Hey,

I am planning on playing in 'The reef casino' in Cairns, Australia as i will be staying there for a few weeks. They got a 500NL game going on with 10% rake capped at $15, no flop, no drop. There should be a significant amount of 'tourists'/backpackers, etc. (Cairns attracts many backpackers because of the great barrier reef, Daintree rainforest, etc., it is said to be one of the most favourized cities for backpackers in australia) trying to have a good time, so i guess it will be a pretty soft game.

Do you think this game might be a good opportunity to make money?

Thanks everyone
shorshi

Google images for Cairns, AUS:









And you want to play poker.

I've been there before

So?

dude... i dont plan on playing 24/7 for 4 weeks straight... But i dont plan on lying at the beach 24/7 either

In that case go ahead and play a highway robbery rake in a casino setting w/ miserable ppl instead of swimming w/ the pretty blue fish and hanging w/ the hot Aussie bikini babes that I also google imaged.

Between this and the honeymoon poker thread today, good grief.

I've seen this game but did not play it they had one partially filled table. It is about as good a rake as you can get in Australia. Considering that you don't tip in Austraila its not that horrible, but of course its still high. When your in Cairns (1) Find Berrnies Jazz Club (2) take the old steam train up to Karunda, (3) see the great barrier reef, (4) eat at a good restaurants (5) swim in the giant public swimming pool, (6) be aware of fruit bats, (7) shop. Lots to do.

I would play with both a fixed time schedule and a fixed stoploss in this robbery of a rake. No need to spend hours trying to chase your losses and make a greedy casino even richer when you're 2 seconds away from paradise.

Choose the hours when it's most fishy and have no shame in hit'n'running.

I played in this game last year. The level of play is atrocious, as advertised. Mix of backpackers, tourists, Chinese, and deep pocketed Aussies. If you win online or in the US, assuming you have a pulse and know how to read the board, you will win money regardless of the rake.

It is also the most poorly run game I have ever played in, with the possible exception of the Treasury in Brisbane. The dealers are unprofessional, obnoxious, rude, slow, incompetent, homely, and morbidly obese. Be aware that they either have their own set of rules or just don't understand the rules of poker. For instance, if you call with a big chip without saying anything, that counts as a raise. Or they will insist you show your hand and flip over your cards, even after all other players have mucked. They will slow down the game making chichat with the regulars, sharing their opinion with everyone on how to play a hand, or asking for updates on the whatever football game they have a bet on. I have been played poker all over the world for over ten years and pretty much never get upset in a poker room, but I got into verbal arguments with dealers there on multiple occasions.

If I remember correctly, the game runs Thursday through Sunday evenings only, so lots of time to do touristy stuff even if you don't get sick of playing there. The Great Barrier Reef was kind of a letdown as well compared to other places I have dived. Very expensive to go diving and I think all the tourists have scared the fish away. The local girls are also surprisingly homely and, as you probably already know, Australia is outrageously expensive.

For what its worth I really enjoyed our visit to Cairns. It was among the least expensive places to eat and stay among our stops. We stayed at Bay Village Tropical Retreat Cairns at $69/night for a 3 bed suit. It was very nice and the Hotel featured an excellent Bali restaurant. It was a few blocks walking to the shore. We were there for 6 days. I cannot remember the barrier reef excursion operator, but we went with the one recommended by the hotel. I thought it was very good and although it seemed pricey I think in the end for the service we got it was reasonable. But... we went in mid January which I suppose is off season and maybe prices are lower. Yes Australia has now become expensive due largely I think to the fact minimum wage is $18/hour and the US$ dropped significantly.

Here is a thread from the travel forum about playing live poker and traveling around Australia. I posted a couple trip reports in there.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/92...dvice-1172695/

One thing about the reef, it is located pretty far off the coast, so you need to take a catamaran to get out there. You are looking at a couple hundred bucks just to boat out there for a day trip. To be fair, the only other places I have dived were in Southeast Asia where you can go diving for $15 an hour.

Cairns is cheap by Australian standards, but poor value by world standards. I thought it was culturally bland as well. The weather is nice, which is probably one reason why it is so popular with the Euros, but I live in Southern California. It makes sense for people who are working there, earning Australian dollars or who like partying with backpackers, but there are a lot of other places I would recommend for beaches and water sports.

Reef casino still running poker Thurs-Sun incl. $50-500 buy-in 2-5 with 10% rake capped @ $15.

Certainly the most laid-back poker room in OZ.