Masks? Perspex partitions? Any new (covid) rules?

TY sir - did you go and if so, did they fill all the tables?

Hopefully they'll extend the hours. Will be interesting if they stick to 2/5 only.

I might try to go later this week.

I don’t think there’ll be masks or plexiglass needed?

I could be wrong but would assume not. I was wearing a mask in the local RSL tournaments, but they got rid of that requirement a few weeks ago, about when you were allowed in the shops without a mask.

**** yes thank you for the update - definitely gonna go soon

Has anyone played at Star since it reopened?

Yep. I have. It’s good. Just get there by 5.30 to ensure you get straight into a table

Thanks!

Planning on playing a session this weekend, will also report back.

FYI Poker at Crown in Melbourne returns on Friday April 23.

Poker on Friday and Saturday, then Collingwood v Essendon and Storm v Warriors on ANZAC Day would make for a good weekend.

Went to Star. Usual Star grade organisation but game started at 6.08pm. They got up to 15 tables of 2/5, not bad for a Friday night when website states 12 tables max. Game was equivalent to a tough 2/3 table, meaning it was pretty soft IMO. 8 max so enough room for all. Hoping they open during the day again soon and double hoping they dump 2/3 altogether, 2/5 only pls.

is friday better or saturday?

Been meaning to login and report back, played on a Sunday night a couple of weeks ago. I registered around 5.15pm for the 6pm start.

At 6pm there were around 10 8-handed tables, pretty sure all were 2/5NL.

Our game played 2/5/10 (the 10 is live, a 20 straddle beyond this is capped), heaps of action and awesome to get back playing again.

The only grievance I had with the star is that if you are not a regular or some wealthy Asian businessman they tend to talk down to you at the table.

Every time I go there I always dress nice and be polite, but one time I had an issue with the floor staff when someone talking about the hand while not in the hand (he did this for about 15 minutes) and the floor staff came over had a chat in some Asian language with this person and then that was that no other sentence was spoken to me by the staff and I almost felt like the bad guy for asking another play to be quite.

I rarely experience someone talking down to me at the table and I'm not there often enough to be a regular, neither am I an Asian businessman. There's an occasional smartass player or snippy dealer but mostly people are polite IME.

never happens to me either

Have played a few times now, the 2/5 is definitely tougher than 2/3 but the standard is not great. I've found the conditions more variable than 2/3 as well, like one table you might find the straddle on but the straddlers routinely fold to a $35 open whereas another table there's no straddle but $25 open is getting called in 3 places. One table might "allow" overlimping and overcalls without a problem, another table you'll find 2 or 3 players who will routinely attack dead money.

The "pain point" of getting stacks in is higher than 2/3, it's relatively easy to get $500 in with a 3bet or hefty open into a straddle pre, followed by a chunky flop bet and jam turn. Getting $1K across the line is much tougher unless you have a 4bet pot pre, which is in itself unusual.

Two bits of good news: staff told me there are no plans to bring back 2/3 plus opening times start at midday as of today. I'm hoping that some of the bad 2/3 daytime regs come back for some action.

So the minimum MAX buy-in is $500? How ridiculous.

I'm good with it, we're playing 2/5 with an UTG $10 straddle I'd estimate operates table wide 30% of the time. If I was king of the star poker room I'd reduce the min buy in to $200 because all but one short stacker I've ever encountered is terrible but w/e this mandatory minimum upgrade in blinds and buy in is good for me.

EDIT

I may not be parsing your post correctly, 2/5 buy in is $500 -> $1K.

"All but one"? You seem to have played a lot - if you have only encountered one successful short stacker in that time that seems odd. I have never seen any.

Don't know if he was successful or not, he wasn't terrible though. He knew enough to mainly raise or fold pre and make 3bets a rip. He would have been annoying to have at at table but since he ratholed the second he doubled up, he was never around for long.

So the smallest game offered has a $1,000 max buy-in? That is not conducive to bringing new players in.

I'd argue the min buy in matters a lot more for enticing people to play and that's why I said I'd make it $200 not $500. But it's the only (casino run) cash game in the biggest city in Australia. If it's 2/5, that's what people will play.

My guess is they'll end up branching out a bit, probably they should just make 2/5 $200 $500 the entry game and go up from there.

I bet they don’t.

Why would they? It’s going really well for them right now.

At least the casino in the biggest city in Australia is open ...

... because the casino in the 2nd biggest city is not (yet again).

Now that Sydney has opened up, including the star, anyone know if poker is up and running?