Melon bars.

300-500NL is 5/5 blinds
500-1500 is 5/10
600-no max is 10/20

the 0 doesn't always mean max, but it does on the 10/20. I don't know what the numbers mean otherwise.

Yes, rake is $6+1 at the first two NL games above. They take time rake at 10/20NL, which doesn't make it any cheaper.

Think the best yield is cigarettes right? (or did they put a stop to that?)

Eco, something I was wondering, and you'd probably know - do you play the 10/20 NL game? Either way, is the game still going as often as it used to?

I have been thinking of staying in the area again and playing NL but from Bravo it doesn't seem like the 10-20 NL is 24/7 like it used to be; or perhaps it never truly was 24/7 to begin with?

From my end - I haven't played there regularly since 3-4 years ago, and when I did, it was normally the limit games. I know Limon and others said the 10-20 game deteriorated a bit but that was probably from 2009 to 2013 (based on older threads). So I don't feel like I have an accurate pulse on what is going on with that game in general.

Thank you...

I don't play 10/20 but when I was there last Saturday they had one table of it going when I got there at around 5pm and added one more later on. That is without a doubt less than there used to be.

Limon would indeed be a good resource on this.

Thanks Eco... I've been noticing the bigger games don't go as often on the east coast either, even at the 5/10 level. Although, out there (and in Vegas too actually at a lot of places), the 2/5 is usually a 200bb buy-in, so that might be why. (it plays like a 5/10 often already)

Other than that, it's kind of puzzling with the unemployment rate lower than ever, etc., that the higher mid stakes games seem to be struggling... maybe a lot of the loose money is tied up on betting on crypto these days.

The real unemployment rate nationwide is over 20%.

It might be higher in the industrial and commercial areas of So Cal.

Source?

7.6%, not "over 20%"

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-t...t-rate-3306198

The numbers are skewed. Lots of people have two or three ****ty jobs these days instead of choosing to be unemployed. The economy in cali is sort of unique in that people don't work a standard 9-5 so it might be different there.

not sure why you think everyone in cali works odd hours.

Doesn't everyone's shift either start or end at 4:20?

An insider from the bike alleges that the l.a. poker rooms are essentially breakeven or loss-leaders to get people in for the pit games.

on the other hand, his friend is paid hourly to fill up games. Essentially some kind of rakeback. So there must be some money there.

Maybe two decades ago.

A single operating table (figure a typical 5/5 NL game) is taking in $150-200/hour, and out of that the biggest single overhead expense is the dealer sitting there making minimum wage. They're making money. Just like in Vegas, casino employees tend to be the least knowledgeable when it comes to the casino industry.

Each $5/$5 *nets* around $75+ an hour by my estimates after dealer, floor,, chip runners. Definitely not a loss leader.

What is the current state of the 5/10 NL games? I've been beating up on 5/5 for a while and would like to take a few shots at 5/10. I hear it's infested with European pros, but there's sometimes 8 tables that run on Fri/Sat nights. They can't all be bad games, right?

Those European pros gave up on chasing SNE on Stars for a reason.

Yep.

Indeed, you can sort this out pretty easily by comparing the differences in rake between LA poker tables and Vegas poker tables.

I don't think poker is a "loss leader" in Vegas either (poker tables are somewhat profitable), but it is certainly something used to draw people into a casino where they will hopefully bet money on slot machines and table games which are more lucrative for the casino, or perhaps spend money on restaurants, clubs, drinks, and shopping.

In contrast, the higher rakes at LA poker rooms are set that way precisely because the tables need to maximize profit rather than simply draw people in.

The only time I was at Commerce was back around 2008...in the middle of the day on a Saturday, an Asian woman came in and discovered her husband with a monstrous stack of chips in front of him at a poker table. She started screaming at him as loud as she could while the whole room fell silent. Eventually she stopped as he stacked up his chips and they walked away in a panic as some people mockingly clapped and whistled. but she didn’t make it to the exit. She seemed to have a mental breakdown and was laying on the floor screaming and crying as security tried to get them both out of there... it was sad to watch... was anyone else there for this?

Wasn't there, but I am reminded of a recent session in which I heard a guy lie to his wife on the phone 3 times in the span of 20 seconds:
1) "I'm playing at Lucky Lady" (he was at Hustler);
2) "I'm playing 4-8" (he was playing 8-16 FLHE);
3) "I'll be home in half an hour" (ok, maybe he believed this at the time he said it).

I was wondering why he'd lie about #1 if he was willing to admit he was playing cards. Your anecdote possibly explains why.

But it's the Hustler casino. You know, naked ladies and sordid activities.

(Yes, I know there aren't really sordid naked lady activities at the Hustler. But the name carries weight in spouses' minds.)

Good point. I remember being slightly disappointed in the absence of cocktail waitresses in lingerie the first time I went there.

The blackjack dealers in the atrium and the card-scanner girls wear tight dresses.

Yeah. I just started playing there again a couple months ago after a year's absence and that was a pleasant change, even though it came the cost of displacing the $8/$16 from the Atrium.

I still say it's the best place to play in LA in terms of atmosphere. The 25-50 game is also the best yellow chip limit game. And they have great promotions.

The 8-16 is better at HG though.