Help me find a live tourney in LA for this Friday 11/25

I am a regular MTT player (online only), and regularly play ring games in the LA area (mostly Commerce). Have a friend visiting his family for Thanksgiving and we are looking to play in a tourney on Friday. Nothing special, we are just looking for NL holdem MTT in the $100-300 buy in range. Prefer a no rebuy tourney.

I have very limited live tourney experience (3 tourneys total, nothing over 200 players, had one reasonable cash finish). So far checking online, I can't find much tourney selection:

Commerce - Friday @ 11:00 am $194 + $25 +$6 total $225. (What's the +$6, built in tip?)

Bicycle - lists a weekly friday tourney for $100+25, but their website does not have any listings past 11/18, maybe canceled due to holidays?

If the players are the regular ones I have seen playing ring games then I'm pretty confident I can at least hold my own. But can anyone comment on the quality of play at these tourneys, expected field size, blind structures? And most importantly what time we have to show up to be assured a seat, etc? Also in the event we bust out early, does Commerce/Bike/Hustler/etc. have other sorts of tourney like small sit and goes available? While I am more into ring games, my friend visiting typically only plays MTT and SNG's. I have not even noticed where tourneys are played at Commerce on my visits, wondering if they have a smaller room with limited space or just rope off some of the regular tables.

Any input much appreciated, thanks.

[Los Feliz Slim]

Hollywood Park

There's a small one in the late morning and a larger one in the evening.

[megabit]

The Bike is having a $200 + $30 shootout Friday night.


Fri 11/25 7:15 pm No-Limit Hold 'Em Shootout $200.00 $30.00

[sternroolz]

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Commerce - Friday @ 11:00 am $194 + $25 +$6 total $225.


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I don't think these are up and running again until next week.

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(What's the +$6, built in tip?)


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Yes.

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Bicycle - lists a weekly friday tourney for $100+25, but their website does not have any listings past 11/18, maybe canceled due to holidays?


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No, its now their Ho Ho Holdem tournament series. This seems to be exactly what you are looking for. This is a list of events this weekend:

Fri 11/25 7:15 pm NL Hold'Em Shootout $200.00 + $30.00
Sat 11/26 4:15 pm NL Hold'Em $300.00 + $40.00 multi rebuy
Sun 11/27 4:15 pm NL Hold'Em $200.00 + $30.00

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If the players are the regular ones I have seen playing ring games then I'm pretty confident I can at least hold my own. But can anyone comment on the quality of play at these tourneys....


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It can be bad, but there are also some very good players. Part of the problem is you are not going to be deep in chips, so you are somewhat limited in your moves. There are enough donks, that tight play is very optimal at the first several levels. Constant bluffing will put you either in the chip lead when you give bad beats to people who have picked you off, or knock you out quickly. BTW, I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority on this view of these tournaments. But nonetheless, you simply don't start with enough chips to really make moves at pots.

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expected field size,


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More than 100 entries. Sometimes several hundred entries.

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blind structures?


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Start with 800 or 1000 tournament chips, blinds at T5-T15 then T10-25 then T25-T50 then T50-T100, T75-T150 T100-T200, T100-200 ante T25, T200-T400 ante T25, T300-T600 ante T50, T500-T1000 ante T100, and so forth. Limits raised every 30 minues. I may be slightly off here, but this is the general idea.

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And most importantly what time we have to show up to be assured a seat, etc?


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There tends to be a line close to tournment time. I like to arrive an hour early, valet my car, sign up for tournament, and go have a beer or two and watch whatever football or basketball game is on. It is rare for a tournament there to sell out though. They will typically add as many tables as needed.

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Also in the event we bust out early, does Commerce/Bike/Hustler/etc. have other sorts of tourney like small sit and goes available?


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No. Bike may run sattellites, but they pay you in tournament buy in chips.

But there are lots of NL games going including $40 buy in and $100 buy in.

thanks - the Bike tourney sounds about right, might check it out.

[ThaHero]

FWIW, if you can't get into the NL tourny, or decide to play NL ring, be aware that the 40NL has a 1/2 blind structure, so it will be closer to a short stack strategy. It kind of hurt me, playing online with 100bb and now all of a sudden I have 20bb. I wasn't totally prepared. The players are still donktastic enough to double up or whatever, but if you catch a cold run of cards, be prepared to rebuy.

[benkahuna]

Try the listing in the back of Card Player for a fairly good listing (assuming you're still looking), free at just about any card room.

[surfinillini]

I recommend the HP evening tournament. It's a 200 w/rebuy tournament, play the $50 Sng satellites to win your entry fee, plus rebuy, plus some extra cash.

Tourney structure is decent, while the location of the casino is not [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]