The biggest game in (MY) town

[jdoe]

Hi,

I need the wisdom of the 2+2 community. Me and now my buddy run the biggest private game in my (small) town. We play No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. The stacks get pretty deep. Its not unusual to have 3 grand on the table. Now I know this is not really considered big by casino standards but for where I live this game is pretty big.

We drink beer and have a good time, there are never any drugs and we have never took a rake.

As we built the game we posted on the internet to find players. Some of these posts are still out there and I sometimes get an email from someone interested in the game. When I tell them it’s a cash game and how big it can be, most people lose interest.

Recently I have been emailing back and forth with a guy who seems serious about playing. I know nothing about him. I want the action but I don’t want anything bad to happen.

What should I do?

Thanks in advance
Jdoe

[TomHimself]

get a safe,

but i really dont underatand, does the guy seem fishy? up to u i guess

[Lottery Larry]

[ QUOTE ]
The stacks get pretty deep. Its not unusual to have 3 grand on the table. Now I know this is not really considered big by casino standards but for where I live this game is pretty big.

As we built the game we posted on the internet to find players. Some of these posts are still out there and I sometimes get an email from someone interested in the game.

Recently I have been emailing back and forth with a guy who seems serious about playing. I know nothing about him. I want the action but I don’t want anything bad to happen.


[/ QUOTE ]

Jdoe, be very careful about introducing an unknown Internet player to the game. Hopefully you haven't given him any real indication as to where your games are (town), given the size of your game compared to the local average.

Can you meet him for an interview in another location? Somewhere that he can't follow you home, or deduce where your games are?

BTW, I didn't understand what this comment had to do with anything:
"We drink beer and have a good time, there are never any drugs and we have never took a rake. "
(it's "never taken a rake" BTW)

[Gorby]

This is the kind of situation I am in now. We have still had an open door policy. We are always worried that when we bring up the amount of money in the game we will get robbed. I am sure this is always a fear of the home game. Be very carefull I guess of who you invite. Most of our people have heard about us throught the grapevine.

[Zetack]

[ QUOTE ]
Hi,

I need the wisdom of the 2+2 community. Me and now my buddy run the biggest private game in my (small) town. We play No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. The stacks get pretty deep. Its not unusual to have 3 grand on the table. Now I know this is not really considered big by casino standards but for where I live this game is pretty big.

We drink beer and have a good time, there are never any drugs and we have never took a rake.

As we built the game we posted on the internet to find players. Some of these posts are still out there and I sometimes get an email from someone interested in the game. When I tell them it’s a cash game and how big it can be, most people lose interest.

Recently I have been emailing back and forth with a guy who seems serious about playing. I know nothing about him. I want the action but I don’t want anything bad to happen.

What should I do?

Thanks in advance
Jdoe

[/ QUOTE ]

Why bring up the amount of money in the game? It really doesn't seem relevant to any discussion with a potential player. You're playing what, 1/2 maybe 2/4? That's all you need to tell the guy.

What works for us, although it obviously isn't practical for everygody, is that we have a fairly serious gangster playing with us. He's semi-reformed (having been busted) but nobody I can think of wants to give him a reason to get evil...

Nice guy personally and at the tables, but I wouldn't want to meet him in his professional capacity...

[Lottery Larry]

"Wanted- former police officers or gangstas, to provide intimidating presence at a $2/4 game. Must be willing to be used in WOM advertising, to insure game safety."

[roundhouse]

Arrange to meet in a public place, someplace convenient for him. Take a friend if you like. Ask him to bring photo id & proof of address. Take copies of the docs, photograph and interview him nicely. If he's genuinely interested he shouldn't be put off by you wanting to vet him.

RH

[icemanjmw]

[ QUOTE ]
Arrange to meet in a public place, someplace convenient for him. Take a friend if you like. Ask him to bring photo id & proof of address. Take copies of the docs, photograph and interview him nicely. If he's genuinely interested he shouldn't be put off by you wanting to vet him.

RH

[/ QUOTE ]

First of all, I think this looks overally paranoid and if he's a good person he'll be put off by it and probably just find another game. If he is the kind of person you're worried about then he's probably going to see this as implying you have a big enough game that you worry about the money. If he wants to find out where you live from this point it won't be that hard for him to follow you home or get your liscense plate and find out that way.

I say if you already have a good size game, and you have a slightly bad feeling even about this guy, then just politley decline him joining.

[Lester B]

I think there may be a flaw in your approach. I ran a $1/$2 PL dealer's choice game for a while, which was one of the bigger games around at the time.

I never told prospective players how deep the stacks were (200 - 300x the BB weren't uncommon), I just simply made the minimum buy-in $80 and told them they could bring as much as they liked.

Letting people know there will be several grand on the table will not only invite trouble, but it may potentially scare off any fish who have no problem dropping a few hundred here and there.

Later