Stud at Turning Stone (warning: Includes HE content)

[MRBAA]

Stopped in on Sunday night coming back from dropping my daughter at summer camp. I sampled all the low limit action in the room and here's what I found:

n/l HE: As you'd expect the games were good. There was one 70+ guy, one 50+ guy, one 40+ guy (me) and 7 under 30s at the table. Lots of loose action, most players were at least somewhat aware of bet sizing, pot odds and the like. An entertaining game and one where you really had to look hard to find a good gambling opportunity. I didn't have many cards in my 2- hours and my most notable hand, after folding for a couple of laps, was when I picked up TT in late position. A loose raiser made it $10 utg, a decent player cold called utg+1, folded to me and I pushed for $37 (I sat with $50). They both folded. Net for 2 hours: +$26

3-6 limit HE: This was strange -- they had 3-6 and then 15-30 with nothing in between for limit. I was on an interest list for 5-10 but it never went despite having over 10 names because (the floor said) starting it would have broken one of the three 3-6 games. Anyway, there's also a 1-3 game, so this isn't the bottom, but with a $4-max rake I'd much rather play 5-10. Here the players were less alert and aggressive than in n/l, many just wanted to limp and hope to hit a flop. 5-8 to a flop was not uncommon. I'm about in the middle age wise. Lots more luck oriented talk etc. Finding a good gambling opportunity is easier than in the n/l game, but it takes a lot of thinking to identify when pot odds/card odds and hand reading justify a call, raise or fold. Entertaining game, although in a different way than the n/l. Hand of the night here, I raise first in (a rarity) with AQs in the co, short-stacked young player havers and wavers and cold calls. Blinds fold. Flop comes AKQ with two diamonds (I have spades). I bet, he raises, I three bet, he calls. Turn comes another A, I bet, he raises, I call (he now has one bet left)
River a blank, I bet, he calls and MHIG (he had JT for flopped str8).
Net for 2 hours: -$20

Okay, now for the stud. The only game was 1-5 no ante, $1 bring in. Ugh. I sit making it a full table, I'm the second youngest at the table, and several of the others have 30 years on me. They are loose, passive and listless. Play is dull. I love stud, so I play for an hour anyway. I don't get a single pair (really, not one)and it's easy to identify good gambling opportunities when they (rarely) arise. Otherwise, you just sit there and watch a weak limp fest. Hand of the night: The only hand I played past 4th street -- I catch a totally live four flush, call a couple of $3 bets, river the ace of my suit and get a crying $5 call. Net +$16

The game broke within an hour after I got up. Three players died and the others didn't want to play four-handed.

Contrasted with the much livelier stud scenes at Fox and AC, this really got me thinking about better structures. I think a .50 ante would be okay, but best would be a $1-3 blind structure (with $3-6 betting limits) just like in the HE game. That's right, no low card bring in, just a moving button and blinds regardless of up cards. All other streets would have playing order determined by boards, just as now, but to get the action going (and some $$ in the pot) -- and make it familiar to he players, we'd start off with blinds. I really think this could help lead to livelier action at the lower limits.

Cheers, and sorry about the he content.