will be going to commerce today to play the CA state championships and some low limit NLHE. This will be my first trip to commerce. I'm excited.

I'll be in LA for a day and have only a few hours to play saturday morning about 8:30-12:30 (ideal time, right?!).

I mainly play low/mid-stakes LHE and some O8. 8/16 should be running that time of day, right? Will it be the rockfest I'm imagining? If I wanted to play smallish O8, would I be better off at the Bike?

And last, but not least, Limon, can I sweat you for an hour in a bigger game?

Very few people will have shown to to play at 8:30 am Saturday. However, at 8-16 I would expect there would be at least 1 game still going with overnight players. If you can get in one of those games it will probably be good.

Either way, from my limited experience playing this game it is never a rockfest.

4-8 kill O8 at Commerce is a goooooood game

Anyone know how I can become a house player in any of the LA casinos?

ty

I got my Stars money today and I'll see you shortly!

So, are you saying that 1/2 basically always runs? I assume nothing higher runs except for tournament time? I knew they had 400 during LAPC. And 40 and 60 run all the time?

Would you mind telling me what denominations they use for the 100? I am a total live fish.

General questions that I'm sure have been answered many times ITT but I haven't found while skimming:

I assume it's best to wire directly to Commerce if it's over 10k?
What is poker rate if I were to stay there for 2 weeks (and how does that compare with other hotels in the area, etc)

more than welcome to berate me and/or link me to the answers for the last two questions

I always play at Borgata and have never played at Commerce...visiting family next week and want to stop by and play for a few hours. How does the 5/10 game play at Commerce? any help, stories, tips is appreciated. Min/Max buy-in; typical stack, etc.

Hopefully someone else will respond, but I'm in the same situation as you, so I'll let you know what I know (I've already gotten some help in this and other threads).

I play 2/5 at the Borgata when I play live and I'll be in CA next week as well. As I understand it, there are two 5/10 games. One with a 400 min/max buy-in and one with a 500 min/1500 max buy-in. If all goes well, I'll be there Monday late afternoon/evening playing the 400 buy-in game.

It was suggested to me to get a players card when I get there in case I play lower than 5/10, so I can use the points for food. Food is free at the 5/10 games.

Thanks for the info. Anyone with comments/help regarding how the 5/10 games are?

I'll take a shot....most of my experience is at the 5/10 game $500-1500 buy in. There is also a 5/10 $400 max, I think players there are just looking to "gambol, gambol" with no sense of post flop play.

Best time - Commerce is busiest Fri/Sat night. You can find 12 5/10 games running split between the 2 buy ins. Thursday night probably 3rd best time

Chips - game is played with $5 chips (yellow) and $100 chips (white) - no $25 usually. I like to have a few sacks of yellows and the rest white chips to keep things easy. For example, if I buy in for $1000, I get $300 in yellow and 7 white chips. I'll keep more white chips in my pocket to add on. Cash does not play at 5-10.

Rake/Tip - I think the max rake is $5, another $1 goes to jackpot, and people usually tip $1-2 a hand - yup, the casino always gets their cut. Same rake as smallest games in house, 10-20 NL is collection.

Food - it is free at 5-10, once per 4 hours I think, but it is tough to spend over $10, so who really cares if you are there for just a couple nights. Quality is fine. There is a nice sports bar in the casino.

Stacks - about half the guys seem to buy in for min $500, a couple stacks in the middle, and 1-3 guys playing $2k++ deep. I feel the poker IQ of players who sit down and immediately buy in for the max is higher than the min by in guys. Obviously, given this huge range of stack size, your seat on the table will make a big difference. You can always add on up to $1500 if you dip below.

Player Types - I think a rough profile of the average Fri/Sat player pool would be - 60% loose passive, 20% nit regs, 20% decent thinking players. So if you got 2 good players with deep stacks on your left at a 5-10 table, you could probably move to find a better spot

Playing style - you see quite a bit of limping, and even most raised pots are seen multi way. Not much 3-betting pre - maybe 1 out of 10 hands. Most people's ability to play post flop is poor, and it gets worse on turn and river. Most do not keep track of pot size and really only focus on bet size in dollars - ie. a $400 bet is huge, even if $1100 is in the pot. I could write more, but probably the wrong place

GL in LA, I think the 5-10 games are beatable and have not been overrun by winning internet players yet (see other threads)

RE: Commerce 5-10

75% or more of your edge on any given villain in this game comes from optimal turn/river play.

