Beau Rivage, a Steve Wynn project, was always intended to be the most luxurious gaming property in Biloxi, Mississippi. Indeed, with the highest headcount, largest real estate footprint, most hotel rooms, and greatest number of table games in the market, it does seem to possess all the ingredients of a successful gambling hotspot though it has booked mixed financial results as a consequence of its enormous overhead.

The Beau Rivage poker room too has achieved a reputation for excellence, and some consider it the best place for live poker not just in Biloxi but on the entire Gulf Coast. We here at ProfessionalRakeback don't take anyone's word for it, though, and so we decided to head down to Biloxi and see what all the fuss is about notwithstanding the fact that our primary focus is and always will be US online poker sites.

Keep reading to learn more about poker at Beau Rivage, the games available, the stakes of the tables that tend to run, and other information that you are sure to be curious about if you're an aficionado of live poker in Biloxi.

The Beau Rivage Resort & Casino is located next to the beach in Biloxi, Mississippi. Unlike in Las Vegas or Atlantic City, it's not really possible to walk from one casino to the next. Of the dozen or so casinos in Biloxi and the adjacent areas, only the Hard Rock is close enough to travel to on foot. However, the Casino Hopper and Beachcomber buses provide access to many of the gambling halls in the city.

The poker room is almost as far as possible from the casino main entrance; however, the gaming floor is not too large, so it doesn't take very long to head back there and grab a seat. The poker section is next to the BetMGM Book, Bar, and Grill: perfect if you like to take breaks during your sessions for a quick bite.

Cash Games

The standard format for poker ring games at the Beau Rivage is $1/$3 No Limit Texas Hold'em. The most salient feature of this game as it is spread is the fact that buyins are uncapped. It's not uncommon for there to be several stacks in excess of $1,000 at a table.

We observed three or four of these $1/$3 NLHE games running at most times during the week with an increase up to five or six games during busy periods and weekends. The next higher blind level dealt, $2/$5 NL, which is also uncapped, only became active sporadically with never more than two tables going simultaneously.

Our conclusion, shared by many in the Gulf Coast poker community, is that the uncapped nature of the small game steals traffic away from the bigger blind levels. This is especially true when there are populated $1/$3 tables running but only an interest list for $2/$5. Most individuals, even those who prefer $2/$5, would rather sit in a $1/$3 game that exists than stay on the waitlist for a $2/$5 table that might materialize later.

Because of these factors, the $1/$3 game draws a tougher crowd than most similarly sized affairs at other poker rooms. There are the typical loose-passive fish, yes, but a fair number of regs, elderly gentlemen with money to burn, and lagtards can be found as well. The game plays loose but with plenty of aggression, including the frequent use of straddles.

This straddling takes the form of a “Mississippi” straddle. Any position, outside of the blinds, can place such a straddle of two big blinds preflop before the cards have been dealt. The action then commences to that player's left, and the straddler has absolute last position preflop. In case more than one individual wishes to place a straddle, priority goes to the button, then to the cutoff, and so on around the table. Only one straddle can be made during a hand.

Though the Beau Rivage website boasts of “Pot Limit Omaha, Limit Hold'em, 5 Card Omaha Hi-Lo (Big-O), and Seven Card Stud as well as multiple forms of draw poker,” we saw scant evidence that most of these formats are ever actually dealt. The only non-Hold'em game we encountered was a $1/$2 Big-O table on a Friday night.

The rake is 10% up to $5 with an additional $1 drop for the Bad Beat Jackpot.

Tournaments

There's a daily $70 + $30 tournament that begins at noon and generally attracts a few dozen participants.

In addition, the Beau Rivage Regional Poker Series runs throughout the year. The buyins cater to a wide range of players, but they tend to increase as the season progresses. The Series culminates in the Million Dollar Heater: a set of between a dozen and 20 tournaments that runs in January and guarantees at least $1,000,000.

Promotions

There's a Power Hand promo in effect Sundays through Thursdays, from 7 p.m. to midnight. Every day that this promo is active, the poker room chooses two hole cards at random, which are then the designated Power Hand for that day.

Anyone who wins a pot with the Power Hand as his or her hole cards will get $100 if the suits match the Power Hand and $50 if the suits are different. This offer is only valid on jackpot-funded Texas Hold'em games. Only pots that have reached the max rake threshold qualify. The Power Hand promotion is suspended whenever Beau Rivage hosts a major poker series.

The poker room advertises five-figure Bad Beat Jackpots for Texas Hold'em and Omaha. However, the details of how these jackpots work are nowhere to be found on the company's website. We sent an email to the poker manager inquiring about this, but it was unanswered as we went live with this article.

Ongoing comps come through the mLife Rewards program of which Beau Rivage is a member. Players can expect to see roughly $3 per hour in comps.

Ambiance

The Beau Rivage strives for a spacious, upscale feel with broad, straight pathways and roughly rectangular spaces. However, the poker room appears to be an exception to this general philosophy.

