I'm sure everyone at the SKC will welcome the you.

Seriously, Tampa is a terrible place for your first cash game. You should really play down here. Just call me if you want and I'll give you a ride so that we can be sure to play at the same table.

(In all seriousness, welcome to cash games. Just leave 95% of what you've seen on TV at the door, and you'll do fine.)

Appreciate it. I'm still really new, but I've been absorbing everything I can, and playing regularly in a bar league. I know that doesn't compare, but I've been able to strengthen my game a bit and get used to the environment/play style. I want to get my feet wet, and take some more in.

Yes. It has gotten better, but there's still got to be something with the lighting that hurts my eyes after a few hours also. It was much worse when they left the fans in place, but added extra lights, placing some lights so close to the fan that the blades would cast shadows as they went by, similar to a strobe light. That **** drove me nuts.

Fwiw, the lighting thing only seems to be an issue in the main room. I have never had a problem in the back room.

How many people on average would you say will play tonight's Tourney

You can view how many have entered in the past here:

http://www.skcpoker.com/calendar.html

Just click the tournament and a pop-up of the money finishers as well as total entrants comes up.

Thx ended up going last night and shipped the nightly. I like the place but god those chairs

Was bored Sunday so went up for the 120 donkathon. Has been a loooong time since I've seen such horrendous play. Seriously, it's like a time jump back to around 2003.

Say one guy bust in 28 minutes with 400 BB. With second pair on a three-suit board. Re-raise shoving on the river when the other guy had already put in about half his stack. Hell, people were limping for 100 and then calling a raise to 3,000.

10 of those new chairs is too many at a table. They are wide so the folks at the ends of the table in particular get squeezed. Still, overall, the biggest thing is that the place is just too damn depressing. You feel like you're playing in an abandoned airfield hanger or something. Probably doesn't matter for most people here on 4, if the action/value is good, but if they want to attract more of a casual/recreational crowd, they have to do some serious work to make the place more appealing.

[Also, the kids with the hoodies and sunglasses at the table were good for a chuckle. Maybe it really is 2003 there...]

Room is under new management and this looks to be a huge step in the right direction. Finally getting a good series together with a main that should easily surpass the $75k guarantee.

http://www.skcpoker.com/fall-classic.html

Series:
Main Structure:

Great looking structure.

Main event structure looks fantastic (would prefer a 2500/5000/500 level but that's nitpicking). I've never played a mixed-max but it sounds fun and it got great reviews in the WSOP so I'll probably give it a shot.

It's a decent start, and I'll probably come out and do (donate?) my part. (But what I assume is a $40 rake on the main? A bit steep for $400 if you're trying to get new players in the door, no?)

Overall, and I'm really not trying to be negative, new management has to do more than put on a series of tournaments for this room to turn around.

I am out of town til' September, but I will ask what the buy-in breakdown is when I can. I am guessing it'll be a $400+$40+$10, but maybe someone that plays in the room more frequently than I can confirm.

I checked, you're right. It's $400 + $40 + $10 AO for $5K in chips (on top of 20K starting).

So essentially a $50 rake on a $400 tournament. 12.5%. Lovely.

And not to turn this into another tipping discussion...but to all who say that the $10 goes to the dealers and so is not really a rake, sorry, but you're wrong. Frankly, I'm personally fine with pre-tipping the dealers (although some of them conveniently forget later that they have already received a chunk of change), but many people are not - and those are people who this room should want to cater to. The way that most people look at it is, since it is paid even by those who don't cash, it is essentially just like a rake.

Frankly another example of the little things that this room needs to pay attention to if they really want to turn things around.

Cross-posted at Derby and SKC:

I was speaking with the night-shift manager at SKC yesterday and he mentioned that both Derby and SKC are trying to get approval from the state to share a progressive bad beat. They plan on doing this by adding an additional $1 to the jackpot drop, making it a $5+$3 at both locations. I expressed my absolute hatred for that, but he said that it was basically a done deal as long as they get approval from the DPMW.

Anyone else hear about this?

Cross-posted with Derby:

From someone I spoke to last night about it: The $5+$3 appears to be a go, estimated implementation around November. Derby will be sharing a bad-beat jackpot with SKC and vice-versa. From what I was told, it should only be in the $2 straight games and 1/3nl (1/2nl at SKC) and below, however, the players that start the 2/5nl+ games will have the option of being a part of the $3 jackpot drop as well.

Any news on the shared high hand jackpot?

I will ask when I play the Fall Classic in a couple weeks.

Was really bored on Saturday night and didn't feel like fighting the rain to go to a real poker room, so I went up here for a bit around 7.

Room was fairly busy. Had a couple of 2/5 tables with 5 on a list. Finally had to play 1/2 because 45 minutes later the 2/5 list hadn't moved. (I guess they could have opened another table, but that would have been logic at play, and, as we all know, logic don't play at SKC.)

They had a 2/5 PLO Hi only interest list going, but it was stuck on 4 players the whole night.

I haven't played 1/2 in forever, but overall the action seemed good. Raises to 10 were standard, 15 or 20 were not unusual. Not much bluffing - if it got past the flop it was going to showdown 95% of the time. With some cards, you could make a little money.

Still, it's tough to beat the rake at that level with 25 BB coming off the table every orbit.

But overall it remains a place that makes me want to take a shower (and then kill myself) after I leave...

You know, now that you mention it, it reminds me of a dirty road side motel.

I guess that's why the chips always stick together.

The new management is definitely friendlier, more apparent, and open to ideas. I have been busy with work around the state but went up there recently. PLO hasn't been running lately, but usually its a 5-5-10 or a 1/2/5 sometimes played with a rock. It should be picking up though, and a 1/3 NL game has been spread, I have seen it run a few times. It is usually 1/2 players who usually buy in for the max and 2/5 players waiting for a seat. There has been a longer wait for 2/5 lately. What SKC does have going for it is that most of the dealers are pretty friendly and it has more of a "homey" feeling. If they approved that $3BBJ I will never sit at a 1/2 table again, that pretty much kills any beatable rake.

It looks like 5/10nl is consistently up and running again.

One day is far from consistent.

Three days in a row now.