The spread limit only lasted 2 weeks? I'm sure that's not true -- I played in it over a span longer than that. I can agree with the consensus that it was ridiculous and just confused people. The game was a delight for fans of string bets.

The stated reason was to coax the $3/6 players into playing higher by letting them bet only $3 or $6 at a time. That obviously makes not a lick of sense when other players are betting the full $4 or $8. "Overs" buttons would be a still-ridiculous, but marginally less so, answer to that problem.

Maybe a month.... Either way it was a disaster.

In the 4-5 days I was there....I cannot agree more.lol

Thanks for the update Chipr. $4/8 with $1/2 blinds huh? That's interesting.....that might change my strategy when in the blinds....folding is almost like a surrender. So how much is it to call pre-flop? $2 or $4? What if I'm first to act and want to raise? Do I raise to $4 or to $8?

I just got back from Tunica today. I normally play 1-3NL or 2-5NL but did play in the limit 4-8 game.

The blinds are 1-2
preflop and flop......a call is 4 and a raise is 8
turn and river the bets are 8.

So those are the blinds at the goldstrike? Seems a bit silly and probably creates less action. Hard to fold to a raise when the blinds are 2-4, but seems really easy with 1-2 blinds.
I know horseshoe's blinds are 2-4 in their 4-8 game

A raise is still 8 and a call is still 4 with the 1-2 blinds.

I realize that, but if I'm in the big blind for 4 bucks I'm much more likely to call 4 more in a raise situation than if I was in the big blind for 2 bucks and had to call 6 more.

I get it. I go all the way back to the days of "Splash" in Tunica, and it is clear, the proliferation of gaming has resulted in the cannabalization of Tunica poker action.

Heh. Now all the Alabama politicians are accusing each other of doing the bidding of the MS gambling industry. How come no one ever does the bidding of the poker industry?

So how are the following games playing lately?

• Strike $1-2
• Horseshoe $1-3
• Horseshoe 15/30 and 20/40 LHE (not that I'm rolled for this one, but I do miss playing LHE, so just wondering if this is something to shoot for).

I haven't been back in several months, grinding up bankroll online, but wondered if the games are tougher than say 6 months or a year ago.

Same combination of grinders and donkeys since the last time you were here.

"I just called back right now and talked to Rita, who was super nice as always,"

Yeah you can't beat the Rita, even if she did get dark hair now. I can't understand why they all killed the 3/6 game, not that I played it much. Seems with money tight and the economy so slow, they would be better running a few tables of it than nobody playing. I'm going to stay Wednesday and Thursday this week, maybe they will have some good games going

I agree, I greatly prefer $4/8 but my wife prefers the smaller $3/6. $3/6 is a fun game, especially if you've been playing a bigger game all day and just want to kick back and have a good time donking it up.

Thanks fellas for the explanation of the $4/8 with $1/2 blinds. So I guess I was right....folding from the blinds is a like a surrender, compared to reg. $4/8. The small blinds seem like a way to encourage the tighter players to fold. If a tight player has junk, he's going to fold in a limped pot if he has complete junk. In a normal blind game, that player is going to see alot more flops and have alot more draws that will induce him to call.

I might be wrong, but it seems like changing the blinds by that small amount could make for smaller pots alot of the time.

Dunno how the Strike $4/8 plays now, but when I was there (in the spread-limit era) the blinds would defend too loose. Most big blinds would call $2 more with literally ATC. Small blinds wouldn't call that wide, but they would play semi-plausible hands for $3 OOP that they'd probably know to fold for $4 IP. I figure you have a preflop edge just by knowing that junk hands aren't playable for half a bet more OOP.

I'm heading down to Tunica in a week. Staying 3 nights, will be playing Tuesday and Wednesday. Staying at the Horseshoe.

First time in Tunica. I usually play 2/5 NL, but that doesn't seem to be spread there?

Just wondering what the rake is, and what comps and Tier Points are awarded.

Any other advice is appreciated. For example any special deals, bonuses, etc.

Thanks.

Lee

Lovesantiques, I'm not a NL player so I can't help ya there, I've never paid attention to what NL games are spread. However, I think the Gold Strike has an uncapped $1/2 game that can really big. Don't hold me to that, some others will know better than me.

