Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

I'm looking for any suggestions for a trip to Foxwoods I am planning soon. I've done a fair amount of searching through the archives but I'm not sure how much of that information is up to date. Here are my questions, any advice would be greatly appreciated,

1) What time / day (Friday or Sat) is the best for soft tables? Also, what kind of waiting time would I be looking at to get a seat? I would play low limit hold em.

2) Ideally, because of bankroll considerations, I would play 2-4. But I've heard that the rake at that game is almost unbeatable. Unfortunately I can't afford to bring more than 2 - 3 hundred dollars to play with in total so I hesitate to step into a 4-8 game so short stacked. Also I don't know if I can even beat 4-8. To give you some idea of my skill level: I currently beat party .50 - 1.00 at 3.5 BB / 100 over 6k hands and I feel very comfortable there. I haven't really taken a significant shot at anything higher. Advice?

3) I live in Boston and don't own a car. I'd like to get to Foxwoods in the early evening, play overnight, and leave the next morning. Suggestions for bus companies that do this cheaply? Is busing a bad idea?

Any other general comments / advice? Thanks very much,

D

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

Trying to answer your questions best as possible: Friday or Saturday night (especially in the next few weeks) is going to be very, very busy. I suggest waiting till after the NEPC to make your first trip. That would be till the weekend of the 15th-16th of April.

As far as bankroll considerations, if you can take 300 dollars you should be fine for the 4-8 game unless you recieve a very bad string of cards, bad beats, or are just a bad player. The 2-4 is very tough to beat the rake.

However, the 4-8 games at night will be loose and crazy so dont expect to not see crazy [censored]. As far as busing, I cant help you on that one. And for a 1st time B&M player, be patient and dont expect to make the months rent on your 1st time. playing even should be considered a success while you get your bearings straight. good luck!

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

What time is best for the soft games?

Anytime between midnight and midnight.

As for $4/8 - I always buy in for $200, with a couple more for backup, but in all honesty, I've yet to have to rebuy.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

Despite the rake, 2/4 is way beatable. It's is looser and more passive than Party .5/1. Good luck.

Bob

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

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I live in Boston and don't own a car.

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Move the hell out of boston and buy a car.

That's not poker advice, that's just life advice.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

my friend takes the bus from boston to foxwoods at least once a month to play in the 4/8 game. he said there are around 6 daily busses that run from foxwoods to boston. he usually takes the one from boston at like 4pm and leaves the next morning. if you take the bus for ~$30 they give you $10 in food comps and a keno card. enjoy your trip.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

I take the greyhound out of South Station so I can sleep on the way back. $26 round-trip. Usually plenty of space. Make sure to get one of the schedules that only stops once (Providence) as it'll be a 2hr trip... If it stops more than once, you could be in for anywhere from 2 1/2 hours to 3 1/2 hours of bus ride. Good luck on your first trip.

-Josh

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

Just to echo what others have said, you'll find soft games anytime between now and the second coming. The wait can be a pain, but if you're able to play at different limits you'll stand a better chance of landing a seat quickly.

I played the 5 game there on Thursday night and found it to be as loose and passive as the 4 game. 6-7 players to every flop, very passive, very loose. Bear in mind that big pairs lose value in these games.

I thought the 5 game played like a 1/2 play money table. Ridiculously soft.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

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Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?

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Turn around... I went on Friday to play some ACT tournaments. I put my name on the list for 5-10 HE. I was 48th of 48, and they were only running two tables. I was there for hours and the list hardly moved. And for lower limits, forget it. The line just to put your name on the list was about 25 people deep.

Now, if you want to play some softee satellites to try to win entry into the NEPC, might I suggest the ACT tournaments. The absolute softest game I've ever played in. Here's a perfect example of 70% of the people that play the ACT tourneys -

UTG raises the $100 to $200. CO re-raises all in another $1800. All fold to UTG. If he calls, he's got one BB left. He ponders for a long time and calls, flipping Q-10 off! AKs of CO held up and UTG was sent packing... I know this might be an isolated incident, but I truly believe these are the worst players on earth...

Yet I still couldn't break the top three... That might say something about me... Well, if luck weren't involved I guess I'd win every one.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

Kilgore:

I was also play the 5-10 game last Thursday.

What's your opinion on the 5-10 game in general at FW? I find my results very streaky, especially when I'm chasing kill pots and winning non-kill pots. I either win big or lose big in this game and I'm a consistent winner in the
4-8 game.

