16 replies to this topic

[wezvidz]

So I'm heading to Casino Windsor up in the Great White North this weekend for the first time. I've never been to a casino before, though I've played nonstop online poker for around a year and feel like I am a very solid player. I have some questions regarding Casino Windsor and casinos in general. I was wondering things like what games do they spread there? I heard about a $100 NL and $200 NL game, wondering about the details of those (including a fee I hear is assessed instead of a rake to play?).. I also heard that the cardroom is pretty busy, I was wondering if it was typical to have to wait forever for a seat, or what are the best times to play? Thanks in advance for any details I can get about Casino Windsor's cardroom and also any general things to keep in mind when going to a casino for the first time.

[Nimbletoe]

The most common games there are 3/6 limit, which has a 10% 5 dollar max rake, and the $100 max NL, which has 1/2 blinds and, like you heard, a 6 dollar session fee every half hour. No rake for that though. On weekends and/or if the demand is there, they have 5/10 (usually always have at least one 5/10) and 200 max NL (never played it, don't really know the blinds or session fee). I can tell you now, if you play 3/6 prepared to get outdrawn a LOT. There are terrible terrible players there that will call you down with nothing. On the 100 max tables, i've run into good and bad tables. It's a pretty nice room overall. The dealers are good for the most part, but there were a few (mostly the older females) that were awful.Oh, and if you're going on a friday/saturday afternoon or night, CALL AHEAD. I can't stress this enough, I foolishly went on a saturday afternoon and waited 5 ****ing hours for a table. You can only call ahead an hour in advance now, but it helps.

[Heaton]

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The most common games there are 3/6 limit, which has a 10% 5 dollar max rake.

Just to get into a little more detail (only reason I'm posting this is because a few of my friends weren't aware of how the 3/6 actually works.) The blinds are 1/3, the limits are 3/6.

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I can tell you now, if you play 3/6 prepared to get outdrawn a LOT. There are terrible terrible players there that will call you down with nothing. On the 100 max tables, i've run into good and bad tables. It's a pretty nice room overall. The dealers are good for the most part, but there were a few (mostly the older females) that were awful.

yup, I flopped a set of 10's and a younger kid called a capped pot with p 4's to hit a 4 on the turn and basically cripple my roll for the night.

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Oh, and if you're going on a friday/saturday afternoon or night, CALL AHEAD. I can't stress this enough, I foolishly went on a saturday afternoon and waited 5 censored hours for a table. You can only call ahead an hour in advance now, but it helps.

Afternoon, sure, I've never had a problem going at around midnight or 1am, I usually just walk in and get a table. Though, I only go to Windsor maybe twice a month, so I may just be getting lucky.

[wezvidz]

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and the $100 max NL, which has 1/2 blinds and, like you heard, a 6 dollar session fee every half hour.

This is the game I'm probably most interested in. This or probably the $200 because with 1/2 blinds, $100 leaves you kind of shortstacked.And it isn't $6 an hour, its per half hour?? Wow... that seems almost unreasonable. I'd have to be consistenly winning to turn any profit with fees like that. So is there a phone number to directly call the card room? If I call ahead can I get put on a list or do I just hear what the current wait is?And I was under the impression that early in the day, late afternoon would be best, and that it would be full at night. You're saying it's the opposite?

[ebbik]

I moved away right before the poker room was open, but a drunken stint at that casino started the bankroll I carry today. (3 card poker...went up about $400 american, forget the exchange then, didn't hit any big hands, no trips or strflush, just straights and flushes)Anyway, one of my old roommates sat at a 100NL 1/2 table for 9 hours and left with 1300. He bought in twice in the first 15 minutes, but he just soared with his second buyin. From what I gathered, just play the game...pick the people you can push off pots, pick your drawers, and pick who will call you down. Standard low level casino poker types. The game's pretty soft once you get a feel for the table. It's a lot easier to play once you build you stack, as you should expect to put more than $10 in to see a flop.

[bdc30]

[quote="wezvidz"][quote] And it isn't $6 an hour, its per half hour?? Wow... that seems almost unreasonable. I'd have to be consistenly winning to turn any profit with fees like that. [/quote]Nope, for the 100 max NL game, it's $6 per 1/2 hour, perplayer...It's insane...I've talked to people who play in ACetc where this game is charged at HALF that rate, it's nearlycriminal. They also spread a $500 max NL game there, with 5-10 blinds, depending on how busy it gets. I think the time charge in the 200 max game is $8 per 1/2 hr,not sure what the $500 max charge is.

[threeparrots]

I sat down at the $100 max only once, but it was pretty liquid. There is some trash that goes on, of course, but just play tight and pick your spots. Most of the people there are hoping to double up every hand so just be patient. There are plenty of $30 raises UTG preflop in that game too, which is kinda crazy.Dealers were obviously new to that game (about 1 1/2 months ago). One girl wasn't even collecting the bets into the pot after each card... just letting people fire away into a mound of chips scattered across the table and I wasn't sure if people were putting in the right amount.. nuts. There are players who can sit and argue a rule for five minutes with the dealer.. which is the most frustrating thing ever since you're playing for those five minutes. Just get there and figure out the table fast or you'll be playing catchup all night.

[Garn]

wezvidz said:

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and the $100 max NL, which has 1/2 blinds and, like you heard, a 6 dollar session fee every half hour.

