Quote:
Originally Posted by WillYumTX
Going back to visit the Gardens in a couple of weeks after a three year hiatus.
What's it like nowadays?
*Is the half O8 / half Stud8 game still running in the "high limit" room?
*Is BigO8 still wildly popular?
*What's the food like now? Push carts with yummy combo deals?
*And how's the tournament side doing?
Thanks!
So just got back from spending a week there playing cards. Here's what I found....
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The layout is the same, but the tournament section is slightly smaller now. And the tournaments just started back up about two weeks ago. They are currently running Wed, Thu, and Fri during the daytime. I tried one of them and did not do well. The structure is very steep.
The high limit room is complete dark/closed. The gambling/baccarat side is still open and pretty busy. The main poker floor is still the same set up and size, but it's not as busy as it's been in the past.
The main change is that NOTHING is free anymore. Coffee is 50 cents. Soda/tea is 1.50. No comps at all. You can get food at the side where there used to be the Chinese Poker game - dim sum and a special. Dim sum is limited and $6. The special is about the same price.
The center area has a kitchen. Food isn't bad - we got orange chicken several times for $12 a pop and there is enough food for two portions/people. The little cafe is closed.
Rake is the same and they pull the small blind immediately. So most people chop if there is a single limper as you will lose more to the house than is in the pot.
The dealers are horrible. They are okay in terms of dealing and pulling in bets, but at least for Omaha and Stud and even for HE they are not reading the hands. The players are the ones who call out the high hand and how it's split. Dealers just go along with whatever people say. Grrrr.
And no one is really paying all that much attention. I had a couple of instances where I had to correct errors and that was frustrating. And there is a lot of table talk and soft play (as before).
Now, the worst thing is that BigO is gone! The only mix game they have is the 12/24 limit half BigO and half Stud8. I played that a lot to my detriment. Ugh. I am so very bad at Stud8.
I did learn a new term. Banana! Now you may have heard the term monkey from bacc in asking for a ten or face card. Well, banana is when you get a high card or pair when you are going for low (ostensibly) in Stud8. It's a funny term and I had to ask to figure it out.
They still have a lot of limit HE games and NL games based on the buy-in rather than the blinds.
Fewer chip runners. Almost no servers so it's faster to go get your own food. Still no smoking.
And you have to check in at the front where you show either your ID or your player's card. It slows things down in getting into the casino though.
I played way too much of the mix game. I chased far too much. I have very bad Stud8 skills.
Oh, there is still a jackpot. But it's not that high compared to the Commerce. Even though the drop maxes out at $7 a hand and usually hits that. Only one dollar goes to the jackpot. So they are making crazy money. Gosh.
