30-60 Hold'em at the Taj and other observations

[afish]

I was in AC this weekend at both the Taj and the Borgata. Here are a couple of observations:

1. The Taj has started spreading 30-60 hold'em using $10 chips. I'm not sure that this is a good idea, since it has the potential to cannibalize the 20-40 games. On Saturday afternoon/evening there was one 30-60 table running. It looked like a murderers' row of local pros, but the game is available for those who are interested.

2. The Taj rearraged the room, pulling out some tables. The room seemed very full and was much more comfortable. On Saturday, there were 3 20-40 hold'em games, and there seemed to be plenty of 10-20 and 20-40 stud.

3. The 20-40 hold'em games at the Taj continue to be substantially better (but more wild) than the 20-40 games at the Borgata. I played with several lunatics. Here are two sample hands to give a flavor for how the game was playing:

Hand 1: Three players (including one guy who was playing every hand) limp. I raise with AJo on the button. SB folds, BB calls. Flop is A 9 6 rainbow. Checked to me, I bet, and get three callers. Turn is a 5. Checked to me, I bet and get two callers. River is a 4. Checked to me, I bet, get one caller, and then get check-raised by the guy playing any two cards. I fold and the other player calls. The check-raiser shows 23o and wins with a straight.

Hand 2: Loose player raises. I call with AhJh. Next player three-bets. The guy who won with 23o calls out of the small blind. BB folds, and loose player and I call. Flop is 2h 6h 7c. SB checks. Loose player bets, I raise, next player three-bets, SB calls, loose player caps, and we all call. Turn is 3h. SB checks, loose player bets, I raise, next player folds, SB calls, and loose player calls. River is a blank. Checked to me, I bet, SB folds, and loose player calls, showing KhQh. SB said he was on a straight flush draw. In other words, he called 50 preflop and 60 cold on the flop with very little and then called 80 cold on the turn with either the 4h or 5h hoping to hit a one outer.

3. The Taj dealers are now much better than the Borgata dealers. The Borgata is a victim of its own success, but they really need to step up their training. It was a pleasure to play at the Taj. At the Borgata, some half-hour periods are plagued with dealer mistakes and confusion.

4. The Borgata shuffle machines are having trouble with new cards and are constantly malfunctioning. This plus the sub-par dealers and the hordes of people are detracting from the Borgata experience.

5. I think the Borgata made a mistake spreading a $250 + $30 tournament on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The tournament drew 560 players, and there really weren't sufficient tables for cash games until around 4-5 pm. As a result, the lists grew like wildfire.

[Hoss1193]

Nice report. Exactly the sort of insight and real-time info that keeps me coming back to this forum.

[GreywolfNYC]

Thanks for a well-done, informative post.

[poker327]

The 20/40 I played in Borgata on Friday was loose and passive (not typical at Borgata in my experience), but I agree with you in general the games at Taj seem to be better, but you have to be willing to hold on. I just debate whether I should be playing 20/40 limit or 2/5 NL. The last couple Borgata 2/5 games I have played the tables seemed too tight to make much money from (it doesn't help that I am running bad), but that could just be bad table selection on my part too.

I also agree that they should not have had the tournament on Friday.

[Jeffage]

20-40 at Taj is a great game, pretty much at all times I've played in it. Assuming your bankroll is fine and 2k losses won't bother you too much, I'd play that (it's also been good at Borg the last few times I've sat, but Taj is always the best IMO).

Jeff