The Unit receives a passing grade
After a long absence I made it out to the Unit tonight to play in the tourney as well as the cash game.
Some of you may have read the thread where the poster basically told players not to go there because it sucked for various reasons, but let’s not rehash that.
Here is my experience in a nutshell. Both games were well run, the atmosphere amongst the players was light, friendly and/or fun.
The hostess was hot. (If that's important
)
The dealers were fast and efficient with no errors that I was aware of.
Their clientele has matured a little since my last visit. The age group was around 20ish to 40ish I would guess with a noticeable absence of the 18-19 year old wannabe gangstas with the hoodies quoting all the stats.
I was offered my choice of steak, veal, or chicken sandwiches. I give the chicken cutlet two thumbs up.
Unfortunately this is not a paid endorsement as I got slapped on both the tourney and cash game. It could have been worse but I was able to get away from some big hands when I felt I was beat.
Oh yeah, one of the tables does have a stain so if that matters to you I suggest you sit at one of the 3 other tables which are in very good condition.
To sum it up, the club is fun, safe, well run, and most of all the games/players are beatable!
Bill
Some of you may have read the thread where the poster basically told players not to go there because it sucked for various reasons, but let’s not rehash that.
Here is my experience in a nutshell. Both games were well run, the atmosphere amongst the players was light, friendly and/or fun.
The hostess was hot. (If that's important
)The dealers were fast and efficient with no errors that I was aware of.
Their clientele has matured a little since my last visit. The age group was around 20ish to 40ish I would guess with a noticeable absence of the 18-19 year old wannabe gangstas with the hoodies quoting all the stats.
I was offered my choice of steak, veal, or chicken sandwiches. I give the chicken cutlet two thumbs up.
Unfortunately this is not a paid endorsement as I got slapped on both the tourney and cash game. It could have been worse but I was able to get away from some big hands when I felt I was beat.
Oh yeah, one of the tables does have a stain so if that matters to you I suggest you sit at one of the 3 other tables which are in very good condition.
To sum it up, the club is fun, safe, well run, and most of all the games/players are beatable!
Bill
Comments
Yeah, the Unit is alright.
Yeah the sandwiches were ok, I am upset I got knocked out early and didn't wait for the cash game. Ohh well.
It was Great to see you after such a long time! I'm glad you had a good time. And as aways, Jay and I really appreciate your kind words. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Jay and Two,
The UNIT
Jay/Two, hope there are no hard feelings. I made some much needed money, and it seems that your business did better because of me. Seems like you got more attention, and more players because of my postings.
See you on Tuesday, and I am glad the food has improved recently.
The Unit is cool to play at, except, the rake is like either $9 or $10 I believe.
It is too bad that you let the previous comedy influence your decision to check out this club. Check them out for yourself and let me know what you think.
Regarding the rake: Just ask the guys at the unit and I am sure they will tell you exactly what it is. I paid attention to a few of the pots but not many because I was not concerned about it. I am not worried about their rake because it seemed to be in line with the other places. Plus everything was running very smoothly like I said in my OP, which left me at ease to have a few laughs while still paying attention to the players.
Clubs come and go all the time but the ones that are around for years like the unit are generally worth the trip.
Like I said before, I had a good time losing my money.
Play at the Unit if you want, its an ok place to play.
Like I said, I think the rake is up to $10, or 10%.
So if you don't mind the rake, then go play at The Unit.
Jay/Two are good guys, pretty good players too.
I do believe the rake is about $10 max, $1/2 NL.
They have a high hand jackpot called the Unit Special, its Ace-Five Straight Flush. It's hard to hit though, who the hell plays those very little cards especially with alot of pre-flop raises going around !!!
They also have smaller payouts for stuff like Quads or Straight and Royal flush, but its definitely not as much as the Unit Special. The A-5 straight flush definitely pays the most on their board.
It is an ongoing payout, which accumulates bit by bit if no one hits it.
I do not know the rake and wouldn't discuss the rake on a public forum. Go check it out for yourself since it is in the area or take the word of someone who has only 40 posts, most of which revolve around humorous deceit.
Good luck at the tables!
I play at The Unit all the time, I do know the rake, why do you think no one from The Unit is coming on here bashing me over The Rake issue?
Like I said, I believe the Rake is max $10 on their 1/2$ NL game.
If you don't believe me, why don't you call Jay/Two at 1-647-205-8648 and ask them???
Jay/Two,
The UNIT
Just play poker.....
I have found in my experience that the seasoned cash game or tourney player, has a roll, or stack with which they come on play. A winning player makes his stack grow. I smell out the cheap guys straight away. It is not offside to ask about rake....but to govern your poker descision over 10$ or 12$ per hand is stupid.
Where I run, players show up at a table and sit down with 200 to 1000 dollars. Rake is not thier main concern.....winning is. And if they should happen to bust out....tbhey are more concerned with the bad beat, bad hand, or poor setup..NOT whether the rake ate up 1 extra dollar per hand. HOW STUPID.
