Since when did they start using Queen plastic playing cards in the low stake poker section?

just like 4 or 5 days ago i believe, half the room still uses the old cards

Those cards seem to not work well with the shuffling machines. Last time I was there they had so many red lights that they changed the shuffling machine about 3 times before we finally got one that worked well enough to keep the game going.

Moved to SJ a few months ago and really like playing at GC (close to home, good games for the available limits, etc.) but it's tough to get anything bigger than 2/5 500 max...does Bay 101 have a regular 5/10 or at least a 2/5 1k+ BI? Hoping to play 4-5 times next week.

Yes, they have both. I believe they run just about every day (though not through the night).

Meh.. that's not really true. The structures for the daily tourneys are fine. They start @ 9:30am with a stack of 8K-10K depending on the day w/ blinds starting at 25/50 and 20 minute levels. The typical Mon-Thurs runs until about 3-3:30pm or so (w/ 75-120 runners) and Friday's usually wind up around 5pm (w/ ~165+ runners).

For NL, Bay is currently spreading:
1/2/2 - $40-$200 (typically 3-5 games)
2/3/5 - $200-$500 (3-5 games)
2/3/5 Deep stack - $300-$1000 (1-2 games)
5/5/T $500-$1500? (1-2 games) The cap on this game has changed a few times and it is currently either $1500 or $2K

Limit
3/6 - min $30 buy in (2-4 games)
6/12 - $60 (2-4 games)
8/16 - $80 (2-3 games)
20/40 - $200 (2-4 games)
40/80 - $400 (1-2 games with one as a must move)
80/160 - $800 (1 typically with a random second one)
100/200 and 200/400 go every now and again, but not very often

For the limit games, players are "allowed" one short-buy for each "full"-buy, but there are times when a player has bought short multiple times especially if the table does not care (typically these players are basically giving away money, so the others don't care). I'm not sure of the NL short-buy rules, but I'd guess the same.

There is no lobby charge on the limit games below 20/40 and 20+ has a new "lobby" structure where a player basically gets one free round and once they have accumulated 2 buttons, they pay $5 each time the button passes them. FWIW, I don't think the floor is shy about picking people up in the 8/16 and lower games if a player has been gone more much more than 20 minutes.

There are some other differences at the 20+ games as well. In the lower games, you can miss a blind, but in the 20+ games, you can not. You will see hands where there are 2 BBs or 1 BB and 2 SBs, but there is never a dead BTN so you will see people sometimes forced to post a blind while on the button. In the smaller games, the button always moves and the next 2 players get the blinds. There's been times when the BB and SB have both busted on the same hand and leave so that the guy who was about to post the BB, now gets the BTN and a whole free round as well.

Thanks for the info...look forward to trying out the 2/3/5 DS and 5/5/T this week...does Bay do call ins?

The do call-ins for the upper board (direct line to upper board - 408.437.5558) which includes the 5/5/T game, but not the lower board which has the 2/3/5 DS. BUT, if you're really nice to the person for the upper board, she can get you on the DS list as well.

Awesome info, bravos. A couple of questions. For LHE are the buy ins you gave the full ones or short ones? 5 Big bets seems extremely small already.

Also does the 8/16 game still have a half kill?

As far as the drop, $5 every orbit at a 9 handed table. Wow!! At least on the smaller stakes tables you can tighten up and pay less often and also if you just steal the blinds its only $1 if I remember correctly.

The lobby charge he talked about is not the time charge. The lobby charge is for when you are away from the table. They used to have it on the old 10-200 spread limit tables and you got no grace at all. If you got up after your cutoff or highjack hand to go take a piss, you better run because you got dinged for 5 bucks when the bb came back around to you if you were gone.

And the drop is not $5 per orbit, it's per hand. Unless you're playing O8, then it's $6.

The buyin I mentioned for LHE is what they consider the minimum buyin amount. Anything below that is a short-buy. Obv no maximum buy-in amt for a limit game.

