Soft 4-8 in Vegas

[Don Olney]

If you can not walk into any Las Vegas room that has 4/8 and find a game that fits your style of play and beat it you are in trouble.
From the MGM area down to Wynn's there are games of every style.
Tight, loose and super raise happy pre-flop. 9 out of 10 hands will go the the river but no big deal.
Those hitting town on a short budget should find games where a few tight players are sitting. You know they play only good (for 4/8) hands and only stay in with something of value.
Have fun, play smart and enjoy.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
With all due respect TT, I think you are answering from the POV of a much more experienced higher limit live player, NOT from the POV of the OP.

Let me ask it this way. Say your best friend who had never played live before was coming to LV with a $1k bankroll and a week. Your friend is bound and determined to play a lot of 4/8. Do you mean to tell me you have NO OPINION about which casino he should start at and why? I'll bet that you DO have an opinion about which casino your friend should hit first and why.

[/ QUOTE ]

I teach live and online poker, usually its at the micro limits online and at low limits live. I still play 2/4 and 4/8 on occasion both to teach and to have a laugh, its ridiculously easy to play because you dont have to think too hard (at least compared to the higher limit games I have played). The 4/8 games still play everywhere in Vegas exactly as they are described in Small Stakes Hold'em, it hasn't changed a bit. The only difference between casinos is the personalities of the players the casino attracts, the comps, and the environment. Do you want to play with retired folks or drunk 20 somethings, sports fans or retarded locals - thats the real question. Do you want to play a game where the dealers generally make the game run faster, or do you want a slow paced room?

Anyone who says one room is better than another at these low levels is just deluding themselves, tables can change from one game to another within the same room but generally all the rooms play exactly alike -and the opponents are wonderfully horrible at poker, even the opponents who think they are good at limit hold'em generally suck and are exploitable at the 4/8 limit.

[*TT*]

[ QUOTE ]
Those hitting town on a short budget should find games where a few tight players are sitting. You know they play only good (for 4/8) hands and only stay in with something of value.

[/ QUOTE ]

Id generally advise against playing a tight table if your looking to score the maximum potential profit, its the loose and wild tables where you can make a killing playing good ABC poker. The downside of these loose and wild games is that the varience you experiance will shoot through the roof. if your looking for a low varience option then Don's advice is spot on, but understand the win potential is diminished. I'd rather play a game where its 4-5 players to the river every time and get sucked out on a lot than a game where its bet on the flop and everyone folds, the loose and passive games have the greatest earning potential.

[Diana Ross Fan]

[ QUOTE ]
Just my opinion... and I'll restate my quantum theory of limits. If a place offers 2/4, 3/6 & 4/8 and then the next limit is 9/18; 4/8 will NOT be your softest game. Look to 2/4 or 3/6. On the other hand, if the offered limits are 4/8, 6/12 and 9/18, then 4/8 WILL be the softest game at that location.

[/ QUOTE ]

I noticed something like that too. At rooms with a variety of low limits, the second lowest game was often the tightest. Filled with guys thinking 'I'm too good to play at [lowest limit]'

[27offsooot]

[ QUOTE ]
On occasion any room in Vegas can develop a tough(er) table, but to say one room in Vegas is better than another at the 4/8 level is really a silly thing to say because its not true.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is it me or are you contradicting yourself in the same sentence? On one hand, it is possible to find a tougher table, and then on the other all 4/8 games are of equal quality???

Yes, any 4/8 game is a joke for u or I. But that doesn't mean that there are not soft, softer, and Party circa 2004 soft 4/8 tables. For most players, there is a difference between these. And even more experienced players would have a higher earn at the Party-eque tables.

As for which are best, i have no idea. I had a ton of fun playing MGM 4/8 a month or so ago.

[SellingtheDrama]

I think what TT is trying to say is that it is largely random as to the quality of a LL table. Occasionally one develops that is significantly tight, but its not a casino-dependent function.

And I agree with a couple posts up about second-lowest limits being tougher than lowest limits.

[Dondoh]

Just curious - how big is your bankroll (for the trip, not necessarily your entire roll)? Seems to me that a lot of online players overestimate how low they need to play live.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, I was planning to take 1600 or so to play with. But you are right, that is not my entire bankroll.

[CORed]

My last time in Vegas, I was in a 4-8 game at the Venetian that was ridiculously soft. Half the people at the table didn't seem to have ever played in a casino before. They had to be told to protect their cards, made string raises, etc. The game was ridiculously loose and passive. I ran bad for awhile, and had several hands where I bet top-pair good kicker all the way, got only calls, and lost to a set, two-pair or something. I ended up about $30 down. Variance.

[Dondoh]

I really appreciate all the posts helping me here. You guys have me thinking that maybe I should drop down and play some .25-.50 to warm myself up...
Excellent advice all around from everyone. Thanks.
Soft as a baby's bottom sounds good, now if only the cards will cooperate a little.

[Don Olney]

16 out here is just fine.
Have fun and enjoy.