andyfox
08-26-2003, 11:21 PM
In Las Vegas for a trade show, I was able to get in a couple of hours play at both the Mirage and Bellagio on Monday. No Mason or David sightings, nor anyone else I know from 2+2.
First stop was the Mirage. I played 10-20. Very uncomfortable seating with 10 people at the table. I could barely get into my seat. As soon as I wedged myself in, I was told that as soon as I could, to please take the rack off the table. Trying to do this was like trying to take a single sardine out of the can intact with your toes.
Of course, I dropped a bunch of chips. I picked them up laboriously. I was missing one. I kept looking for it in between hands. Finally, after about a full round, the dealer asked me what I was looking for. Gee, what did he think it could be? I told him a chip. He asked me if it was a redbird (a $5 chip). Well, let me see I bought in for a rack and now I had 4 stacks of 20 and 1 of 19, what chip could I be looking for. Anyway, I say yes, and he throws me one. Oh yes, he says, it was all the way over by him. Hmm.
I sat through 4 dealers, one worse than the next. Two pots were given to the wrong player (the players told the dealer, the cards were turned back over, and the pot correctly awarded.) There were several misdeals. A lot of talking from the box and not a lot of paying attention.
The cards were sticky, bent and delapidated. The chairs exceedingly uncomfortable. Two fish were donating quite generously. My pre-flop 3-bet with K-Q was the source of extensive conversation. (The got to see my hand because I end up with kings full of queens and earned 4 big bets on the river.) Hands are endlessly rehashed and replayed by experts and pseudo-experts. FWIW, I won $380.
At the Bellagio, I started in the 15-30, didn't play a hand, and moved to the 30-60. (One hand I did play in the 30-60 has been posted on the middle/hi limit forum.) Much more comfortable place. The seats are not as close together and are much more accommodating to old and decrepit spines such as mine. Better dealers. A very loose game, which has been my experience every time I've played in Las Vegas. It's only been about a dozen times and always during a big trade show, but it seemed all the players except me were regulars, not tourists in town for the show. FWIW, I won about $500.
Much less aggressive play than is the norm here in L.A. at the 30-60 level. Lots of times I saw players flop top pair and not raise on any street. Again, lots of post-mortem Monday morning quarterbacking and about the same ratio of a-holes as in a typical Commerce game. One guy got very agitated because the two players on either side of him were carrying on a conversation while he was involved in a hand. He was stuck two racks, so that evidently was what caused him to let unleash an f-bomb rant. Very good floorman (Boba? or some name like that?) and another fellow that came over during this disturbance handled things well too.
All in all, and with all due respect, the rooms seem like minor league operations compared to Commerce. The no smoking policy is a welcome breadth of fresh air.
For those who might have espied me without knowledge of it, I was the 50 year old bald white guy with a gray beard carrying his own pillow and a folder full of paperwork.
First stop was the Mirage. I played 10-20. Very uncomfortable seating with 10 people at the table. I could barely get into my seat. As soon as I wedged myself in, I was told that as soon as I could, to please take the rack off the table. Trying to do this was like trying to take a single sardine out of the can intact with your toes.
Of course, I dropped a bunch of chips. I picked them up laboriously. I was missing one. I kept looking for it in between hands. Finally, after about a full round, the dealer asked me what I was looking for. Gee, what did he think it could be? I told him a chip. He asked me if it was a redbird (a $5 chip). Well, let me see I bought in for a rack and now I had 4 stacks of 20 and 1 of 19, what chip could I be looking for. Anyway, I say yes, and he throws me one. Oh yes, he says, it was all the way over by him. Hmm.
I sat through 4 dealers, one worse than the next. Two pots were given to the wrong player (the players told the dealer, the cards were turned back over, and the pot correctly awarded.) There were several misdeals. A lot of talking from the box and not a lot of paying attention.
The cards were sticky, bent and delapidated. The chairs exceedingly uncomfortable. Two fish were donating quite generously. My pre-flop 3-bet with K-Q was the source of extensive conversation. (The got to see my hand because I end up with kings full of queens and earned 4 big bets on the river.) Hands are endlessly rehashed and replayed by experts and pseudo-experts. FWIW, I won $380.
At the Bellagio, I started in the 15-30, didn't play a hand, and moved to the 30-60. (One hand I did play in the 30-60 has been posted on the middle/hi limit forum.) Much more comfortable place. The seats are not as close together and are much more accommodating to old and decrepit spines such as mine. Better dealers. A very loose game, which has been my experience every time I've played in Las Vegas. It's only been about a dozen times and always during a big trade show, but it seemed all the players except me were regulars, not tourists in town for the show. FWIW, I won about $500.
Much less aggressive play than is the norm here in L.A. at the 30-60 level. Lots of times I saw players flop top pair and not raise on any street. Again, lots of post-mortem Monday morning quarterbacking and about the same ratio of a-holes as in a typical Commerce game. One guy got very agitated because the two players on either side of him were carrying on a conversation while he was involved in a hand. He was stuck two racks, so that evidently was what caused him to let unleash an f-bomb rant. Very good floorman (Boba? or some name like that?) and another fellow that came over during this disturbance handled things well too.
All in all, and with all due respect, the rooms seem like minor league operations compared to Commerce. The no smoking policy is a welcome breadth of fresh air.
For those who might have espied me without knowledge of it, I was the 50 year old bald white guy with a gray beard carrying his own pillow and a folder full of paperwork.