’s group utilizes. Players earn $1 per hour, and the comp goes directly onto the players’ card. The comp dollars can be redeemed at any Stations property for food and beverage, as well as in the gift shop and at Kids Quest. Currently, triple comps ($3 per hour) are awarded during the 3AM to 9AM timeframe. Stations Casinos are in the process of changing what high hands they award. Recent promotions have included $200 for specific quads to $2000 for one specific quad on a specific day of the week. This varies by month, and some properties choose to run their own special promotions that no other Stations follow. As the details on these promotions change so frequently, it is not necessary to evaluate it in this writing. Stations knows that their biggest draw is the fact that they reward and cater to regulars and locals, so it is expected that their regular promotions are always well thought out and fairly generous to their patrons, in order to maintain their daily loyalty. Currently (as of July 2009) they are awarding $100 for all quads and $250 for all Royal Flushes. Aside from the changing promotions, they offer two Bad Beat jackpots; one is a joint property promotion, where everyone who is playing in every Stations poker room received a players share when it hits. It is usually Quads beaten. They also offer a 10K property Bad Beat jackpot which is Aces full of 10s beaten, and is limited to the table sharing a piece of the jackpot. Stations Casinos also run large freerolls at least once or twice a year that are joint property (involving all Stations properties and held at Texas Station). These freerolls usually have a prize pool of $300K to $500K, and include guaranteed money to people that bust on the first day. These freerolls are often criticized due to the rotation of NLHE and Omaha (players qualify for this promo by playing either game), and because of the very poor structures and low starting chip counts, but because of the reasonable hours requirement and guaranteed money aspect, these freerolls are amongst the most popular poker room promotions in the industry. The poker room comps of $1 per hour are often increased during certain time periods in order to drive business (usually from about 3AM to about 9AM). This increase has varied from $2 to $3 an hour, depending on the current promotional calendar that Stations’ creates. The earned comps can be redeemed for use at all restaurants and gift shops at any Stations property, and require only the swipe of the card and sometimes a pin number. Stations reward system is a very popular and well organized program; rivaling Harrah’s as the best overall customer loyalty program in the state, if not the country. Santa Fe Station Poker Room News New and Updated Santa Fe Station poker room review has been posted! Date: 07/04/09 Summary:Santa Fe Station, located in the northwest Vegas valley, offers a well appointed and comfortable poker room with 14 tables and all modern technology! Santa Fe poker room review at All Vegas Poker Date: 06/15/06 Summary:We finally added the Santa Fe poker room to the All Vegas Poker database. Check out the pictures and editor's review. |
Santa Fe Station Poker Room Player Reviews Summary of Player Reviews: Overall: 3.97 Room Quality: 4.40 Competition: 3.60 Dealer Rating: 3.40 Cocktail Rating: 3.80 Management Rating: 3.80 Comps Rating: 3.80 Great Room, Great Graveyard Action By: AcesNoGood 04/20/10 300 + hours here By: 56suited 01/08/10 Decent room, but not as nice as last year By: Stealth 12/30/08 very nice place to play By: alpaca 01/21/07 Fun Room By: DayTrader1 01/05/07 Trip Reports About Santa Fe Station Poker Room First B&M Experience 01/01/07, Player: cat219 For Rooms: Santa Fe Station,Suncoast,Treasure Island (TI), AVP and Local Party 03/08/07, Player: Photoc For Rooms: Santa Fe Station, Sahara & Santa Fe tournaments, and lots of 1/3NL at Treasure Island!!! 03/25/07, Player: LasVegasMichael For Rooms: Sahara,Santa Fe Station,Treasure Island (TI), 6/13-6/17 - Five Days, Nine Poker Rooms, Six Tournaments 06/19/08, Player: unklepaddy For Rooms: Golden Nugget,Imperial Palace,Orleans,Palace Station,Sahara,Sam's Town,Santa Fe Station,Stratosphere,Treasure Island (TI), EA11 - North Las Vegas 09/17/08, Player: SouthPointPerry For Rooms: Cannery,Eastside Cannery,Santa Fe Station, January Stations Freeroll Slugfest 01/11/10, Player: rayman89113 For Rooms: Aliante Station,Boulder Station,Green Valley Ranch,Palace Station,Red Rock,Santa Fe Station,Sunset Station,Texas Station, |
 View of entrance to Santa Fe Station's poker room  Another view facing east from he far west wall of the poker room.  View of the South wall, including the list tracker one one of the screens, from the vantage point of sitting at one of the tables.  View of the poker room from the far west wall, facing east.  View of the east side of the poker room.  View from the entrance to the inside of the poker room.  View of the coffee/water bar located in the back north corner of the poker room.  View of the waiting lounge located in the back northwest corner of the poker room. |
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