Trip Report: The Oaks (long)

[raphet99]

Cliff notes: a newbie goes to the Oaks, wins some dough and eats some potstickers.

A lot of folks ask about card rooms in the East Bay but I haven't seen a trip report for the Oaks. I've been 3 times in the past few weeks and had a very good experience each time.

I play low limit hold-em online (between $1/$2 and $3/$6) and the Oaks has $1/$2, $2/$4, $3/$6, and $6/$12 every night and on Fridays (maybe saturdays???) they spread higher games (up to $30/$60 or maybe only $30/$60). The have a bunch of other games...Omaha, Pan, PaiGow, etc...but whatever. I decided on $3/$6 due to bankroll and I didn't want to play scared at a higher limit. Also, the 2 lowest limits are true loose passive donkfests. There's an Asian guy who plays $1/$2 that has the craziest laugh...and he laughs a LOT. He's there all the time.

I found the $3/$6 to be similar but with a few good players that were very easy to read. Of the three nights I played on one table half were playing every hand and passive and half were loose or tight but aggressive. One table was loose passive with almost everyone limping in or calling two bets to see a flop. The last night was a combo of weak tight and loose passive...the best! So, basically there are plenty of bad players at this limit and lot of money to be won. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] There are plenty of suck outs at this level. You just have to know when TP is beat and get out if you don't have a draw. Some people will limp in every hand and only play for two pair or better. Like 5-2 offsuit, people!!! No Joke.

The room itself is big with high ceilings and lots of lights. 25 or so tables on the floor, plus there is a back area that holds about 6 more tables. Not the newest and best decorated room but the actual tables have been redone recently and all on the floor have nice rails, felt and automatic shufflers. the chairs are just okay, but there's a secret stash of extra cushions somewhere and old asian men and others will drag two or three cushions with them from table to table. Kinda funny.

People are there to play cards. Even if they are terrible, they are very serious. Not a lot of drinking. I was the only one at my table on three different visits to have a beer. No wait, some black guy with a rhinestone studded Michael Jordan (or some balla) t-shirt and a pink pick sticking out of the front of his 'fro was "slumming" at $3/$6 (he normally plays $6/$12 I guess), ordered a beer and a Long Island, and wondered why he busted out saying "...no one can win at $3/$6" [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] I really wanted him to buy back in.

The things of importance for newbies...there is a podium to your right by the steps when you walk in. Go there and ask how long for your limit. They will sign you up and then call your name when there is a space at a table. You can sign up for more than one limit if one wait will be a long time and you want to get in a game ASAP. The wait can vary. Friday nights there are the most games (it seems) so the waits are shorter. People come in and out of games a lot whether they are busting out or they want a table change or they are called to another game. I waited 30 minutes; 1 hour; 10 minutes.

Ther are tons of chip runners and you just wait til you get to your table and the dealer will call for chips if someone isn't following you to the table. No one tips the chip runners that I have seen. (I'm not sure how the tips work there...pooled?) They are very on top of things and want every player to get right in the game...if no chips come right away often the dealer will have a few in their rack or another player will spot you until the chip runner gets to the table. I spotted one lady like three times as she kept reaching into her purse..."$20 in chips, please...play two hands...$20 in chips, please...play 4 hands...$20 in chips please..." She lost like $200 easy and was still going when I left.

The dealers were all very good, courteous, knowledgeable and not afraid to call the floor if a problem arose. A few were chatty with regulars, but not too much and only a couple of times did any mess up. A couple were newer and needed a little help reading the board, but everyone is cool with that and no one was nitty. Everyone tokes the dealers at least $1 per pot at $3/$6 and some toke up to $5 depending on the pot. I tipped $1 a pot plus another $1-$2 at dealer change if I felt the dealer was particularly good. The floor is very quick to respond and all issues that I saw were handled promtly, professionally and the players were satisfied with the results. One guy got pissed off and he threw his cards because he got rivered, again. The floor was right there - they didn't kick him out, just kind of gave him a warning and walked him to his table change since he had just gotten called to another game. He had been playing out to the blind on our table and busted out. Too bad...he sucked. I wanted him to stay as well. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

A couple of cool hands. First night: I'm dealt QJ in middle position. Passives to my right, aggros to my left. A couple of limpers, I raise to fold some of the aggros, a couple who are tight. Super tight blind reraises and about 5 go to the flop of QJx. Yes! BB bets out and I smoothcall to keep everyone in. Turn is another beautiful lady. We all go to the river which is a Ten and I raise after the passives fold thinking I won't get another bet out of the WSOP wannabe to my left (an older slick arabic guy with a muscle t-shirt, bandana and sunglasses who kept saying, "how can you play that trash" when clearly the winner had him beat the whole way) but I wanted another bet from the raiser. Guy to my left calls two!!! (He kinda sucked, too) and the original bettor thinks, calls time, out loud puts me on AQ and says, "i've got it", calls and tables his strait. My first huge pot...my hands were a little shaky as I was stacking the ships. It was very exciting.

