You guys do realize the straddle is not mandatory right?? And you can fold your 50bb stack if you don't want to play the hand with a straddle. Straddles are and always have been allowed where I play and maybe 10-20% of people do it (of course im one of them). Just deal with it, it's a part of the game now pretty much everywhere.

just hoping they increase the max caps. I have nightmares this will become Commerce East.. lol. Let's face it, Borgata is number one on the east coast for a reason. They know what they are doing. Glad Stan was involved in the process.

I would prefer they raise the min buy in. Straddles effect the short stacks more than full stacks. It becomes more a shove fold situation for shorties.

I am not a fan of the straddle but I understand that we need to be a full service poker room. Running it twice will only be allowed in the 5-10 NL game and higher.

Stan

Yes

Stan

Happy about running it 2x not being allowed at 1/2 and 2/5. Becomes a nuisance when it happens every hand because it is novel.

Do you guys ever run a 1/2 PLO/nlhe mix? If so, is that a $300 or $500 buy-in game?

Thanks Stan!

Will the straddle be allowed in all games? In limit games, will it count as a blind or as a raise towards the 4 bet cap?

I don't understand why straddles would be a bad thing for good players who don't straddle. Playing in a 2-5-10 game where everyone else has to pay all the blinds but you only have to pay the first two sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

Straddles are blinds, not raises, unless whoever is establishing the rules for a room misunderstands the actual rules of the game.

Never heard of a straddle in a limit game I would guess the straddle would not be allowed in limit. But I don't play limit so take this fwiw.

How about increasing 2/5 NL from 20bb-100bb to something like 30bb-150bb, 30bb-160bb, or 30bb-200bb even?

That's gotta be better just to avoid this situation: Player buys in for 100bb's and drops to ~85bb's, and then reloads back up to more/less exactly 100bb's by taking out some 20's. Not only being somewhat annoying, this does hold up the time-raked game.

Note: I mean that the 100bb buy-in player, would have the option of buying in deeper. Thus when he drops 15 bb's he is still over 100bb's and doesn't need to reload.

Straddles can be allowed in limit. At Parx a limit straddle does two things:

• Increases the raise cap by one in pre-flop action
• Makes it 2 small bets to call to the UTG+1

so nothing "doubles" or increases, except it's now 2 bets to limp in pre-flop, and it can get raised up to 5 bets instead of 4. There are no differences in any later streets.

the benefits? major action usually ensues. Someone almost always raises. The straddler will almost always call. And more likely it ends up 5+ way for 4-5 bets.

I stand corrected. Thanks dinesh!

Time for a live game report Wednesday 4:15pm


(35) Live games


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


(1) 1-2 PLO


(13) 1-2 NL
(11) 2-5 NL
(4) 5-10 NL


BBJP $309,605


Borgata Summer Poker Open June 6 - 22, 2012


Wednesday June 6

(679) Event #1 11am $500 + $60 Deep Stack NL (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed
(129) Event #22 4pm $150 + $30 Deep Stack Semi Turbo NL
(161) Event #23 7pm $100 + $20 + $25 Green Chip Bounty NL


Thursday June 7

(259) Event #2 11am $350 + $50 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NL (Re-Entry)
(094) Event #3 12pm $260 + $40 + $100 PLO Black Chip Bounty (Re-Entry)
(083) Event #24 4pm $150 + $30 + $20 Yellow Chip Bounty NL (Re-Entry)
(158) Event #25 7pm $100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty


Friday June 8

(331) Event #4 11am $300 + $40 Big Stack NL (Re-Entry)
(076) Event #26 4pm $350 + $50 Survivor (~1 in 10 wins $3500)
(078) Event #27 7pm $200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty


Saturday June 9

(237) Event #5 11am $600 + $60 NL (Re-Entry)
(086) Event #6 12pm $260 + $40 PLO 8B

Sunday June 10

(263) Event #7 11am Day 1A $350 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed
(042) Event #8 12pm $400 + $50 Seven Card Stud
(087) Event #28 3pm $100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NL
(096) Event #29 7pm $200 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NL


Monday June 11

(477) Event #7 11am Day 1B $350 + $50 Deep Stack Double Play NL (Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed
(089) Event #9 12pm $260 + $40 Omaha H/L 8B
(098) Event #30 3pm $170 + $30 Six Max Deep Stack Semi Turbo NL (Re-Entry)
(113) Event #31 7pm $150 + $30 + $20 Yellow Chip Bounty NL


Tuesday June 12

(223) Event #10 11am $350 + $50 Six Max Deep Stack NL (Re-Entry)
(173) Event #11 12pm $260 + $40 Seniors (50+) NL
(131) Event #32 3pm $150 + $30 Survivor NL (~1 in 10 wins $1500)
(135) Event #33 7pm $150 + $30 + $20 Yellow Chip Bounty All-in or Fold NL (Re-Entry)


