Stan,

Can you PM me please?

pretty upset i didnt have a chance to get down there this weekend. holiday weekends are so +EV.

We had (32) 1-2's at mid-night.

Stan

You have to post a few more times before the PM function turns on.

Stan

Nice to see you again yesterday Stan, always a pleasure

game report plz. stan

Time for a live game report Monday 2:50pm


(40) Live games


(2) 2-4 LHE
(3) 3-6 LHE
(1) 10-20 LHE
(2) 20-40 LHE
(1) 40-80 LHE


(1) 10-20 Omaha H/L


(17) 1-2 NL
(10) 2-5 NL
(3) 5-10 NL



(113) 11am $170 + $30 NL Tournament


BBJP $230,766


Stan

Can someone explain to me how the "Time Pot" works, for example, in the 10-20 Limit game?
I was there on Friday night, and it looked like some table captain fellow was collecting $5 every half hour from everyone who was not in the "Time Pot"... and then collecting a certain amount from the other players when they won pots.... and then would pay the dealer out of his own stack, I guess every half hour (but not when he collected the $5).
It was confusing me, to say the least!

I plan to hit AC Aug 1-4 (Sun-Wed).... looks like all the action will be at Borgata

I think it works like this:

If you don't participate in the time pot, you just pay the half hour rake and your pots are unaffected.

If you do participate, the table captain pays the rake for you, and for the next two pots that are over a particular amount that are won by a participating player pays the captain back half of the rake.

I've never played in a game where this was done, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Thats correct, say time is $5 a half for a full ring table.

Guy coordinating the time pot will throw the dealer $50 immediately when they sit down, and then during the half when certain pots are over a designated amount usually $200 for half of the time being paid (ie winner then throws the guy doing the time pot $25) or say $500 pays the full time of $50. In the rare circumstance that no pots go over that amount during the half, everyone repays the original guy paying time. Oh and time pot collection is only until the full time is paid, its not like the original guy makes more than what he paid.

Hypothetically this creates a little more action from players not paying time, speeds up the time collection so you waste less time, and long term benefits short stacks and TAG players by not paying time except when you win a pot.

Well, the action will be at Borgata Aug 1 - 4 since you will be there.

Does anyone know why the time charge is lower in the 5/10 NL game ($6/hh) than the 20/40 LHE game ($7/hh), when 5/10 NL is clearly a higher stakes game?

Just spent this weekend playing at the Borgata. It was a lot of fun and it was the first time I've played NL cash in a poker room (and the first time I played at a casino that had more than 1 poker table).

The tables seem to get crazy overnight. I had 2 strange hands this morning around 4-6 AM at 1/2 NL.

#1:
About 8 handed. I'm on button, villain is tight player UTG, seems to be a regular, and disdainful of the loose aggressive regs to my right.

I was experimenting earlier this session with giving false tells by pretending to look at my cards, and setting out bet amounts to call or raise or putting my hand in a position to fold. When it got to a few players before me, I would quickly look at my cards and be able to make a quick decision on my turn. I had decided to try to play a hand without looking at my cards if there's no raise. I didn't pretend to look at them, but I didn't make a point of telling the table that I hadn't looked.

Villain and 3 loose players limp, I limp, SB calls and BB checks.

Flop: J 9 6 Rainbow.
Checked all the way around.
Turn: 3, with the same suit as another card on the board.
Blinds Check, villain bets 15. 3 folds, and it gets to me.

Me: "I probably should look at my hand now." I down at J9. "Raise. … 50."
Blinds fold
Villain: "What do you have?"
Me: (Immediately) "Two pair"
Villain: "I don't believe you."
Me: "Okay. I have Jack-Nine". (I assumed he wouldn't believe me.)
Villain thinks for a bit and calls.

(Pot around 110)
River: J

Me: "Well now I have a full house."
Villain looks like he doesn't believe me and checks.
Me: All-In (He has about 150-200 behind)
Villain calls and mucks after I show the nuts. He left after that hand. I'm guessing he had a hand like QJ or JT.

---

#2

About an hour later, I'm on the button again, and there are about 4 limps in front of me. I look down at A9, and call. Blinds call.
Flop: 765
Checked to me, I bet 10, and get 1 caller in EP.
Turn: 8
(Pot about 30)
Check. I bet 30 and EP shoves quickly for about 200-300 more.
I stared at the board for about 20 seconds, thinking that I had misread the board or something, and the dealer asked if I wanted a count. I was trying to figure out what he would shove there with, and the only hand that beat me (64) didn't make any sense. I called and the river came an offsuit high card, and I took it down.

EP later said that he had T9, and he had misread the board thinking that there were 2's and 2's on the board.