It didn't last long as I then went four bets on the river with the nut flush only to lose to a strait flush. 1st night: up $95

Next night i couldn't get a hand...my stack went up and down and up and down. After several hours I had about $25 or so in chips (I buy in for $100 and if I win, I win, if I lose it, I go home...no rebuys), saw K5s and decided I'm going home after this hand no matter what and threw in my 3 chips. Some a-hole raises and it's like 6 or 7 to the flop. 526 rainbow. It gets checked around (I probably should have bet...) Turn is a 5. Hooray! BB bets, I raise, a couple people fold but most stay in. River is a three, I bet the end with only onechip left...the one protecting my cards... and scoop about $125. Some girl to my right says she folded A4 for 2 bets. Whew!! [img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] Rack up and GO HOME. 2nd night up $25

Third night I just couldn't lose, but I also felt I had a better handle on what to play and how to play the players. And I wasn't as nervous. Example, raised a couple of pots and won. Raised AK UTG everyone folds...that NEVER happens! Next orbit get KK UTG and just limp, someone raises and I re-raise and scoop a big one with 3 kings. 3rd night: up $380...woot! [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

As far as comps, etc, there is free coffee, tea and water but everything else you have to pay for, but at a pretty good discount, maybe 25%? There is a restaurant and full bar and lots of service folks passing through at all times. You can eat at the table, though I'd recommend eating with a fork or staying away from the finger food. The food is pretty good as well. I sampled the Grilled Ham & Cheese sandwich - yeah I needed a bunch of napkins, and the potstickers which I ate with a fork. Diner fare and chinese food...a weird combo, but that's the clientele.

People ask about the neighborhood and I think is has a reputation for being shady, but a lot of the shady stuff has been cleared up in the area since the shopping complex (Home Depot, Best Buy, etc) moved in several years ago. Yeah, there's a bunch of cardroom people hanging out smoking but I think security and the local police do a good job of keeping the homeless and other riff-raff out of the area. I am female and have never felt unsafe in the area. The only gross thing was I parked my car in the last space (there are three parking lots) and when I got back to my car it really smelled like someone had used the corner to take a leak. Of the parking space...not my car. Still a bummer.

I am taking my winnings and moving up on my next visit and we'll see if I can hold my own. Based on the few guys in my games that normaally play $6/$12, I don't think I'll have a problem. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[raphet99]

wtf - 34 people have looked at this and not one tl;dr or other assinine comment? ...i should've posted in another forum...

[Corpsebean]

Oaks = No NL = Poop.

TL;DR though.

[MWers]

Nice trip report. I play at the Oaks a fair amount. It's not the nicest room in the Bay Area, but it's probably my favorite.

For the wait, it's common to put your name on the list for multiple limits, take the first seat that opens up, and leave your name on the list for the limit you're interested in. 3/6 is usually easy to get on, but sometimes there will be 20 names on the 3/6 list and 5 names on the 2/4 list, or vice versa.

Foodwise, the turkey sandwich there is sick!

[context]

I liked it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

[treo650]

I like how they are upgrading the table tops, adding
shuffle machines and installing more flat panel TVs.

They just need to:
(1) add shuffle machines to the tables in the back room
(2) get the existing shuffle machines to stop breaking down
(never seen the Bay101 machines down, but the Oaks
always has some broken)
(3) change the sign-up board. Hard to see the board
because it's high-up and only facing the signup person.
They need to add a video display of the board like
at Wynn, MGM Las Vegas, ...

Looks like they are spreading higher-limit Omaha Hi-Lo
recently(?) 9-18 and 6-12 instead of just 4-8

[Georgia Avenue]

Good report...Oaks is the one CA cardroom I've been to and I had a great time there. I thought it was full of insane freaks and thugs and things but I'm from the east coast--maybe thats just Oakland!

Did you see any bizzare characters?

Also, sounds like you need to raise more.

Also, pics plz? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[MWers]

There are definitely still plenty of "insane freaks and thugs and things" at the Oaks! Here's an article on one of them:

http://www.eastbayexpress.com/Issues...ture_full.html

There are a couple unflattering pics of the Oaks here:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object...01.DTL&o=0
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object...SGOVHA9301.DTL

[neuroman]

[ QUOTE ]
pics plz?

[/ QUOTE ]

[SumZero]

[ QUOTE ]
(2) get the existing shuffle machines to stop breaking down
(never seen the Bay101 machines down, but the Oaks
always has some broken)


[/ QUOTE ]

You have very different experience with Bay101 than me. 3 times in the last couple of months at tournaments I've seen shuffle machines break down some way or another (take 3 minutes to shuffle or red light every time or every second time). To Bay101's credit normally they are decent (20-40 minutes) at breaking the table or swapping in a working shuffle machine.

I have no idea what Oaks is like, but I think the shuffle machines break down at Bay101 not that uncommonly but they have spares to swap in so it doesn't effect people too much.