You can read through this thread, as well as others about how the poker rooms treat poker players, but in short I'll say this. The poker room rates are dirt cheap, the food is good and always free. Seriously, I've spent many nights in Tunica, up to 5 at a time and I have NEVER and I do mean NEVER bought a single bite of food there. They know how to hook you up on the food comps. The Gold Strike and the Horseshoe (side by side, almost connected) both treat you right.

As for rake, at the limit games it's $4 plus a $1 bad beat drop. Better than the $5 + $1 I've got to put up with in the Shreveport, La. area.

As of fall 2009, you could find $2-5 most weekends at one of the two big rooms. I'm eager to find out if that's still the case.

I went to Tunica (out of pure boredom) for the first time over spring break a few weeks ago. I arrived at Goldstrike on Saturday night/Sunday morning around 12:30 and it seemed insanely dead. 2 tables of 1/2 NL and 1 table of 4-8 limit. We played 6 handed in the limit game until 4 or 5, when the game broke. No one seemed like a total donk. If anyone, it seemed like a game of fairly evenly matched players just pushing chips back and forth. I'd say we were all break even players, just giving money to the casino.

I don't know if it's always been like this, but the poker room was across from a very loud nightclub with heavy foot traffic. It seemed like a terrible setup for a poker room. Easily louder than the poker room next to the bar at MGM Grand in Vegas.

The dealers at the Strike seemed nice enough, but I'm unlikely to ever return to Tunica based upon my one experience.

Free food! I like the place already.

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like I won't get to play 2/5, since I won't be there for a weekend. Maybe another time. Hopefully the other games will be good. I'll see when I get there.

Not hugely surprising to me. LHE is on life support in Tunica anyway. The $4/8 games have always much better at the Shoe when I've been there though. Really the NLHE games have been too, but not to the same degree.

Wasn't set up like that -- that nightclub is actually in their theater, but they got the idea of turning it into a nightclub on weekends. Seems to be doing fine business, but you're right, it doesn't help the poker room.

The Horseshoe is probably a little busier, and the Strike will be much busier when the big tournaments are going on. (If they're still going on -- anyone seen dates? Chipr?)

I only played for awhile on saturday afternoon when the nightclub wasn't open and I was already annoyed at how loud the room was just based on it's location over the slots -- maybe it was just the one table we were at as we were closest to the rail? Not sure but if I'm just playing $4/$8 I'd rather go to Horseshoe or even Sam's Town.

Any info/recommendations on little NLHE in Tunica? We're going in about a month, and we want to know where is best. We'd prefer 1/2 NL, but we would play 1/3 NL if it was the only thing going. Is pretty much everything 1/3 now, or is there still 1/2 around?

I'm very sorry to hear you had a bad trip and your experience may be the "current state of affairs" at Tunica, but that is nothing and I mean nothing, like the way I've found Tunica on any of the trips I've made in the last 4 years. However, this economy could have a great deal to do with that. I play regularly at the Horseshoe in Bossier City, LA and in my opinion, there is a definite and obvious lacking in the number of players and tables running compared to other years. I was there on a Thursday/Friday night a couple weeks ago and it was shocking how few people were in the room as compared to "normal".

I sure hope Tunica doesn't dry up because it has always been my poker heaven!

I am going to Harrah's over Memorial Day weekend. It is nice to hear the feedback on the different poker rooms in Tunica. Having never stayed or played at Harrah's in Tunica, I was wondering what the comp rate is per hour in the poker room. On past trips, we always stayed at Sam's Town and generally after 4-5 hours of play, I could get a decent meal comped in the casino. Can I expect the same at the Grand/Harrah's?

I know sams town comps $2.50 per hour for food in the poker room...the most of anywhere Ive ever played. Dont expect that from harrahs it may be $1 or $1.50. Maybe someone can chime in with a definate answer. I know at Horseshoe you can just sit down and play and ask for a couple buffets and they will give them to you without checking your hours.

Except for Sam's, comps in Tunica aren't really accrued by a rate. But if you play a certain minimum amount (4 hours, maybe?) you shouldn't have any trouble getting them to comp you a buffet or equivalent.

The Paula Deen Buffet at Harrah's is quite good, btw, especially if you like high-fat Southern cuisine.

[DISCLAIMER: All my Tunica info is 6 months old. I should be back there next month so I won't feel like I'm giving out stale info.]