"Deep" stack poker in SoCal for low limit NL?

[slasherx]

Are there any card rooms in socal that actually let you buy in for 100x the BB? I've been to morongo and their 1/3 is $100 buyin, pechanga is $80 buyin for 1/2 and I got the hell out of dodge after seeing the upstairs room in commerce. I want something like 1/2 for $200 buyin. That's why I enjoy going to vegas and playing at the mirage. Thanks folks.

[ungarop]

Oceans 11 - 2/3 NL for 100-300 buyin

[SammyG-SD]

Sycuan and Palomar both you let you buyin for $300 on the 3/1 - 3/2

[slasherx]

Thank you both. Oceans 11 sounds the closest, about 50-60 miles from here.

[mingorama]

Pechanga has $100-$300 for their $2-$3 game also.

[SammyG-SD]

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Pechanga has $100-$300 for their $2-$3 game also.

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and is the best during football season.

[slasherx]

[ QUOTE ]
Pechanga has $100-$300 for their $2-$3 game also.

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Since when did they get a 2/3 game? I haven't been there in a few months. I've only played their 1/3 game, nothing more.

[SammyG-SD]

your right it is 3/1. I have been addicted to Palomar and it is messing with my brain.

[ThaHero]

I was told that Morongo's 2/5 game was either uncapped or at 500. May be out of your price range though.

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
Are there any card rooms in socal that actually let you buy in for 100x the BB? I've been to morongo and their 1/3 is $100 buyin, pechanga is $80 buyin for 1/2 and I got the hell out of dodge after seeing the upstairs room in commerce. I want something like 1/2 for $200 buyin. That's why I enjoy going to vegas and playing at the mirage. Thanks folks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Cliff Notes follow.

On the very small blind (e.g., $1-$2) games deep stack probably won't work well in the LA area. LA County sheriff interpretation of state law requires that the entire collection/drop (see note below) be taken on any flop. This creates awkward situations in small blind games when you get a small pot.

My observation is that deep stack low blind games can have very large average pots but the average is heavily influenced by the occasional giant pot. Meanwhile the median pots tend to be smaller than the fixed or spread buy games with identical blinds. Taking a full drop from a let's say $10 medium pot makes is sick; especially when deep stack players tend to be more serious and have a clue about the overhead.

Places like Hawaiian Gardens and Commerce succeed with their small blind NL games by keeping the small fixed buyin and creating a party atmosphere (Hawaiian Gardens did a smart thing locating this section across from the bar). The small buyin and party atmosphere tends to build larger median pots and drive out the more serious players.

If you select games well and put time in you can play sort of deep stack against almost clueless opponents. On weekend nights some tables seem to average a rebuy every hand. I'm guessing there are a few youngish 2+2ers on a small BR making some money in these games.

Cliff Notes: In LA you simply need to play higher if you want to play deep stack NL and I doubt this will change in the foreseeable future. This is mostly due to the way the drop is taken.

~ Rick


PS Almost forgot my note. The law clearly indicates that the drop cannot be taken as a percentage of pot size. Yet in the last year many of the LA area card clubs have found a way to take an extra dollar on the river (or even on a called turn bet) when there is action. IMO this opens the door for a possibly improved method of collection; perhaps $2 on the flop, a dollar on the turn, and a dollar on the river (I mean improved when you compare this to taking everything all at once on the flop!). I still hope to write more extensively on this someday; right now I'm simply too busy.