I definitely think the kill structure in this game changes the basic theories of poker because of the luck of winning or losing a large kill pot can change your entire session outcome. I'm thinking of trying the 10-20 game to see if my session outcomes smooth out a bit.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

This was my first time playing the 5 game in over a year. I took the seat because the wait for the 10 game was too long. That said, be advised that this was one night and I haven't played the game recently so I don't know if it was typical or just the full moon effect [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I wasn't kidding when I said the game played like a play money game. I sat at two different tables between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am. Each was loose and passive - 7 players to most flops, three to showdown. All kinds of trash hands being played for two or three bets pf.

At first I was a little disappointed that the game was so soft, that the players were so poor. The kill had little to do with it. It was like they were saying, "Ah well, it's only two more chips to call..." Once I adjusted my gameplan it was better. Big pairs and TP hands were low value. Small pairs and suited connectors were pure gold. There were swings (I saw one older woman win a massive pot with 32o, which she played for a pf raise in a kill pot - she cold called with that monster!) but by and large these players just chased and chased. Play ABC poker, make value bets, read your opponents, and hope for the best hand.

Given that they'll get lucky on occassion (like Ms. 32o), you'll have streaky sessions. I was actually down for the night, myself. No big deal. I played well, in my opinion, just couldn't find a way to flop many sets and turn many boats!

I haven't played the 4 game there in quite a while. I recall that it played about the same as this recent experience with the 5 game though. Just different color chips....

As for the 10 game, if you have sufficient BR (which I assume you do, since the 5/10 kill game seems to play ~60% of the time at the 10/20 level), the 10 game plays like the 2/4 or 3/6 online games, IMO. In fact, I think the 3/6 Party game plays tougher than the FW 10 game, most of the time.

Bottom line is that swings happen, especially when most pots are multiway and your opponents are clueless. You should beat this game, but it takes patience and good ABC poker to do so.

It comes down to bankroll. If you can comfortably play the 10/20 game, give it a shot. If you're playing with short money, though, you'll have a tendency to play scared.

Just my thoughts... interested to hear others'.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

I'm a novice B&M player and don't play online. I've made 4 trips to Foxwoods, each time at a different limit, and have won every time. I don't think that I'm particularly good or lucky. Tight, Aggressive will win the money.

2/4 - Table was tight, weak. +75

5/10 Kill - Some tight players, but mainly maniacs. + 330

10/20 - Loose, passive +385 (only played 1 hour)

4/8 - Loose, passive with a couple of sharks. + 120

I guess it's the luck of the draw, but believe it or not, the toughest game I played was the 2/4. The 5/10 Kill was the wildest, with a couple of guys losing over a grand each (and bragging about it). The easiest game was the 10/20.

Waiting times have gotten worse each time. That's why I went down to the 4/8 after successfully playing the 10/20. I waited for 10/20 for almost 3 hours before taking the 4/8 seat.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

Agreed. Was able to beat 2-4 at Foxwoods for $100 - to approx $200 over 8-12 hours consistently on multiple differenet occasions. I am on a winning streak in 4-8 now, but have had generally lower results in total dollars to 2-4, per session. 4-8 is tougher, the tables I have seen are tighter.

My opinion

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

Snupoker is right about the next couple weeks at Foxwoods. It will be a zoo! As for game selection, $2-4 is unbeatable. $4-8 is a little better. Both games reward bad play IMO (calling stations catch often.) The no limit game is GREAT! $40-100 buy in, $1, $2 blinds. Plenty of cash to be made there on a limited budget. The best part is you can only buy-in for max $100. Good Luck!!

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

Too bad in the 100NL they stick it to you with $10/hr time charge. But I agree, the game is one of the softest I've played in.

-Josh

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

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Both games reward bad play IMO (calling stations catch often.)

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I think you may need to reevaluate your understanding of the game.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

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Both games reward bad play IMO (calling stations catch often.)

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I think you may need to reevaluate your understanding of the game.

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Yeah this kind of game actually sounds ideal. Thanks everyone for all the responses. I appreciate the suggestions but I can't really play no limit at all, so that's not an option. I can't afford to play higher than 4-8, but it's good to hear that there's soft games up there still. Does anyone know the actual rake at 2-4 vs 4-8? I imagine I'll just end up at which ever table I get a seat at first, but I'd like to be as prepared as possible before I head up. Thanks,

D

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

FWIW, I've been to Foxwoods 5 times, and played 4-8 each time. I've had different table dynamics each time -- sometimes there are a lot of loose passives and sometimes there are a few very aggressive players. Overall, the game is definitely beatable, especially if you understand the ideas in Small Stakes Hold Em well.

