Rules About Changing Tables

[pyedog]

I am pretty new to B&M poker and I play at the Brantford Casino in Ontario. At peak times there are about three 5-10 tables and three 2-5 tables (and 6 other higher limits). I have played 5-10 there my last 5 visits or so.

Anyways, the competition is fairly weak in general but there are times when a table can get (relatively) tough there, even occasionally at 2-5. I can tell there are quite a few 2+2ers who play there. Now tough tables are rarer than easy ones, but I have played at some wild tables there so it sucks when I'm stuck playing decent players in a fairly high rake game (10% up to $5). Even if they have some deficiencies it seems unprofitable if I'm in a game where I can't rake in a 15BB+ pot with a nut flush.

When the casino is busy I find that they are pretty accommodating about table changes. You just tell the floorperson and he puts you on a change list. Sometimes they completely forget about you but for the most part they get to you eventually. One of the annoying things is that you never have an idea how long it will take for a spot to open up. So there have been a few times when I've asked for a change, literally just posted the BB and then the floor tells me they've got a spot open. I pretty much have to play out my hand and then leave right after posting.

Am I being too nitty if I think about this? I'm not sure if there is a better alternative like sitting out from a tough table when the blind gets to me and wandering around for a few minutes until a seat opens up. I feel weird doing this though. I guess when you're at a bad table the main concern is to move as quickly as possible and not worry about wasting blinds. In general I'm not that nitty such that I will post right when I get to the table if I'm in the last few positions, only waiting if I'm really close to the blinds. It's just that online I am always used to playing out my blinds before seeking a table switch.

Now my more major concern is that sometimes the floor just straight doesn't allow me to change tables. For example the other night there was no waiting list and my table was completely full. There were a couple of other tables at these stakes that I were fairly full games too. My table was playing pretty tight passive so I asked for a table change but I was told they wouldn't do that without a waiting list, since I couldn't leave the table short. But I told the host that it was a full table so if I left they would only be down to 9 (and presumably I would be filling another table up). I was pretty much given the options of sticking at this table or calling it a night.

In general I find that the hosts there are not as helpful as they should be when it comes to switching tables. I am after all paying $10-$15/hr in rake to play there so I have an expectation that they be accommodating about this. When I am having a losing session at a tough table I like being given the alternative to switch.

Anyone have any experience or suggestions for rules involving table switches? Sorry about the rambling post.

I play at Brantford also sometimes, but there's always been a list, so I've never seen a request for a table change denied. If it was case though, I think you would still be better off leaving the bad game, and going to play online, or switching limits, or even leaving for an hour and coming back as a "new player". You know you can find a good game almost every time you go (depending on what time of the day you're sitting down), so leaving isn't terrible unless you need to satisfy your fix or make a dollar figure by the end of the month (in which case playing in a 0.25BB/hr game is still better than not playing at all).

In terms of posting a blind and then leaving your table, there's not much you can really do about this. You might want to continuously check the wait list and the status of the destination table whenever you aren't playing a hand, but this will pull your head out from your current game.

Maybe I'll see you at Western Fair next week.

[pyedog]

I was actually playing there last night and ran into the same problem. The 5-10 table I was playing at started getting short handed and tougher. My girlfriend was playing at the other 5-10 table and she was having a much better time since it was a fun table with great action. But since my table had 8 or 9 players (later on down to 6) they wouldn't let me switch to the other one (which was almost full). I guess I can't really dispute the rule in that case.

I should have jumped down to 2-5 since I was tired and was playing poorly but I decided to stick it out. Ended up being my first big losing night at 5-10 but I was due for one.

Thanks for the tips though on switching limits (and then I could potentially switch back again to a new table). Serves me right for playing until the early morning when the games get tougher.

As for the earn rates considerations, it shouldn't really matter to me since I have a job and play for recreation (ie there is no reason for me to play in a bad game), but I'm trying to build a live bankroll so I can play with won money. I really enjoy playing in loose wild games a lot more than grinding type games. I know some complain about the suckouts but I love the thrill of your AA holding up in a huge pot.

A major problem that I have in poker right now is that I don't like to quit when I'm down, especially in live games. This leads me to play too long sessions. I guess the reason is that when it's a trip to get to the casino it seems like a waste of a night to go there and leave down. It's really just a lack of discipline, and when I'm going with someone else then it means that sometimes one of us feels like quitting while the other feels like playing longer. Plus we keep ignoring our preset departure time.

I just looked up Western Fair on google. That's the equivalent of the CNE but in London I take it? Good place to play? I might try to make a trip there since I'm in Waterloo so it wouldn't be too far. Do you know any details about what games they're offering and how many tables they'll have?