Where to play in the Bay Area?

[mellonBALLER]

I just turned 21 (WOOOO!) and am looking for a good spot to work on live gameplay in the Bay Area. Where's a good spot? I've heard Lucky Chances is the best for NL but what about Bay 101? I'd like to play NL but will settle for a low/mid level limit game: 5/10, 6/12 or so. None of the websites of casino's in the area have any information about the games/limits/play. Anybody know anything out there. All help is greatly appreciated.

[pfapfap]

http://poker.wikia.com/wiki/Bay_Area

Beyond that, here are some tips:

* Pay attention to the action and act in turn.
* When acting, announce what you intend to do (call or raise) while you're cutting out chips, rather than finishing counting chips and then throwing them in.
* Don't splash the pot.
* Don't try to impress those around you with your poker knowledge.
* Don't distract the dealer trying to impress him/her with your poker knowledge.
* Don't talk aloud about hands.
* Don't talk about all your great laydowns.
* Don't talk about odds, ever.
* Don't criticize anybody else's play.
* If you're the kind who agrees with tipping, don't forget to do it (the adrenaline from winning a pot can distract you).

And last but not least...

* Nobody, and I mean nobody, gives two craps about your bad beat stories.

Okay, get out there and have fun! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[i am run]

bay101.. no NLHE due to laws that restrict it in SanJose.. they have really soft 4/8 spread omaha, thats what id go there for..

as for NL.. i used to drive out to jackson before turning 21 because of the softness of there NL games... but for an extra hour drive.. RENO.

[Popped Rod]

[ QUOTE ]
...what about Bay 101? I'd like to play NL but will settle for a low/mid level limit game: 5/10, 6/12 or so.

[/ QUOTE ]

What kind of bankroll/buy-in can you afford?

Probably the best game in the Bay Area (IMHO) is the 10-200 spread limit at Bay101. Min buy-in is $400, max is $1000. There are three blinds: BB (10), SB (5) and Button (5) with a $5.00 drop on a full table.

[postoakpoker]

[ QUOTE ]
http://poker.wikia.com/wiki/Bay_Area

[/ QUOTE ]

I just noticed that the spread-limit rake at Bay 101 is $5 regardless of whether a flop is dealt or not. Will this make the 5-200 spread difficult to beat, or does the nature of the game (extremely loose, from the very little of what i've heard/read) put that fear to rest? Anybody who's played in this games, comments would be much appreciated. Thanks

[pig4bill]

As in most games, it depends on who's playing. It's popular enough that there are usually 4 full tables going, so you won't be playing with the same 8 characters every time. It plays big enough that the drop is not a big deal. It's only a buck more than Vegas. Open raise is usually $20 to $25. If someone opens for $15, there will usually be a few callers at least. The point being, if there's a flop, the pot is usually going to be $50 or more. Since a number of Vegas casinos now drop for a jackpot, it's basically equivalent overall.

The pace of the 5-200 can range from a table full of shortstacks mostly limping to super aggro Vietnamese and Filipinos buying in 4 times in their first hour, then winning it all back and more in the second hour.

[pmccaf02]

I've been playing in the Bay Area since I was 19. I just turned 21 in June. I haven't taken the trip down to Bay 101 or Lucky Chances, but I have played frequently at Pacheco, Jackson, San Pablo, and Oaks.

Oaks doesn't offer any No-Limit games, but their 6-12 limit Hold 'Em and 4-8 stud are pretty soft. They have $300 + 30 (?) Saturday tournaments during the summer that are pretty soft.
www.oakscardclub.com
Jackson is great. The 1/2 and 2/5 no limit games are ridiculously soft. They also hold a lot of tournaments, and while I don't know about the structure, the action is probably very soft. The Rancheria also has a great atmosphere. Dealers are friendly, casino is clean, and poker room is only a year old.
www.jacksoncasino.com

San Pablo is kind of a dump, but from the few times I've played there, the action seems pretty good. They have a three blind structure.
www.casino-sanpablo.com

Pacheco has a pretty good game, especially on weekends. Atmoshpere is awful and I've seen a fight or two in the room, but the play is as bad as would be expected at a place where people fight over cards and floor rulings. Their 1/2 nl game is pretty soft, their 6/12 game plays like a 3/6 game and their 12/24 game plays like the 6/12 game except more aggressive with 3 or 4 people to the flop.
www.californiagrandcasino.com

[Torello]

You can rape the Bay 101 5-200 if you're a good player. It plays more or less like no limit because of the $200 max buyin. If you're not a good player, please come and play the 10-200.

The one thing to note strategy wise is that they drop $5 even without a flop if there's a pf raise. With only $10 in total blinds, this greatly impacts the play when it's folded around to the cutoff. Stealing is almost worthless (still raise with good hands to get called by weak defenders), as is defending without the goods, and chopping is a must.

[Popped Rod]

[ QUOTE ]
I just noticed that the spread-limit rake at Bay 101 is $5 regardless of whether a flop is dealt or not. Will this make the 5-200 spread difficult to beat, or does the nature of the game (extremely loose, from the very little of what i've heard/read) put that fear to rest? Anybody who's played in this games, comments would be much appreciated. Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

The Bay101 collection on the 5-200 is as follows:
$5.00 (7+ players)
$3.00 (6 players)
$1.00 (5 or less)

The above applies on any action, Blind bets included. That's why it is almost always better to chop if it is folded to the button's blind. The 5-200 blinds are BB (5), SB (3), Button (2). If chopped, the button surrenders $1.00.

If you want 5-200, I think the Garden City structure is more player friendly. only two blinds... BB (5) and SB (3). Preflop raises with no callers takes pot and only $1.00 drop. However, this game is inconsistently spread at GC, bt will have a long list when it does get going.

HTH, Rod

[Onaflag]

[ QUOTE ]
they have really soft 4/8 spread omaha, thats what id go there for..

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah. Good game. If you get your name on the list now you might get a seat before your next birthday. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]