If you or anyone would like a stiffly enforced 5$ rake.....than drive 2 hours to our nearest Casino, wait 2 hours for a seat, and then drive 2 hours back......THATS A FUCKEN RAKE!. (GAS, TIME, IRRITATION) and dont forget the other money you shoot and lose while your their into a slot at BJ spot, or some other donkey house game table.
GET REAL SKULLN BONES or anyone who disagrees with me.....
Our clubs, Jay/Two's mine, or anyone elses run the risk of doing business and providing poker arenas where action comes to play. Some are closer, some are further, but one is just right for you, caus eyou like to play there. And if you like the atmosphere, than you make it your home.....regardless of rake.
Try going to greek town and paying rake in 5-5NL games where rake max is 30$ per hand and no one bats an eye.
I dont want to speak for Jay and Two but I am sure that they would love to have all kinds of new facees walk in the door to try the place out (and say somethign if you disagree Jay or Two)......but to be honest the business flurishes when players commit to the game and play a full session, with re-buy money available. It promotes longevity and more money on the tables. If you are the consumer concious player that shows up with your 150$ (which can go in one hand), and put up the continuous stink that this SKULLnBOnes guy has......than I am sure you fall into the category of borderline undesirable. Especially if youre going to spew the crap that he has.
We can see you comming a mile away. My biggest pet peeve anyway, is when a new player wants to come check you out, and asks about rake first. My place gets 5 tables in a tuesday night for a tourney.....dont assume you are smarter than 50 other people by choosing not to attend. There is no wool being pulled over peoples eyes. We all have something tangible to offer the poker community. I think you are stupid for skipping a Unit Tuesday or any other tourney that draws out the fish.
Our clubs are becomming more and more of what I like to call poker arenas. Step into one, and you will meet the most seasoned of players, mixed with the learners and hopefulls that want to be seasoned. This makes for an atmosphere where one can improve your game. Play against the best our city has to offer. On this privilege, how can you put a price. Tell me I will sit with the best around, and learn, and I will pay whatever reasonable fucken rake is required.
And if you dont believe the best show up to play just check thier records. Some of the units regulars have cashed 100's of thousands of dollars on professional tour events. They visit us aswell...they play everywhere.....why.....because they crave the arena......
SkullnBones.......you need to check why you set out to play poker at a club to begin with......if it is to make a car payment....than I am sorry to say.....youre probably in trouble. But if it is to do what I said in the last few paragraphs...than start respecting the Arena for what it is, and lend respect to the people who are building that arena for you.
Big ups Jay and Two
and as Esool puts it....keep the 19 year old Wannabee gangstas at the door.
At least you admit the max rake is about $10.
You make it out like its ok that the owner's make a ton of money off people.
You make it seem like underground games are righteous or something. Bottomline is underground poker clubs are illegal. If there is a rake, its illegal.
No one is raking in the dough.....
We do not have huge cash counting machines and a big room where all we do is count money. I am sure Two and Jay will tell you that running a tourney after paying dealers and buying food,, drink, and hiring a hostess runs at a loss to our clubs.
We also have rent. We are running businesses that must pay rent, purchase equipment, deal with depreciation of that equipment, pay for supplies, and keep up a stocked fridge and daily meals.
Players pay approximately 12$ an hour in a raked game, that is NL and slower moving.
You pay more to play POOL at a POOL hall. You pay more to get your HAIR CUT, you pay more to drive your car for an hour. You pay more per hour to use your cell phone.......... I could think of lots of things you would rather pay more for in the same hour......and NONE OF THEM GIVE YOU THE CHANCE TO DOUBLE OR TRIPLE UP. Try making 12$ an hour work at a blackjack table...or a slot machine....WHY ARE PEOPLE SO CONFUSED BY THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INDUSTY. WHy don't yop gather 10 friends and play in your basement.....take no rake......advertise it.....have fun.....and find yourself out 300$ when you feed them, and be hospitable. Maybe you all split some food and pich in........OOOOPS Theres RAKE Creeping in. Not to mention the time you spend on the phone tring to set a date and convince 10 friends to come play......OOOOOOOPS, one of your friends busts out early, and you need to find another 10th.....hey in poker some win some lose!! you can expect 3 or 4 guys to be on the short stack pretty early......now you need 15 people for the game to last, cause some go broke.......OOOOps you did not think about the whole picture,a nd how much work it is to organize and make a healthy game run.....now you are spending your time, and effort.......and then one of you players complains about something.......you would rather shoot him than spend the time making him feel better....he is a poinson pill now making your other players uncomfoartable....and your game is fucked......
I dont know about you.....but I will make money for all the time and headaches that running a successfull game entails.
Open your eyes you young, inexperienced and narrow minded fool.
am I wrong, did I stereotype you incorrectly.....are you older than I think......
if so......than shame on you even more.
RiverRatJosh
You fucking fool......poker does require you to risk all your money....when you lose the rake is 100% you idiot. A tourney usually pays out only 10% of the field entered.....which would mean there is a 90% chance you will lose, which means Rake means nothing to you.......and lets say you win......are you going to complain that your 2K first prize should have been 2100$.
Don't want to pay rake? Stay out of the underground clubs and play nickel/dime crap shoots at home.
Skull...give it up...every single one of your posts to date is a bitch about something, either rake or club, and you have given nothing back.
