Exactly the same? I would have thought higher pre-flop raises in the 5-5 and more play by the small blind.

Question was about Commerce (and yeah I know this is the Bike thread).


[QUOTE=The Ocean;40518582] Free food is for any game at the plaza level, so that's 2/3NL and up. Don't know about the promo.



No, not really

The 5/5 and 3/5 games are similar in the fact that they have the same size big blind, that's about it

5/5 plays considerably bigger

The rakeback promotion has been going on for about 5 months. As with any promotion, it can be cancelled whenever they wish.

"Free food is for any game at the plaza level, so that's 2/3NL and up. Don't know about the promo................."

eco74...chek that.....last few times I've been in town- they have included the 80/nl and 4/8 o/8 in the free food offerings. I actually tried to pay when playing omaha and was told it is now comped. (end of July 2013, and forward)

The stacks are often bigger but the size of raises doesn't change. I've played in both for a lot of hours and I can't see the difference in size, unless it's a new $200 game. You're just all in more often in that one. I'd like to see more details about your claim of it being "considerably bigger" because I haven't seen that, but maybe we're talking about different things.

Edit: maybe there's some confusion because I keep picturing the Commerce game (what the original question was about) while this is the Bike thread. The 5/5 at the Bike does play bigger since it's a $1000 cap. Commerce is a $500 cap. So there's a good chance we're just walking in circles here.

Yea, I'm talking about the games at the bike. I agree the difference between 200 and the 300-500 at commerce is not as big.

At the bike those games are very different in avg pot size and stack size

This is good stuff. Exactly the info I was looking for. thank you.

A small trip report. I had been living in Lima Peru for the last 7 years. I was use to a horrendous 1/2 (2/5 in local currency) game where players mostly bought in for 50 by choice. Max buy in was 1000. I'd sit down and look at the other stacks and just cry inside. I just ended up playing occasionally for fun and didn't take it seriously so as to not go insane and it was fun for what it was.

Anyway, yesterday I went to The Bike for the Quantum Reload tournament and promptly busted out early. I was not feeling the urge to rebuy and just realized how much I dislike live tournament play so I decided I'd go dust off some cash. Looked at the horrible structures at 1/1, 1/2 an quickly found the upper room and got on a list for 1/3.

Bought in for $300, lost an early pot to a maniac by making a horrible call on the river with TPGK vs his turned 2 pair. Of course he's not bluffing there. That was my first hand. So get AQ very next hand with lots of limpers, raise it up, take it down. After that I quickly realized this is nothing like the 1/1 game I played at Ocean's 11 with homeless people and mentally unstable unknowns shipping every other hand. There is actually post flop play. Imagine that.

So anyway I had a pretty even night poker wise but I really enjoyed my time. I got a member card, had a good meal, the staff treated me great. Parking seemed safe, I parked next to a nice elevated guard shack that was actually staffed. Looked like a lifeguard tower.

Another funny thing, Norman Chad walked in and was just hanging around waiting for a game. That was kinda cool. Not sure if he's a regular.

So looks like I found a place to dust off a few hundo once every few weekends. I live in Orange County in Aliso Viejo so can't really make it up during the week unfortunately.

Fyi, the 2/3 game and the 3/5 game have the same rake.

I've seen norman there a few times too.

Just in case you missed it, the Bike is now spreading $10-$20 HORSE on the weekends

theres a 2/2 plo right? and a 5/5? always runnign?

Always a good idea to call the room before going. Sometimes these new games can be hit and miss.

Alan- thanks much for your input on behalf of the Bike. Can you give any input on when The Bike might come out with some apps or computer links that show active games? I am well-aware of the limitations your current games management software/hardware has; is there any LT plans to upgrade to something like Bravo and itrs app, or other sftwr?

i could use a ride to HG, the bike, or commerce on a regular basis. obv chipping in for gas. not looking to get raped. i'm in the city of orange near the circle. PM me.

That is a work in progress (one of many) but it is something that I am pursuing and am pushing for (but it will be a while) =)

Okay, so I moved to LA last week and have played several sessions now at the Bike, and here are my initial impressions.

This is not East Coast or Vegas poker. Seriously.

First, the Games: I think many are familiar with the rake vs. drop structure of SoCal, in that money is dropped on the flop regardless of pot size. this takes some getting used to, and I think requires some preflop adjustment in play. Generally, the pot needs to be larger preflop to make the game playable. This means opening both raising and calling ranges. I've played both the 1/2 ($80-$120) and 2/3 ($100-$300) NLHE games so far and watching the winning players so far confirms this for me. This has the added benefit of increasing action, but also increases variance. The games are also 9-handed, which makes for a difference in my opinion as there are often 1 or 2 players gone from the table at any given time.

The Room: Very large, well lit, and stunningly utilitarian. This is not a Vegas/AC or similar casino, despite the name. There are nicer areas in the entryways, but the room itself is nuts & bolts: tables, chairs, and vast herds of food and drink trays cover the landscape. This is a card club with some other table games, and it owns that.

The Staff: Sadly, this is what I consider the weakest point. The dealers are average at best compared to what I've encountered at casinos outside LA, and the floors are similarly lacking. The main point of weakness I see is not any lack in technical skills (no real excellence either, however), but in staff/player interaction. Simply put, the staff seems too willing to let the inmates run the asylum. In 6 sessions over the last 6 days, I've seen players act in ways that would get them banned from any other casino I've been in, including the Taj in AC. When bad behavior is brought to the floors' attention, the players are often given a lukewarm and toothless admonition to calm down or relax. I've seen players speak to the food staff with amazing lack of respect or common courtesy.
The only time I saw a player get more than a warning was when a regular player deliberately crumpled his hole cards so that the table would get a new setup. He was getting up anyway for a smoke break and essentially turned himself in to the floor and got a 20-minute timeout.

The comps: Are pretty darn good. Free food (and good food at that) if you play $80-$120 NLHE or higher games that are spread on the Plaza level, which is where the "Live at the Bike" webcast is shot. You also get cash back depending on the month. It was $4 an hour in Oct, and is apparently $2.50 in Nov/Dec. They also offer things like free raffle tickets every hour or two during certain days that are entered in a raffle and drawn 1 per quarter during Monday Night Football, for 4 prizes totaling $5000. For the drop they take, they do seem to take care of the regulars.

Overall, it's not a bad place to play cards, but the staff takes a lot of crap and seems to not really care about anything more than punching a clock. There's a lot less of the player/dealer banter and interaction I've encountered elsewhere.

I'm going to try out Commerce and the other local rooms, but I suspect I won't find much difference.

The lunatics running the asylum aspect is indeed not any different at other SoCal cardrooms. Just the way of life around here.

You're doing it wrong, at least shortstack the 3/5 NLH.

Can't wait to hear what he thought of how the players treat the staff at commerce...

Only been to the Commerce once so far, am waiting until I've been 5-6 times before I post my impressions.

I've started a similar series of posts comparing $8/$16 LHE in various venues around town in the Los Angeles, CA thread of General Poker Discussion > Brick and Mortar > Regional Communities.

Please post your observations there as well. I think it is a shame that the Los Angeles thread gets so little traffic.

Any 2/3 or 3/5 regs post here?

Can anyone tell me info about the 5/10 game. Do they run everyday? whats the buy in min /max