But be prepared psychologically that you may lose some or all of your $300. If you can't accept that, you will have a hard time being successful in the game. That said, it's not likely that you will be a loser in the game, only possible.

I'm averaging $300 per trip (which usually involve playing for 8-10 hours). That consists of three relatively small wins, a relatively small loss (~$200), and one huge win (>$1000). Those are the swings of the game. When I lost, I couldn't hit a flop to save my life (and managed to lose one pot when I flopped a full house -- the only time I made a set or better the whole day with a PP). When I won, I couldn't miss a flop to save my life. (I flopped trips the first hand I posted, and managed to win a $200 pot, as I soon discovered there were some very loose and very aggressive players at the table. Great times.)

I can also add that my fifth trip to Foxwoods was today (Monday). I arrived at 10:30ish AM and had no trouble getting a seat at a 4/8 table immediately. However, that may have been due to the fact that the NEC was ongoing at the time. Even so, there was open seating as late as 5:00 or 6:00 PM IIRC. Of course, a weekend night is typically going to be much busier than a weekday morning or afternoon. Also, because of the NEC, Foxwoods is using a lot of inexperienced dealers at their low limit poker tables. That might make it difficult to know what's going on, as these dealers seemed prone to make occassional minor mistakes.

Good luck with your trip! Stick to what you know already, observe your opponents, and once you get settled in, you should do just fine.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

A few things to consider regarding 2/4 vs. 4/8.

First, the rake is the same, so effectively it costs less to play 4/8.

Second, the play at 4/8 is likely to be only marginally tougher, if at all. I would say if you can beat the Party .5/1, you can beat Foxwoods 4/8. There are a few 'live play' adjustments, recognizing player types, lower aggression level overall, etc. But it's generally a very easy game.

Third, though you will find a few better players in the 4/8 than the 2/4, there are 'meta-game' considerations that make the 4/8 an easy choice if you have $300. There are more total donks and first timers at 2/4, and more small stakes all-stars, which makes it a slow, excruciating game. The dealers at 2/4 would obviously rather be smuggling cactii in their asses through Afghan customs than dealing there. I honestly can't even sit down in that game (plus the wait is almost always longer).

I'd say at least be open to playing both with the 4/8 as your preferred game.

Also, as a side note, I see several posts in this thread about 5/10 being soft right now. I had been told to skip it in the past in favor of 10/20. Is it really good most of the time these days, with the NEPC and all? I might be on a short roll and sit in this one rather than 10/20 next week. Damn rent.

NT

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

The 5/10 game is a Kill at $100, which means that the game is 10/20 about 98% of the time. You'll be posting an extra big blind every time you win, and you'll be playing with maniacs. The 10/20 game is much more sane.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

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The 5/10 game is a Kill at $100, which means that the game is 10/20 about 98% of the time. You'll be posting an extra big blind every time you win, and you'll be playing with maniacs. The 10/20 game is much more sane.

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Thanks for the info. I'm moving reasonably close to Foxwoods (about an hour away, perhaps a few minutes more), and to supplement my online play, I was looking to play either 4/8 or 5/10 at Foxwoods 1-2 times a month. However, my bankroll would be a little short (at the same time, since it would be seperate from my online bankroll, I'm not entirely concerned with busting out), so if the 5-10 is a kill game that constantly goes to 10-20...I'll stick to 4-8 and just bring about $400 the next time I go. From what I've seen in my trips there, the games are extraordinarily soft.

Re: Suggestions for my first trip to Foxwoods?
 

The $4/8 game is easily beatable. The $5/10 is, too, but it's a real roller coaster ride.

My experience with the $5/10 game is that every time I sit down to one, I ask myself what the heck I'm doing. There's usually one or more maniacs at the table who, as previously noted, push the majority of hands into kill pot territory.

It goes like that, with lots of betting and sucking out, until all the maniacs go broke. Then, it settles down to being a rock garden while the semi-decent players wait for more contributors to show up. The variance of the game can just be scary if you're not bankrolled for the limit.

By contrast, the $5/10 (with kill) Omaha H/L game is like a vacation at your aunt Millie's. You know, the kindly but boring aunt who gives you $20 bills for lack of any better way to entertain you.