Rake(it's really a drop since it is a fixed amount and not a %) for 3/6 - 40/80 LHE as well as all of the NL games depends on how many people where dealt cards and whether a flop was seen.

5 or less = $1 drop no matter what
6 players = $1 no flop/$3 if a flop is seen
7+ players = $1 no flop/$5 if a flop is seen

80/160+ games are time games and the charge is $11/half hr (at least that's the charge for the 80/160), the 5/5/T used to be also timed at $9/half hr, but is now a standard drop.

The Omaha games (4/8 goes regularly, and at least 1 20/40 goes on the day of the Bay101 open Omaha tourney) are $6 drop if 7+ and a flop seen. I don't know the exact drop numbers if the omaha game goes short (lol @ those nits ever playing short!!!!!)

Wow I guess I'm unfamiliar it because when I've been to Bay 101 I've only played as high as the 6/12. I'd play a little higher but I don't like kills so unless the game has changed recently that eliminates 8/16. 20/40 is above my game.

Does this charge go to the pot or house? If it actually went to the pot, this would be awesome for all rooms, if there was a one orbit grace. There are very few good reasons to be gone longer than an orbit.

It goes in the pot.

But as I illustrated, you don't really get a whole orbit. There's a blind on the button so you have to stay for that. After paying all those blinds, you'd certainly want to play the cutoff and maybe even the highjack. That leaves 4 hands till the bb and if someone is sitting out, you got very little time.

not true.. you get at least a whole orbit. If you leave right after your UTG hand and don't pay your BB, you get a missed blind button. You take off the whole orbit and take your BB the next time it comes around. You got to miss a full orbit and not pay lobby. If you don't take the BB when it comes back around again, you pay your lobby charge once the button passes you (when you are basically in the CO).

Apparently the November ballot will include an expansion from 49 to 79 tables in San Jose by 2014.
Will include obv also Garden City (or maybe M8trix will be open by then...) .

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-...alifies-ballot

gogogo!

Are you sure? They lobbied me when I missed the bb the first time.

Yes I'm sure.. what game where you playing?

10-200 spread. It was right after they started the lobby charge, so maybe they were overzealous and modified it later. After a highjack hand I walked straight to the restroom, whizzed, washed, and came back in time to see my $5 chip being taken off the top of my stack.

so lets talk crap about people who play at bay101. For an example,

-who's the old Mexican man who always says burro? Whats his story? Millionaire? Hes always drunk and likes to piss away his money.

I play 2/3/5 spread there. not often but maybe 3-4 times a month.

Why is this a bad idea? Let me count the ways....

LOL.. this is such a bad idea!

FWIW, why would you think he is a millionaire? He plays a ton of baby NL and no limit game bigger than 8/16. He's also not always drunk (RARELY IS) and is actually a pretty nice guy and most if not all of the employees/regulars like him. Usually when he calls someone a burro, it is one of his friends, or even himself.

But, again, this is a pretty bad idea!! Unless of course, you want to talk bad about me, which is fine and I don't give a damn..

Anyone tell me how many people they usually get for these weekday $120s, how much for first roughly and how many pay? Have the week off of work and I am interested in playing them, thanks.

How often is the 5 5 10 going these days. I've been there twice and it wasn't running due to "everyone being in Vegas". Any 5 5 10 regs on here?

I'm looking to move to Cally and was wondering how's the action here? Also, how many tables can I expect to be running daily for the 2-5NL Holdem and 5-10 here or any other CA casinos.

Depends on the day, but typically 60-75 or so Mon-Wed and 80-100 Thur/Fri. They typically pay ~10%. Pretty sure their structure sheets are on their website.

Really? What time of day? They pretty much always have one 5/5/T game going during the day-evening

2/3/5 will have typically around 4 tables w/ another deepstack table. 5/5/T is typically 1 table, but sometimes 2.