Mini-Trip Report- Desert Diamond

I was in Tuscon early for work and went to the Desert Diamond card room for six hours last night.

I was expecting to play 6-12, but all of their games 6-12 and under feature a full kill so I was not too interested to go up to 12-24 so I took a seat at 3-6 and got on a list for 4-8 although that game never went even though at any point the list had at least 8 names.

They had 3-6, 6-12, 10-20, 20-40 going for LHE. They were also spreading Omaha H/L, but I didn't hear any announcements beyond 3-6 and 6-12.

The tables were 9 seats not 10. In 3-6 the blinds were 1 and 3. The 1 was taken off the table and put into a slot for the bad beat jackpot. Right now it's $54,000 for HE and $26,000 for Omaha. The other games, although they weren't spread last night, also had jackpots. They also ran a promotion for several football games. Everyone playing would receive a ticket. The ticket had a home/visitor single digit score like a superbowl grid. They had 1&3rd quarter and half&game tickets given out at different times. You have to be there to collect. (More on this later)

My game was usually short handed. They had 6 games going at most times and all were short. They never consolidated until all were running 2-3 short. But, even when games were short they opened a new game a bunch of people showed up.

The room itself was in what was essentially a triplewide trailer attached by a bridge to the main casino which I did not enter. The tables were worn. Where the pots were dragged to the felt was so thin you could see the table below. There were autoshufflers, but some dealers liked to do it manually. The chairs were well cushioned. It was nonsmoking and they had a chip runner who was extremely inefficient. It was about 14 games and few new players showing up, but the runner would take 15 minutes to get to a table. The service was poor too, but the food was cheap. My burger, fries, and drink were $1.75. It wasn't bad. They advertise half price food for poker players.

The floor and brush knew nearly everyone at my table by name, including the replacement players. It was definitely a house of regulars. I was the oddball.

Most of the players were loose passive. Flops were 5-6 deep in almost every case and that's with a 7-8 player game most of the time. But, there were very few raises. One player who left the game soon after I arrived raised frequently. I raised big hands. One other tricky player raised in odd spots, sometimes with big hands, other times with connectors on the button or CO.

Even so it was very difficult to win unless I had a big pair that held up. I had AQo back to back in the CO and button, 3 & 4 limpers respectively. I raised each time. Everyone called including the blinds for 6 and 7 players. One time I flopped an A and lost to 3-5o who flopped 2 pairs. He never raised. I bet the whole way with mulple callers. The other time I didn't improve and threw it away on the turn to an early position better after following through on the flop with 2 spades out there. A spade came on the turn.

Most players played anything suited anything one gap connected. And since it was so many players one usually came in and made a baby flush or straight. It was frustrating, but I know long term I could beat the game pretty easily. The tricky player was sure cleaning up, especially since he knew everyone at the table and their styles.

I won the 3rd quarter ticket reverse for $200. The floor had the copies of the ticket and said, who is "scurvy" although he used my real name. He knew everyone else in the room. I went to collect and he said, I hope you come back. I told him I was just in town for business, but it's a nice comp game.

The previous game had no collector for the final since the winner left the premises. It was $500 that went to a splash pot. Which meant 10 tables received $50 start their pots. They just dropped 50 chips into the pot and so everyone limped. I had 10-2o in the CO so I said, hey, it's $68 in the pot already and I'm paying $3. No problem. BB raised and everyone called. I made 2 pair and raised but nearly everyone called. The turn paired the board 6 and everyone checked to me. I bet and BB raised. One called. I called but folded to the river bet. He had KK and made Kings up. Anyway, the pot was huge b/c of the spalsh pot. It made things interesting.

The cage wasn't even secured. That was odd

All in all, pretty fun. Worth going if you are in Tuscon for a little while with nothing to do. But, considering the fact that nobody raises preflop, turn, or river it can be difficult. I lost several times thinking I was way ahead of people who didn't raise me despite having AK to my AJ suited. I would raise preflop, on the flop, catch an A and be the turn and river to be beaten. Oh, well. I saved a lot of money due to their poor play I guess.

I should mention two additional things. The rake was odd. I'm not sure how, but it was max $4, but it all seemed to come out regardless of of pot size. It may have been $2 preflop, $1 flop, turn, and river whether or not there was a bet, but I didn't ask or pay a ton of attention. The rake made the game less than profitable.

Also, there was no alcohol that I saw. It may have been outside the room, but the service didn't provide alcohol and nobody ordered or drank at the table.

[DeathDonkey]

Hi,

A couple things to clarify since that was my home casino for quite awhile before I moved away recently. I think it is a very well run card room and your post didn't really do it justice, but if that is your opinion as a "non-regular" perhaps my perspective is very different.

Is Tucson really so small that people still think its "Tuscon"? This boggles my mind.

Unless it has been recently changed, all their holdem games are full kill, even the 20/40 etc. I'm surprised they had a 20/40 going - usually it is 15/30 and rarely 30/60, they barely ever spread 4 chip 8 chip games, but yum.

$54k jackpot is huge, one of the biggest I remember, so the room was probably extra busy. The other games besides holdem and omaha/8 that you mentioned never ever go. The football promotion is indeed nice easy +EV.

I never met a dealer there who liked to shuffle, the machine may have been broken for some reason or maybe they were just doing a quick wash / scramble before using the shuffle machine? My experience with chip runners there is quite different - they often have several who work very hard and are extremely friendly. The food is indeed cheap, and indeed pretty bad.

The floorpeople know almost everyone because they work hard to do so. It is not that it is all regulars so much as the floorpeople are awesome.

I won't comment on your strategy stuff because it seems like you are saying "they play bad and win" which happens from time to time. The 3/6 games there are indeed filled with ridiculously bad players - but its fun during kill pots everyone goes super weak tight.

You can order alcohol from a server in the poker room - it is pretty expensive. I believe next year they are redoing the entire Desert Diamond airport location to include a hotel etc. and the poker room will be revamped. I expect it to end up being quite nice.

-DeathDonkey

Sorry about the misspelling of you city. Maybe my problem is because the airport code is TUS not TUC, so I assumed the S was first. And, compared to the places I've lived, Tucson is small. Although it's sprawling, it seems like a suburb. I'm from the northeast megalopolis.

Be that as it may, I consider it a good thing that the floor knew the players' names.

Funny. I sat at one table for 5 hours. Every dealer used the shuffler except for two. One used it every couple hands. One never used it. That seems like personal preference not a broken shuffler.

Like I said, the players are bad. Once I adjusted I would win long term. Short term it was frustrating. They do play bad. They do win. It's tough when you can't drive people out with raises and there are six people in the pot and they all chase. Long term I could adjust to that issue. I am gaining long term by raising due to pot equity with AQo, but short term there is variance.