New to Portland, looking for a room to play at. Primarily interested in finding a 1/2 NLH game. Don't want to drive an hour or whatever to the closest casino. Anybody know of any rooms in or close to the city?

Googling has yielded limited success, the best thing I can seem to find is the Westside Poker Club, which meets several times a week in a restaurant in Beaverton and runs donkaments and sometimes 1/2. Anybody have any experience with this place?

Any info appreciated. Cheers.

bump

Suck it up and drive to Spirit Mountain.

Disclaimer up front: the information I'm posting is fairly old, as I haven't been to La Center in over a year.

About 20 miles or so north, La Center WA has a cluster of 4 or 5 small casinos downtown. At least two of them spread poker games. The Last Frontier has a 7-table room, it's active enough to support a fairly regular 10-20 limit game; the rest are 4/8 and 3/6.

La Center is kinda out in the middle of nowhere; with the activity that supports these casinos, I'd have to think that a huge chunk (maybe even the majority) of their clientele come out of the Portland area.

Last I was there, Last Frontier did not have a no-limit or even spread-limit hold'em cash game (although like most places, regular tournaments). Part of this is because of WA state gaming rules; up until recently, there was no NLHE games anywhere in the state, not even the Indian casinos.

Spread-limit games have started to appear in WA over last 2 years, however, and I was surprised to find 2 weeks ago that Tulalip casino north of Seattle now has true NLHE games...so who knows, perhaps Last Frontier might have a table now.

I don't remember how far down the 5 Spirit Mountain is, but I'm pretty sure that La Center is much closer; depending on where in Portland you are, probably no more than 45 minutes. I've made the trip from Milwaukie in about that time before.

Spirit Mountain is on 99, about 45 mins from Portland. I havent been there in years since I dont live there anymore.

True NL at Tulalip? I thought it was still max $500 bet? I know max in non indian is still $40 so you aren't getting NL in La center.

Stabn, yep, I thought same thing, that it was a large-spread limit game (something like 5-500 spread). I hadn't played there before, but what I'd heard.

What I saw last week (29 & 30 June), however, was 1/3 NLHE and 2/5 NLHE. Multiple tables - seemed pretty lively; more folks playing those two games than were playing the 4/8 LHE.

I didn't play (my pitiful "bankroll" didn't allow), but my buddy who sat in the 1/3 confirmed it was true NLHE.

Might have just not seen a pot in 1/3 where the $500 max bet mattered. Maybe i'll go find out this weekend.

Westside runs 1/2 cash every night, Tue, Thu, Fri, Sat, and during the day Sunday if there are enough players. The players seem to be better than those at Spirit Mountain (which is why I usually play at SM given the choice, because I suck). However, there is NO rake and NO hourly-1/2 hour fees and all that crap. The tourneys kind of suck because they just become coin flips after the first break, but they have to move quick because the tourney starts at 7 and the place closes at midnight.

In my opinion, Jason (the one who runs the league) knows what he is doing, and its better than any of the other random card rooms Ive played at in Portland.

Also, Ill drive the extra 1/2 hour to Spirit Mountain, rather than go to LaCenter, personally. I think its the best room in the NW (probably until you get to Vancouver anyway)......

^^Not gospel, just my two cents.....

How about the underground scene? Anyone here have played in 2/5+ games in Portland itself?

How do they cover expenses? Is this really free play (except for any losses at the table, of course) for the players?

Lee
Confused a bit.....

Used to play at Last Frontier regularly when I lived in Portland. If it got too busy, I'd head to the place across the street. The best thing about Last Frontier, though, was the high-hand jackpot (every 3 hours most days and every hour during promotions) which could add several hundred to your earnings every couple weeks or so if you played a lot.

Before I left for Japan, I heard that a huge casino was going up in the area, and it was supposed to have a decent-sized poker room. Anybody know about that?

Yeah, the high-hand JP at LF was pretty cool. No Monte Carlo board, though, unlike many smaller WA rooms.

Minor thread hijack, but since the high-hand JP came up, just made me think of it. Tulalip's room has a $300 high hand JP *every hour* (at least on Mon/Tue nights, which is when I was there last). Minimum is flush to qualify (which of course hardly ever actually hold up over an hour). Depending on on time of day/how many tables, however, saw some pretty raggedy boats take it down.

I've played at Spirit Mountain and Chinook Winds (Lincoln City) and have to agree Spirit Mountain runs a pretty good poker room. They also have high hand jackpots, I believe every hour.

Chinook Winds is well managed, but the room is small, and they usually only run one table of no limit. Disclaimer: I haven't played there in over a year, so things may have changed.

Besides Westside, there are 3 other poker clubs that I know of that have social gaming licenses. They primarily run tournaments, but I understand that cash games are started if there is interest as players bust out of the tourneys. I have not yet played at any of these places, but hope to soon. They do not charge a rake of any kind, but charge a membership fee, which varies depending on if you choose a daily, weekly or monthly plan.

Bridgeview Rounders on N. Mississippi. Open every day at noon

Portland Players Club on NE Glisan. Has tournaments every day, starting at noon.

The Player's Poker Palace on SE Foster Rd. Runs tournaments every evening plus Friday afternoons.