That's all I'm going to say, not particularly keen to the idea of inviting great players over :0

+1

Can't say I've ever shown up at 8:30 in the morning to play it, but in my experience the 4/8 kill O8 at Commerce is much better than the old man nit fest that is O8 at the Bike.

Was looking to kill time at the Bike a few weeks ago until my buddy finished his tournament, so I sat down at the 3/6 O8 and put my name on the list for 6/12. I was the youngest guy at the table by at least 30 years, and I'm almost 40. They didn't like my newfangled check raises, and were more interested in the bad beat jackpot than actually playing hands.

Finally got in the 6/12 on a must move table, which broke after about 30 minutes because the old nits wouldn't play less than 8 handed, even against the new guy who bought in for 3 racks and was ready to play.

Headed to Commerce as soon as possible, 4/8 Kill was running on at least 5 tables, played at 3, all were juicy. Five-players-to-the-flop-for-two-bets-in-a-kill-pot-when-I'm-holding-AAww juicy.

May see you at the O8 tables tomorrow morning before the $400k goes if I get my ass out of bed at a reasonable hour.

Two questions:

1) Do you buy-in at the table or at a cashier?

2) How does the tipping work? Do you just have the dealer break a $5 chip whenever you need $1 - $2 for tip or do you ask for a few $1 chips when you first buy-in?

Thanks.

I talked to the floor man and they moved the 8-16 up there because the hotel room was looking bare and the 8-16 always has alot of tables running to provide some meat up there.

1) You could do either-here's what I would do if I had $2000 to play 5/10: go to the cage and exchange your cash for $100 chips (20 white chips). Take a seat at your table and place 10 white chips down and ask someone else who has plenty of white chips if they could make change for 2 white chips. Dealer could always do at least $100 in $5 chips. Keep the other white chips in pocket to top off if needed. Warning, if you buy at table, what usually happens is the floor will take you to your seat, ask to get chips for you, and then come back and sit there waiting for a tip, at least $5. Floor guys are known to lurk looking for tips. I rather avoid all that and also not have to fumble through my wallet at the table in the beginning or for any add on.

2) dealer will break $5 chip when you win a pot, and if you tip $1, you do not look cheap at all.

Quick one on logistics. When you enter through valet (definitely valet your car) you are entering the "top section" where the high limit games run. Upstairs is the tournament area and some micro stakes game. 2-5 and 5-10 are in the "bottom section" area about 50 yds to your right, actually right in the middle of the bottom section

You should sit down with small chips, in general you want as many small chips in the game as possible and don't want people coloring up.

There are a lot of people who do not color up and build pyramids of $5 chips - to each his own. I prefer to keep at most $500 in $5 chips.

FWIW, I always bet using the most $100 chips, ie $325 is three white chips + $25 instead of a bunch of $5 chips. Easier for me to count out and put in pot. I've heard different theories on betting with big chips vs small chips, I'm not sure it matters. I prefer not having to physically move a large number of $5 chips when I bet.

It matters because lots of chips in pots and lots of chips to stack is good for fish.

Can anyone compare the 5/10 400 buy-in Commerce game to either 2/5 at The Borgata in AC or 50nl on Stars (pre-Black Friday)? I usually play 2/5 in AC (500 buy-in), but I'm planning on playing the Commerce 5/10 400 buy-in game, since with the 40bb buy-in, I'm properly rolled for it. Am I making a mistake by focusing on the buy-in and unexpectedly walking into a game that may be too tough for me?

IMO don't shortstack a game just to play it unless you shortstack all the time. If you have played a ton of shortstack than go for it, but it sounds like you buy into games for 100BB a lot, which is good, so stick to that and play 3/5

But the 3/5 (or is it 2/5?) at Commerce is also a 40bb buy-in game, right? So, I'm playing a 40bb game regardless. It's definitely not my usual game, but I'm comfortable enough playing short.

Unless there's a 100bb 2/5 game at Commerce that I'm not aware about?

nope. 200nl is 2/5. Next game up is 5/10. Good luck sir.

But are you planning on rebuying a couple times if you need to? Sitting with 40bb with the intention of not rebuying would be a huge mistake.

And no, Commerce does not have a 100bb game at anything less than 5/10.

Definitely prepared to rebuy at least two times in whatever game I sit in - just trying to decide if I should start at 2/5 or 5/10 (400 buy-in, not the 500 - 1500 one).

I don't understand where all these regs in the 5/10 game get their money. So many of these guys are losing players and I see them every single time I've been there. (Obviously there's some good regs too)