Don't get me wrong; a lower rake is better. That said rake will and should go up with the inflated dollar over time, just not that much hopefully. That said what has to go up are the blinds. I'm astonished that the clubs in New Hampshire and Foxwoods/Mohegan still have the small no limit game with $1/$2 blinds. The absolute minimum game should be have at least $1/$3 blinds. If Twin River ever re-opens I hope they make the small no limit game a $1/$3 blind blind game and the next up a $3/$5 blind game (or have two $5 blinds).

I did go to Encore earlier this week and the pots in PLO were huge most of the session. I think we got about 20 hands per hour (if that) and in a nine hour play I won about seven or eight pots booking a very small win. So the extra rake cost me about $35 or so for a great game. I straddled for $5 every time and didn't say no to the five or six bomb pots so I avoided looking like too much of an OMC/nit despite being very tight up front (and being an old man usually with a tea or coffee). All the 2/5 NL holdem games looked fairly nit/OMC free as did the 5/10 NL holdem. I'm solid but don't want to play with nits or buzz kills.

My observation is that in the game at Encore a lot of money leaves the table (with the rake and winners) but the action players (more than half the table) seem to have very deep pockets and don't blink at re-buying several times a session. Compare that with an early morning $1/2 hodem game at Foxwoods where the stacks seem like they are glued together and many pots don't even qualify for max $5 rake.

I used to often post on 2plus2 under another screen name before I took a nearly twelve year break from serious playing. I played in LA and nothing was worse than watching a full $5 plus $1 drop go down the hole on any flop (now more with another dollar doing down on the turn and/or river from what I hear). At least the Encore has a rake so the small pots don't get obliterated.

Rake is going to go up but game size and action has to increase with it.

- middlebridge


PS. At Foxwoods a while back I noticed a 20/40 stud game that looked pretty good. Back in the nineties I played 15/30 and 20/40 holdem and some stud same limits. A 20/40 stud game in 1995 would be just a little smaller than a 40/80 stud game today. So that 20/40 stud game really would be like a 10/20 stud game during the years I played limit which makes it small. In 1987 when I started playing poker my game was 5/10 holdem at The Bicycle Casino. The drop (taken in full on any flop) was IIRC $3 with a $1 jackpot drop, Stick $3 into an inflation calculator and it becomes just under $8 in today's dollars. So Encore's rake isn't as bad as it seems.

Small note. At FW in 1995 there wasn’t a 20/40 stud. It was 15/30

The new tables are being put in. The area by the bathroom is officially under construction. Won’t be long now.

I'm hopefully going on Sunday. I hope I don't have to wait long.

When I mentioned playing 20/40 stud previously around 1995 it was in California. California (especially Los Angeles area) also had 15/30 and 20/40 limit holdem often side by side. The 15/30 and 30/60 was more of an LA thing and the 20/40 40/80 structure was more of a Vegas thing. In the late nineties at let's say Hollywood Park you would find two to four tables of both 15/30 and 20/40 limit holdem in top section along with maybe one 40/80 (Commerce tended to have more 40/80 but I was never a fan of Commerce).

Get the Poker Atlas app. You can sign up for lists up to 90 minutes before. Could be a crowded day with Monday being a semi-holiday so I'd get there early. I did notice that with so many people on the call in lists they seem daunting but there seems to be a lot of flow through the games and people do get seated at least early in the day.

One question for others regarding Poker Atlas: The room opens at 10:00 am and I'll be on the road earlier. Can you put your name up on the board at let's say 9:00 am?

- middlebridge

Previously I wrote:

I made an error above. From May of 1987 (when holdem and stud were legalized in California) the drop for 5/10 holdem wasn't taken on any flop at least in the case of The Bicycle Club (The Bike was much more popular in the late eighties than The Commerce). There was a $30 pot size qualifier (and I think the jackpot drop of $1 was taken on any flop). The next game up was 10/20 limit holdem which had a $5 per half hour time charge. Next was 15/30 holdem with a $6 per half hour time charge.

- middlebridge

You are reading a lot that isn't there.

I have poker atlas. I've been seeing long lists in the evenings for1/3. I'll likely just get there early and wait in line for the room to open. Probably going to packed.

I believe that the Pokeratlas app only allows registration at 10:00 am. I've only checked once (the one time I went, about a month ago), but at 10:00 am, the list opens and you can sign in. Maybe it has changed since then, but not likely.

The one time I did go, the room was not totally full until noon, I am assuming that will likely be the case M-Th, but with it being 7 days a week now, I am sure F-S maybe filled quicker.

Unless something has changed you cannot put your name on the list before the room opens.

for those asking about wait times. At worst I've found you might have a two hourish wait for 1/3 at prime time. Sunday is pretty bad if you are coming mid afternoon. make sure you sign up ahead of time to cut down on this. often i'm showing right around the 90 minute mark and its never too bad.

for those coming up early, just sign up on the app right at ten and you'll be good. the rooms isn't filing up right at ten as it used to when it was opened limited hours. when i show up between 10-11 i am usually opening a new table very shortly after arriving. just sign up right after ten if you are like me and might take a bit more time getting there.

I was there yesterday. Was immediately seated at 2 pm. This list looked long, but they were all internet check ins.

How is the parking situation? Any better than before? Do they still offer 1$ valet parking with the red card?


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Just got back from Encore. Do they always ask for your players card when you buy chips at the main cage? They didn't ask for it when I cashed out.

If you get $500 or more they ask

Parking is free and not an issue

Moving close to boston for 2 months. Are there any tournaments usually in the encore casino? (or maybe somewhere else?)
I checked their site but i didnt see anything there

Encore is just cash games right now. If you check out the New England poker thread in this section I can give you some options.

I have found this to be inconsistent at the main cage. The last 3 trips I have been asked for players card or ID when buying $300 for 1/3. I complain every time and say they don't check my ID at the poker cage... they still make me show ID.

Thanks for the info. Also hit up Boston Billiards in Nashua the past few days and it turned out they take Poker Atlas sign ups for up to 90 minutes before opening at 11:00 am.

Friend of mine reportedly hit the BBJ on Tue night for ~$14k at 1/3, cracking quad Aces with a ten-high straight flush

Hopefully they open more tables soon. According to my observations from about 4 to 9pm, with spreading 9 1/3 tables, the list churns through about 20 players an hour. Faster of course if there are a ton of no-shows, but not by much.

Right now at 9PM on a Friday the list is 120 people deep. Would the last person listed even get a seat by 2AM? I think that's a big maybe.

But I've peeked behind the curtain and seen 10 more tables nearly ready to go. I feel like they wouldn't be doing the make over of that area now if there weren't more dealers waiting in the wings. So what's the hold up?

9

Confirmed. Nine additional tables in the area nearest the elevator.
One person told me they are coming on-line next week, one person told me first week of November.
I will not be surprised to see some new poker variations being offered, very soon.

I would be extremely surprised if there were additional variations offered. I have no inside information, but there are two likely scenarios for the 9 additional tables. 5 will be $1/3NL 3 will be $2/5 NL and 1 will be $2/2 PLO. The second scenario is that one of the previously identified 1/3 or 2/5 tables would be a 5/10 must move, but I doubt they will do that even though they have the list to support it now.