Every poker room has the power to implement their own rules.

Some poker rooms allow you to use your cell phone at the table while others do not. Personally, I wish they all disallowed them. Some poker rooms allow you to expose your hand in heads-up situations if you will close the action while others disallow this.

Rules vary.

Generally speaking this is not a big deal, and most players are savvy enough to know that when they are in an unfamiliar card-room, exposing their hand in a heads-up pot might be against the rules. You can either ask about their rules, or simply play the hand “straight up” assuming the rules are strict across the board.

See 29 photos and 3 tips from 938 visitors to Mandalay Bay Poker Room. 'Check the gospel brunch at the house of blues on sundays' Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The Mandalay Bay poker room’s comp rate is the standard $1 per hour. Players earn comps while they play with their M life card which can be used at 14 Restaurants throughout Mandalay Bay and Mandalay Place. Poker promotions offered include a unique progressive tiered high-hand system.

Point is, you need to be cognizant of the fact that the rules in poker rooms may not be uniform, but for the most part they are pretty standardized and where they do deviate they are unlikely to catch players completely off guard.

However, some rules are so bad, and so out of the ordinary that they do catch players off guard, even experienced players.

The Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada (which boasts a small poker room adjacent to its sportsbook) is one of those poker rooms that has such a rule in place – you wouldn’t even know it because they do not allow anyone to look at their rulebook – actually they have multiple terrible rules, but I’m going to focus on one in particular.

Apparently they have a policy that says declarations are binding, which makes sense, until you hear the rest of the rule… even if the action is not on you! You can read about this rule in this 2+2 thread, where several people corroborate that this rule is in place, enforced, and even the poker room itself has stated that this is in fact the rule.

Worse, the rule is not posted or listed in the little handout available to players.

This is not the only strange rule in the poker room either – For whatever reason Mandalay Bay offers free poker magazines but doesn’t allow you to read them at the table.

Back to the 2+2 thread. Ignoring the “did he say probably or not, and is that a declarative statement” part of the thread (that’s a different issue for a different day), I have two serious problems with this rule.

Issue #1: Poker is about deception

Essentially what the Mandalay Bay has done is turn your opponent’s phishing questions into a potential act of perjury should you answer them.

Sorry, but last time I checked poker was about deception. Is lying to your opponent any different than bluffing? There is a huge difference between saying “I raise to $80,” and answering a player’s question about what you intend to do when it is your turn to act.

Imagine if Mandalay Bay was in charge of the NFL, you’d have to run in straight lines, declare pass or run pre-snap, and absolutely no trick plays.

All this rule does (assuming the players are aware of it) is create an atmosphere where players are less likely to be social, and less likely to answer questions or even talk at the table, out of fear that they will say something that could be construed as a declarative statement.

And imagine you are victimized by this rule? How would you feel about the Mandalay Bay afterwards, or Vegas in general? It’s absolutely horrible customer service.

Issue #2: The rules help angle shooters

My bigger problem with the rule is that it creates a haven for angle shooters.

The situation in the 2+2 thread demonstrates this perfectly, as the victim is completely unaware of the very unusual rule, while the regular in the game knows it front and back and takes advantage of this knowledge – which is made all the worse by the fact the Mandalay bay refuses to let anyone see its rulebook.

Any regular who holds the nuts on the river could ask a player “How much will you call?” or “If I go all-in would you call?” and freeroll them. Like a bluff, it doesn’t have to work every time, you just have to get one person a day who answers your query for your little angle to make a tidy profit.

Despicable is the only word that comes to my mind.

If your poker room relies on angle-shooting regulars to survive (and you essentially encourage this behavior with your holy of holies rulebook that no one is allowed to see) than your poker room should be put out of its misery.

Rules are supposed to be put in place to clear up gray areas and prevent players from exploiting loopholes, not create these situations.

If I was a poker room manager I would not sleep well at night knowing that the policies I have put in place and/or I’m enforcing are fleecing unsuspecting players. Is the Mandalay Bay running a poker room or a Three Card Monte game?

Keep in mind, this is not some out of the way local’s casino; Mandalay Bay is a heavily visited touristy resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

Why is the rule in place?

Honestly, I can’t think of one purpose this rule serves or one problem it solves.

I’m also curious why this rule is not in place at any other card room I am aware of.

I would love to hear the explanation of the “issue” that was occurring that required the creation of this rule and what precisely this rule prevents from occuring.

I would also love to hear why nobody is allowed to see the Mandalay Bay’s rulebook, or why their nonstandard rules are not clearly posted, and why nobody will even explain them (jump to the 1:36 mark).

Until the Mandalay Bay answers these questions, I would be very weary of playing there… who knows what other unusual rules are in place.

Mandalay Bay is on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. The resort is known for its convention business.

