Some insight into the texture of a poker room

The typical layout of our poker room(s) is three $2-$4 limit hold'em games, three $4-$8 limit hold'em games in one room and four $2-$5 blind no limit games in the adjacent room. Occasionally we will spread a $6-12 limit or $9-$18 limit in the no limit room and on some Wednesday and Fridays we will spread a 7 card stud high low split with a double qualifier 8ob low two pair high with a "hoggy" feature which is essentially a kill of $10 if one player scoops a pot of $100 or more. Isn't that a mouthfull? These variations from our standard layout can only occur, obviously, when one of our 10 tables sits dead, which isn't often. On Tuesday 1/4/05 table 10 sat there forlorn and empty. A group of players waiting for a seat in an existing $2-5 blind NLH game asked if we would spread a bigger game like the big boys on up Flamingo Road play. Ok, table available, delaer available, players ready with their wads of cash. Houston, we have NO problem. We fire up a NLH game with $10&$25 blinds. Rake of $1 on $20/$40/$60/$150 max $4. No time taken, just the same rake structure as the $2-$5 blind game. What a bargain. Keep in mind that my experience in the poker world only goes back about 14-15 months. I was always of the opinion that if the players want you to spread it, spread it. Why deprive them of gamBling (I still spell gambling with a B in it, silly me) in the fashion that I see fit. Well, in a small room like ours it creats some issues. No feeder game, can't combine games, some players foolishly move up to the bigger game out of pride/vanity and get their ass kicked etc etc. Should the poker version of Big Brother try to protect players from themselves? On a side note, my observation (don't mistake this observation as a complaint, because it isn't) showed that some of the same players who toke generously in the smaller games suddenly tightened up in the bigger game. The human brain must be hardwired causing this phenomenon?!?
Yesterday, the hoggy game began at 2PM four handed. We hosted this for a few years and then a couple of months ago it moved to Sam's Town. When the game returned to our room I asked one of the regulars what politics were involved in the moving of the game from and then back to our place. He stated that it really wasn't politics at all. He stated that Sam's Town treated them nice, the dealers were good etc.etc. but that they got ZERO walk-ins at ST. At our place they can count on new faces sitting down in their game while they wait for a seat in our NL games. Ain't that the truth. Location, Location, Location. Last night the list for the NL games grew to 40 deep causing resentment from players who are used to us having 4 NL games going for the bulk of every day. I certainly don't have the answer, but it is interesting to see it play out. Most of the time we could put 10 more tables to good use if we had them and had room for them. We often joke that we are going to spread a game on the podium or in the men's room. On that note, I continue to hear rumors that our room(s) will be moving to the old bingo/Key West Room--probably adding 5 or 6 tables to our current 10--sooner rather than later. The poker boom continues in the city of sin. MGM will soon open their room. Wynn will open his room in April. I've said it before, but I have to wonder where the saturation point is. I would guess that we are quickly approaching it if it has not already been reached.
In three hours I will again be perched in the swivel chair in seat zero lording over my little piece of poker heaven. It is my Mondo Friday and I am then looking at my standard Fri, Sat & Sunday off. Bankers hours in the poker world. I plan to spend a good portion of those days in a seat with a number between 1-10.
I love this town!