Am I just living a sheltered online poker life?

awarunn · #1 08-12-2005, 02:09 AM

It was my first time to the Trump casino in the Chicago area and I was going there to play the $200 max NL game. I got there and realized that the $200 max NL game is $2/$5. Isn't this an extremely short stack to sit down with at a $2/$5 NL table? I did it anyway since I was there and all excited to play some real live B&M poker. The next thing that I thought was odd was the way they took the "rake". Every 30 minutes everyone at the table had to pay $7 for 'time'. This means we are paying $14 an hour just to play at the table. This means that in order to make 1BB/hour you'd really have to be making 3BB/hour. Is this the 'norm' in the live casino scene or is this place just a bad place to play? On the positive side, the two tables I sat at were very soft.

So...where do all the chicago players play at?

phuc · #2 08-12-2005, 10:57 AM

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Isn't this an extremely short stack to sit down with at a $2/$5 NL table?

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Yes, it's a fairly short stack game in the beginning until you double up or win a few pots to get a decent sized stack, but if you can handle a few all-ins with the best hand, you will be very comfortable at the table with a decent stack against other people playing short, especially with the standard size of preflop raises at that game. Just be aware that with $200, if you call a preflop raise and hit the flop, you may be going all-in pretty quickly. I suggest reloading to $200 every time you fall below the max because then you have the best chance of getting a good stack size.

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The next thing that I thought was odd was the way they took the "rake". Every 30 minutes everyone at the table had to pay $7 for 'time'. This means we are paying $14 an hour just to play at the table. This means that in order to make 1BB/hour you'd really have to be making 3BB/hour. Is this the 'norm' in the live casino scene or is this place just a bad place to play?

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Yes, this is the 'norm' around here for NL games. I prefer it to the rake because in the end, the rake costs more to the all players, though it gives an advantage to players who play fewer pots.

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So...where do all the chicago players play at?

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We play at Trump or Resorts, the only places that spread NL games here...unless you want to travel farther away.

djoyce003 · #3 08-12-2005, 11:21 AM

that rake isn't that bad for a nl 2/5 game. You oughta be able to average around 20 big blinds per /100 if you are good, which would translate to around 15-25 per hour in live play i guess I guess...i'm sure the players are pretty terrible as well.

mrbaseball · #4 08-12-2005, 11:22 AM

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So...where do all the chicago players play at?

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Party and PokerStars mostly.

phuc · #5 08-12-2005, 11:51 AM

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This means that in order to make 1BB/hour you'd really have to be making 3BB/hour.

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This is the other thing I forgot to mention...in a NL game, you aren't expecting to make 1-2BB/hour like you are in a limit game. I would expect someone to make 5-10BB, even more if you are a decent player at this game.

awarunn · #6 08-12-2005, 12:13 PM

Okay, thanks...
Should I alter my preflop raise when I first sit down since I am short stacked? Instead of the standard 3-5xBB should I keep it down towards 3x? Or should I just play normal and keep reloading when I fall too far below $200?

canis582 · #7 08-12-2005, 12:25 PM

2-5 $200 max is the structure at the Bellagio when I played. Most raises were $20-$30. $10 and $15 were seen as wuss bets, but that may be different for this one.

awarunn · #8 08-12-2005, 12:40 PM

And another question...
This was seriously my first brick and mortar experience so...what's up with this seat change button? People were seriously getting pissed off about who get's it next and stuff. I'm guessing it gives you dibs on the next empty seat at the table? Do you get one if you voluntarily move or something? Why were people so passionate about it?

10-20Jerome · #9 08-12-2005, 01:03 PM

BS poker IMO. NL with a cap buyin? Its set up for very very bad players, the kind that also perfer BJ, craps, let it ride, etc. There is no real postflop play if they avg stack is say 150or200. I dont play alot of these games so I could be wrong. These games disgust me, when I play NL I perfer the no cap buy ins. Better game, just my opinion.

#10 08-12-2005, 02:59 PM

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BS poker IMO. NL with a cap buyin? Its set up for very very bad players, the kind that also perfer BJ, craps, let it ride, etc. There is no real postflop play if they avg stack is say 150or200. I dont play alot of these games so I could be wrong. These games disgust me, when I play NL I perfer the no cap buy ins. Better game, just my opinion.

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Well, I do believe that games with cap buy-ins are better. It's nice to sit at a table where most people have stacks near your size when you sit down. Trump also has a 400 min - 1000 max game and a 1500 min - no max game. These different "limits" are spread, I would think, to open games up to more people who don't necessarily have the cash or skill to sit there playing against people who can buy in right away for a couple grand if they want to.