The number of tables running and quality of the games can depend solely on the volume of conventioneers staying on the property. This was exacerbated when Mandalay Bay started charging locals to park there. Las Vegas residents tend to avoid properties that charge for parking.

The Mandalay Bay poker room spreads ten tables. It is located right next to the sportsbook. This is a nice feature for players that want to make a bet on a game or horse while at the poker tables.

Each seat has a USB port. Tables have automatic shufflers and Bravo Poker waitlists. Players may order food and have it delivered to their seat in the poker room.

Comps earned in cash games may be used for tableside service or at any other dining establishment on the property.

Best and Worst Features of Mandalay Bay Poker Room

The televisions from the sportsbook may be seen from many seats in the poker room. The ticket counters are convenient as well.

Mandalay Bay often takes a $2 jackpot drop. It is also unfortunate that parking must be paid for, and the parking deck and tram are a long walk from the poker room. There is usually only a 1/2 no-limit Hold’em game running.

The only regular cash game found at Mandalay Bay is 1/2 no-limit Hold’em. It has a buy-in range of $100 to $300.

Mandalay Bay Poker Room

A 2/5 game with buy-ins of $200 to $2,000 may run on weekends, though this is rare.

Mandalay Bay rakes 10% up to $5. It also takes a $2 jackpot drop to fund promotions.

Cash game players clocked in with an MLife card receive $2 an hour in comps that may be used at many outlets on the property.

Some outlets will deliver directly to the poker table. Players that give 75 hours of cash game action in a year receive free parking.

Poker comps may not be transferred to other MGM Resorts casinos.

Mandalay Bay offers three tournaments daily. The times are 11 am, 3 pm, and 10 pm. The buy-in is $45+$20.

All tournaments are no-limit Hold’em. Players start with 10,000 chips. Blinds start at 100/200. Blinds go up every 15 minutes. Late registration lasts through the first four levels. There are no guaranteed prize pools for these tournaments.

This structure is a turbo format. The starting level is much higher than most other tournaments with a similar chip stack. Levels go up every 15 minutes when competitors often have 20-minute blinds. Players should consider the format when paying $20 in juice to enter.

A high-hand bonus runs 24 hours a day. The player must use both hole cards to qualify. The payouts are as follows.

• Full house jacks or better: $50
• Four of a kind: $100
• Straight flush: $300
• Royal flush: $500

There is also a $150 high hand every hour.

Players receive one point for every hour of cash game action from midnight to 4 am Monday through Thursday and midnight to 10 am on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

The top three players receive a prize. First place is $550. Second place wins $350. The third-place finisher in graveyard points takes home $150.

Things to Do at Mandalay Bay Besides Playing Poker

Mandalay Bay is a luxurious resort. It offers many of the amenities other upscale properties have. This includes a spa and two pools.

The sportsbook is just steps away from the Mandalay Bay poker room. Deposits and withdrawals for the MGM Resorts sports betting app may be made here. You can also take in a game here and enjoy drink service at your seat.

Blackjack players will find tables with a 3:2 payout on bets of $25 or more. Double down before and after splitting is accepted. Players may surrender on any two cards after the dealer checks for blackjack. Aces may be split up to four times. The dealer hits soft 17 in this game.

For $100, players will find these rules where the dealer stands on all 17s. There is also a $200 double-deck blackjack game with double down before and after splitting. The dealer stands on all 17s at this table, too.

Mandalay Bay Poker Room Review

Mandalay Bay is full of fine dining options. Choices include Libertine Social, Rivea, Red Square, Aureole, Charlie Palmer Steak, Stripsteak, Lupo, Border Grill, Della’s Kitchen, Foundation Room, and Fleur. There is also a buffet and food court.

The 1/2 no-limit Hold’em games may not be what you are looking for, or maybe you just need a break from them. There are a few poker rooms in the area to consider.

The Excalibur poker room is a short walk through the corridors. Go up the escalators from Mandalay Bay to the Luxor ones. Walk across the Luxor casino floor, and Excalibur is down that corridor.

Alternatively, you can take the tram from Mandalay Bay to Excalibur. Its station is outside. Enter the casino and walk across the casino floor. The Excalibur poker room spreads daily tournaments. Its cash games are 1/2 no-limit Hold’em and 2-6 spread-limit Hold’em.

Poker Room Mandalay Bay

MGM Grand is a bit farther than Excalibur in that direction. It requires crossing Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Avenue. Take the tram to Excalibur to save some walking. MGM Grand spreads 1/2 and 2/5 no-limit Hold’em. It hosts two no-limit Hold’em tournaments a day.

South Point is a locals poker room a few miles south of Mandalay Bay on Las Vegas Blvd. It hosts two daily tournaments. The cash games there are 1/2 no-limit Hold’em and 2/4 fixed-limit Hold’em.