That French Lick TR I promised
 

So I finally got around to getting back to French Lick and as promised will write a report to hopefully help anyone curious. Anyone who’s been there before feel free to add anything you think I missed.

Cast:
Mike (here after referred to as AK)- Big gambler, prefers 2-5NL or comparable PLO games to 1-2, but he’s not unable to play. Victim of serious “make 100k in a night or go broke” mentality

Kyle: My best friend. Weak player because of limited experience. Also playing for more money then he’s used to.

Cody (me)- Lifetime winner at .10/.25 and .25/.50 online and 1/2 NL live over 4 years. Fairly typical TAG

We left my house (south central IN) at about 10:30 after hastily putting together a plan to head down there and play while Kyle was in town visiting. After a trip involving a few stops and a wrong turn, we got to the casino at about 12:30 and they had 4 1/2 NL games going and two 3/6 limit. We got on the list and got chips (AK-$300, myself-$200, and Kyle-$100) at the cage (inside the poker room) and sat down with no wait, Kyle and myself at one table and AK at another.

The poker room itself is very open, about 15 tables, but they’re rarely, if ever, all full. There is a snack bar (pretzels, M&Ms, peanuts) and they bring the fruit and cheese trays from the High Stakes area over when it gets late. The floors are very friendly and efficient and I’ve never had a problem getting on a list or into a game (although this is also because it’s rarely flooded with people). The dealers are competent and with the help of the auto shufflers, are fairly fast. They’re also very friendly and have no problem chatting, which, in my experience doesn’t slow up the game, but AK would say different. Drink service is pretty constant and you can get food delivered if you have the comps.

My table was made up of two regulars (one of whom was a nice British 22yo I had played with at IU 2 years ago, small world) and the other who was ordering Jager bombs like crazy trying to beat the 3 AM cutoff (Indiana is a blue state on Sundays). I was in the 8 seat and the man to my right (Steve) was a polite 30ish guy who lived in Bloomington and worked as a lawyer. I’m a friendly guy at the table, I love to talk and hope to have guys like this sitting next to me who are as friendly as Steve.

The first few hands were uneventful and my only real pick up was that the guy at the other end of the table in a bright red shirt was firing at a lot of pots when he was in position. The game itself was mostly passive, with about 50% of the pots getting limped around with 6+ players. This is my kind of game, any time I can see a lot of flops cheaply I’m happy, so I started off doing well. I won a few pots without contest and then this hand came up:

Three limps to me (~$220) in MP with A-5 dimes, I limp, 2 more limps. Flop is J-10-J two dimes. Checked to me and I bet 10, which is called only by the Brit. Turn 9 of dimes. I bet 15, he calls. River black 4, I bet 20 he makes it 50 (dammit), I call; he shows 9-9 for a turned boat, nice hand sir.

Later I got into a hand with Steve when he raised to 12 and I was the only caller with J-10s. Flop was J-9-7r and I check called a 15 bet. Turn was a 7 and after check calling 20 I said “Can I make a guess, I’m thinking QQ” and after a brick on the river it went check check and he flipped over QQ and took it.

Last interesting hand for me came after a few bluffs on the river against the red shirt guy that I considered pay back for some earlier hands. RSG made is 12 UTG, MP called, I called from LP with K-10 clubs, and the button called with 50 behind. The flop was 2-5-8 with two clubs and RSG bet out 10, MP called, I called, and the button moved all in. However as the button was moving in the dealer turned 4th street early so we had to go through the “deal the river, then we’ll reshuffle the stub” routine. The next card was a 3 of clubs and it’s checked to me, so I bet 50 (with 65 behind). RSG makes it $150 (swell) and MP thinks and thinks and folds his set of 5s. I say “I’m not good enough to fold here” and call, he shows J-Qc and the button had a busted straight draw so I took down the ~$450 pot.

I racked up after about an hour more to finish with $368. AK finished down 50 only because we had to go, and Kyle left broke. All in all I had a great time and I’ll be heading back plenty of times. If you like brighter poker rooms with more passive games, I’ve yet to find a place that holds a candle to FL, but these aren’t the kind of games where you get a raise to 25 and 5 callers.

Hopefully we can try and work some sort of Midwest 2+2 donkfest game sometime in the near future.

Cody

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

I have been meaning to check that place out. From Louisville here and am growing tired of Caesars. Too full on weekends (nothing wrong with being full but a 2 / 3 hour wait for a 1/2 NL table...come on! The past week and the upcoming week with the WSOP circuit tourney going is making it unbearable.
Thanks for the report and I hope to make it up there soon. If I show up at Caesars and they have another long wait maybe I'll head up there.
What is the per hour rate there for NL tables and / or the rake on limit games? Drink prices?
Thanks.

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

[ QUOTE ]
What is the per hour rate there for NL tables and / or the rake on limit games? Drink prices?


[/ QUOTE ]

It's a $4 rake on every pot (precentage adjusted) and no time charge (that's why I love it so much). I don't usually order drinks, but I think it's around $2 for a beer ($1.75 I think, but am not sure) and the Jager bombs were "on the house" (the waitress said with a wink) so I can't help you there.

Cody

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

So they rake NL games instead of table rates. Tahts pretty sweet.

It sounds like you had a good time, I might have to make it down there sometime. I almost always go to Caesars and hate the wait.

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

[ QUOTE ]
So they rake NL games instead of table rates. Tahts pretty sweet.

It sounds like you had a good time, I might have to make it down there sometime. I almost always go to Caesars and hate the wait.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah it's a rake thank god. I've been to both and I enjoy both the look and the atmosphere in FL much more. Also the lack of wait is def nice.

Cody

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

Don't go during the week, I thik French Lick has trouble keeping a poker game open during the week.

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

[ QUOTE ]
Don't go during the week, I thik French Lick has trouble keeping a poker game open during the week.

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It can, I've played there at almost all times (late Mon night, Fri eve, Sat 2AM) and they've always had at least 1 NL game going at all peak and non peak times. However, and this is a little annoying, the poker room closes at 4AM and opens at 10 PM on weekdays. I never really understood that, but in any case it doesn't help with games.

Cody

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

What are the 1/2 NL games like on the weekends? Are they soft, are they full of regulars, old nits, etc... Also what is the max buy in.

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

[ QUOTE ]
What are the 1/2 NL games like on the weekends? Are they soft, are they full of regulars, old nits, etc... Also what is the max buy in.

[/ QUOTE ]

Max 300 min 100 (kinda high min isn't it? I like it in any case) and the games are (in all my experiences) very soft. Lots of limping but not alot of great post flop play, so if you're a 2+2er you prob have an advantage there. Mostly college kids and middle aged people, with a few old people (none of whom have been nits oddly) sprinkled in.

Alot of pots get limped around, and the usual raise is 8-12 (I hate places where the 1/2 raise is 25+) and you'll usually get 2-5 callers.

The players are largely very friendly (with a few exceptions obviously) and a few times I've been there there's been some table wide (or at least 3-5 people) drinking going on.

Cody

Re: That French Lick TR I promised
 

I was 91st on the list for a 1/2 game at Caesar's on Saturday night. I took someone elses spot that obv wasn't there and got on in about 1/2 hour.

They didn't call a 1/2 seat at Caesars for over 45 min. Not one seat. There were at least 10 open seats during that time period and empty tables/dealers standing around.

I like the $4 rake at French Lick WAY WAY better than those crooks at Caesars for $6 per half hour w/o a shuffle machine. You are lucky to get 12 hands a down.