Card Rooms in New Mexico?

[Aces McGee]

Every so often for my job, I get to choose where I want to go for an article I have to write. I've got a trip coming up in the next month or so, and was thinking about heading to New Mexico, hopefully the Albuquerque and Santa Fe area.

I checked out pokerpages and found the listings for the casinos there. If the game listings are correct, I think I'd be most comfortable at the LL games at Cities of Gold and Isleta.

Does anyone know anything about these two rooms, or of any other rooms in the area?

Thanks!

Aces McGee

[FeliciaLee]

Sandia is by far my favorite poker room in the country. I wish I could take the altitude, because I would have moved there instead of AZ.

My hourly rate far exceeds any poker room I've played in my entire life. It is not only possible, but within reason, to expect more than one big bet per hour, and I once cashed out at 5 big bets per hour there.

[Aces McGee]

Hi Felicia

Thanks for the response. What games do they spread at Sandia? I'm strictly a hold 'em player at this point, and the pokerpages listing has it at 10/20 (too big for me), 1-5 and 4/8 with a half kill. Does that jive with what you remember?

Hope you're well.

Aces McGee

[J.R.]

10-20 1/2 kill hold'em, 4-8 1/2 kill hold'em and omaha, I think they spread a 1-5 or 1-3 stud/stud-8, they also have pot limit and a 15-30 or 20-40 hold'em. Play the 4-8 1/2 kill, its a great soft game. Friendly room, easy games, only drawback is no alcohol outside of the bar area- but your opponents will play like this isn't the case. Just North of Albuquerque right off I-25 on Tramway road, so its easy access. They stay open late on friday, saturday and sunday.

[Blue Sky]

I travel to NM from Colorado probably 8 to 10 times a year and always play at Sandia for live action games. JR had the right limits, and he is right that the 4/8 with a 1/2 kill is a soft game. Sandia utilizes a must move system and the feeder tables are usually softer then the final table. I tend to jump off the final table and go back on the must move tables (usually the final table players have been there all day/night and aren't about to loose their chips so the game is much tougher.) Sandia is open until 4/30 am during the week and is open 24 hours on the weekend.

Isletta is a small/dark room with very few tables and usually only draws crowds on the weekends or right after their NL tourneys (I know there is one on Fridays.) They spread $2 to 10 spread limit which can be a fun game.

[Aces McGee]

Thanks J.R. and Blue Sky

I've never played a half-kill before, so I'll have to read up on it. I'm sure I can find some good 2+2 advice on here, too.

I have an idea of what "must move" is, but I don't really know how it works. Could you enlighten me?

Sandia sounds like a great place to play cards. I really hope this trip works out.

Aces McGee

[rharless]

Sandia is by far the place to play. I have inquired about Isleta as well and always been told "don't bother -- Sandia's the place." I have heard Cities of Gold has a rocking 4-8 game on Saturday night, but it does have only one table.

Must-move means that one table is the "main game" and the other one or two table of players must move to that main game, in order of their list signup. The goal for the casino is to keep the main game going. The result is that the feeder game is often shorthanded (but Sandia will obligingly reduce the rake at 6 players or less if someone requests it). What I do not like about must-move, particularly at 4-8 when often there are 4-5 tables going, is that you have absolutely no opportunity to exercise game selection choices. Also I hate starting at the 4th feeder table, then moving to the 3rd, then moving to the 2nd, then moving to the 1st, all in the course of a few hours. When one person leaves the main game then the domino effect ripples through each feeder table.

JR is right about the Sandia limits. They also have a 15-30 or sometimes 20-40 holdem game. The 15-30 game is very juicy with the $15/$10 BB/SB structure, but you will have wild swings on that table. 4-8 with half kill is a very ripe game.

If you like Omaha at all, their 4-8 Omaha has a great reputation. As one of my friends says, you can play their 4-8 Omaha or their 10-20 Holdem and win/lose the same amt at each table.

Sandia is very tight with comps but have a very good floor staff. I have been there twice this year, only two days each time, and they already know my name and my game preferences.

From now until Thanksgiving, Sandia is running a $45+$5 entry bounty tournament every Thursday.

Hope this is helpful. I just got back from Sandia two days ago. I love the room, but then again I have had great runs of lucky cards there. /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[FeliciaLee]

The 4/8 game with 1/2 kill seems to be the most popular. The last time I was there, they had a pot limit game going, which must be a newer addition.

I'm doing GREAT, tyvm for asking /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Sloth]

A few years ago I heard rumors of the Pot Limit Sandia game being played by a team of 4 people.

Rumors, but from a dealer that traveled a lot.

[over_c]

I've been to the Cities of Gold a few times. It is one small poker room. Five tables, I've never seen more than two going at once, except for tournaments. They have some fun tournaments, like Crazy Pineapple on Monday. $25 or less buy-ins. The 4-8 hold 'em game is pretty soft. I've never been there Friday night, but I hear that it sometimes has a NL cash game.