(Trash Talk) Tuesday Night Poker at the Hard Rock
They’re calling it Trash Talk Tuesdays, and indeed, have heard a teensy little buzz about it around town. Follow me on twitter for updates. My plan is to play tight and not get caught up in twittering.
As you can tell, this will be a big game for me — essentially $2/$5/$10 NLH that I hear grows even bigger as the night goes on. I’m a little nervous — am pretty sure it’s poor game selection to risk a third of your bankroll in a potentially wild, unfamiliar game playing at higher stakes than you’re used to. But sheesh, they’ve even got a bonus for playing the hammer! Go Dream Team money …
From Hard Rock Poker Lounge:
Trash Talk Tuesdays
Bad Sportsmanship Encouraged – ornery dealers, slow rollers & grown men crying…
Buy-in: $300-$3000
Mandatory “Hard Rock Straddle” on the button
Blinds: $2-$5
Seven Deuce BountyWarning: If you’re a whiny little baby who can’t take a joke about ginormously fat and disgusting your mother is, then this event is not for you. So stop reading this and MOVE ON!
More about this game from 2+2 here and Doc W (who took the picture from that game above) here.
UPDATE: You can see my results on twitter … but in a nutshell, this game plays WAAY bigger than 2/5 or even 5/10. Got my ass handed to me (twice) before dropping down to “Wacky 1-2” … which is essentially the same game with 1/2 blinds and a forced $4 straddle.
Johnny Hughes says:
August 5th, 2009 at 6:45am
I play two,five blind pot limit, Hold ’em, where 500 is a comfortable enough stack of chips to defend yourself, and make a good profit. However, when they start putting 10 on it, you need a 1000 in front of you not to be pushed around. That usually happens about the time I am headed home. With 10 on it, it is a wilder game, and the blinds hurt a tight player.
Poker Shrink says:
August 5th, 2009 at 7:53am
As I have so eloquently said in the past:
http://tinyurl.com/m3djxk
If they are going to use a mandatory button straddle, why not just put the jokers back in the deck? There is a reason they call these things gimmicks. Either it’s a game of skill or it isn’t.
pinkerton says:
August 5th, 2009 at 9:12am
Adding a mandatory straddle doesn’t make this less a game of skill. This actually sounds like an interesting game that’s got to be wicked crazy action. There’s definitely a skill in both playing your straddle and playing against a straddle. If you’re talking about skill in that you want to see a lot of cheap flops, then battle it out from there, then I agree. As for profitability, I would think this is an excellent game to nit and have people bet into your large hands.
I like it honestly, I love it when you can get 7-2 going, and I’ve always loved a Mississippi straddle. If I get back to vegas with a reasonable bankroll, I’ll definitely check this out.
DanM says:
August 5th, 2009 at 12:21pm
yeah, i disagree with you shrink. it simply adds some new components of skill … primarily it affects the betting in big ways.
FWIW, I got my ass handed to me (twice) in the above-mentioned big game, and made most of it back when i dropped down to “Wacky 1-2” … which was like the above game, but only a $4 forced button straddle.
Poker Shrink says:
August 5th, 2009 at 2:23pm
Why are there forced blinds?
To stimulate action with a pot in play before the first player acts. We compensate the forced blinds by allowing them to act last in the first round. But in many rooms (not the Hard Rock) the blinds actually act first because of the button straddle. Now if the rooms want to offer tables w/ straddles and those w/o then I have no problem but fundamentally a straddle anywhere but under the gun is a change in the game, which imho is no more skillful than a wild card or any other gimmick to stimulate action.
Change the game anyway you like, as long as all players at the table agree or you post the gimmicks before I take a seat. For my bankroll, I prefer a game of skill not chance.
DanM says:
August 5th, 2009 at 2:40pm
LOL, while a few players I stacked in the little game may agree with you that I did so without skill, my contention with the straddle isn’t that it removes skill, it just adds another level of pre-flop thinking.
>>>>e.g. if everyone limps for 4, we know the button (after the blinds have done their action) may well raise big with nothing … is this player capable of that? will one of the blinds pick up on that matter and pre-emptively do that … and will the button see what’s up and re-raise … what range of hands might he do with that … and overall, how good of a call is it for me really then with KJ in middle position? I could raise but my images is loose aggressive, so any AJ or higher will re-raise me but maybe i can just build a pot with a little raise and calling any re-raise to give the other players “pot odds” to call … yeah, that should work … if the flop comes out with any sort of middle cards i should be able to represent suited connectors so long as i can count on that button re-raise to push out the potential two-pair floppers …<<<< i'm not saying i would want to play that way all the time ... i'm all for at least 80 percent purity in life and poker ... but it's at least as much fun as playing 3-6 badugi.
Poker Shrink says:
August 5th, 2009 at 3:20pm
“…but it’s at least as much fun as playing 3-6 badugi.”
Dan, you need to get out less.
David Alexander says:
August 6th, 2009 at 9:37am
When I was there back in June….
There was in excess of 60k on the table…
And the play went pretty much 50-200-500..
Way bigger than a 2/5/10