Many of the local Elks and Eagles lodges run tournaments on Friday and Saturday nights, with cash games that start up as players exit the tournaments. I've only played at the Milwaukie Elks lodge, and they do not require you to play in the tournament prior to entering the cash games. If you don't play in the tournament, they collect a small donation ( a few bucks) to satisfy their Monte Carlo license regulations.

This should probably be enough to get you started!

Welcome to Portland, and good luck at the tables.

Spirit Mountain is a nice room. But it's more like 1.5 hrs out of Portland, not 45 minutes.

Just thought of a couple more places with social gaming licenses in PDX.

Sellwood Public House on SE 13th in (duh) Sellwood. They run tournaments Mon. Tues. and Thurs. evenings, and have a late night (after 9) "small" cash game Friday nights. They charge $5 club membership per night, but if you open a $10 minimum tab, they will waive the fee. I haven't played here, but I hear it's a friendly crowd.

The Egyptian club, (or E room, as it is sometimes called) on SE Division is Portland's newest entry on the social gaming scene. They claim to be Portland's only lesbian nightclub. They are running tournaments on Tues., Sun. and some Thurs. evenings. As they are just getting started with poker, their schedule is somewhat in flux, so I would suggest calling ahead to confirm there is a game. It seems to me that I read somewhere that cash games would also be allowed, but I haven't confirmed that, and I haven't played here myself. Playing poker in a lesbian bar may not be the OP's cup of tea but it may be just what someone else is looking for.

It is really free. For tourneys, they do offer an additional $5k chip (starting stack is usually 10k) for $5, which is at least partly going toward eventually getting their own place, so they don't have to play in the restaurant. But the CASH games have no gimmicks at all. Just sit down and play if there is a seat (obviously the dealer works for tips, but nothing goes to the "house"). They also just got a Stars sponsorship, so that is covering some of the costs they may have.

Message KJS and ask him.

So weird this thread is up when I just finished bumping the old thread.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...5&postcount=17

If you want to play NL (in a Casino), it's Spirit Mountain. If you want to play mid stakes limit holdem, the best choice is the Last Frontier, which you can get to in a half hour from downtown PDX in the rare times there is no traffic jams, about one hour with traffic. My bump was a review of the New Frontier from my play this month.

Since I'm stuck in PDX till August and my mom wants me to take her to Spirit Mountain, and I'm trying to get some buddies to go to one of the clubs with me to play a donkament. If I go to either I'll write it up. Anyone ever go to Devils Point Bar?

http://www.devilspointbar.com/

It popped up on a search I did for Portland poker clubs and I'm thinking I'll take the wife and see if they have any games, and if not just enjoy the "scenery" and poker later.

There are cash games almost every night in PDX, in addition to all the social gaming places.

Bumping this thread with a bit of a TR.

Heard about the E-room game through a friend, so went last night to check it out.
They hold a free points league and some regular cash buy-in tournaments, but no cash game per se.
Sundays/Tuesdays are cash tourneys and Monday/Wednesdays are the free league. Sundays they run 2-3 tourneys, depending on starting stacks. Full schedule is online.

Anyways, I got there just as the free points league tournament was ending. They had just awarded the points league yearly champion a brand new full size scooter. Not bad.
The poker games are held in the back bar/stage area of the club, which had a full bar, projection screen tv and 2 oval tables at normal height, then 3 octagonal tables at bar stool height

21 players started the $10 tourney, with 5 places paying. I was told this was a fairly typical turnout for a Sunday night. I got sat at one of the tall octagonal tables.

They pass the deal, and I was first up. Table was rickety and it was awkward to sit so high and deal. I immediately knocked over my stack, spilling 1/2 of them to the floor. Then after dealing the flop, I knocked over the ghost stack next to me. I guess I had some newbie jitters.

The players were a mix of butch lesbians, degen drunks and 2-3 straight males like myself. I'd say overall everyone was horrible, save for maybe 2 people who knew what they were doing.

The game started slowly for me. I folded for a while before picking up KQss UTG. I raised 3xbb and it folded to the degen drunk in the BB. He berated me for raising his blinds, called, then folded to my flop bet. Score one for being the new guy. Two hands later I get 88 in the SB. 1 limper and I call. BB was a ghost stack, so its heads up. Flop comes 996r. I bet 1/2 pot, limper raises min. I call. Turn 8, I check, she pushes. I call and show the boat, she shows 55. Nice.

After building up a medium stack I went card dead for an hour. I blind-off until eventually the final table is set. Sitting with maybe 5BB I bust out with a silly all-in from the SB against the chip leader.

General impressions: Not a horrible place to play if you're hard up for a game. This being Portland, I'd assume if you're going to play there, you won't mind the butch/dyke lesbian thing. Everyone was very nice and friendly. As for the level of play, anybody with any common sense should be able to win regularly there. I know I'll be going back once in a while.

I'm going to check out the Sellwood Club next and give my impressions then.

All I know is that KJS told me there was a 1/2 NL game with no rake held at a strip club where you can throw chips at strippers. We didn't end up going for some reason.

PM me for info on a 2/5 game in Happy Valley. Low rake, free food, and runs whenever there is enough interest.

Homosexuality?

Strangely enough, we ended up at a strip club that did not have poker at it. The poker strip club place was pretty far away, sadly.