Poker in the states

tipp86

Hi im looking for a little advise as im planning a 6 week trip to the states(june8-july16).I know some will say use the b&m forum on 2+2, i plan on doing this but i want an irish perspective to it.


I plan on been in california(San fran, LA, San diego) for 3-4 weeks is the commerce the only place i should bother trying to play in this time?

How did people find the games in california $1-2 1-3 2-5?Tournys even?

Any advise how to mind money if i was to win as the accomadation wont be high class?can you open bank account?any other ideas?

Should i save my time, money, energy for the 2 or 3 weeks il be in vegas?

Thanks in advance:)

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

tipp86

The Scientist wrote: »

Did the J1 thing in San fran a few years back, i dont remember seeing any Casinos there though and i used travel around the City every day in a truck.
I think poker is illegal there actually, maybe not though.
The best thing to do is find some J1ers and play for their dollas, the Dubs are great for donating.
Make sure their nicely tanked up with Naddy Ice first.

As for a Bank A/c, yep, i'd advise open one the week you land. I opened one with Citi Bank i think. They were only too happy to sign me up.... They've branches all over the West Coast anyway so you shouldn't have a problem getting access to your Cash.

Enjoy...

Can you open one without been j1? i dont intend on working

ozpoker

Legal poker rooms are all over California and are regulated locally. So size, stakes, hours, etc are all different. There are lots of choices in the major urban areas and there are lots of Indian casinos with poker rooms in more remote areas. If you tell me exactly where you plan to be, I can give you specific recommendations.

-Oz-
(born and raised in California)

tipp86

ozpoker wrote: »

Legal poker rooms are all over California and are regulated locally. So size, stakes, hours, etc are all different. There are lots of choices in the major urban areas and there are lots of Indian casinos with poker rooms in more remote areas. If you tell me exactly where you plan to be, I can give you specific recommendations.

-Oz-
(born and raised in California)

Basically starting in san fran on to santa barbara, La and finnaly san diego before hitting vegas.Im giving myself 5-6 days in each roughly.Is this specific enough im not sure of accomadation anywhere yet.

Im not bothered about playing in each location maybe just the most accesible to the touristy areas or if you felt there is somewhere i should head.

Appreciate the help

phantom_lord

what's the legal age to gambooool?

RoundTower

tipp86 wrote: »

Hi im looking for a little advise as im planning a 6 week trip to the states(june8-july16).I know some will say use the b&m forum on 2+2, i plan on doing this but i want an irish perspective to it.


I plan on been in california(San fran, LA, San diego) for 3-4 weeks is the commerce the only place i should bother trying to play in this time?

How did people find the games in california $1-2 1-3 2-5?Tournys even?

Any advise how to mind money if i was to win as the accomadation wont be high class?can you open bank account?any other ideas?

Should i save my time, money, energy for the 2 or 3 weeks il be in vegas?

Thanks in advance:)

not just the commerce, there are probably a dozen cardrooms in CA that are bigger than anything in Europe. The Bicycle and Hawaiian Gardens I think are the other big two in LA, remember that you could be in LA but be 60 miles away from the Commerce. Also there are lots of places in the Bay Area and elsewhere in CA where I have never been, meant to be worth trying.

Games looked softer and more aggro than in Vegas, I didn't play any low stakes though.

If you win money, obv win enough that you can stay somewhere a bit better. If you are staying in one place you could probably get them to keep your money in the cardroom, tip nicely.

tipp86

phantom_lord wrote: »

what's the legal age to gambooool?

21 pretty sure of that

RoundTower

I don't think you can open a bank account without an address or a visa or a social security number. Even before 9/11 this would have been difficult.

tipp86

RoundTower wrote: »

not just the commerce, there are probably a dozen cardrooms in CA that are bigger than anything in Europe. The Bicycle and Hawaiian Gardens I think are the other big two in LA, remember that you could be in LA but be 60 miles away from the Commerce. Also there are lots of places in the Bay Area and elsewhere in CA where I have never been, meant to be worth trying.

Games looked softer and more aggro than in Vegas, I didn't play any low stakes though.

If you win money, obv win enough that you can stay somewhere a bit better. If you are staying in one place you could probably get them to keep your money in the cardroom, tip nicely.

Ya ive noticed the distance looks problematic when playing in La.Dont think id get the chance to play in 1 cardroom long enough to store money there.I think id like to see the bicycle casino, i can remember them games from there that used to be on sky a few years ago.

tipp86

RoundTower wrote: »

I don't think you can open a bank account without an address or a visa or a social security number. Even before 9/11 this would have been difficult.

This poses a big problem as its a studenty type holiday and the locations we will be staying wont be great.By playing poker you could potentially be carrying $1000 just playing $1-2 not ideal to be carrying on this holiday i think.

valor

can anyone open an account in an American bank or do you have to be a citizen?

bohsman

phantom_lord wrote: »

what's the legal age to gambooool?

18 in the Indian casinos from what Ive read on 2+2. 21 elsewhere.

ozpoker

tipp86 wrote: »

Basically starting in san fran on to santa barbara, La and finnaly san diego before hitting vegas.Im giving myself 5-6 days in each roughly.Is this specific enough im not sure of accomadation anywhere yet.

