I didn't see a thread about Blue Chip, so I thought I'd start one.

Here is their official poker room page: http://www.bluechipcasino.com/play/poker-room

So...pretty small. 8 tables total. However, it is run pretty well, from my limited experience.

Anybody play there in the last year or so? I've heard that since the Four Winds (nearby in Michigan) shut down their poker room, the Blue Chip has seen an increase in traffic.

I'm probably going tonight.

I play there once or twice a week.

1/2 games can be quite nitty at times, but weekends and nights get loosened up.

Couple decent regs but overall great place to play. Very friendly staff for the most part as well.

2/5 game on weekends is pretty great too - sometimes nitty but you can hit a home run with those 2/5 tables sometimes.

Were you there on Saturday? I played with a couple people I would think were 2+2ers.

I went Friday night, typical few regs and couple of young guys blowing their paycheck, plus a maniac showed up later and made things interesting. Some regs are decent, a lot of them aren't. Good time to go is summer when a lot of the summer home people come through.

It's nice to be able to call ahead, I've been there about ten times and never waited more than 10 minutes, once. Hope you get to open a 1/2 table and have first dibs on the 2-3 shortstackers who are utterly trash.

I read somewhere else on this site that summer months are the worst for playing live, and I really wondered why that was, unless it's that the online-educated players come home from college and suck up all the action. But yeah, intuitively I would've thought summer would be better, with people on vacation and what not.

I also have heard, though, that tax season (between Jan-Apr) is the best for action before people have blown their tax refund money. I worked at a pizza place and my manager said tax season is when business picks up...

I was really considering making the drive from Chicago on an upcoming Saturday because I am pretty tired of the regs at the Shoe. Has anyone who has played both let me know whether it's worth the extra 70+ miles roundtrip to drive out?

If you play 1/2 I much prefer blue chip to the horseshoe. While there are regs at both places the regs at blue chip aren't as good, and every time I've been to the chip there's always at least one aggro fish spewing at the table. While there are some regs who sit with there Reg friends and softplay each other, I find it more prevalent and annoying at the shoe.

There's also more random people walking over from the pits sitting down with greens and young locals who sit shortstacked. If you take I90 to I94 thru the tolls the trip is actually not bad at all. Friday and Saturday night's are the best. Summer weekends are also ideal because Michigan city is a beach home magnet, all the grandmas and granpas who are on vacation like to sit and spew off hundreds at a time.

That's what I was hoping to hear. I'm a bit tired of the mostly tight games at the Shoe, having to switch tables three times to find a decent mix, the overabundance of regs, etc.

Oh, for the poker scene of 4-5 years ago...that was heaven.

I'm heading over tonight. Leo, what is the maximum buyin that you would consider "short"?

I hope to do better than last week, when I overcompensated against an aggro donk by not letting go of TPTK when he re-raised my flop raise. Such spew, I'd be up way way more if I hadn't done that.

What about meeting up tomorrow Riz? It would be cool to have someone to talk strat with after the game, or while breaking for food in the food court. And to know who to watch out for.

Not going for a couple weeks, but thanks for the invite.

I always buy in for 150, just cause I'm short rolled. I find it pretty easy to build that up past 200 within the first half hour or so. Howd your trip go?

For 1/2 overall Blue Chip is softer. I actually think 1/2 at the Shoe can even be tough sometimes - 2/5 is softer at Shoe than 1/2 for the most part.

Will be going tomorrow from Chicago for the first time. Looking forward to a change from same old people at the Shoe.

Cool, let us know how it went. Sign up for a player's card, they have a high hand promotion that puts your hat in the ring for a spin on their "wheel of fortune" every 2 hours. $400 is the top prize, totally forgot about that when I flopped quads last time I was there and didn't check river. Totally -EV. Most of the young guys with headphones I've encountered there are decent, as a heads up.

Much thanks, Leo.

No problem, good luck. Also, have run into some guys 35-45 look like construction/ contractor dudes who play as lagtards. Trap and stack chips. Let us know how it goes.

So I ended up taking the trip this past weekend. Small room, but nice. 5 tables of 1/2 running. Decent action. The casino itself was good, and the restaurants certainly of a higher quality than the more immediate Chicago area.

I would go back again, but the drive is long enough to not make it a routine thing - maybe a few times a year.

Does anybody know how many decks are used for baccarat at the blue chip? How deep do they put the cut card?

Just got back, had some dude expose his flopped nut straight after I called his flop bet with my aces while we both had chips behind.

Runner runner clubs for nut flush Table was very fishy.

Played two times... Really enjoy it actually. Pretty loose play compared to a lot of the time I've been at the shoe. Wish they had a few more tables.

Good luck to all, upon your return trips to Blue Chip. Get all their chips!

Heard a rare whale was dumping $1k a hand on a $2/5 table yesterday with just about any two cards?! Wish I could've got a piece of that.

I'll check that room out when I go to New Buffalo over the summer, thanks for the heads up

Went on Saturday, insta donked off a buy in then regrouped and came out ahead a buy in. Heard that the 17th they will make the 1/2 into a 1/3. Several instances of people making river bets of 15 into pots of 65-85 and getting folds around, good times.

Anyone know how the action is on the 4th of July/weekend? Expect more, or less fish? My guess is that the weekend would have more, but maybe less tonight cause everyone's out watching fireworks?