Alright everyone, this is how it apparently works.
There will be a 1/2 cash game today May 15th at 8:00pm.
There MIGHT be a tournament before that if people show in time and there would be more than 20 people. I'm pretty sure that there will be more than 20 people but I'm not sure if Middle eastern people make it on time.
Anyone is welcome to come, it will be 100% rake-free both the cash game and the tournament if it would happen.
Food and drinks and shisha aka hookah will be available from the restaurant.
smoking is not allowed indoor, so smokers can smoke outside.
I'll be honest. For the most part, it was short-stack poker and it frustrated the hell out of me. For me, this is not 'real' poker. But it is miles better than 'free' poker. Once I embraced that, I happily jammed $10 in pre-flop with Q7s and was thrilled to triple up with a rivered 2pr. Later, I called all-in with an overpair and gutshot on the flop for a double up on the turn. Lots of bad beats and gambling but I didn't find it nearly as enjoyable as playing in Vegas or even the average home cash game. But that is just me. For some, I'm sure they'd love it. Nice room, the people are friendly and the food looks great.
The chips are ok but the cards could seriously use an upgrade. They are using standard round tables with a table cloth. I guess a topper could improve that? We were 9-handed and it was fairly comfortable.
I may go back in the future but as it is now, it would not be my first choice. Bill, don't get any ideas. Your place is not even on the list.
Something to consider for those thinking of attending: if you order food or drinks, they'll run a tab for you. When it comes time to pay, the minimum tab is $10. So go hungry and thirsty!
Oh yeah. Milo was a stand-up guy and brought me a Snickers as promised.
The facility was well populated, with over twenty tables active (mostly dominoes and other activities) . . . the reception for this "outsider" was, as expected, gracious and welcoming. There was a fair bit of non-English chatter at our table but, as a guest, I am not going to quibble. Based on the tone and gestures, most of it seemed to be of the "how can you play that crap for 20 BBs?" variety.
The food DID look delicious, particularly a dish called Fatush (sp?). It seemed to be quite popular at several tables, so I am going to assume they are doing it "right". I ordered a tea and it was FANTASTIC. Strong and hot. I will definitely be skipping dinner before a return visit. On to the poker . . .
If you are expecting casino level rules and regs, forget it. They are fairly relaxed about leaving the table missing blinds, etc. There are some quirks about leaving the deck on the table after the deal . . . nothing that you cannot get used to quickly, just different. As Greg said, not necessarily the kind of poker most here would be used to but hey, their house, their rules, right?
The "gamble" aspect of the game is no joke. the buy-in is typically 50 BBs, but most of the table would only play between 5-20 BBs at a time. The adjustment took a while to get used to, and I understand Greg's frustration, but that is simply how they play.
I think I agree with Greg . . . it would not be a regular haunt for me . . . but it was definitely an enjoyable group of players to sit with. Many thanks to sniper and his Father for allowing us to come out.
As i said before, i also am not used to the 10bb stacks, although it gets really deep later at night there was a 450$ pot at the end.
They have some different rules, that me myself am not used to nor like it.
They have been playing this way since ages in the middle-east and most of them are friends. If more new comers come they can implement more rules.As for now they are enjoying their time. They even "tip" each other when the dealer gives a huge hand or big suck-out etc and the are just having fun.
The decks and other things are not professional, its a rake-free friendly game.
I will ask Mark to get better decks the next time i talk to him.
As for fattoush, its a salad, famous in Lebanon, made of toasted bread and they cut the veggies usually in big pieces and then put pomegranate sauce on top. Definitely something different.
Sniper . . . please understand, nothing I posted was meant as a criticism. It was more an information posting for others here that may wish to come out and see what the game is like. As you said, they have been playing like this for quite some time. It would be a poor guest who would come to another person's establishment and immediately begin telling them what they are doing wrong. That was not the purpose of my post, nor, I am sure, Greg's comments.
The Gemaco deck (the red one from last night) actually IS a decent quality plastic deck. Trust me, I have a boat load of plastic cards that I use at home. If the club is thinking of purchasing a supply of better quality cards, I would be happy to make a recommendation, or even source them for you.
I thought the chips were pretty good, actually.
Thanks for the info. on Fattoush. I am going to come again soon simply to try it out. Of course . . . the poker would be an added bonus, too.
As for the $450.00 pot, I am guessing that Saad (hope I spelled that right) took it down? I could not get a read on him at all last night.
I'm not sure if my post sounded defensive, i didn't mean that in anyway and i appreciate your feedback.
I want them to improve as much anyone else if not more since i want to play there and enjoy my time when i go. I don't agree with a lot of what they do as well and i think it is dumb to play min of 10$ in a 1/2 game.
I'm not sure whats the name of the guy, but he was to the right of my father.
it was a 3 way all in pot with AA, vs TJ vs open ended str8 draw on 5TJX5 board All in on flop and AA won.
I would ask them to change the decks ASAP and would love to hear any advice of where they could get some.
You are welcome to come anytime as well as any forum-er
That would have been the gentleman I meant. He said his name was Saad, which means "happy" apparently. Unless it was the younger guy who joined the table later in the evening.
As for cards, I would recommend getting a bunch of Copags. They are a good card at a good price point. They can be purchased on-line from a local supplier
shipped for free. that would be 12 decks, which should last you quite a while playing only once a week. The Copags I mentioned previous would cost you $10.00 per deck (sold two decks at a time).
NO . . . you read that wrong. The standard buy-in was $100.00. Some of the players would only put 10-25 dollars worth of chips on the table at a time, however. Slightly different, and I think some eyebrows might be raised if you just pulled out a tenner.
NO . . . you read that wrong. The standard buy-in was $100.00. Some of the players would only put 10-25 dollars worth of chips on the table at a time, however. Slightly different, and I think some eyebrows might be raised if you just pulled out a tenner.
