[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
"What is wrong with props LL?"

Cody, prop players are one thing- though I'm not keen on paying them twice, I could see their utility in some cases.

Card room "owners" who are pulling in rake and playing against me, with THEIR dealers? Think about that last one for a second.

For both props and owners, they have a distinct interest in generating large pots. Can you see how you might face a bit of a disadvantage, when they profit either way?

Could that skew expected results, risk implicit collusion,

[/ QUOTE ]

I play at an underground, single table, 5/10 kill game where the pots are raked at $2 at $40, $4 at $100. There is no dedicated dealer, and the playing host provides soft drinks and a couple of hot, buffet-like entrees (e.g. meatballs and pasta, shepherds' pie, cookies, etc.).

Half of the regular players in the game are loose-passive fish. The host, who seems to be a decent card-reader, nonetheless plays like someone who has the goal of only breaking even (excluding his rake). He plays fairly loose preflop, and ABC post-flop. He almost never raises the expensive streets without the goods, and if he is heads-up against an older, loose-passive, regular, he'll sometimes flash his TP/flush card after betting/raising the river while saying "Are you sure you want to call?" I very rarely get such special treatment, but I think he also knows that when he and I are heads-up, I expect each of us to play for max. profit.

Obviously this host is a very genial guy, and a shrewd business man. And since the closest casino (Foxwoods) is more than 2.5 hours away, driving forty minutes to this game, where I average at least $25+/hr, doesn't seem like a bad deal.