With all of the Canterbury Fall Classic excitement and big games now over I'm heading down to my 2nd favorite MN casino, Treasure Island tonight to play some 2/10 or 4/20 spread. I haven't been out there a while and wonder how the action and wait times have been down there. I was there about a month ago and it seems the CP ban on smoking and rake increase have significantly increased traffic down at the Island.
The only thing I dislike about the place is the extended time it takes to get seated at a table initially.
It just confounds me why they have lists for every game 25 people long and many tables open with no games going. Is it a lack of dealers?
Has anyone been down there lately?
What are the wait times like on weekends?
Thanks

Other than the SL games, I can't think of any rational reason to make the drive. You hit all of the negatives
- long waits
- lack of dealers
- indifferent floor
add on
- it may be a NS room but crap, the smoke gets thick with all the butt pounders hacking it up just outside the room.
- beverage and food service is a joke

Pluses
The players are generally a whole lot worse than CP.
2/10 has been playing a little deeper than normal but with patience, you can destroy the kids that play it like NL.
Kinda like CP's 6/12 except most of the table generally sucks.

This shouldn't be possible.

But the great thing is that this is true!

Kyzer,
I live in St.Paul so actually the Island is a little bit closer drive for me. You pointed out many negatives which I agree with. The worst being waiting for a game and the food and beverage service. Why can I not ever get a table to put my drink on in that place?

As you also said though the terrible play down there makes up for the negatives. Many of the players have no clue about the differences one should employ when playing spread limit. I was on a huge run of winning sessions down there but then I had a few bad sessions in a row and the Classic was starting at CP so I haven't been down in while.

I look forward to playing (and waiting) tonight.
I usually end up getting so bored waiting that I play some Blackjack while waiting which is probably exactly why they do keep you waiting.

The wait time is not that bad, and the games are pretty Juicy if you get there around 2-3am. That is usually when I get down there.

Update;
Wait was actually not bad last Friday.
I was seated at a 3/6 table within 10 minutes and then 20 more minutes until I got on 2/10. Room was busy with 1 4/20 game, 3 2/10 games, 3 3/6 games and 3 2/4 games. I had a winning night and got into a great game late where a guy was basically giving money away raising max and re-raising max without even looking at his cards. I think he burned through like $600 before he left.
Nice!

I can top that Porkchop....

I went there on Saturday, as I work just outside of Hastings. Sat on a 2/4 table just to waste some time before I was to go out with my girlfriend, and we hit the bad beat jackpot. So I made about $600 there. Then, Sunday I went there to watch some football and the WS, one hand after I posted in we hit the Bad Beat and table share on that was around $300.

I think I know who you are talking bout with the guy that raises blind. I saw him win a pot that had to be over a grand in the 4/20 game. That hand actually was taking place while I hit the first bad beat on Saturday night.

On another note. I kind of want to just take a shot at the 4/20 game. What should I buy in with? I was thinking around $400, and almost looking at it as a 20/20 limit game. What do you guys think?

See ya Friday. I'll either be the 58 YO guy 3 betting light or the nit not playing a hand Sort of depends how my meds are working.

What time will you be there? I have friday off of work, so I am hoping to Parlay some of my winnings. :P

Sometime around 6P

Jonnypaws,
Nice hit on the Bad Beat. I've been in the room many, many times one has hit but never at my table!
I might be there on Friday as well so I may see you guys.

As for the 4/20 I would buy in with at least $500 if you were going to try it. The problem with that game is there is usually only one of them running and it's typically the same core of pretty good players every time. They all know each other and how each other plays so you will be at a disadvantage the first time you try. I have found the hunting to be better at the multiple 2/10 tables.

Thanks for the advice. I think you are probably right, I still do need a lot of work, but sometimes the more competitive side of me wants to sit in the bigger games. Do you regularly play the 4/20?

I want to get there around 11a, so I will hopefully be at a 2/10 table until I have to leave to watch the section finals for HS football.

I play the 4/20 semi-regularly (meaning whenever I am there and it is running) and I don't necessarily agree with you Pork, I don't think very many of the regulars are "good" at all. In fact, I would say that maybe only 2-3 of them are "good". Above average yes, but that is definitely not saying much for the Island. There are also always at least 1-2 players giving away enough money to make the game profitable even if it was 4-5 good regs, 2-3 ok players, and the 1-2 idiots. The spread limit game makes it so profitable to play extremely tight because they cost per round is so low compared to the max bet (which is pretty much standard every street). As far as Jonny wanting to know how much to buy in, I usually buy in for $400, but have another 400 ready to go if you want to give it a serious shot, because sometimes that first 400 can go VERY fast.

Pork and Jonny, if you are regulars I must know who you are...physical description?

Yeah I'm in there 3 or 4 times a month.
I'm 37, heavyset and usually wearing an old ratty Twins hat.

I like the Island but maybe that 4-20 is just too LAGY for me but I just find much worse players usually at 2-10 so I like to stick with that.

I will probably be playing down there a lot less when Running Aces opens next year.

Cool I get up there a lot when home on break but a long drive from school in Kato. Board name is Al Gl, 21 years old 6'3 heavyset usually scruffy unshaved. Give me a holler if you see me.

Hey All,
I resurrected this post because I have a question about TI?
Do they now have a weekly Deep Stack No Limit Tournament out there? I thought I heard something about this and was considering playing the DS at Canterbury on Saturday or maybe at TI if they now have one. I know they have some low buy in, low starting chip NL tourneys weekly on like Monday an Tuesday sometimes but do they have a bigger Deep Stack NL tourney?
If so what is the cost, how many starting chips do you get and how often do the blinds increase?
Also, What day of the week and time is it and about how many players do they usually get?
Thanks for any info.

Hey PorkChop.

I have not been to the island in a few months actually, so I don't know. I'm going to school in Mankato full time, so my poker playing gets split between the Park and Diamond Jo's. Sorry I couldn't be more help, maybe someone else will see this and have some info. I have noticed that almost every dealer that I thought was any good at TI is now dealing at CP, so I wonder how good the dealers are at TI now?

Hey,
I did what I should have done in the first place and checked the TI website and found they do have a DS NL Tourney on Sundays at 11AM. The price is $220 and you get 8000 starting chips and the structure is decent. I think I will just play the Canterbury Sat DS instead because for $175 you get the same structure, same chip amount and probably more people than TI would get that early in the morning on a Sun.
If anyone has played in this Treasure Island DS NL event please let us know your thoughts on it and how many people it had.
Thanks

If you like playing against cornballs, play Hinckley or TI. If you like playing against tougher fields, play CP.

Hey Porkchop,

I was at TI last Sunday and the DS had 10 players. Of course, both Canterbury and HInckley had tournaments that day as well so that number may not be indicative of what they will get in future weeks. A dealer I spoke with said that they cap it at 40 players and has 18 the first week (then skipped a couple I think due to a holiday and another event). I know it's not much help but you asked....

-A

Hey all,
Just wondering what TI has been like lately?
With Running Aces now open they have even more competition and also RA has had several 2/10 and 4/20 spread games which might take players from TI.
So has anyone been in there lately?
If so has it been busy as usual especially on weekends or has it slowed down?
Do they still have 3 or 4 2/10 spread games going on weekends?
Thanks

Bump
Anyone been in there lately?

big bump

Thinking about going to TI this weekend with some friends, maybe play a little 2/4. All my poker roll is online though, so I'll just go do something else if I burn through my initial buyin. What are the min and max buyins for that game there?

Minimum buy in is 10x small blind there is no max buy-in.