Im not bothered about playing in each location maybe just the most accessible to the touristy areas or if you felt there is somewhere i should head.

Appreciate the help

San Francisco: No legal poker, but the Lucky Chances is a 30(?) table room in Colma, about 10 miles south of the city and an easy taxi ride from SFO. Avoid the closer Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno. In the south bay (San Jose), Bay101 is by far the largest and nicest room, although local regulations limit the amount that can be bet to $200/bet. They spread a hybrid 2-200 spread limit game instead of NLH. If you must play NLH, the closest is the Palace club in Hayward, a small room in a bad part of town.

Santa Barbara: I don't think there is any poker in Santa Barbara, but the Chumash Indian Casino in Santa Ynez is north of there about 40 miles. This is smack in the middle of some very picturesque California wine country (as featured in the movie Sideways).

LA: Most of the large poker rooms in LA are concentrated in a somewhat small area due east of LAX and south of LA city center. You must go to the Commerce at least once just to see the size of the place. My preference though is the Bicycle club, about 10 minutes south of the Commerce in Bell Gardens. Their "upper level" where the great table side food is comped has smaller limits than the Commerce, and I find the overall experience just as lucrative and a bit more friendly. While in LA, I always make a stop in the other rooms to see how they're doing, but I always come back to the Bike for the majority of my action.

If you are staying in a hotel near LAX, the Hustler is very acceptable and convenient. My advice would be to avoid Crystal Park and Hollywood Park (although HP has the benefit of having lots of horse bettors at the poker table).

San Diego: There aren''t any large rooms near the city center, but one of my favorite rooms is Ocean's 11 in Oceanside (about 35 miles north). There are a number of large Indian casinos east of San Diego (Sycuan, Barona). I was never impressed with them and I haven't been to them in many years, so I don't know what the story is with them these days.

Have fun,

-Oz-

tipp86

ozpoker wrote: »

San Francisco: No legal poker, but the Lucky Chances is a 30(?) table room in Colma, about 10 miles south of the city and an easy taxi ride from SFO. Avoid the closer Artichoke Joe's in San Bruno. In the south bay (San Jose), Bay101 is by far the largest and nicest room, although local regulations limit the amount that can be bet to $200/bet. They spread a hybrid 2-200 spread limit game instead of NLH. If you must play NLH, the closest is the Palace club in Hayward, a small room in a bad part of town.

Santa Barbara: I don't think there is any poker in Santa Barbara, but the Chumash Indian Casino in Santa Ynez is north of there about 40 miles. This is smack in the middle of some very picturesque California wine country (as featured in the movie Sideways).

LA: Most of the large poker rooms in LA are concentrated in a somewhat small area due west of LAX and south of LA city center. You must go to the Commerce at least once just to see the size of the place. My preference though is the Bicycle club, about 10 minutes south of the Commerce in Bell Gardens. Their "upper level" where the great table side food is comped has smaller limits than the Commerce, and I find the overall experience just as lucrative and a bit more friendly. While in LA, I always make a stop in the other rooms to see how they're doing, but I always come back to the Bike for the majority of my action.

If you are staying in a hotel near LAX, the Hustler is very acceptable and convenient. My advice would be to avoid Crystal Park and Hollywood Park (although HP has the benefit of having lots of horse bettors at the poker table).

San Diego: There aren''t any large rooms near the city center, but one of my favorite rooms is Ocean's 11 in Oceanside (about 35 miles north). There are a number of large Indian casinos west of San Diego (Sycuan, Barona). I was never impressed with them and I haven't been to them in many years, so I don't know what the story is with them these days.

Have fun,

-Oz-

Appreciate the help oz

WECpoker

tipp86 wrote: »

Hi im looking for a little advise as im planning a 6 week trip to the states(june8-july16).I know some will say use the b&m forum on 2+2, i plan on doing this but i want an irish perspective to it.


I plan on been in california(San fran, LA, San diego) for 3-4 weeks is the commerce the only place i should bother trying to play in this time?

How did people find the games in california $1-2 1-3 2-5?Tournys even?

Any advise how to mind money if i was to win as the accomadation wont be high class?can you open bank account?any other ideas?

Should i save my time, money, energy for the 2 or 3 weeks il be in vegas?

Thanks in advance:)

Hey

I think I can help you as I have played poker all over the United States...

As far as the Bank Account goes....If you need one it helps if you have applied for a TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number), but several of my friends opened accounts without trouble at Intl Banks (ie Citibank) with a Passport. Another Alternative-Many of the Poker Rooms offer Safe Deposit Boxes and all of the casinos in Las Vegas have them.

As far as POKER goes, If someone told me they could only visit one State or City to play Poker--I would strongly recommend playing in California (Los Angeles for City).

