Came to the bar to hang out and get a drink, but mostly to see what the Poker situation was based on web searches. Enjoyed ourselves at this place for a couple hours!
First of all, Molly Brown's is not in the middle of town...but easy to get to by foot. Once we walked in we immediately noticed the raucous crowd, billiards tables, shuffleboard table, slot machines, and tons-o-people around a large bar in the middle of the joint. It kinda reminded of a place where bar fights happen in the movies. However, after a few minutes in here (as with most places in Bozeman and Montana in general) we found that EVERYONE was very friendly and we felt right at home.
The bar is easy to find, the restrooms are easy to find, the pool tables are easy to find, but where is the poker room? After all, that's why we came!
Turns out there is a single lonely poker table in the place - that's right - just one. We sat down and there were only 4-5 other players, so naturally Molly Brown's is not about card playing. Why get a MT gaming license and only have one poker table? Oh well.
Turns out the dealer was amazing at his job, and welcoming and friendly to us. We sat down with $200 each for limit $1/$2 hold'em. We would have been more than accepted sitting with $50 or $80, but we didn't know it was limit until the first hand.
We stayed for about 2 hours, mostly because we enjoyed the vibe of the place, the music and most of all the awesome dealer. He was probably the best Hold'em dealer I've seen anywhere (and I like to visit card rooms everywhere). What made him so good you ask? Very fast, very accurate, knows the game extremely well, splits pots in a jiffy, and keeps the action moving while being funny and interesting too. A good dealer makes the game SO MUCH better, and Molly Brown's has the best. Tip him well if you go.
Montana (and Bozeman) isn't necessarily known for a big poker scene, with card rooms and proper casinos everywhere. It's more of an "old west" bar with a card game here and there, which was fine by us. Great spot, thank you!More