Sounds like min buy-in of $10. The only thing that really matters is the amount in play.
Do the average stacks quickly go up over 70-100bb or does it play fairly short the whole night?
I played from 8:30 to 11:30. I started with the full 100 on the table. Stacks tended to get deeper as the night went on. Obv, if the player with $20 on the table doubles up, he just keeps rolling. I reloaded once, and cashed out even for the night, after paying my tab. Most of the stacks were over or close to $100.00, though there were a few shorties when I left.
Based on what sniperboy has said, and what I saw in terms of playing styles, I would assume it gets pretty deep later in the evening.
Comments
There will be a 1/2 cash game today May 15th at 8:00pm.
There MIGHT be a tournament before that if people show in time and there would be more than 20 people. I'm pretty sure that there will be more than 20 people but I'm not sure if Middle eastern people make it on time.
Anyone is welcome to come, it will be 100% rake-free both the cash game and the tournament if it would happen.
Food and drinks and shisha aka hookah will be available from the restaurant.
smoking is not allowed indoor, so smokers can smoke outside.
For further info please PM me.
Welcome to the Forum's Hookahs and Bro's Night Out.
If anyone wants to meet up first, there's a Timmy's not far. Let me know.
The chips are ok but the cards could seriously use an upgrade. They are using standard round tables with a table cloth. I guess a topper could improve that? We were 9-handed and it was fairly comfortable.
I may go back in the future but as it is now, it would not be my first choice. Bill, don't get any ideas. Your place is not even on the list.
Something to consider for those thinking of attending: if you order food or drinks, they'll run a tab for you. When it comes time to pay, the minimum tab is $10. So go hungry and thirsty!
Oh yeah. Milo was a stand-up guy and brought me a Snickers as promised.
a snickers between two male friends? questionable.
i have heard of some home games that were declared illegal so what's the point of debating it?
The facility was well populated, with over twenty tables active (mostly dominoes and other activities) . . . the reception for this "outsider" was, as expected, gracious and welcoming. There was a fair bit of non-English chatter at our table but, as a guest, I am not going to quibble. Based on the tone and gestures, most of it seemed to be of the "how can you play that crap for 20 BBs?" variety.
The food DID look delicious, particularly a dish called Fatush (sp?). It seemed to be quite popular at several tables, so I am going to assume they are doing it "right". I ordered a tea and it was FANTASTIC. Strong and hot. I will definitely be skipping dinner before a return visit. On to the poker . . .
If you are expecting casino level rules and regs, forget it. They are fairly relaxed about leaving the table missing blinds, etc. There are some quirks about leaving the deck on the table after the deal . . . nothing that you cannot get used to quickly, just different. As Greg said, not necessarily the kind of poker most here would be used to but hey, their house, their rules, right?
The "gamble" aspect of the game is no joke. the buy-in is typically 50 BBs, but most of the table would only play between 5-20 BBs at a time. The adjustment took a while to get used to, and I understand Greg's frustration, but that is simply how they play.
I think I agree with Greg . . . it would not be a regular haunt for me . . . but it was definitely an enjoyable group of players to sit with. Many thanks to sniper and his Father for allowing us to come out.
As i said before, i also am not used to the 10bb stacks, although it gets really deep later at night there was a 450$ pot at the end.
They have some different rules, that me myself am not used to nor like it.
They have been playing this way since ages in the middle-east and most of them are friends. If more new comers come they can implement more rules.As for now they are enjoying their time. They even "tip" each other when the dealer gives a huge hand or big suck-out etc and the are just having fun.
The decks and other things are not professional, its a rake-free friendly game.
I will ask Mark to get better decks the next time i talk to him.
As for fattoush, its a salad, famous in Lebanon, made of toasted bread and they cut the veggies usually in big pieces and then put pomegranate sauce on top. Definitely something different.
It only runs on Thursdays.
The Gemaco deck (the red one from last night) actually IS a decent quality plastic deck. Trust me, I have a boat load of plastic cards that I use at home. If the club is thinking of purchasing a supply of better quality cards, I would be happy to make a recommendation, or even source them for you.
I thought the chips were pretty good, actually.
Thanks for the info. on Fattoush. I am going to come again soon simply to try it out. Of course . . . the poker would be an added bonus, too.
As for the $450.00 pot, I am guessing that Saad (hope I spelled that right) took it down? I could not get a read on him at all last night.
I want them to improve as much anyone else if not more since i want to play there and enjoy my time when i go. I don't agree with a lot of what they do as well and i think it is dumb to play min of 10$ in a 1/2 game.
I'm not sure whats the name of the guy, but he was to the right of my father.
it was a 3 way all in pot with AA, vs TJ vs open ended str8 draw on 5TJX5 board All in on flop and AA won.
I would ask them to change the decks ASAP and would love to hear any advice of where they could get some.
You are welcome to come anytime as well as any forum-er
As for cards, I would recommend getting a bunch of Copags. They are a good card at a good price point. They can be purchased on-line from a local supplier
www.straightpokersupplies.com
They will ship free for orders over $65.00, so you could get 6 set-ups of these . . .
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shipped for free. that would be 12 decks, which should last you quite a while playing only once a week. The Copags I mentioned previous would cost you $10.00 per deck (sold two decks at a time).
i will send them the link above and tell them to buy it. I'm heading to Montreal today for the week so i wont be there this thursday.
Thank you Milo.
Sounds like min buy-in of $10. The only thing that really matters is the amount in play.
Do the average stacks quickly go up over 70-100bb or does it play fairly short the whole night?
Based on what sniperboy has said, and what I saw in terms of playing styles, I would assume it gets pretty deep later in the evening.
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