Frustrations at the Bike...

[CaptainCrunch]

...but now I've wrapped myself in the reasurance that probability is fickel.

Sat at a nice, loose, extaordinarily passive table, 2-4. Folks would call to the river with anything, even when they were clearly beat. THe same people would barely lift a finger to bet their AK, much less raise pf from any position. Pots routinely were quite large, and the river usually created the winner. Just the crowd we can't wait to play with, and who make the average 2+2er get "excited"

Except I couln't catch a single break. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Spent the first few hours getting rag hands, biding my time. Won a few 20bb pots with 4K, a boat, etc. Then magic hit. Started getting nothing but broadway. Suited, unsuited, AJ, KJ, KQ, one after another. But nothing would connect. The single time I paired my AJs (button, raised PF, called 5 times) raised the river (A34) turn was a 5 , checked to me, bet... called, river was no scare, bet... called by the BB who naturally had the 2. And that was the only hand that connected..sorta.. till the table broke up. I'd never been that hot pf in a live game before. And never gotten so little help from the board.

I've calmed down (I've only been playing a few months, I'm working on my Zen still) and really, upon rexamination, I can't see how I'd play differently. I didn't call to the river when I knew I had the worst of it. I just bled away my buy in, which, coupled with the previous losing sessions live (over the last month) means I'm now restricted to nano-limits online until I'm employed again. I was really hoping to at least break even so I could work on my game.

I suppose, I'm sorta just saying this to get it out... and get on with it. Tomorrow, reread SSHE!

Cheers all!

[sternroolz]

1.) $2-4 at Los Angeles casinos cannot be beat long term. So you are gonna lose more often than you win.

2.) Bad streaks can be VERY long, even for a winning player. Some winning players even have a losing year every now and then. For instance, in ring games this year, I am hitting appx 1 out of every 8.5 flopped str8 or flush draws over more than 30 sessions. Obviously this sucks. There is nothing I can do about it though.

3.) Don't play on short money. I would wait until I had a BR of $1K dedicated only to poker and play starting at $4-8. This assumes that you can replenish the BR at a rate of $200 every two weeks if you experience loses. I think this may be the lowest limit beatable game in LA Casinos. If poker is important enough to you, get two jobs until you save up enough....work 8 hour shifts each Friday and Saturday. There are plenty of safe, non armed, security jobs in Los Angeles and OC that pay $10/hour to start and accomodate those hours, even with no experience. Believe me, if you really want a job, you can be hired tommorow. Poker sometimes takes dedication outside the card room as well.

4.) Don't bet in low limit Los Angeles games if there is a four card str8 on the board unless you have the str8.

[CaptainCrunch]

[ QUOTE ]
1.) $2-4 at Los Angeles casinos cannot be beat long term. So you are gonna lose more often than you win.

[/ QUOTE ]

really. huh. Whats the factor that makes that so? The level of the rake in proportion to the bets?

[ QUOTE ]
2.) Bad streaks can be VERY long, even for a winning player.

[/ QUOTE ]Yeah. Intellectually I'm aware of that. Just gotta keep adjusting my gut response to it, "work on my zen" like I said. Once I'm an hour or so away from the table, I'm fine. More concerned with how I played. Sorry to hear about how bad your year is going tho... probability is a harsh mistress.

[ QUOTE ]
3.) Don't play on short money. I would wait until I had a BR of $1K dedicated only to poker and play starting at $4-8. This assumes that you can replenish the BR at a rate of $200 every two weeks if you experience loses. I think this may be the lowest limit beatable game in LA Casinos. If poker is important enough to you, get two jobs until you save up enough....work 8 hour shifts each Friday and Saturday. There are plenty of safe, non armed, security jobs in Los Angeles and OC that pay $10/hour to start and accomodate those hours, even with no experience. Believe me, if you really want a job, you can be hired tommorow. Poker sometimes takes dedication outside the card room as well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hehe, well, thats not really a concern to me. I'm a visual effects artist, and I make good money...when I'm on a cocntract. In between, I horde. I've just used my allotted amount for this go round. I've done the guard thing tho, hated it with a passion. But it paid the rent. I might be dedicated to learning poker, but I'm more dedicated to my art. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
Any how, about the short money, I decided to play that primarily to see how live play was. I sorta lost sight of that when I posted last night. Ok, so $1k is sufficient for an LA 4-8 table? Anything I should expect that differs from the 2-4 tables?


[ QUOTE ]
4.) Don't bet in low limit Los Angeles games if there is a four card str8 on the board unless you have the str8.

[/ QUOTE ]
errrmyeah...learned that....the hard way. heh

seriously, thanks for responding to my newbish bleating, I'll try to make it my only such post.

[Bulbarainey]

The $2/4 games are very beatable in L.A., Its the only thing i played regularly until about two months ago, but i think it heavily depends on the casino you go to. Ive personally never been to the Bike, the only one i havent been to, but at normandie and commerce, the total drop is 3, and at normandie you only post one blind... easily beatable. As for Holly park, dropping $4 w/ 8 players and having an extra blind on the button... now thats proabably unbeatable. For bankroll, i think you need 2000+, or just adhere to the 300BB rule, tons of LAG's, definately not the kind of situation you want to be underbankrolled for!

[CaptainCrunch]

Hmm, I totally forgot to mention the thing that possibly was the most important aspect of that game!

We had a card marker at the table!

After being there for about 3 hours, another fellow and myself noticed that many of the low cards (2s, 3s and 4s) were aquiring bends, lengthwise, about a 3rd of the way from the edge. We brought this to the attention of the dealer and the floorman, who promptly brought a fresh setup. Much respect for those guys.

I'm fairly sure who it was, the guy sitting in seat 1. Was one of those tools who wears their shades (for 2-4? Please...) and just glared at everyone at the table. Tho the fellows in seats 2 and 8,9 were there the same block of time.


Ok, so you say 2-4 is worth it then, depending on the locale. Well, the Hustler only charges 1 blind and, iirc, has a 3 max rake as well. Not as generous as the Bike with their meal comps tho. I'll check out the Normandie as well. Thanks!

[sternroolz]

I was not aware of the Normandie game. As you describe, that would be the only beatable $2-4 HE game in Los Angeles. And yes, the rake($3 or $4) + the jackpot drop($1) makes the game unbeatable. You drop 3 BB per hour just in paying the house.

Vs. $4-8 where even if drop is the same you are only losing 1.5BB per hour.

As a function of you bet amounts, $4-8 charges half as much as $2-4.

The above are assuming a typical loose Los Angeles game where there will be 30 or so hands per hour.

As to the amount of your BR, my statement clearly indicates that at $1000 BR, you would need to be able to replenish that by at least $200 on a bi-weekly basis.