Just in front of the Vic there is a shop where I got my euros exchanged to pounds just loosing 3 cents (based on xe.com) per 100 euros! The best exchange i've ever seen.

So I saw on Twitter that Empire has been running a 5/5 game, a 5/10 game and it also said 'list growing for a 10/20 game' - don't know if it got going in the end, but Promising Stuff

I dont see the "list growing for 10/20" thing... but promising!

Second vote for Thomas Exchange. Order online and pick up for best rates. Quick bit of research online shows they offer best rates

Depends what time you're planning to end your sessions. Most suburb towns are best accessed via overground Trains which end around Midnight and start up again around 6am. If you normally end between those times then you'll need to stay a bit closer in to get buses/cabs/ubers.

Hi guys hope I'm posting in the right place.

I'm going to London in a few weeks and planning on playing some 1/1 or 1/2 there. Could anyone give some suggestions as to:
- Which card rooms are softer
- Best times of the day/week to find softer tables
- Common population tendencies e.g. are preflop raise sizes typically 7 - 10bb, are there players who stack off 100bb with 2nd pair, etc.
- What the rake is like and whether it is beatable
- Is a TAG + bet fold strategy enough to make a profit?

Any other tips are also welcome

Some casinos charge 10% rake for the 1/1 games as opposed to 5% for the 1/2. Play 1/2

When you say 10% rake do you mean 10% up to $5 or $10? Which casinos do you recommend?

They're 10% at a cap of £5 for 1/1 and 5% at a cap of £10 for 1/2.

Best casinos in London for poker imo are Vic and Hippodrome.

Thanks for the answers. Mind if I pm you with a few more specific questions?

Nice username btw I'm currently watching season 4 of 24

I have found over the last 3-4 months that the Empire seems to have significantly better games than the Hippo. Got the best promotion for casual players too.

Hippo going to introduce a cash race

For anyone else interested it's a £20k tournament for top 48 players based on a point system, think it was something like 1 point per 2 hours played. Starts May 20th, tournament is "probably going to be held on Saturdays". The £20k is donated, no extra rake like in empire. Also was mention of being able to spend card points for more chips in the tournament.

Speaking of tournaments are any of the daily tourneys at the Vic, hippo or empire worth playing?

What starts May 20th? The ability to qualify or the first tournment?

Ability to qualify.

Oh, it's also on their twitter: https://twitter.com/PSLive_Hippo

Image: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CiXBYYnXAAEWQdT.jpg

This is an interesting one which I don't think is very good news for recreational players. Sure it's "house funded" but regs staying put for hours on end while clocking up points is not going to be a welcome sight for Mr. Casual or Mr. Gamble - or for anyone else for that matter. I can see a pile of rocks, nitting it up for hours just being bad all-round for the game. Even those dodgy regs at The Empire might see no reason to come on over any more.

What's more, as a time-based promotion (may not even be legal) this aint really that good for regulars either as the pressure to play more can actually be very bad for your own game!

Yeah anyone want to clear up how they are able to reward for time spent gambling? Did a bit of googling but can't find anything relevant

Fwiw, I seem to recall it was only ever word of mouth (perhaps even Chinese whispers) that got it about that it was illegal to reward actual time played. Everyone lapped it up because it made sense, but it's possible it's not the case.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/27...-laws-1586918/

http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk...f-practice.pdf

IANAL it isn't illegal to offer entry into a tournament for the 48 players who play the most hours.

As I read the clauses:

A) the criteria must be published i.e. those with the most hours qualify
B) you must not have to reach a published number of hours to qualify
C) you don't get more starting chips in the tournament for playing more hours
D) they're not giving you accommodation

YMMV

Popetman?

There is another problem I see with the Hippo cash-race and that is the method for tracking these players. The Vic, for instance has a card-swipe system done at the tables by dealers which is pretty efficient. The Hippo? It's done at the cage. This throws up a few question and a big problem...

1) How are players' hours tracked?
2) If you leave unnoticed (or for long lengths of time) do you get the points for hours you haven't played?
3) Is there going to be a tally and how up-to-date is this going to be?

Basically, cash-races can turn poker rooms into poker clubs or cliques and this is really not good as The Hippo doesn't seem to have quite got there...yet. If this isn't done fairly, if it's abused or if regs get preferential treatment then it's gonna head that way - with arguments and resentment thrown in.

1) Leicester Square has biggest concentration of 1/2 tables so table select there for softness.
2) Thursday to Sunday evenings are the best times to play but you'll get crazy players mid-week evenings also.
3) Not sure what you mean by "population tendencies" but a 4-5BB raise is most common these days. We're in 2016, people tend not to stack off light with 100BBs anymore.
4) Rake is 5% capped at £10 @ 1/2 - industry standard in the UK.
5) Playing tag + bet fold strategy is done by the majority of so-called "good" players so yes, you'll likely make a tediously slow profit. Brace yourself as you get it all wiped out to a KK Vs AA battle, a set over set set-up or your villain being gifted his draw on the river though.

Edgware Road a part of London you can walk around in at night with money in your pockets or not really?

There are worse places, but I still wouldn't suggest it.