Cash Game Toughness/VEGAS vs. LA

[surfinillini]

I live in LA and have been playing part time for about 18 months now...I always take a monthly trip to Vegas for leisure/play.

So far...I have found the games much easier to beat in Vegas.

I play about 90% NL, 1/2NL up to 5/10NL...occasionally I'll take shots at 8/16, 10/20, and 15/30.

Either way, I have found that game toughness and competition is much weaker in Vegas than LA...seems like LA players are much more aggressive and aren't complete fish all the time.

anyone else have wanna chime in?

Vegas is full of idiots. In my experience it is easier to beat than the LA-based cardrooms, but not by all that much. Commerce is pretty soft. Upon review, I would say Vegas is easier to beat when events are going on - such as the WSOP or WPT events.

IMHO...there are more weak, fish and first timers in the 1/2, 2/5 NL Vegas games (strip more than downtown) than in LA.

However, this also means that more ppl are going to suck-out on you as well...and you have to be able to sustain (bankroll) the down slides.

I've had more TPWK hit their second pair on me in Vegas than any other city in the country.

But...I'll never fault a guy (or girl) for drawing.

I also agree that LA (my hometown) players tend to be more aggressive than players in other parts of the country (as a whole).

[Riverman]

For limit games LA is better, for no limit vegas is easier but the bellagio 10 20 can be a tough game.

[hobbsmann]

If you are playing limit it doesn't get much easier than commerce players. The 40/80 there is possibly the softest game ever.

I agree Surf. For me, the hard part of Vegas is not knowing the players like I do in LA. I normally play at the Mirage which is a gold mine during March Madness.

[surfinillini]

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I agree Surf. For me, the hard part of Vegas is not knowing the players like I do in LA. I normally play at the Mirage which is a gold mine during March Madness.

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nice...that's my fav casino, I pwn the 2/5NL game there, I've only had one losing session and avg about $150/hr on that game, fish heaven and most are locals...

[DrewOnTilt]

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I agree Surf. For me, the hard part of Vegas is not knowing the players like I do in LA. I normally play at the Mirage which is a gold mine any time I go.

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FYP /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Drew- You're right. I should say its a platinum mine during the Madness and a gold mine any other time.

[cyberSTACK]

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For limit games LA is better, for no limit vegas is easier but the bellagio 10 20 can be a tough game.

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Riverman,
Can you, or any others, give a bit more info about the Bellagio $10-$20 NL game? How many games generally running at a time? Do they run on all days? How deep it normally runs (no cap buyin, right?), etc?

I was thinking of flying there tommorow.

[spino1i]

The Bellagio 10/20 NL game is very tough.. mostly sharks.. the stacks are very deep too.. most people have $5k+ stacks.. one of my friends was killing 5/10 NL and went to try the Bellagio 10/20 NL.. he lost $5k in a couple hours.

Just be careful with that game..

[cyberSTACK]

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The Bellagio 10/20 NL game is very tough.. mostly sharks.. the stacks are very deep too.. most people have $5k+ stacks.. one of my friends was killing 5/10 NL and went to try the Bellagio 10/20 NL.. he lost $5k in a couple hours.

Just be careful with that game..

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hey spino,

thanks for the info.

The game can be very good at times also. You just need to know when to sit. If there are 3+ must-moves, this is usually a sign of the 10/20 NL Bellagio being a very good game. Other then that, for the times that it is good, you will just have to experience for yourself and find out.

[surfinillini]

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The game can be very good at times also. You just need to know when to sit. If there are 3+ must-moves, this is usually a sign of the 10/20 NL Bellagio being a very good game. Other then that, for the times that it is good, you will just have to experience for yourself and find out.

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assuming it's mostly regulars, any unconscious collusion in this game?

[Riverman]

My two cents:

The bellagio spreads only 2-5 with a $200 buy-in and the 10-20 with no cap. In my experience the 10-20 game is a very aggressive game although this does not always translate into difficulty. It is true that a number of players sit on deep stacks and play them well, but it is also not uncommon to see a complete idiot sitting on 10k. Also sometimes the game can play absolutely huge. About a year ago I was sitting in the game with Paul Phillips, who had like 15k and was opening about 1/2 the hands to $200 or so. As the other deep stacks began trying to play back at him the action really picked up. Then some guy comes in with a bunch of 5k chips from mirage and buys in for 70k! Now the game is 10-20 in name only with pots often being opened for 200-300. This can be great for the shorter stacks if you are able to pick up a few hands at the right time.

To sum up- can be good but definitely dont play it with scared money.

LA has higher EV but also much higher variance

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The game can be very good at times also. You just need to know when to sit. If there are 3+ must-moves, this is usually a sign of the 10/20 NL Bellagio being a very good game. Other then that, for the times that it is good, you will just have to experience for yourself and find out.

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assuming it's mostly regulars, any unconscious collusion in this game?

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I would say no, but don't have enough experience to say for sure. I don't usually sit when the game is tough.