central city/blackhawk

chesterp · #1 05-20-2005, 01:17 AM

my first ever B&M post! exciting!
so i'm about to move to central city for 3 months. this'll be my first ever B&M experience. started online a half a year ago, and i multitable .5/1 to 1/2 at different sites for bonuses. make a lil at the tables, (1BB or so) and even more from bonuses. so i've searched for recs on casinos in these towns. i have a list. not covered though- bonuses. anything like that at the live casinos? or some casinos there feed you for free and others don't? also, it seems the area has a max bet of $5 no matter what the casino. so i'm guessing no professionals here, right? can't imagine you can make much above minimum wage that way. but are there many good players or is it like microlimits loose online? any other general things i should no for my first B&M experience?
thanks

Patrick del Poker Grande · #2 05-20-2005, 01:22 AM

These are the most retarded games known to man. Don't do it.

RPMick · #3 05-20-2005, 07:19 AM

God help you.

The poker up there, if you call it that, is of the no foldem holdem variety.

I used to play at the Hyatt (now Mile High) and spent many night paying $200-300 for a couple "free" hamburgers...then I learned.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. 3 rules. Rule number 1, see cheap flops from position. Rule number 2, if you miss the flop fold. Rule number 3, watching players in Blackhawk is like reading Caro's book of tells, pay attention.

Best of luck, I wouldn't want to make a living up there in any way shape or fashion.

1 other thing, the only time a preflop raise of 5 is worth anything is either when nobody has called ahead of you in the CO or someone has raised ahead of you and you re-raise to isolate.

Other than that...enjoy the family pot hold 'em.

-Ryan

chesterp · #4 05-20-2005, 10:38 PM

[ QUOTE ]
God help you.

The poker up there, if you call it that, is of the no foldem holdem variety.

I used to play at the Hyatt (now Mile High) and spent many night paying $200-300 for a couple "free" hamburgers...then I learned.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. 3 rules. Rule number 1, see cheap flops from position. Rule number 2, if you miss the flop fold. Rule number 3, watching players in Blackhawk is like reading Caro's book of tells, pay attention.

Best of luck, I wouldn't want to make a living up there in any way shape or fashion.

1 other thing, the only time a preflop raise of 5 is worth anything is either when nobody has called ahead of you in the CO or someone has raised ahead of you and you re-raise to isolate.

Other than that...enjoy the family pot hold 'em.

-Ryan

[/ QUOTE ]

so by no fold 'em you mean loose as a mofo, right? sounds like suited connectors and low pocket pairs should always be played here. i'm in the area for my main career, the poker will just be on the side, and since i'm used to lower limits, could be a good thing to not have pros around. thanks for your help.

RPMick · #5 05-21-2005, 04:13 AM

[ QUOTE ]
so by no fold 'em you mean loose as a mofo, right?

[/ QUOTE ]

Very loose. Suited connectors, all pairs..you name it...the key is to see the cheap flops. Don't mess around with the raises ahead unless you're going to re-raise.

Good luck.

-Ryan

chardog · #6 05-22-2005, 12:04 AM

I lived in Boulder and played there a lot last summer. The advice you have been given is correct. For $2-5spread try to see cheap flops with pairs and suited connectors. When you hit your set/2pair NEVER SLOW PLAY (and hardly ever check raise)! Its tougher to get the correct pot odds to draw post flop because of the $5 flop bet. I limited my preflop $5 raise/re-raise to AA&KK only unless I was at the rare tight table. Obviously this makes you predictable but how many total times do you get AA/KK in a session. I almost aproached it as a NL game, limp limp limp limp, hit the flop hard and pounce.

BTW, the new poker room at the Gilpin in Blackhawk spreads $2/4 and is a nice non-smoking room. Besides that I like MtnHigh, very good dealers.

good luck

CORed · #7 05-22-2005, 01:44 PM

You should also be raising preflop with AK, suited or not, AQ, suited or not AJs and KQs. If a $5 raise will thin the field (sometimes it will, sometimes it won't depending on who's playing), raise with KQo and AJo. If you have more than fair share pot equity, you need to raise. Don't give cheap flops with good hands. This will increase your variance, because you will be folding a lot on the flop when you don't connect, or, worse, gettin run down when you do, but the big pots when you win will more than make up for it.

By the same token, by all means take advantage of cheap flops with small pairs, suited connectors and suited aces, and even suited kings and queens and suited one or two gappers in late position, if your opponents are giving them to you. Often, you may be the only player at the table that is raising much preflop. If this is the case, you can play the speculative hands in all positions. If not, you will need to play very tight in early position, and if you limp early and somebody puts in a $5 raise, you will have to fold without seeing the flop, unless there are several callers before it comes back to you.

The $2-5 games are usually very loose-passive, but occasionally turn into LAG-fests, with 5 or six seeing the flop for $17 or more. If the game gets wild, you will need to play very tight, big PP, AKo and suited broadways, only, but if you can take down one or two pots, it can be a very profitable session. There are some decent players there, because there are no higher stakes games for them to play, but they are a small minority. Once in a great while, you will see a somewhat tight game, but these tend to be weak tight, or semi-loose-passive preflop, weak tight postflop. If opening with a maximum raise frequently ends up gettin just the blind, you may want to just put in a $3 raise with AA, KK, AKs, AQs, unless you have limpers in front. Stealing the $2 blind with these hands is not good. Stealing the blind plus some limps is not so bad.

These games are beatable, but probably not for enough to make a living, unless you want to put in 60 hours per week for barely enough money to live on.

smoore · #8 05-22-2005, 08:30 PM

You should still be raising in these games. IMO you aren't raising to really push out limpers, you are "raising for value" or my favorite... raising to steal the button. Although usually you don't really want to make friends with the ppl on your left, you should try to intimidate them into thinking you are god's gift to poker. I've had the button four times in a row in blackhawk for my personal record.

The advice about seeing lots of cheap flops with drawing hands is definitely correct though.

Checkraising is a great move in blackhawk, but only with monsters and only when you KNOW someone will bet for you, hopefully the guy just to your left so you trap all the callers for two bets.

Don't ever slowplay, it's not worth it. There's no reason to skip a bet on the flop when it's the same size as the bet on the turn.

Screw varying your bet size, either limp or bet the max.

Stay away from the station's buffet and the lodge's chili... now THAT'S a bad beat. (Why anyone would serve chili in a crowded card room is beyond me).

juanez · #9 05-23-2005, 02:31 AM

Why anyone would serve chili in a crowded card room is beyond me

Seriously...[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Raising Kane · #10 05-24-2005, 02:35 AM

I have only been to Blackhawk about 14 times...but so far I have been a consistent winner and avg. a little over $200 a trip. So I'm a firm believer that a good aggressive player can make a good supplemental income in the land of the callers.