Yes, this is pretty much true. Lots of limping. Very few out-of-ordinary plays attempted. One or two LAG-type players, and they all seem to know each other.
One improvement is that the max has been raised to $500 and you can top off whenever now.

Just as a note posting about soft or hard games is relative to one's skill.

So I will post from saying this that everyone can relate. With the exception of 1 reg, who has discipline problems, I have not seen a 1/2 (Oaks) or 1/1/2 (LCs) reg that would survive Merge Network online $25 NL regs. I watch Live @ the Bike and the 2/5 & 5/10 game and honestly I think most of those players would get beat @ Merge Network $50 NL online.

I beat $50 NL FR pretty handily but Im not a great player.

Just trying to build my BR slowly to move to 2/5 then 5/10. Tough with a wife, kid, and a FT job.

So if you can beat $25 NL online you can beat 2/5 live. $50 NL online, you can beat 5/10 live vs most of the players. Just my opinion.

But I'll say west coast is far more aggressive than east coast live players. Took me a bit to adjust to the drop and aggression. Im originally from Florida.

What card rooms are near pebble beach? Going in June to play golf. Never been to ca before so a little lost on the geography

There's Mortimer's, in Marina.

Or you can go over the hill to Bay 101 or Garden City; it's only a bit more than an hour each way.

Maybe at 3 am or something like that when they might have an empty table. Even with the expanded number of tables, they are usually all full. Actually I have seen empty tables there, but it's not predictable when that might happen. Best chance would be 10 pm or later on a weekend.

Mortimers is OK- they have 6 tables, but have a tendency towards PaiGow in the evening. Literally across the street is Marina Club, smaller, 4 tables, but much better NL action at night, IMO. Look for Limit mostly during the day at both places, or Spread Limit.
Salinas is not far away, and Bankers Casino has nine tables and a findable website.
Santa Cruz is further. Ocean View Casino- never been.

Is all of this info current, and can someone explain the difference between a $4 drop and a $3+$1 drop?

A $4 drop all goes to the house (which may or may not fund a jackpot on its own). $3 of a $3+$1 drop goes to the house, and $1 goes to the jackpot fund (and the house may or may not but generally does charge a hefty "administration fee" for the JP fund).

Thanks for the info, I'm a limit player and was wondering where I could play. I live in San Jose but the rake at Bay 101 is atrocious for 3/6. Looks like 6/12 is ok but that's a higher limit than I have ever played before. I've played up to 5/10 limit, but never above that. 6/12 sounds like a lot to me.

People play 6/12 there like people in Vegas play 2/4. Just super loose. Fun times.

Is there any casino in the Bay Area where players have to buy in deeper?

I noticed all the ones around me players can buy in for 20bbs. Go play a SNG!!!

1/1/2 LCs $40 min buy in and the limp is $4
3/5 LCs $100 min buy in... WTF?

Hayward 1-2-2 buy in is 100 (no max)

Why?

It's not like there is a collusion ring of shortstackers taking advantage of the low minimum buy-in. It's not like habitual shortstackers who buy-in the minimum and leaves as soon as they double up are common. It's not like there are shortstackers who know how to play a near perfect GTO decent shortstacking strategy.

Most online poker rooms increased their minimum buy-in because there were too many players who knew how to play a shortstacking strategy profitably turning the game into a unbearable state we all know too well.

That problem does not exist in the bay area.

Allowing short stacks in NL games is really good for the casino, I don't see them changing this at all.

Solution: Play higher. Nobody really short stacks at 5/10.

Bay 101 (bay101.com)
General: no flop $1 drop, no BBJ, no HHJ.
FL 3/6: regular/always, $4 drop


It's been a $5 drop for fl 3/6 for at least 2 years.

spreadsheet of all Bay Area cash games

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...GdwMVdmMDFlYUE



I'll see if Rapini can add this to the OP of this thread so people won't ask the same question over and over again.

Done. Thanks for putting it together.

Hey guys, I was hoping you could help me out. I am getting into Nor Cal tomorrow the 24th and looking for a place to play. I am staying in Santa Rosa so it looks like Casino 101 is the closest, but it seems they only spread 2-5 NL. I am looking for 1-2 NL. I just don't know what rooms will have action on weekday nights that are an hourish or so away from SR. I am driving there from SFO so I would be interested in stopping in the early afternoon tomorrow somewhere along the way, but all other play will be weekday nights most likely or Sunday afternoon.

Thanks a bunch.

Oaks deals 1-2 100max spread limit. I'm told it plays just like NL.

It's in the East Bay though, so you'd want to take one of the bridges over on your way up to SR.

I'm biased, but just play Casino 101. The 2/5 game is a $100 min buy-in and usually doesn't play too large. Weeknights and weekends will usually have 3 tables going.

Anybody have any links for short term (1-3 months lease) fully furnished apartments with internet connection? Downtown location, studio or 1 bed room, budget max $2.5k. Most of the places I am searching seems to be unfurnished, and long lease (6 months+).

I want deeper stacks so I can play more hands. More hands vs bad players who dont know how to play deeper stacks = more money.

Optimally all of us would love to play a table of loose passive with 200-300BB deep stacks. mmm, MMMmmm

Curious which has tougher opposition, AJs or LCs? Or are they the same?

Anyone have any experiences @ AJs? I think there are 1-2 tables of NL which really makes me suspicious of collusion. Last time I was there I noticed some questionable action between a couple of players.

downtown sf? craigslist is your best bet. i saw a few like this during my apartment hunt three weeks ago but more in the 2500-3000 range. if you can't swing that, i'd recommend finding a houseshare/roomshare (for which i would also use craigslist).

also, http://padmapper.com. you can thank me later.

Craigslist eh? There's lots of stuff but it's hard to decide just like that. I guess it would be better to reach first, get a hotel for a week and go call and look at apartments? Most it seems don't do short 1 month leases. I can swing my budget towards 3000 depending on what it is.

there are many ways to skin a cat but i'll say this: i didn't seriously attempt to find an apartment until i was on the ground here.

i guess what you're looking for is going to be concentrated in the soma / south beach / mission bay area.

(i'll also venture that there's probably a different solution to your problem but it's hard to say without any information about your top secret adventure.)

gl!