And why won't the moderators ban this guy anyway?
Rake can be the difference between winning & losing for the majority of players, about only 10% win long-term (there's a high % who break even who would win if the rake weren't so big). Max rake @ Rama is $5 on 2/5 NL w/ $500 max buy-in. Max rake @ some clubs is $20 I've heard. That's a big difference.
I live DT, it takes 90 mins going slow (100 km/h on hwy). Most casinos allow calling-ahead, you wait 30 mins or less except holidays. There are buses in all of Ont that are as cheap as $2 (casinos reimburses the bus co).
There are lots of fish at the casinos, there are also some sharks. You can improve & learn at the casinos. Some casino regulars cash big @ pro events. You can double up or lose 2 buy-ins at any poker game.
Most dealers say most clubs don't pay them, they work off tips. Most clubs are very cheap on food, usually serving cheap pizza people say. I wouldn't complain about cheap pizza, I'm just saying it's not some huge cost. Equipment is a 1-time cost, most clubs don't replace tables, chairs, & chips for yrs. Only cards are replaced regularly, & it's a relatively small cost.
Glad you noticed RiverRatJosh is a complete Idiot, probably with an elementary school education. The Unit does not pay its dealers, they make their money off tips. They deal fast, and the hands go very fast.
Equipment??? This guy is a joker, what equipment? The cards and chairs, and poker chips???
The Unit has a deal with a catering company, $100 a night tops.
First off, huge expenses like Food and drink, are you kidding.
Food, most likely under $100 (How much does Pizza cost? or Sandwiches)
Drinks??? How much does a case of coke or bottled water cost? $10????
The Unit has no hostess, and I believe the waitress makes her money off tips.
I don't believe The Unit pays rent to the Church. Depreciation of poker cards??? lol.
Meals are delivered by a caterer at night ($100 or less per poker night)
So, by yer own math, $12 per person X 10 players.
The Rake may be $120 per hour.
So If the game runs 10 hours, the owners would have made $1200 that day.
$1200 - $100(Food) - $0(dealers+server) -$0(rent) = $1100
$1100 profit(no tax paid to government)
Owners don't make shit do they?
A business that makes 1100 dollars profit free and clear 2 nights a week is a pretty shitty business. 2200 a week......8800 a month......please subtract the 1800 lets say a month for rent (BTW we pay 3k a month at my club) and that leaves 6600 to split amongst 2 parteners (if you have 2) (we have 5 at mine).......
Listen at my age.....I am not forgoing a good day job to make 2500 or even 2k a month, which seems to be a best case scenario based on your numbers.
I dont know why I am even entertaining this line of questioning any further.....
I think you are still young, and have many years to discover that living in this city alone, and even worse with a family requires you to pull down more than 4K a month to live decently.
iguess what i am trying to say finally....and I mean it.....is simply that you clearly dont understand the inner workings of our industry, and I can tell business in general.
I appologize about the harsh words, as I was hot writting the last post.
but I sincerely hope you figure it all out one day.
for now.......
Gamble Gamble Gamble!!!
btw, I would think a lot of clubs pay very little rent each month as they hold their tournaments at bars where the club owner is earning a lot of money off drinks and food. I could be wrong on this point. Some clubs also hold tournaments more than two nights a week which would cut down on their expenses as the rent would be a fixed cost for the month.
I can understand where you are coming from, when you say you need $4000 a month to live off of. I believe you. I just wanna point out that the money you make is not legitimate, and is part of organized crime.
If you really distrust the club that much, I'd be worried about more then them trying to grab an extra buck per pot. While I personally don't like the high hand, I don't think it is that relevant. Clubs make there money off the rake. The high-hand helps to attract some of the bad players since it's a big number they have a chance to win. It also encourages them to play more bad hands in order to hit it. Isn't anything the club does to encourage bad players to play worse ultimately a good thing? For the good players, you simply treat the high-hand as part of the rake (so instead of max $5 or $10, it's max $6 or $11). But if you stand to win more from the bad players (since they're chasing the HH), isn't the increased "rake" worth it? I totally agree with Josh - if you're a good player, the rake is pretty much irrelevant. It's only when you are a more marginal player that the rake really matters that much (at least in NL - it's far more relevant in limit where you are winning pots rather than stacks).
As for Skullz - why is anybody still trying to carry on a dialog with him? Just ignore him and hope tha Wes finally bans him. Replying simply gives him a reason to keep posting. Great response Josh, but obviously wasted considering who it was directed to, so save the effort and let him die a quiet death.
This is easily the stupidest argument I've ever seen anyone written. If you don't understand that the rake is a HUGE drag on winrate, then you should stop playing immediately.
Why would anyone do that? I want to play against the worst players imaginable. If you play against good players with a huge rake, YOU ALL LOSE.
DUCY?
10% rake is high. Spin it (aka market it) however you want, the players will tell you if it's too high or not by not attending. If the market supports it, congrats. If it doesn't, well g'luck.
If a casino, who has to pay a hell of a lot more fixed costs than some club in nowhere, can survive at 5% I doubt there's any real argument as to why 10% is valid.
Thank you, now everyone please follow.