I only know about the empire but I've been told it's low 20's to scrape the bottom end of it. They do double points at a certain time on Saturday so you can get away with slightly less if you always play during that time.

I know it's flawed, but I don't understand the level of anger directed at Aspers (using your post as an example, but a quick skim through here shows others). Speaking as someone who lives in SE London, it's accessible, the Friday night tournament is great, there's always plenty of cash when I'm there, and the casino isn't bad. I'm an infrequent player and absolutely a "rec" but it suits my needs nicely.

I'd agree the Hippodrome and The Vic are clearly better, but I wouldn't say that The Empire is significantly better. That said I've probably only been to each of them a handful of times in the last five years or so. I can't speak to the smaller London rooms and it's not really a like for like comparison in any case.

there used to be regular daily tournament in Genting Cromwell Mint, which i quite enjoy. But looks they decided to stop it. Does anyone know why? Also, Vic seems to double the regular tournament buy in, which looks a bit more expensive to me now. Not sure why they do this change.

Looks like the Vic's stopped doing their Friday 3pm tourney, anyone know why?

Pretty sure the Mint has stopped all poker, they had issues with their dealers!! I won't go into much detail as what I've heard is second or third hand. Someone else might want to jump in.

As for the Vic, I'm also not a big fan of the Vic's price change but I can understand it, at the old price they had massive alternates lists, so they thought they market would stand a price increase. I've only played one since, so I can't comment on how it's working out for them.

What price change, please? I've not been there for a few months...

The minimal buyin is 100 i think. They also cancelled afternoon tournament in the weekend.

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Anyone at the vic?

Headed over to London for a bit.

Does anyone have any suggestions or comments about tipping etiquette in London?

Specifically, tipping dealers, and drinks?

As this isn't the US, there is absolutely no expectation for you to tip so you won't end up being hung for not tipping. Tips are still gratefully received by dealers though. People typically just toss on a chip or two after a big pot or when you leave the table.

Yes I do...

UK players are the worst tippers in the world. It's just not part of the culture. However...

For 1/2 I would personally tip £2 if I win a big to massive pot. Thats ~£300+
I would tip £1 for anything around £150 - £300.
Maybe I'd tip a 50p for a £75 - £150 pot, if I have it.

This is considered generous btw. Many just don't. You could go for many hours with not a single tip being given at all and I know regulars who have played for 10 to 20 years WHO HAVE NEVER TIPPED IN THEIR ENTIRE LIFE.

As for drinks. I usually tip the waiter/waitress in The Hippodrome £1 for a soft drink as they are free in that venue and the staff are the best. You pay ~£2-£3 for a soft drink in Empire, Vic or Aspergers. Empire waiters/waitresses are not good and it's much quicker to get your own drink anyway. Waitresses at the Vic will simply pocket your small change without question and at Aspers you really may as well get your own drinks cos the service is appalling.

In fact, for peace of mind it's far better to either get up and get your own drinks or nip out to the local off-licence and down a can of lager for a couple of quid and then nip back again!

Anyone reading this play Big 2 (Co Dai Dee)? I played a fair bit in my dealing days, usually around 50p to £1 a point which can run fairly lumpy. Come and find me in the Vic if you know who I am, or drop me a message on here. Looking to play at the Vic and paying a little table rent, using the cards they give to the old boys who play kalooki. Already have a couple of people lined up so only need a few more names to make a whatsapp group to organise. Fun for any of you gamblers if they still exist ��

Anyone here has experience with the palm beach casino? I know they run a 5/10 game there

Any good? Tough? Easy?

Never played there but now have a roll to play 5/10 so want to give it a shot. I heard it has a lot of rich businessmen, but would like opinions from ppl who have actually played the game

Hows the rake?

edit: wanted to mention, i am interested only in NLHE games, i should be good or?

also wanted to ask about the 2/5 games - apparently these only run regularly in the vic right? or am i likely to be able to get them in the other casino's? and what are the games like?

Just spoke to the palm beach, apparently only run 10/25 now... so the only other regular games are basically just all the 1/2 in the area? shame

Scrolled through some of the poker room twitter feeds the other day and seems NLH and/or PLO 2/5 games are going on ~a daily basis in one casino or another.

Does aspers have phone chargers?

There are no phone chargers under the tables as there are in some of the US casinos I've been to. There are charging stations, but you'll need to have some change handy to pay for them.

If I were to come to London for a month, what is my best bet for accommodations? There are some cheaper hotels in the Hyde Park area, near the Vic, which look like they can be got for about 60 pounds a night. Or should I look into renting a flat in a cheaper area and then commuting on the tube? Or would there be cheaper accomodation near Aspers? I'm looking to grind and make money, so cutting expenses down is good although optional.

Not sure if your financial situation or the stakes you're looking to play, but if you want your winrate to be covered by your living expenses, I'd suggest renting on the outskirts and travelling in. If you're going to the Vic, you could choose any of the places on the outskirts of the Bakerloo line.

One thing to bear in mind is that only some lines (Victoria, Central, Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly) are 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. So if you're looking to start or finish your session between midnight and 5am then you want to be on a bus route (there are a lot of good night buses). If you're looking at cutting costs, you want to avoid having to get expensive 3am taxis! That being said, you'll almost certainly find that 12-5am is probably the sweet spot for a lot of games.

yeah, I think that is the way to go, I am seeing a lot of ads on craigslist where you can get a studio (short term lease) for like 200 pounds a week with only like 30 minute commute on the tube, so that is probably what I will try for.

That seems suspiciously cheap for London. I wouldn't trust craigslist as far as I could throw it. Would recommend spareroom.co.uk

I’ve never used airbnb in London as I live here but is it worth a go? I’ve found it fine when travelling.

At the Vic I just gave my floor man my phone with a charger and he would plug it in with like 20 other phones.

Hey guys - epic thread! I just wanted to ask what the general state of the games are like in London now? Still beatable by someone who has a clue what they're doing?

I haven't played for years, so I am not that person! But, I am thinking of playing some live on Fridays/Saturdays. I'm more of a PLO player but would play NL too if games were soft. I would put in a bunch of theory and online play first, to get back in shape.

So yeah, how beatable do you guys think 1/2, 2/5 and 5/10 PLO games are atm, and how about the same for NL games?

I’m not an expert but I think that any live low stakes poker games are always going to be beatable for anyone that is a decent online winner. Some of the bigger games do have stronger players in though and spotting who the weaker players in the game are will make a big difference.