LA cardrooms

(I posted something similar on another forum but didn't get much response, so I figured I'd give it another shot.)


I am going to be in LA Aug 16-25 and am trying to figure out where the best hold'em games will be. I know that 20/40 is played at several places, and some say that the 20 games tend to be much better at some places than others. Do you have an opinion? If I want to play 30/60 or 40/80, is Commerce the only place? How much tougher in general are the 30 and 40 games at Commerce than the 20 games? Is the 30 game easier than the 40 game? Is there a best time of the week to play these games? Any feedback on LA hold'em games would be appreciated.


Thanks,

Dan

I'm a little out of the loop, playing only on a very limited basis now, but FWIW:


Rick N. should be able to fill you in about the action at the Bike.


I play at Commerce; there is a lot of action at Commerce. By mid-late afternoon, it's not unusual for there to be 3-4 games at each level (20-40, 30-60, 40-80). I hear it's even busier at night.


During the day, the 30-60, in my experience, tends to be a little tougher than the 40-80. Both are much more aggressive games than the 20-40.


I rarely play at night, so I can't compare the night games with the days games, but judging from some of Mike L.'s posts, compared with my day experience, the games would appear to be softer at night.


It's certainly a nice place to play, especially in the top section. Free food, comfortable seats.

Andy,


That's interesting that you would say the 30 is usually tougher than the 40. Normally, I would not have even asked such a question, since the bigger games are "obviously" tougher on average. But Rick had told me quite strongly that the 20 games tend to be softer than the 15 games, so I thought there was some chance that things could be goofy at 30 and 40 as well.


Hopefully I'll see you at some point in LA. I'll be young, short, white, and way too tight to be playing in LA. I'll also probably be taking notes at the table, so that'll be a hint. If you see a guy who might fit the description, do say "hi".


- Dan

I have to disagree with, my friend, Rick regarding the 15/30 vs. the 20/40, at least at the Commerce. The 15 is softer. The 40/80 can be quite aggressive, but seems to be less so on weekend nights, when the live ones tend to keep it more honest.

Daniel,


You wrote:”But Rick had told me quite strongly that the 20 games tend to be softer than the 15 games, so I thought there was some chance that things could be goofy at 30 and 40 as well.”


Here is what I wrote in one of our recent emails: [i]”Unlike Las Vegas, the LA 20/40 is much more loose aggressive than the 15/30. I believe this has to do with the fact that 15/30 is the bottom of top section (free food, time collections), with a lot of underbankrolled players. The structure factors Mason speaks of pale in comparrisson (sic).”[/b]


Then Gabe, after reading your post, wrote above ” I have to disagree with, my friend, Rick regarding the 15/30 vs. the 20/40, at least at the Commerce. The 15 is softer.”


I’m reasonably sure Gabe or others from Los Angeles would agree with me if I clarify my points a bit.


The 20/40 holdem game in Los Angels tends to be moderately to very loose and it is usually very aggressive. The 15/30 tends to be somewhat tighter than the 20/40 and is usually a lot less aggressive. This is opposite what the structure would dictate or the way these two structures are played in other venues. An example would be the Mirage and Bellagio. Perhaps mostly due to the blind structure, the Bellagio 15/30 is reputably looser and somewhat more aggressive than the Mirage 20/40. So you could probably play either game on about the same bankroll.


But in Los Angeles, 15/30 holdem is the bottom of top section (the 10/20 holdem at Hollywood Park is the only exception, and that game tends to be moderately tight and not too aggressive). In Las Vegas players are treated about the same in terms of collection, service and so on as they move up in limits (the super high limits may be an exception).


However, the Los Angeles 15/30 players are the lowest limit to get top section benefits. This includes free food, usually a nicer area to play, a 7$ to $5 per half hour time collection (as opposed to a $4 + $1 jackpot per pot drop (collected even on blind steals at the Commerce!) in the 9/18 and 6/12 holdem. This tends to attract many under-bankrolled players. Thus, the game tends to be tighter and less aggressive than the 20/40. This is what Gabe may mean when he says “softer.”


In general, expect almost twice the swings in a typical 20/40 holdem compared to the 15/30 holdem, along with a somewhat higher earn for the expert player. I believe this is true all around town in my experience.


Comments?


Rick

Rick,


I just saw your post. First, sorry for misrepresenting what you said. "Softer" is a funny word. To some, it means something like "passive", to others something like "more BB/hr", to others who knows what. Anyway, thanks for the clarification, and your interpretation of the phenomenon is quite interesting.


- Dan

Daniel,


I miss responses to my posts all the time. With twenty forums and counting, I wish we had the option of selecting email notification or responses to our posts. It was featured a while back when Chuck was fiddling with the software.


Regards,


Rick

Can anyone give me information on the lower limit games spread throughout LA? I plan on playing anywhere from 3-6 to 6-12 depending on the games.