BUT--it is not for the faint of heart. The play is extremely aggressive and the players have an endless amount of money to lose. If you love to see a guy throw out a few thousand dollars to make a call with an open-ended straight draw or any other number of excessive Calling Stations-- California is for YOU. I always recommend California over Las Vegas for poker play, unless you do better in a "tighter" environment. Don't get me wrong, Las Vegas "can" be a good place to play at times, but the play is much tighter than anywhere in California.

I personally LOVE the Commerce and rank it as my favorite place to play profitable poker in all of the World. That being said, there are a lot of charming unique Poker Rooms up and down the coast of California and it would make a nice trip to see as many as possible.

As it happens, my blog/site has my personal list of recommended Poker Rooms (including games/limits played and description of casino) for all the areas you are speaking of (note: most are 21+, but several rooms in San Diego are 18+)

San Francisco Bay Area Recommended Poker Rooms

Los Angeles Recommended Poker Rooms

San Diego Recommended Poker Rooms

Las Vegas Recommended Poker Rooms

The Tournys in California are as crazy as the Cash Games, and almost all of the Rooms have a regular schedule for them.

I hope this is helpful. I wish you Luck.

Feel Free to ask me any additional questions.

ckarsenal

headin over to America as well and I was planning on simply using my maestro AIB card that I use here at home. When I was in Atlantic City before, I had no problem withdrawing money from a banklink machine using my Irish banklink card. I'm assuming it's the same in San Fran etc?

WECpoker

tipp86 wrote: »

This poses a big problem as its a studenty type holiday and the locations we will be staying wont be great.By playing poker you could potentially be carrying $1000 just playing $1-2 not ideal to be carrying on this holiday i think.

Carrying $1000 around no big deal.....Just be cautious

tipp86

WECpoker wrote: »

Hey

I think I can help you as I have played poker all over the United States...

As far as the Bank Account goes....If you need one it helps if you have applied for a TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number), but several of my friends opened accounts without trouble at Intl Banks (ie Citibank) with a Passport. Another Alternative-Many of the Poker Rooms offer Safe Deposit Boxes and all of the casinos in Las Vegas have them.

As far as POKER goes, If someone told me they could only visit one State or City to play Poker--I would strongly recommend playing in California (Los Angeles for City).

BUT--it is not for the faint of heart. The play is extremely aggressive and the players have an endless amount of money to lose. If you love to see a guy throw out a few thousand dollars to make a call with an open-ended straight draw or any other number of excessive Calling Stations-- California is for YOU. I always recommend California over Las Vegas for poker play, unless you do better in a "tighter" environment. Don't get me wrong, Las Vegas "can" be a good place to play at times, but the play is much tighter than anywhere in California.

I personally LOVE the Commerce and rank it as my favorite place to play profitable poker in all of the World. That being said, there are a lot of charming unique Poker Rooms up and down the coast of California and it would make a nice trip to see as many as possible.

As it happens, my blog/site has my personal list of recommended Poker Rooms (including games/limits played and description of casino) for all the areas you are speaking of (note: most are 21+, but several rooms in San Diego are 18+)

San Francisco Bay Area Recommended Poker Rooms

Los Angeles Recommended Poker Rooms

San Diego Recommended Poker Rooms

Las Vegas Recommended Poker Rooms

The Tournys in California are as crazy as the Cash Games, and almost all of the Rooms have a regular schedule for them.

I hope this is helpful. I wish you Luck.

Feel Free to ask me any additional questions.

Thanks for the help i may pm you for a bit more info closer to the time

shoutman

Is the rake structue in the U.S fairly standard in most big card rooms?

tipp86

shoutman wrote: »

Is the rake structue in the U.S fairly standard in most big card rooms?

Its certinaly no worse than here from what little research ive done that was vegas i was looking into, not sure about anywhere else.I remember in AC it seemed to be a $4 max rake on the $1-2 table.

WECpoker

shoutman wrote: »

Is the rake structue in the U.S fairly standard in most big card rooms?

The rake can be all over the board...

In general Las Vegas is the cheapest, and California the most expensive

fixer

Commerce is the biggest club, but I also like The Bike, Hollywood Park and Hustler Casinos in LA. LA has a lot of limit poker (holdem & stud), but NL is still significant. Buy-ins are often small, 20-30BB max. Almost no PLO, just O8 limit.

Hollywood Park is closest to where I used to live, so I would play there often. Loose loose games, a lot like SE on a late Friday night. Not the best atmosphere, but not as bad as some on 2+2 would make you believe. Part of one of SoCal's oldest horse racing tracks, so plenty of degenerate gamblers around.

Hustler is smallest, but I like the feel of the place. A little more care taken in decor (like the SE a bit in that regard). They are one of the few that spread a game larger than 20BB max-buy-in. I really like their $100-300 buy-in, 3-5 blinds game. Friendliest games, great tourneys.

Bike I have only played at during some big tourneys (and the cash games before & after). Had a rep as housing a bunch of uber tight old players who just pushed chips back and forth between folds, but when I have been there, it's been decent action. Must have been the tourney influence.

Commerce is the mecca. You will be disoriented a bit from the scale of this place and the sheer number of tables. Also very loose, but always a few sharks waiting patiently, so you wont be the only one waiting to feed on the fishies.