Wednesday June 13

(757) Event #12 11am $260 + $40 Deep Stack NL (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed
(160) Event #34 4pm $250 + $30 Survivor (~1 in 10 wins $2500)
(152) Event #35 7pm $150 + $30 + $20 Yellow Chip Bounty NL


Thursday June 14

(185) Event #13 11am $400 + $50 Survivor (~1 in 10 wins $4000)
(055) Event #14 12pm $400 + $50 HORSE
(147) Event #36 4pm $100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NL (Re-Entry)
(051) Event #37 7pm $135 + $25 Championship Qualifier (~1 in 20)


Friday June 15

(172) Event #15 11am $500 + $60 NL (Re-Entry)
(056) Event #38 3pm $200 + $30 NL (Re-Entry)
(088) Event #39 7pm $270 + $30 Championship Qualifier (~1 in 10)


Saturday June 16

(110) Event #16 11am $1,000 + $90 NL (Re-Entry)
(063) Event #40 12pm $270 + $30 Championship Qualifier (~1 in 10)
(041) Event #41 3pm $540 + $60 Championship Qualifier (~1 in 5)


Sunday June 17

(066) Event #17 11am Day 1A $2500 + $200 SPO Championship Event
$500,000 Guaranteed
(066) Event #42 12pm $270 + $30 Championship Qualifier (~1 in 10)
(064) Event #43 3pm $100 + $20 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NL
(077) Event #44 7pm $270 + $30 Championship Qualifier (~1 in 10)


Monday June 18

(239) Event #17 11am Day 1B $2500 + $200 SPO Championship Event
$500,000 Guaranteed
Total (305)
(058) Event $45 6pm $100 + $20 + NL (Re-Entry)


Tuesday June 19

(244) Event #18 11am $350 + $50 Big Stack NL (Re-Entry)
(121) Event #46 6pm $100 + $20 + $25 Green Chip Bounty NL


Wednesday June 20

(746) Event #19 11am $200 + $30 Deep Stack NL (Re-Entry) $75,000 Guaranteed
(???) Event #47 6pm $150 + $30 Deep Stack Semi Turbo NL (Re-Entry)


Thursday June 21

Event #20 11am $260 + $40 Big Stack NL (Re-Entry)
Event #48 6pm $150 + $30 + $100 Black Chip Bounty NL


Friday June 22

Event #21 11am $200 + $30 + $50 Double Green Chip Bounty Big Stack NL (Re-Entry)
Event #49 6pm $100 + $20 + $25 Green Chip Bounty NL



Stan

Stanstrickland@theborgata.com

Stan - is Borgata having a WSOP ME super-satellite (essentially a $1k survivor tournament) this year? I think it was around this time last year.

stan - any chance the max buyins are adjusted to account for the straddles?

If they aren't adjusted yet, I vote to strongly consider at least adjusting the 2/5 NL game buy-in structure. Like I described above, with a preference towards 30bb-200bb.

Increasing the min. buy-in to 60bb even would be fine, but I understand why Borgata poker room may not want to do that.

I think they don't want to go to $1000 max because they want to protect the 5/10 game.

I'm not really worried about shortstackers exploiting the straddle because there are very few good shortstackers that play live anywhere.

Just FYI (maybe some of you play with me, I dunno), I'm pretty sure that straddling UTG is always -EV. The only reason you would ever want to do it is if the game is really deep and you want everyone else to straddle so you take the -EV so that everyone else makes the game bigger.

I totally understand wanting to protect the 5/10 game.

But having a max with something decent over 100bbs would definitely speed up the game, as I described above.

I've never played with a guy who thought poker is frustrating.

The two bounty events (later today and tomorrow) look appetizing. Can anyone estimate how many runners those will get? Thanks.

I think the reason they don't adjust the buy in is that it is bad for the long term health of the 2/5, not the the 5/10 game as was also suggested. It has been my belief that 1/2 and 2/5 are small stakes games and should not allow deep buy ins.

Deep buy ins favor the good player and end up reducing the number of 2/5 games available. Take a look at any poker room that has a $1000 cap or higher on the 2/5 and you will see the percentage of 2/5 games to 1/2 is much lower.

I understand how the straddle changes things a bit, but from my experience, when the straddle is allowed, it is usually not used in most hands.

Deep buy ins should be reserved for 5/10 and above IMO.

Fair enough jack,

Then why have 1/2 NL be max 150bb and 2/5 NL only be max 100bb?

Good point, but I think 1/2 is different. Even though 1/2 is a little deeper, the $300 stack is probably still not worth the time of a good player. So I don't think the health of 1/2 is in jeopardy.

We share the same thoughts at Foxwoods:

1/2nl max is 150bb
2/5nl max is 100bb
5/10nl max is 200bb

Makes no sense.

Pardon my ignorance, but what does "double" mean in "double green chip bounty" like how tomorrow's tournament is?

Pretty sure it just means two $25 chips, or $50 bounty. But they don't make $50 chips, so they have to use greens.