indian casino poker questions.

Im thinking about going to my local indian casino to play some 1/2 nl poker with $50 today around 4pm. What type of players can I expect around this time on a saturday? Also, what do ppl usually raise preflop at a casino? In short, can I start with $50, or is it just going to be a waste of money?

What area are you in? There are lots of casinos - especially here in the San Diego area. They are all different.

JB

with 50 dollars you have 25 big blinds, this is not nearly enough.

Ideally you are going to want 200 dollars to start off. As far as the play it varies you'll see alot of regulars they'll be chatting with the dealers like they are friends asking about weekends and such you'll see alot of retired people, you'll even see college aged kids from time to time that came in the night before after the bars closed and haven't left yet.

The play from everyone will be different though plenty of lags and tags and nits to go around just get a feel for your table before you start throwing chips around.

Yes you will need more then 50 dollars to play those tables, and you can expect the tag but mostly those that will chase about anything. If you only have about a hundred then try the limit tables, ull last longer and have fun, but again they chase anything and everything

good luck

If I only had 50 dollars - I would just get into a tournament. If they are small - something like a $35 buy in - and they only have 5-6 tables - it can be pretty good if you make it to the money. There even may be a re-buy or add on for $10-$15. That would make up your $50. Most of the tournament players (that I have found) at the Indian Casinos are one time tourists, retired people, and other people that play backyard beer poker with friends. In short - they are not all that good. One problem that I have with the cash games at these places is that those retired people seem to not give a hoot about losing money. Heck - they are going to die soon anyway, and they have to get rid of the cash. I dont like playing with these people. They have nothing better to do than sit there for hours with a big stack of chips - chit chatting with the dealers and each other while they clean you out.

JB

$50 at 1/2 isnt enough. if possible play a small tournament.

The casino where I mainly play poker is technically an indian casino.I play at Foxwoods in CT and it is always crowded especially since the WPT goes there twice a year. I pretty much stick to single table sit-n-go games there since all their tables are full.

Lumping retired people into "they are not all that good" is not cool, whippersnapper!

I did not mean to offend any poker players - the comment is directed at the people that have no job (retired) and nothing better to do (retired) and some spending cash (retired) that want to fool around playing cards. They seem to show up at the local indian casinos for entertainment once in a while. I do not mean to confuse them with the people that are retired, but serious about the game. There are quite a few of those types also. Basically, if you got to the casino on the senior citizen's field trip bus for the yearly buffet luncheon - I'm talking to you. By all means - I dont consider the person that shows up weekly for a tournament and sits in cash games to be in the same league.

JB

You can expect about the level of one cent/two cent online, maybe a little worse. Lots of limps, and at least two callers even if you raise a huge % of your stack and have not played a hand in hours.

I disagree with everyone saying $50 isn't enough: at my local casino the max buy-in is only $100 for $1/$2, so you are pretty much short stacked and playing two street poker anyway (raise preflop, get called in several spots, move in on the flop). Having only $50 in front of you might actually be better than having a awkward size stack of around 50bbs. You simply need to understand how to play the short stack in a ring game-- see Ed Miller's writings for the ideal strategy.

I could be wrong, but don't most short-stack cash game strategies assume that you have multiple buy-ins available to you as well?

Lets see...

Is the br only $50 total? Then since we must assume that is easily replaced, being willing to risk it all at once isn't that big of a deal. Anyway, see this and this recent article by Ed Miller. Obvioulsy you will have a very different strategy playing a short stack in a cash game as opposed to deep stack poker, but it is NOT an inherent disadvantage.

True - I just interpreted it as OP has $50 to play with for this session and that's it.

Miller's strategy in the first article assumes that both players have equal amounts of money available to them - so effectively they've got an equal chance, he's just artificially capping every pot at $600. If he only had the $300 available to him though, my understanding is that his opponent would stand a better chance of taking his money in the end.

But I could be reading it wrong and besides, I'm a tournament hack so I should probably just STFU now