Do you know what it means to miss Harrah's New Orleans? (and other dilemmas)

Together we can rebuild. It's in the cards.
-Harrah's New Orleans sign outside New Orleans International Airport

NEW ORLEANS -- Harrah's New Orleans is the crown jewel of the chain, at least when it comes to casinos that have the Harrah's name.

It's a totally urban casino. You walk right in from the street downtown. It is a huge circular gambling space -- a nod to the Superdome?

A dance club/bar called Masquerade serves as its center, pumping out loud music complete with dancing white girls and a huge, glowing Hurricane glass that sort of looks like an orange version of the Enterprise-D's warp core in the Star Trek: TNG television show. Beautiful ladies in skimpy Mardi Gras outfits stand outside the buffet.

I've always thought that if Atlanta could have a casino, this is what it would be like.

But then I got to the poker room and was disappointed. And it's more of a "It's me, not you" kind of thing. Last May, I was excited to play $3/6. This time around, it's not worth it.

The room had a crowded list for $1/2 NL and $2/5 NL. Maybe I will play limit. They had lots of tables of $3/6 and had a small list for $6/12. They even had that Gulf Coast favorite, $1-4-8-8 (spread limit), that Mark loves to hate.

Ugh. Where have the higher games gone? Surely this room could pack in the whales and fishes who walk in off the street from the highly expensive hotels that surround the casino in a mid-limit or higher-limit game.

I don't really understand poker room philosophy. It's like the maxim is "Keep it small so everybody can play."

For nearly a year, I've missed the poker room at Harrah's New Orleans and have come back only to find that I've outgrown it. If I want to play $3/6, I can do that up in my 5-star hotel room across the street, a place that is so Green Zone it's not funny.

Only I can play four or more tables. NL? Sure. Can do that too. Well how about some blackjack? That's what I ended up doing, starting off an InterCasino bonus. With that at least there's the promise of incentives. I was given $10 just for playing a single hand and the bonus is $100.

I've read that Thomas "Thunder" Keller has the same feelings. Being trapped in one-table is slow and boring. Plus there are lots of other things that you don't have to do online- no jackpot drop if you don't want it, no dealer tip. It all adds up in the long run.

Sure, live games are juicy but I'd much rather be playing fish at $9/18 at Commerce or $10/20 at the Horseshoe in Tunica than playing $3/6 in New Orleans.

Oh, well. I love being here -- it's a magical town. It's just I know now I won't come here anymore as a gambling destination.