Be my guest and play 5/10 there during LAPC. You'll hate it. Ask any pro.

Standard

I'm visiting my friend in LA in a few weeks and wanted to know what you guys think has the best/softest games and most favorable game structures in LA.

I am going to be in LA in the middle of November as was wondering if there are any lower point ($2-$-5/point) OFC games in the area (Friday-Mondays especially)

I know I have seen on Bravo a $25/point game at Commerce but that is way way over my budget.

I have recently become very fond of the game but it is impossible to find a game anywhere near where I am and would imagine it would be possible to find one in LA

You will get a lot of debate on this issue. IMO, the better the structure and BI limits of NLTH in Los Angeles, the tougher the game.
1-2 and 1-3 are quite soft at The Bike, but with top BI limits of $60 and $120, how much can an adept player expect? There just aren't that many chips on the table at any one time.
I may get lit up a bit here, but I think the best combo of top BI and chips on the table is at Hollywood Park. The decent game for bankroll here is the $300 max, and several stacks will be quite larger than that over time.
Commerce and Bike have too much table turnover to get to these stacks (and table changers), Hustler is a tough, somewhat nitty, crowd. Bike allows too many players to change tables- the trick is to change limits. Players will double up in the 120, then drop or go up to the plaza, double again, then return to the 120, for example. They do this several times a day, all with the full knowledge of the floor and staff. If you get action from these players, you are behind, bro.
You don't seem to see this kind of table change migration at HP.

Hello everyone,

I want to start a little facebook or whatsapp group not too big where people can post hands and discuss strategy and tips to play live low stakes in Los Angeles or Orange County.

I feel like it is beneficial to bounce ideas off of each other and to point out player tendencies at certain casinos. I have been playing for about 1.5 years now and I take the game pretty serious.

I am wondering if there is any interest in starting something like this.

hamhamt - the drop is problematic at any buy in under $500.

I may be interested. PM me with your thoughts.

it used to be much easier in the commerce to beat the $40 NL over the drop than the $100 or $200 NL. why? because the rake was $6+1 in those and $3.50 in the $40 NL. not been there in 3 yrs so i dont know what might have changed.

I hear things like that all of the time, but I don't really know how to feel about it. I will not be able to afford to play any buy-in game comfortably at $500 for at least 4 or 5 years, so the only way for me to enjoy playing is at the lower games.

Also, I've played in the lower live games where people are so bad that they will easily punt off a few buyins over the course of a few hours. I feel like with proper table selection, a decent win rate can be acheived.

Thoughts?

I have a few thoughts:
Since when I'm in LA, I only have a few hours to play at either Bike or Commerce. Thats because I'm always with my wife, she'll play limit for a little bit, then its time to go, etc. (her family is there in LA)( we're in Sacramento)

But- since I only have limited time, I will 1. Play at lower BI than when I'm in for a real 8-10 hour session, and 2. play much more LAG-y, since I need to more drive the action if I want to make anything. And thats not my normal TAG style. But I'm also there to have fun. Lots of fun- and thats why I'll call with 8-6 off to a 4BB raise in a four way pot, in a game up to like $120max

And THAT...is what you are looking at in LA a lot- a lot of people playing LAG-y kind of sub-optimally to their preferred strategy, or ability. Now, don't get me wrong. I've turned a $60 BI at Bike into $400 more than once. and I've cashed out at the 80/120 for over six racks many times. You get lucky, you run good, you **** out a couple- and thats the kind of player you are looking for at these lower BI games. NOT the local retired nit who's trying to hit a jackpot with his pocket 6's

In rooms that are smaller, in places that have few tables, its not going to happen like that. Everyone knows each other, there is no action, the LAG-y player gets no action unless he runs into QQ, KK or AA. In the two big rooms in LA, and sometimes even at HP, the good,, local-based low BI NL player can really do well over time, DESPITE the high cost of rake and tip.

My mantra when playing with you guys is NEVER limp into a pot in a NL game. (except SB, BB) caveat: if I do, it will be early, and I have a monster. Go ahead, put in that 4x raise. Please.

I guess my final thought is: a lot of poker writers will tell you to play a Contra-style of what ever table you are playing at. Most of the smaller NL games at Commerce and Bike, HP, can be nit-fests. (IMO, only) So, my style of playing them is a Contra-style to what they are. Sure, I raise a lot pre. I also make a lot of laydowns, usually on the turn, when I'm beat and when sub-optimal to continue. Thats poker. See y'all soon

I think I tip I very well, so if the rake is super high or something I just tip a little less. Maybe a dollar a hand regardless or I stop tipping where I just take the blinds down, etc. That being said I never understood how people think these games are unbeatable. If you beat 1/3 w 5+2 for 30/hr, why is a game with even 10 max rake "unbeatable"? Yes it'll hurt your bottom line, but I can't foresee any game above .50/1 unbeatable.

How come whenever I buy in at the bike or commerce they always mark my money over with a marker?

