Mini-Trip Report: Artichoke Joes’ new no-limit game.

[Garland]

Mini-Trip Report: Artichoke Joes’ new no-limit game in San Bruno, CA.

New no-limit ring game started today, and I decided to take the long drive up and play for a few hours to scout the new game so everyone in the Bay Area can understand the new rules, structure, game texture (basically a service to 2+2 Bay Area brick and mortar players) and also give me a chance to give a mini-report as well [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Game: $100 to $300 buy-in no-limit. No Jackpot.
Rake: Time collection at $6 per half hour on the half hour collected each time a new dealer comes.
Blinds: BB = $2, SB = $2, Button $1. Minimum bring in is the sum of the blinds, or $5.
Straddle Options: Anyone on the table can “kill” the pot by posting $5 before the cards come out from any position except between the button and SB. This will make the minimum bring in $10 and the killer would be last to act. There are many, many players getting used to the adjustment because they are used to checking their option or folding prematurely when there’s a raise to them. There is no official straddle UTG option like other no-limit games.

New player or missed blind options: If you are a new player or miss your blinds, you can wait for the BB and post the normal $2, but most wouldn’t to wait due to (a) the usual gambling impatient nature of low limit players, and (b) the fact it’s a time collection game and you don’t want to waste 10 minutes or so twiddling your thumbs at $6 per half hour.

If you’re a new player, or if you miss the blinds (which includes if you just miss the button $1 blind hand!) you can kill the pot for $5 and be last to act. There is no “double kill” and any new player has the first option to kill. If there are two or more players, only one can kill it at a time. You cannot be a new player and kill between the SB and button.

Game: Fairly loose aggressive with the mistakes you can expect low limit players to make: Not raising enough pre-flop, mini-raising pre-flop, improper bet sizes, etc. It’s still a fantastic game, but not donktastic during the few hours I played (Friday afternoon). Players are not too tricky either.

I enter the game with the intent to donk around a bit. Not play horribly, but to be much looser in later position and play well post flop.

I enter the game at 4:00PM with the intent to play only a few hours. Enter for full $300.

Hand #1

Folds to CO who raises to $20 with only $130 or so behind. I find T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], but can’t get a proper read on CO and opt to call, see a flop and take it from there. Good thing too, because SB mini-reraises to $40 with like $400 to $500 behind. CO calls, and I naturally call (I have about $260 or so behind).

Flop comes K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]7[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] SB bets $50, CO goes all-in, I muck, SB snap-calls and A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] fails to improve against SB’s KK.

Hand #2
My stack dwindles to little more than $200 , and I intend to re-buy back to $300 as soon as I am one “Franklin convenient” to do so. There are a few limpers to me in CO, and I limp with the awesome J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], button limps, blinds call, away we go!

Flop (Pot = $35, 7 players) Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Checks to loose semi-aggressive UTG+1 bad limit player leads for $25, CO calls, I shove all-in and all fold to UTG+1 who calls instantly, CO folds. Ok I know I need help. How much? UTG+1 slams down his cards and I see about the worst possible hand against mine: the mightier K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Let’s see, not only is he ahead, but his K blocks one of my straight outs, his K nulls my J outs, and I have to get a K, non-heart 8 or 4 to win: 9 outs. I’d rather go against a set. At least I’m not going against K[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] also killing my ‘4’ outs.

Turn: K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] River:5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] Ship it!

Hand #3
I limp UTG for $5 with 88, UTG+2 raises to $20 [he had open-raised to $50 before with KK, so I don’t put him on a monster], called by 2 other non-blind players, and I forgo my option to limp re-raise and call.

Flop: 8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] I lead for a questionable $40 (I really wanted to induce a raise), original raiser folds, called in two spots. Crap. Turn is a perfect 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and enough fooling around, I bet $175, which is about what anyone remaining has (one might have a little more than that) and everyone folds.

Hand #4
Someone mini-raises in early position, caller, I have 22 on button and call, a blind calls. (Pot ~ $40) Flop comes J[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]4[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], I bet $25, BB calls, all others fold.

Turn 7[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] BB check-calls $75

River: 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] BB check-calls $125 and shows Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img].

Hand #5

I limp UTG with JJ, and a few limpers are along. BB short-stacked player with $149 total raises to $25, I limp re-raise to $120 to isolate, BB pushes remainder of stack and I lose the race to AK when AKQ flops and I fail to hit my 6 outers. I can’t really complain since I sucked out so badly in Hand #2.

I win a few other small pots, and leave up $262 after 3 and a half hours. Good entertaining game. I think this game is great for low limit players, and won’t do anything to hurt the $15/$30 game.

Hope you enjoyed the report.

Garland

[Frond]

Good report G. Thanks

[Phat Mack]

Nice report. Did they just have the one table going?

[Garland]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice report. Did they just have the one table going?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, just the one now. I have a feeling it could expand. But that's my own personal opinion, and I could be wrong.

Garland

[DrVanNostrin]

Nice report. Sounds like you did alright.

What demographic are the players. Did you get the feeling it was a bunch of regulars?

[KurtSF]

Thanks for the TR Garland. Are there certain days/times the game runs, do you know?

[Garland]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice report. Sounds like you did alright.

What demographic are the players. Did you get the feeling it was a bunch of regulars?

[/ QUOTE ]

It felt like a lot of regulars from low-limits, mostly white guys, and some Vietnamese players, but none of the Chinese guys from the regular $15/$30 game.

Garland

[Garland]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the TR Garland. Are there certain days/times the game runs, do you know?

[/ QUOTE ]

I believe it runs all the time. It started Friday at noon.

It might break up in the middle of the night, who knows? But I don't think they'll have any problems starting again after a few hours.

Garland

[westhoff]

If anyone can straddle, what happens when two people want to straddle? Does first position have the first option? I've never played with time charge. $6 sounds steep, but maybe not, idk. gl in the future there!

[Garland]

[ QUOTE ]
If anyone can straddle, what happens when two people want to straddle? Does first position have the first option? I've never played with time charge. $6 sounds steep, but maybe not, idk. gl in the future there!

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually $6 per half sounds cheap to me. Find me another casino that charges less of a time rake.

If two people want to kill (not straddle), then only one gets to do it. I suspect priority would go to the one without position, but I don't really know. It never really came up as the only time it was killed while I was there was when a new player entered the game.

Garland