It's housed in its own alcove on the casino floor. With its brick walls, rounded contours, and split-level design, it's a lot cozier than the rest of the property. Indeed, the poker salon has the comfortable ambiance of a den or living room albeit an unusually well-appointed and spacious one.

About a dozen televisions are mounted around the poker room, and a big electronic board keeps you informed of the games running, the jackpot sizes, and other information about the card games taking place. The poker room is non-smoking, but the main casino floor allows smoking, so it's possible to take a short break, walk a few dozen feet, and enjoy a cigarette.

The Beau Rivage has succeeded in crafting a poker-only space separate from the clatter of the slot reels spinning, patrons exclaiming loudly over their blackjacks, and the other commonplace casino noises. Here, you can focus on the cards and the betting action without any unwarranted distractions.

Food and Drink

Drink service is provided free to all players although it is expected that you tip the waitress. It used to be possible to order food and have it brought to your seat, but this is no longer the case.

However, the BetMGM Book, Bar, and Grill is right next to the poker room, and you can get nachos, burgers, sandwiches, wings, and other casual meals. A nearby counter labeled simply as “Snacks” sells additional inexpensive eats, including hot dogs, cookies, chips, and more.

If such pedestrian menus don’t appeal to you, then you can try the Terrace Cafe or the buffet with its never-ending assortment of local seafood, including crabs, shrimp, and crayfish. If you're willing to spend a bit more, then Italian eatery Stalla, pan-Asian restaurant Jia, and the BR Prime steakhouse beckon.

Miscellaneous Info

Players can buy chips directly from the brush, but when it's time to cash out, they need to go to the main casino cashier because there isn't a dedicated cage for the poker room. Fortunately, the casino cage is just a few steps away from the poker area. Similarly, there are no restrooms within the poker room itself; however, they are not too far away.

Each seat at the tables has access to a cell phone charger, but you need to bring your own charging cable.

History of Beau Rivage

Beau Rivage was completed in 1999 under the direction of Steve Wynn and his company, Mirage Resorts. The aim was to combine the understated elegance of the French Riviera with old-fashioned Southern charm.

Though the hotel portion of the property was built on land as were the restaurants, the casino was housed on several floating barges as required by state law at the time. When it opened, it was the largest hotel-casino outside Nevada.

In 2000, Wynn's company was bought over by MGM Grand and Beau Rivage eventually became part of the MGM Resorts family of properties. In 2005, Beau Rivage was seriously damaged by Hurricane Katrina though it was able to reopen on the one-year anniversary of that disaster.

In 2009, there were rumors that MGM was looking to sell Beau Rivage in order to ease its debt load. However, no such sale transpired, and Beau Rivage remains a part of the MGM family of casinos.

This destination resort is known to cater to tourists from out of state, and to that end, it aggressively markets casino junkets, offering free or heavily discounted airfare and rooms to gamblers with a history at other MGM properties. If your home casino is an MGM-branded location, then keep an eye on your email inbox because you may be able to take advantage of one of these deals for a low-cost Biloxi vacation.

Conclusion

The Beau Rivage has made its presence known in the small but stable Gulf Coast poker environment. By most accounts, it hosts the best live poker room in the area. There's almost always a game running, and when the stacks get big and the chips start flying, there's plenty of opportunity for a savvy card player to really clean up here.

However, a lack of game diversity, particularly in non-Hold'em variants, and sometimes tough tables mean that it might be wise to scope out the other rooms in town before committing yourself to a session at the Beau. The fact that this room is closed for six hours each morning is also a drawback although we consider it a minor one as we expect most of our readers to be sound asleep at any hour before noon.

Other Players' Comments

We believe that we have delivered a fair and honest review of the Beau Rivage poker room. Still, we searched the internet to see what others are saying and make sure that we didn't miss anything relevant. Posts about this topic indicate that most people are in agreement with us that the Beau Rivage poker room is a fine place to play cards although we did see a few grumblings about the lack of a buyin cap leading to bigger and tougher games than at other venues at the same stakes.

Check out a selection of comments about this poker room below:

Supplement Live Poker With Online Games

Even as one of the market leaders for offline poker in Biloxi, the Beau Rivage does have several weak points, such as a lack of gaming variety and tables that might play too deep for the comfort of beginners. Fortunately, there are quite a few online poker sites available that do not suffer from these issues.

There's nothing in Mississippi law that makes it a crime to frequent these virtual poker halls. For more info on the premier options available for MS residents, take a look at this guide to online poker in Mississippi. If you reside in a different state, then perhaps this rundown of offshore poker in the USA would appeal to you.

Reviews of other live poker rooms:

• Texas Card House (North Austin, TX)
• Shuffle512 (Austin, TX)
• The Lodge (Round Rock, TX)
• Tioga Downs (Nichols, NY)
• Borgata (Atlantic City, New Jersey)