--

Other observations:
- You get carded a lot there if you look young. Every floor person I talked to to get a table or swipe in and a few dealers asked, and they seem to ask again when you're sitting at the table at 5-6 AM when they're getting ready for the next day. I assume if you go often enough, they'll recognize you and stop asking. Strangely, the only time a waitress asked for my ID all weekend was one time I ordered orange juice.
- Saturday night, there was a player at my table that was trying to order a Corona each time the waitress came by. After a few times, the waitress spent a few minutes telling the player that she would do it this time, but that this was the last time she would get a drink each time she came around, since they were understaffed that night and she had limited space on her tray (there were about half the usual number of girls there apparently). The dealer agree with the table that the waitress shouldn't have been arguing with the player like that. We later heard the same waitress telling a player at the table next to ours the same thing.
- There was a dealer that came to the table all serious looking and unsmiling. A couple hands in, one talkative guy splashed the pot, causing a few chips to go near his tray.
Player: Sorry! Sorry!
Dealer: …. (Staring down player, not saying anything)
Player: (About 5-10 seconds later, looking worried) Sorry!
Dealer silently picks up the chips.

I think the dealer was just trying to have fun with the player. I thought it was hilarious. I think he loosened up after that.

- Players at the one 2/5 table I went to for a couple hours seem to tip less than 1/2. I don't didn't remember any player tipping more than $1 at the 2/5 table, but at 1/2 there seems to be a lot of tips in the $2-5 range. I don't know how typical that is. One guy at a 1/2 table mentioned he thought the dealers didn't like the 1/2 tables because of the low tips.
- Don't try to use Google Maps to get walking directions to the Borgata from the train station. You'll end up running across 6 lane roads/highways and climbing over 3 foot walls. I'll take a jitney or taxi every time now.
- Seemed to be really busy Sunday. There were announcements around 6PM telling dealers to stay on shift and not to leave their table without anyone to replace them.
- I tried the brunch buffet and breakfast at Bread & Butter and they were pretty good.
- The rest of the casino is pretty dead at 7-8AM.
- All the dealers were competent and seemed to keep the game moving well.
- The bus I took to and back from AC (Academy) were both full. Talking to others it seems like they are not usually not this full, but there were more people because of the holiday.


Overall, I had a great time, and I'll try to go again this summer. I might want to try a tournament or sit and go the next time I'm there.


I'm trying to figure out the best way to stay overnight in AC at a hotel and be able to play at the Borgata. I'm coming from the NYC area. Are there unlikely to be weekend poker rates there during the summer? I stayed at a different hotel since I booked it at the last minute and the Borgata is pretty expensive. I guess I'll PM Stan to find out what the Borgata offers.

I guess I could also just do a day trip with a bus instead of getting a room there.

Very good point about using map quest or gps I got lost both times I went to borgata lol kept going around in circles at end of the trip.

I kind of have the feeling you are more annoyed with your play. You made a bad play villan would have called either way. Borgatta is a huge poker room the staff is great but can only do so much. If it bothered you that villans friend was looking at your cards you should have immediatley again reported him to the floor. You have a legitamate gripe though dealer should really have called floor over when villans friend did not decist after being warned. Dealers need to be more pro active when situations like this arise.

If you are at a table where you feel uncomfortable then change tables. You have to have a thick skin to play live , when people berate your play just let it roll off your back as it is true there is the occasional duche at the table .

I remember back when I first drove down to the Borg, there were no signs on how to get across the main highway to the Borg, and it took me at least 30min of driving in circles to figure out how to get from the strip over to the Borg.

Did the same thing.

I too have been carded for the glass of orange juice before. I remember clearly telling the waitress "I'm diabetic and need orange juice please" and she responded "ID, please." So I showed her the emergency medical card with my license and then she got it. Guess they dont understand diseases...

Lyrrad,
There are Lag regs at 1/2 NL?

Because all drinks are served in the same type glass, it is hard to determine what type of drink a waitress served. Surveillance can not tell if the drink was leaded or un-leaded. This is why they card for all drinks.

Stan

stan - game report please?

thanks!

you can get an ID bracelet in the poker room saying you are over 21. This is supposed to make it so dealers/waitresses/floor stop carding you.

Ironically, the one time I did go and get one, I got carded more for the next hour or so I wore it than I ever had before.

I mean I don't mind getting carded (and thankfully its slowed down a lot from 2 years ago), but that is one thing the Borg does do that other places don't.

They have a stamp. Go around the corner and there will be a security window and they will stamp you there. It is convinient to have on certain days that seem to be crackdown mode.

Only people who ever card me at the Borgata are the cashiers. To be fair though, I'm there enough that all the dealers, floors and waitresses are familiar with me.