Some of the older kids on our team were tallking about going to Foxwoods this weekend and I’ve heard that even though the playing area is non-smoking, the smoke from other areas makes it really unpleasant. Can anyone comment about this? What about the hotel rooms themselves? I read some comments on TripAdvisor that even the non-smoking rooms smell like smoke?
I think the less exposed you are to smokers, the worse it seems. I was at the Prairie Band Casino, and I almost had a heart and asthma attack just checking in, and then I could not breathe in the casino. I guess they gave away free cigarettes to all smokers, as a mixed grey and purple haze, and I was never so glad to have to cross an exposed court yard to get to my room, rather than stay in the halls.
I know what you mean. Last week, I had to exchange a chess clock for one of the mom’s at our school at Chess Forum on Thompson Street in the Village. I walked in and the two guys behind the desk were smoking and the place reeked of smoke (which I’m pretty sure violates Mayor Bloomberg’s smoking ban). I was really annoyed, particularly because they sold her a digital clock without a delay and then didn’t have the less expensive Excalibur (which I know some don’t like but when you are buying a clock for a 1st grader to take to the Nationals, you want something relatively inexpensive and easy to set). I guess it’s important that Chess Forum exists so that the blitz players in Washington Park have someplace to go when it rains but the smoke was so bad and the clock so overpriced (relative to what you can pay on line) that I’ll never go back.
Ellen,
The playing area is well removed from the casino floor (or at least it was last year). I didn’t notice when I visited, although I may have a diminished sensitivity, thanks to growing up near smokers.
That being said, if I were bringing a child–particularly a teen–to Foxwoods, I would be prepared to exercise greater than usual vigilence in supervision. As is the case with any casino, there are a lot of non kid-friendly activities going on, and while the casino goes to great lengths to keep kids off the gaming floors and out of the nightclubs, they are not infallible. For instance, the poker room has at least one entrance that doesn’t lead from a casino floor, and usually there is no security posted there to challenge underaged players. I have seen an occasional teen come in and play a few hands before being busted (in the non-financial sense–if they’re lucky).
Now, for responsible adults, it’s great fun, particularly if the kids are safely squared away. If Easter weren’t such a huge deal in my wife’s family, I’d go with no hesitation.
EDIT–The hotel hallways do kind of have a smoky odor, but I have never had an issue with the rooms. That said, there are probably some off-site options if you care to drive, although I cannot give the on-reservation Two Trees Inn anything more than a lukewarm recommendation.
Thanks. I hate cigarette smoke (have been known to get out of cabs if I detect even a faint whiff from the previous passenger) so it sounds like I would hate it but it sounds bearable for someone who isn’t as neurotic about smoke as I am. We have a pretty tame group of teenagers but I will advise their parents to keep a pretty close eye on them between rounds.
I have a group of kids age 11-17 who attend some of the tournaments at west coast casinos, particularly in Las Vegas and Reno. In fact, we’re heading to Reno tomorrow for the Far West Open. A large number of kids play each year in Reno; I counted 9 of 41 players in the Open section as being under 18; there are many more kids in lower sections.
From my experience, the gambling atmosphere becomes less of a problem if you request a hotel room so that the kids can go to the tournament hall without entering the casino floor. Ask for a room straight up the elevator from the meeting rooms. That way the only time the kids need to go to the casino is for meals, when an adult will hopefully accompany them.
Smoke has decreased significantly in Nevada because of a state law that prohibits indoor smoking in all public areas except the casino floor itself. That said, nothing is 100% smoke free because the smoke comes up through the staircases. If you’re very sensitive, beware.
Michael Aigner
Thanks. I checked the pre-registration list for Foxwoods and there are a bunch of kids whose name I recognize from local tournaments. I’ve never been to Las Vegas or Atlantic City or Reno so the whole gambling culture is foreign to me. I’m torn because from a chess perspective, it looks like a great tournament with lots of great players on the top boards but from a non-smoking, non-gambling mom perspective, it looks like the last place on earth I would want my kid to be. I think you are right that the key is tunnel vision – straight from the hotel room to the tournament room to the restaurant back to the tournament room, etc.
At Foxwoods there are long central hallways with restaurants and stores on each side. It’s not necessary or usual to go through a gaming area to eat, unlike many casinos in which it seems you must walk through rows of slot machines to get anywhere.
Bill Goichberg