Just recently the closest Casino Poker room closed and a group that runs all the bar poker games around town is starting a cash game to run with their MTTs.

1/2 NLHE with optional $5 straddle (i'm assuming this is UTG only)
$50-300 buy in
$25 sit fee, no rake taken from pots.
Game should run 3-5 hours a night.

No games have run yet, but i'd assume a few people will be buying in for $50, most for 100, and a couple for 200-300.

The players at these MTTs are 2005 level bad in general. The "good" players that play these MTTs are good in that they have tighter opening/calling ranges as the MTTs are basically hyper turbos.

Given the small min buy in, limited hours, and sit fee, does this seem like a game worth investing some time in or am i better off going to a legit 1/3 casino game?

if it runs 3 hrs you are paying 8 bux per hour - 5 hours 5...with potential to play even more??

I would treat it like recon. I would go not try and absolutely crush the game but suss sht out. Can I make it fun for others? will there be booze? I think with a little work on your end you can create a gold mine for yourself - and an ossum environment

$8 per hour is a super low rake

And if he plays for 5 hours, it's $5 per hour, which is awesome. And the stack sizes / BI seem very similar to other low stakes game.

I would definitely play but obviously plan to always play for the maximum allowable hours to take advantage of the low rake.

GcluelessrakenoobG

It's worth trying out. At 10% max $5 rake that is only 5 maxed out hands before you break even compared to a rake. The big question will be does the game run long enough and is there enough money to win? If the game breaks after 2/3 hours you likely won't have enough hands to make it back. For the same reason you obviously shouldn't go unless you are planning to be there most of the 5 hours. If everybody buys in for close to the minimum you may have trouble building enough big hands to cover the fee, but if there is a button straddle that shouldn't be a problem.

It seems to me that the big thing to watch out for is trying to push the action. You are likely to want to "win your $25 back" and end up getting into too many hands with. With that sort of structure and only a couple of hours there will be nights where you just don't get any good hands/situations in the 5 hours.

+1

Especially with smaller stacks, tight is right and tighter is righter, imo. So some days you just won't have much and you might take a relatively high rake hit, but hopefully that will even out long term on the nights you run better and get in stacks a few times.

GcluelessrakenoobG

NO!

The very first thing he wants to do is make sure the game gets traction. The last thing you want to do is nit it up and make the game about who can nit the biggest sweater. He should go there and be fun. Order shots. Make some zero sum prop bets. Get people to want to play in this game. Once the game is up and running on the regular he should obviously focus on making money but be careful to strike a reasonable balance

Going into a new game that has zero traction and folding for 5 hours will not give the game any legs - in fact it is a sure fire way to have it fold after 1 week

He can still have fun with the crowd and make sure it's an enjoyable time for all and be a nit at the same time, imo.

GcluelessfunlovingnitnoobG

you are correct, you win

Been talking with the owner of the game and he also runs a jinky online site for the locals. Somehow got myself 80% rakeback deal online to go along with playing in this live game.

re: set the atmosphere...that's one of my biggest regrets from when i played live full-time. If i had just paid attention, i'd have noticed the times i had a few drinks, joked with my neighbors, etc were the times i had the best time and still played pretty solid and caught my opponents more willing to make some mistakes with their new found friend.

Now i try and make an effort to joke around with my neighbor and try to have a good time while playing well. Show some bluffs, some big hands, etc.