8 replies to this topic

[greatwhite]

How are the games at Turning Stone? Stakes? Players? Game variety? That's the closest casino I can play at since I'm under 21.

[milojones]

plenty of threads on this topic but ill give you a quick response.. turningstone sucks.. after asking around FCP for a while i finally made the trip up. as far as the overall operation, it seems like the place is being run by a fraternity. everytime i asked a question to the floor, or the front desk they seemed completely clueless and i had to repeat myself 13-15 time. they offered all games from what i can remember but the lack of people when i went made it hard to find anything other than 1-2nl. the players are exactly as youd expect for a small casino that allows 18 yrs old to gamble (with the occasional 16 yr old thrown in the mix). good if you want to sit there for hours and play ABC.. bad if you want to play cards..but i imagine thats the way all 1-2 live games are. thats about it for my drunken review. id recommend it solely because you are not 21.. otherwise .. wait and go to foxwoods

[Russak22]

You will have a miserable time.

[drcossack]

I've been there a few times, never had any problems.

The staff has been competent, but then again, I've never really needed to ask them for anything.

The games:

The 1/2 100 Max (I've never played 200 max) and the 2/4 LHE are soft as hell. ABC poker's boring, but it gets the job done. Double up once in the 100 game and you can open up your game considerably. They "offer" all games, but you likely won't get anything other than hold'em. During a tourney week (like the upcoming August series), you MIGHT be able to get an Omaha Hi/Lo game going. Also, as I remember, they offer mixed games whenever there's tourneys (ie O8/Stud 8), but I'm not sure, and I don't recall the limits.

Their regular tournies are really really really easy. I played one ($50+15) in October, and the first table I was at was pathetic. I raised like once every orbit and the hand never went beyond the flop (if there was one) - there's only three hands from that table that really stand out. Of course, I was involved in each one:

1) I was holding 7's, made it my standard 4xBB raise. Tight nit directly to my left re-raised (I had raised multiple times prior to this with 7's (each time, no less), I won the blinds/antes each time), person sitting to the dealer's left coldcalls. It gets back to me, I shove. They flop the straight/str8 draw (forgot, lol.) I fill up on the river, triple up.

2) EP guy shoves for 1400 or so. I look down at A6o, take a couple seconds, and call. He has A4. Flop A48, I don't catch a 6 or counterfeit him.

3) Tight nitty lady who has only played one hand (AA, she minraised UTG, lost to a flush) raises 3xBB on the button. I have QQ in the SB, shove, she calls. My hand holds against her Jacks.

http://www.turningstone.com/gaming/poker/w...entspayouts.php

You get to play postflop for about 40 minutes. Not a bad early structure.

[greatwhite]

Any chance of a low limit HOSE or HORSE game? I don't want to play just hold'em. Do pot limit omaha games ever run?

[ajs510]

Any chance of a low limit HOSE or HORSE game? I don't want to play just hold'em. Do pot limit omaha games ever run?

No, and no. It's almost entirely a hold'em room, with 1 or 2 other games here and there (usually low-limit stud or sometimes a half limit hold'em half omaha game). I live in Rochester, so it's between TS and the Canada casinos anytime I want to play live, and I've never ever seen a PLO (or anything pot limit) game running there. Players don't request it, and it can be a tricky game to deal so the casino doesn't bother spreading it at all. I think the casino is willing to spread any game with enough players to run it, so if you can drum up enough action they'll probably run a mixed Badugi/Triple Draw/Crazy Pineapple/Chinese Poker game if you ask them to. Just don't expect much of anything aside from hold'em to be on the board and available when you walk in.

That being said, if you're a hold'em player (and an under-21 one at that) TS is really a very nice room. Plenty of action from bad and marginal players at the small stakes, and if you play LHE proficiently it's possible to make a killing at the highest LHE games spread (the players in the 10/20 and 15/30 games are beyond awful). I'd recommend TS to anyone coming to the region to play poker, it's not Vegas or Foxwoods but for Upstate NY it's an excellent room.

[greatwhite]

No, and no. It's almost entirely a hold'em room, with 1 or 2 other games here and there (usually low-limit stud or sometimes a half limit hold'em half omaha game). I live in Rochester, so it's between TS and the Canada casinos anytime I want to play live, and I've never ever seen a PLO (or anything pot limit) game running there. Players don't request it, and it can be a tricky game to deal so the casino doesn't bother spreading it at all. I think the casino is willing to spread any game with enough players to run it, so if you can drum up enough action they'll probably run a mixed Badugi/Triple Draw/Crazy Pineapple/Chinese Poker game if you ask them to. Just don't expect much of anything aside from hold'em to be on the board and available when you walk in.

That being said, if you're a hold'em player (and an under-21 one at that) TS is really a very nice room. Plenty of action from bad and marginal players at the small stakes, and if you play LHE proficiently it's possible to make a killing at the highest LHE games spread (the players in the 10/20 and 15/30 games are beyond awful). I'd recommend TS to anyone coming to the region to play poker, it's not Vegas or Foxwoods but for Upstate NY it's an excellent room.

Thanks.

[DrZoidberg]

I didn't know that there were any 18+ casinos with poker rooms in new england, It'll be hard to convince any of my casual poker playing friends to make the trip, or to play 1/2 NL, but I think if I get a chance I'll head up and check it out, I definitely have been wanting to play more live poker.

[ajs510]

I didn't know that there were any 18+ casinos with poker rooms in new england, It'll be hard to convince any of my casual poker playing friends to make the trip, or to play 1/2 NL, but I think if I get a chance I'll head up and check it out, I definitely have been wanting to play more live poker.

It's believe it's the only one in the region, TS had to forego having a liquor license in order to cater to 18+ business. I'm assuming they did so to take advantage of all the colleges within "close" (within a couple hours) driving distance.