Mid-west Poker Vacation

[Gorby]

How many people are in this tourney? How soon do I have to get on the list to play?

[SheridanCat]

Forget Illinois proper. However, Gary, Indiana (Resorts or East Chicago, Indiana (Majestic Star) have good games.

Regards,

T

[TheStation]

For the Thursday tournament in Des Moines - just be there by 4:30pm in a live game for the 6:30 tournament - they give out line passes around that time

There is also a sunday tournament in Des Moines at Noon $50+10 NLHE, I would suggest being in a live game by 10am to get into that

As far as action in Des Moines:
$3/6 LHE
$1/2 NLHE w. $100 min/max buyin
$2/5 NLHE w. $200 min/max buyin (yeah the buyin is small but this game is juicy, due to the big blinds / small buyin, lots of gambling to build stacks early, my favorite game to play down there)

Also sometimes a $10-20 Limit HOE game (Holdem, Omaha High, Omaha High/Low) - I made a lot in this game - I wouldnt sit this game w.o. knowing all 3, its a juicy game w. big swings due to the regular players

Also may find a $5-10 Pot Limit Holdem / Omaha High game on Fridays or Saturdays but these have died off some, I know for awhile they were moved to Meskwaki Casino in Tama, IA but I am not sure if they run anymore, google/call the casino if interested

[AKQJ10]

I just completed a huge road trip (using I-80 west from Chicagoland to Nebraska, then I-29/I-70 from there to the South). I visited:

<ul type="square">[*]Majestic Star Gary ($2-5 and possibly higher, good game selection. Also where I met SheridanCat -- thanks for coming out to Gary!)[*]I of C Bettendorf (very minimal NL, maybe twice a week)[*]Prairie Meadows ($1-2 NL and apparently $2-5 per other responses)[*]Horseshoe Council Bluffs ($2-5 NL)[*]Harrah's North Kansas City ($2-5 NL)[*]Isle of Capri Boonville ($2-5 NL, limited game selection)[/list]
If surroundings don't matter to you, my choice among those would be Horseshoe Council Bluffs. It's a very new and fairly luxurious room, and metro Omaha seems to generate enough demand to maintain multiple $2-5 NL games, which won't be the case with some of those other options. If you're going mostly for the sorroundings, Chicago is the most interesting place on that list (though Gary's a dump), but you live in the Midwest so that's probably not news to you. Gary is also the best NL game selection I saw at any of those rooms. Nonetheless, Omaha's not bad -- there are some things to do there for any non-casino-addicts in your family.

Prairie Meadows is quite nice, but given the choice I'd drive two hours farther to CB. Coming from Madison, though, this may push the drive time to an intolerable 6-8 (?) hours each way, so nearer options may work out equally well.

[JimmythaNut]

The Shoe in CB is my home away from home and has a very good selection of games. The 2-5 game is usually very soft. They have also begun to spread a 5-10nl game on saturdays that are beatable as well. CB also has a monday rebuy tourney and a wed freezeout with a decent structure for the midwest.

[TheStation]

I would also agree about Horseshoe Council Bluffs is most definitely a more beatable room than Prairie Meadows or Harrah's North KC. The players that live in the Omaha/Coucil Bluffs area are just terrible (worse than Des Moines or Kansas City).

Harrah's North KC is not the best poker room, its open to slot machines (and that slot noise i love...) and also has blaring music, but the 2-5 NL game is cool as its min $100 buyin with a maximum buyin of 75% of the big stack at your table (which can get upwards of $1500 on the weekends easy) Just beware that Missouri law only lets you buy $500 in chips every 2 hour time block, like 6-8pm, 8-10pm...

While finishing up college I was playing 25-30 hours a week at Prairie Meadows in Des Moines. Its a nice room, only 18 months old. Comp rate is $0.65 to $1/hr depending on if your in a white chip ($1) or red chip game ($5). Red chip games are just $10-20 limit and higher and $5-10 blind games and higher. Dealers are knowlegeable and experienced, moreso than dealers I encounter in KC or Omaha on average.

[AKQJ10]

Presumably there's no grounds for appeal based on the fact that the $1-2 N game actually used mostly red chips the day I visited.... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[surfinillini]

what about St Louis?

[Iplayragstoo]

[ QUOTE ]
what about St Louis?

[/ QUOTE ]

Great rooms there..only a couple, but good action. Problem is there is a 500 max buy(in all the casinos) per 2 hours.

[JJNJustin]

I havent played in Minnesota, but hear Cantebury Park is darn tootin'.

-j