I'm guessing to check if it is fake or not, so if the mark shows up does that mean it fake? Do they just use any regular marker?

Most casinos do this for buy ins at the table. It is a counterfeit pen, although I've heard it doesn't work on new hundreds but they still use it(haven't fact checked that though). I believe it is supposed to show a dark line on fakes.

Sorry for the late response. Just got back from a hiatus

in LA, for lower stakes with decent safe games, youre probably going to want to check out the private games. Some of them safe, some of them can get in the gray area. Personally I dont freq them any more, just because the rake is typically a 10% uncapped structure. (so its really a losing proposition).

Youre probably better off playing the $200 game at something like the hollywood park casino, but be aware that this is a losing proposition long term.

I'd say that if you were underrolled for LA (which is sounds like could possibly be the case), your next move would be vegas, which hosts some of the softest $1/$2 and $1/$3 games anywhere near by.

Other cities to consider would be (in order of preference):

Ft Lauderdale (hard rock, or the kennel club, etc)
Phoenix area (Talking stick)
Parx

the easiest game in cali to beat the rake in is $40 NL in the commerce, since its half the rake of the other games. dont go to vegas, go to reno or phoenix vegas is nothing but nits and grinders, games are much tougher. everyone in vegas is doing it for their only income. at your home in los angelos, people play off work to relax and chill, (they dont care if they lose, not so in vegas). detroit and shreveport easy to win in too. parx is very nitty and difficult to win in.

Hello,

Quick question. What is there for LHE in LA between 8/16 and 30/60. I know Commerce and bike have 8/16 and 20/40 but I know nothing about the other venues. Any info would be helpful! Thanks. (x posted in the mid/limit LHE forum).

Everyone has 8/16 LHE and everyone but HP (not entirely sure since I don't play there much and they don't have poker atlas/bravo/app/etc) has a regular 20/40 game that should be running a few tables during peak hours and at least one (with props, likely) during off hours. Hustler has 25/50 instead of 20/40.

anyone know how likely you are to get to play if you're a 5th alternate on LATB?

Does Bike or Commerce offer a Poker Room rate? Any details are appreciated, thanks.

Bored so gonna write some of my experiences from Commerce. Played there several times from 2015-2016.

All in guy:

Playing at Commerce a lot I began to figure out who the regs were and some of them their style of play. This one particular gentleman loved to shove all in pre. He would do this frequently, I didn't always get to see his cards but I put him on something light based on the frequency at which he'd do this. One day I got sick of it and woke up with J4. I decided I was gonna call because he does this so ****ing much I want to see what he has. Another guy had put some money in so the pot was a decent size. So of course he goes all in. I call with my J4. The board runs out like Q4QQX. Full house! at commerce people don't flip over their cards right away so after river I happily flip over my J4. I was kind of expecting him to show KK or something but he mucks and loses his ****. J4? J4? WTF MAN. I calmly said to him, "You go all in every ****ing hand I put you on junk." He never got over it. He berated me for rest of my time at table which was good cause I racked up.

Poker Pro:

Surprisingly in the Commerce 40 game I played with more than one pro. One time during a Conor Mcgregor fight Mario Ho sat down at our table. She had a large denomination chip. She didn't stay long I think she just waiting for a bigger game. Anyways, the other time I played with that dude from the WPT David Pham. He used to crush tournaments during the poker boom. IDK why he was at the 40 game, he was with a friend so he could have just been playing for fun. I knew it looked like him but I didn't wanna be rude and call him out to the table. Eventually he sat next to me. I was card dead so he probably thought I was an uber nit fish. When he sat next to me I could see his players card and it was him. In next hour or 2 he proceeded to run me over. He got two quads over my full house and set over set. He obliterated my stack. When I left he even said sorry and handed me some chips. The next day that table ended up hitting a BBJ.

Just got back from 3 days at Commerce and loved your story. Reason players don't flip over their hands when they are supposed to is the dealers are terrible and don't run the game properly and the few that do get berated from the players and the floor doesn't do the right thing and have their backs.
I was playing Big O and this donkey with no money gets felted for like the 3rd time and throws his cards viciously at dealer and one card hits the floor. Dealer asks him not to do it and he goes ape and plays the race card. He is black and she is Asian. Floor comes and he makes up some stupid story along the lines of he just threw them a little and one took off or something. I interceded and said you threw the cards dude. Dealer correct. The floor took a weak ass stance instead of warning the guy to not do it or get tossed. It's a joke.

Twice I had to call the floor because guys were slowing the game and trying to angleshoot everything. I am glad I only go once a year for the LAPC because that room is a joke.

I noticed hustler has a tournament series this week. Im not interested in the tournament, but if i stop in there on a tuesday or thursday night, what kind of cash game situation could i expect?

The drop in LA is nuts!! How is anyone supposed to make money in these low limit games??!?

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They aren't, and in general the players at those stakes don't even think about the size of the rake in terms of BBs taken out of each pot.