Sandia Resort Casino

Impressions: Sandia Casino is run by Sandia Pueblo and thus is, like all other casinos in New Mexico, tribal gaming. It's the largest room in New Mexico and generally has the most players. As a result, waits can be somewhat long and there isn't really any good place nearby to just sit and wait for a tournament to start or a table to open. While it definitely isn't Las Vegas, it's not a bad poker room and the best place in the Albuquerque area to play poker.
Atmosphere: While the room isn't huge, they have managed to fit in about fifteen tables comfortably. The poker room is not physically segregated from other parts of the casino--it's right next to a lot of slot machines and the main "entrance" goes by the keno area. As a result, it's better described as a "poker area" instead of a "poker room." However, there is no smoking allowed in the poker area so the local comfort is considerably improved for a non-smoker. (Smokers would have to take a hand or two off to go to a neighboring part of the casino.) The chairs are comfortable and the area as a whole is nice and clean. On one of the walls in the poker room are several large TVs, generally showing whatever sports are currently on. They are also used for tournament information, which is a nice touch. The casino fairly recently replaced their simple whiteboard waiting system with a more modern electronic system, however, they have not gone to using pagers or the like, though the PA system is pretty good throughout the casino for being told when you can sit down at a table. Overall, a comfortable, middle-of-the-pack poker room with the nice bonus of being non-smoking.
Dealers: I personally have never had problems with the dealers. They know what they are doing, can track side pots properly, and are good about announcing actions, players still in the game, and so on. The casino fairly recently (within the last year or so) installed autoshufflers in the poker tables, thus increasing the hands per hour. They are good about enforcing house rules without being either draconian or lax and will bring in management when needed.
Food: Non-alcoholic drinks are free in the poker room, alcoholic drinks are not (as is the case throughout the casino.) It is possible to get snacks in the room from the cocktail service (for a price, of course) and small restaurants are present in the casino. Sandia Casino is still a pretty small casino and can be walked from one end to the other in less than two minutes, so all food options are pretty much equally available. Service can be spotty--the best tactic is generally to ask the dealer to put out a call for service and then be prepared to wait for at least a few minutes.
Service: The waiting list is easily visible on their big screen. They often try to open a new table if they have enough players who want to play at one limit, though they will often use that as a feeder table as players at other tables leave. Signing up is easy. Sandia Casino does have a hotel attached, but the casino is mostly filled with players from the Albuquerque area. As a result, I cannot comment on whether or not it is easy to sign up from the hotel as I have been one of those local players. Wait times can vary--generally it took no more than about 20 minutes for $1/$2 limit hold'em. There is a relative lack of places to sit and wait and I'd suggest bringing a book or an iPod, especially on a slower (weekday) night.
Comps: Like all pueblo casinos in the area, a comp program does exist. However, the comps are relatively small (this ain't Vegas, after all) and are biased to slot players. That said, it is possible to get comp time for playing poker. A bad beat jackpot was also added within the last year or two--I believe it has to be aces full or kings or better and all hole cards must play. It's probably not worth signing up for their comp program unless you are going to play there a lot or at the highest stakes they offer.