Borgata $20/$40, Two Staking Opportunities

[pocketpared]

I would guess that to reduce variance it would be better for 2 players financially linked to play at separate tables anyway. If you play at the same table both your results would be affected by the same nut hands held by other players, although in this particular instance, both players aren't playing an equal split to a joint bankroll. At least, this would be correct at other forms of advantage play at casino table games where multiple partners play a joint bankroll against a dealer. Without having come across the topic in any of the poker books I've read so far, I imagine it would apply to poker as well.

[pocketpared]

I was warned about this by a sharp friend who lives in AC and plays almost daily at either the Taj or the Borg. He walked me around and pointed out the cast of characters. Among other things, three players, all staked by the same person, playing in the same game. When the bigger games open on the weekend, they all flock to those and the lesser games become playable.

[jkamowitz]

On Staking in General:

As I have moved up (slowly) through the poker ladder, I have been repeatedly offered to be staked. Right now, as I slowly transition from 20/40 to 40/80 (which is a slow gradual shot taking process) I have heard from both dear friends, opponents, and even strangers that they'd be happy to stake me for 40/80 and even 80/160. Each time I politely declined.

I understand the desire to play in bigger games and that it's important to be able to lose the money you put onto the table. However, being staked may also have long term implications as has been hinted at regarding some of the higher stakes Borgata players. You may have a losing session resulting in not only your confidence in yourself but also the confidence of your friend. Also, it will be clear to anyone in the game that you are taking a shot, and are not a regular. This will (as often does) result in people taking more shots at you, pushing back harder, testing you. A suitable bankroll is the only thing that will stop this punishment, along with great play of course.

So, if you really truly want to play bigger and can't wait the few months or so until you get another 500 bucks, by all means take your friends money.

However, if you are serious about improving your bankroll management, and solidifying your assetts, I strongly advise against it.

FWIW, I have never been backed but have in fact borrowed money once when I was running/playing bad only to sure I had more if need be. I didn't even touch it but it was a comfort to feel that my guns still had ammo. So I understand if this is also about that.

If you're always borrowing money, it makes it awfully tough to save.

[ackid]

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Actually I also don't like playing against a married couple at the table. I think it is fine at "friendly" games, say 4/8 and below, but nothing higher than that.

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There is one married couple that I play with at the Borgata in the 10/20. They always play together with the wife to the left of the husband (a guy with a fulltilt cap). I have no problem with this since I have never seen them collude in any way. In fact they both wear headphones so they don't have to talk to each other. Life is beautiful...

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They were sitting at my table a few weeks back with a guy that looked like Bruce Willis in seat 1 and a guy that looked like Robert Varkoney in the # 4 seat.

[terp]

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1) this is not a B&M topic. Just because your going to play at the Borg doesnt mean its a B&M specific discussion, staking is a universal poker discussion regardless of limits/games/locations. In the future please keep non-B&M discussion in the appropriate forum, poker theory and beginners would both be good options.

2) In your history of 2+2 you have made only one post in the strategy forums. Spend your investment there rather than risking your friend's money. If I was in the staking business you would be a very poor risk, your "credit rating" would be the equivelent of someone who is on unemployment.

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this is one of the best replies i ever read on this site

[DrewOnTilt]

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Uh, isn't this like ian from the borgata, at 80-160 bankrolling his group of broke degenerates.

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Ian has bankrolled up to a dirty dozen at a time and all the way from 20/40 to 40/80 to 80/160. Somehow the Borgata thinks that players betting wild with some impunity at the same table is not collusion as it went on for years. I'm sure they were just having fun with the millions that Ian used to have. Or so I hear. I'm only gossipping about this because I find it repulsive and it also seems counter productive to those involved.

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Once you've played with that cast of characters a half dozen times or so, it isn't hard to figure out who is staked by someone else at the table, or has some other potential conflict of interest.

I agree that it is bad for poker in the long term, but I really don't think that a casino can do anything about financial arrangements made away from the table.

[duquedelsol]

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2) In your history of 2+2 you have made only one post in the strategy forums. Spend your investment there rather than risking your friend's money. If I was in the staking business you would be a very poor risk, your "credit rating" would be the equivelent of someone who is on unemployment.

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this is one of the best replies i ever read on this site

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I agree...because there is no way that someone with only one post on the 2+2 strategy forum could EVER be a good player...obviously all of the good information ever written about poker can be found there - and only there...

[Eponymous]

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2) In your history of 2+2 you have made only one post in the strategy forums. Spend your investment there rather than risking your friend's money. If I was in the staking business you would be a very poor risk, your "credit rating" would be the equivelent of someone who is on unemployment.

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this is one of the best replies i ever read on this site

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I agree...because there is no way that someone with only one post on the 2+2 strategy forum could EVER be a good player...obviously all of the good information ever written about poker can be found there - and only there...

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My 2 cents on this: I also have approximately 1 post on strategy forums. That doesn't mean I don't spend a lot of time studying poker. I have an extensive library of poker books (many from 2+2) which I read, re-read, and study. I also read poker strategy articles in magazines and play as much as I can to get the necessary experience (not to mention watching poker on tv which is mostly entertainment, but also allows me to think about the game). Just because I choose to participate in 2+2 non-strategy forums but spend my time actually studying poker using different mechanisms doesn't mean I'm not serious about learning to be the best poker player I can be. I feel that once I have a certain level of expertise and have read most everything I want to read, I might start spending some of my poker study time on the 2+2 strategy forums. In the meantime, I continue to enjoy the forums that are more pertinent to me: books, tv, and B&M (and a little NV&G for fun).

[Mr. AtlanticCity]

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2) In your history of 2+2 you have made only one post in the strategy forums. Spend your investment there rather than risking your friend's money. If I was in the staking business you would be a very poor risk, your "credit rating" would be the equivelent of someone who is on unemployment.

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this is one of the best replies i ever read on this site

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I agree...because there is no way that someone with only one post on the 2+2 strategy forum could EVER be a good player...obviously all of the good information ever written about poker can be found there - and only there...

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No, I think this takes it as best reply, or better, best comeback.

Just my uninteresting two cents, do not leave your comfort zone even if your being backed by someone. Your the player, you know your limits and what you can beat or play, do not let anyone else control that. Either tell them that you could earn more being confortable at your normal limit then being nervous due to unfamiliarity at a higher limit, or the backer needs to back off.

[Mr. AtlanticCity]

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I also caught spectators behind the glass wall in the corridor flashing signals to players sitting across the table to those players with their backs to the glass; they were peeking at hole cards of players with their backs to the glass.

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Good point. This is one of the major reasons I do not like the Taj. It's like playing in a big fishtank (no pun). And the fact that some players put more grease from their Chinesse take-out on the chips then a napkin is the other reason why. Next time I play there, I'm taking a bowl and a bottle of Purell to wash every single chip I get.