I don't play a lot of Omaha, but it seems like 2/2/5 is pretty similar to 5/5 and 5/5/10 to 10/10, both of which run regularly at Live. Other than a smaller stack/blind ratio, how is the three blind game that different than a game a level up with equivalent SB & BB?

The 3rd blind/forced straddle induces action. You do bring up a good point as to the forced straddle game being roughly the same as the bigger SB BB game which is why I believe Mike was against having the 2/2 PLO game with a $5 bring in because it essentially becomes a 5/5 game.

IMO I don't see them "officially" spreading a three blind/forced straddle game along side the existing two blind games because it will kill the existing games. If i'm at the 2/2 and want to play bigger, i just move up to the 5/5 or the 10/10 game. Now granted we can all agree to as players to have the forced blind for a few rounds or while we are playing short or table is tight or whatever but I don't see it being a regular game that is spread along side the existing games.

Leech,

You can't really compare the games that are spread at the Rio during the WSOP with regular games at the casino during any other time of the year. During that time of year in Vegas, they are spreading every known and unknown form of poker cash games and every limit imaginable. Some of the games they spread only come together once/year during this time.

Also agree this is soooo much better than a two-blind setup

PLO is often played with auto straddle. Unlike NL, PLO naturally plays better with straddle. Also straddle doesn't necessarily force the game to play as high as the next stake level, for so many reasons (different player pool, buy-in structure, and most importantly, a lot of people straddle anyway). The basic fact is that most people who play PLO regularly DO straddle but there are a few that would not. Over a course of many hands, non-straddlers end up gaining a significant edge over those who do straddle. It's simply not fair. Also, let's call it "auto straddle" not "forced third blind"

I see a whole lot of baseless assertions here. It seems to me that if non-straddlers were gaining such a huge advantage, no one would straddle.

Mike when can we expect your first tournament series? Charlestown has there Hpo series,Caesars has there wsop circuit stops, borgata has they're various series throughout the year. You've been open a few months now I think it's time you made an announcement. I'm not saying it should be next month or anything but it gives me something to look forward to

Knowing that placing add'l money in the pot preflop UTG is -EV, I still often choose to straddle despite knowing I'm giving up an advantage in that hand. I do it because I know that straddling increases action and out of respect/fairness to the others that are straddling with the goal of making the game better. When enough freeriders refuse to straddle, yet benefit from others' straddling, it makes the straddlers re-think whether they want to subsidize the non-straddlers. When that happens, the action dies down and the game is sometimes not even worth playing.

To keep both parties happy, we are suggesting an auto-straddle table in addition to offering the regular two-blind structure table. That way, the non-straddlers can play in their game without being peer pressured to straddle, and the rest of us straddlers can play at the auto-straddle table. Not sure why anyone would be opposed to offering both types of tables, since they aren't being forced to play in this auto-straddle game.

If non straddlers gain such an advantage, wouldn't it be optimal to never straddle? I really don't like when tables try to force a straddle on players that don't want to. It seems to me, the good players (at there current stake) want to play a bigger game, but only when it's against the weaker player pool. Most people would agree that 2/2 PLO is softer than 5/5 and 5/5 is softer than 10/10.

Sometimes it's worth giving one or two non-straddlers an edge. When half the table isn't straddling, it's no longer worth it to straddle, IMO. And then the game sucks.

I don't like to have coerce people to straddle, either. Which is why it'd be great to have two separate tables. FWIW, I'd rather play in a 5/5/10 PLO game than 10/10 PLO with no straddle.

Just looked at the tournament schedule. Only has November listed. Will there be any satellites for next years WSOP, or any of the East Coast WPT tourneys coming soon?

I would be interested in why you think this is true?

I don't see any announcment anytime soon cause where will tjey hold it, plus they already partnered with the tournament in Aruba.

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How long do you have to check in at the brush stand after calling in?

To be fair it took CT something like 2 years from opening to hold their HPO series, and it really was a average and fairly boring event. Borgata and Caesars actually put some effort into it and make it an enjoyable experience all around. Lots of energy.

When MD Live does something I want them to take their time and plan it right and not throw something together.

I think bjballs has it right here. What leech suggests in theory is great, but I think what you'll find is that players gravitate toward the blinds/stacks/action they're comfortable with. Take the Borgata's 2/5 versus 3/5 6-max deep game. Fish want to play in fishy games too, not where they know SPRs and edges are being manipulated to disadvantage them. I know because I'm a fish.

I think I figured out why PLO is still the game of the future. No matter how big it is, the better players keep trying to make it bigger until the game splits and dies.

Just noticed there is now a separate floorperson handling the waitlist for high stakes games in the back. This is a convenient improvement, thanks Mike.

Early this afternoon, 16 on the 4/8 Hold'em list and we have a seat open. A guy walks by our table and our dealer announces "seat open", so the guy sits down. He didn't even know what game it was, but he said it was the only seat open.

It is kind of hard to keep the lists fair when it is the dealers talking players into jumping the lines.

Yes, kudos to Mike for this.

lol... what?

If everyone's straddling no one has an advantage (obviously).

This. Just play higher limits. I honestly wouldn't mind if you all wanted to go forced straddle at 5-5 and up but @ 2-2 this is short-term thinking at its worst.

Mike,

Not to beat a dead horse, but the line jumping is absolutely brutal and I really think you need to address this. I got to Live yesterday at about 10:30AM, I was 7th down on a 2-5 list. First on the list is someone with the name "Skip." Skip gets called he waits about a minute then gets to the podium then gets informed that his seat is not available because "it must have been a table change." He then gets called again and the same thing happens! I waited for like 45 minutes to get a seat and it wasn't until new dealers arrived and they opened new tables.

Similarly, I get on my table and after a few hours I want a table change. I ask the floor upstairs who like all floors everywhere with a table change request puts it in the back of her mind. I wait 20 minutes then approach her at the upstairs podium to ask if any 2-5 seats have opened up. She says that a few had opened up, but "she suspects people just sat themselves."

Mike have you ever been to the Borgata? That room runs like a well oiled machine, it's actually something to marvel at. Players do not seat themselves. There is a dedicated floor for each limit level (1-2 all sit in the same area, 2-5 etc) and if your name is called you go to the floor who then seats you and the podium relays via radio to the floor the initials of the person who is suppoed to be sitting.

I think this is a bigger problem than you anticipate. It's frustrating to both players and dealers when there's 50 people on a 2-5 list and 3 open seats at their table, so if somebody looking for 2-5 walks by with chips they just tell them to sit regardless of their spot in line. I don't understand what my incentive is to sit there and get cut in line for an hour and a half while I wait to get on a table? Why shouldn't I just be like everyone else and seat myself? Are you working on an improved system to address the issue?

I NEVER straddle and I hate when someone tries to speak for everyone else and force a straddle. I always make clear before hand that I am not going to straddle and that usually annoys people. If you want to play 5-10 instead of 2-5 then play 5-10.

Yesterday I was about 35th on the list for 1/2 with 18 tables running and waited 2 hours for a seat. I have to assume the line jumping is out of control again.

A very simple solution: Have the brush/podium give a token to the player that he gives to the dealer when he sits. No token, no seat. The chip runners return the tokens every half hour or so. Problem solved.

No system has been put in place.

There are no consequences for line jumping, none.

It is impossible to go play poker for an hour or two at MDLive, despite being next to a massive shopping mall.

Most people who have tried twice to check out live poker, but left after waiting over an hour, will never come back.

When some people see that they can freely break small rules, they will try to break other rules.

Soon there will be another poker room, only 20 minutes away.