This is the game I'm probably most interested in. This or probably the $200 because with 1/2 blinds, $100 leaves you kind of shortstacked.And it isn't $6 an hour, its per half hour?? Wow... that seems almost unreasonable. I'd have to be consistenly winning to turn any profit with fees like that. So is there a phone number to directly call the card room? If I call ahead can I get put on a list or do I just hear what the current wait is?And I was under the impression that early in the day, late afternoon would be best, and that it would be full at night. You're saying it's the opposite?

The $100 max NL is a decent game but the $6 fee really does add up. Also, just because the blinds are 1/2, after the flop most bets began at about $15 so just be aware. I thought it was interesting

[slappy]

I've played there about a dozen time since it opened are here are my thoughts. I've only played 100nl so far. I need to work on my limit mechanics some before I give that a try(usually play NL online). I know some folks who have played the limit games, and the above comments are right on. 3/6 is no-foldem - I came to play cards, and I'm gonna play them. The 5/10 tightens up considerably.Yes the session fee is terrible - especially if your dealer is slow. I think I have played about 8 hands in one session at about hte worst. A couple of big hands with side pots .. a deck change or dealer change .. and you are paying almost $1 a hand to fold your rags. Normally around 12-15 hands per session is typical for fri-sat (loose games) slightly higher when you are at a tighter table with more experienced players.Buy at least 200 in chips( I usually buy 300 in case i drop a big hand early). You can place up to 100 on the table .. and assuming you play a few pots before taking some down, you can use the extra chips to "top up" to 100 between hands. You probably never want to let your stack get below 75 or so and then pick up a big hand.Friday and Saturday nights are loosest. If you want a table though .. you'll need to get there early and dig in for the night .. or end up waiting for at least 1 hour.Pre flop raises are typically in the range of $10. Also the typical table will be played for a raise at least 60% of the time. I have seen a few looser tables with little raising .. but this is the exception. Also, I've seen tables where 15 or 17 was the pre-flop raise .. which makes it tough when you first sit with your 100 .. and don't hit some cards.There seem to be alot of players looking to play for all of their chips on any given hand. If you are at $100 or less , it can be tough to get established at the table. Once you pick up a few pots though, you can get into a grove. Also, unless you have a healthy stack(300++), pay the session fees out of pocket instead of out of your on table stack .. especially if you have struggled to get it up to say 150 or 175 .. and then go cold for a while ... you will get blinded and fee'd back to your start point. Not a big deal but can make a difference over a few cold hours. Chips on the table are power so do what you can to keep them there. I decide how long I want to play and place the appropriate number of session fees in one pocket .. when it is empty .. go home .. or make an objective decision whether the table is worth staying at.The games are beatable, just pick your spots and target the right players and you'll do fine.

[leejdl]

btw the greektown casino in detroit (across the river from windsor obviously) has a poker room that spreads all the games mentioned above. i played their once a long time ago and cant remember rakes and session fees but its something to think about. Detroit has two other casinos as well but don't know if they have gotten around to opening up poker rooms.

[wezvidz]

I was hoping I could get a couple more questions answered for those who've experienced the Canadian scene.I was wondering, does Casino Windsor and bars/etc in the area accept US dollars or do we need to get our money converted right when we cross the border? This is something I know nothing about.Also, people mentioned calling ahead to the cardroom... is this to just find out the current wait? Or can you be waitlisted over the phone?Thanks again.

[bdc30]

You can bring your US dollars with you, they willchange them right in the poker room, and then when you cash out, they will give you the optionof taking canadian or US dollars.They will take your name over the phone, but only up to an hour ahead of time, and from what I was told, ifthey get to your name and you're not there, you getspun to the bottom of the list once, and if you're not thereand they call you a second time, they take you off the listbut you usually don't have to worry about that if you'reless than an hour away.

[tentenoffsuit]

Casinos will change money over for you.Oh and you also have to remember that the fee is $6 canadian... which is what? $1.50 American? :roll:

[Mandelbrot]

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I was wondering, does Casino Windsor and bars/etc in the area accept US dollars or do we need to get our money converted right when we cross the border? This is something I know nothing about.

Just about everywhere in Windsor accepts US dollars, and you can exchange money at the Casino no problem. Despite this, I find it more convenient to carry Canadian currency.

[centris]

Have any of you ever played the daily tournaments at windsor or greektown? They do not give the buyin at the greektown web site and say that it is between 50 and 1000 at the windsor. If you have played what is the usual buyin? How is the structure? How are the other players?

[Wandigo]

btw the greektown casino in detroit (across the river from windsor obviously) has a poker room that spreads all the games mentioned above. i played their once a long time ago and cant remember rakes and session fees but its something to think about. Detroit has two other casinos as well but don't know if they have gotten around to opening up poker rooms.

Greektown is where I go usually a couple times a month. I've never waited more than 10 minutes to get to a 50/100 table, wheras in Windsor, the average wait on any weekend is at least two hours. The rake at Greektown isn't incredibly bad, but they do have the $6 fee every half-hour when a new dealer comes.

However, you might notice that the dealers at Greektown are often unprofessional. Last week when I went, the one dealer made fun of some players, as well as looked at players' cards after they mucked to see what they had. (I once even saw him lean over to the guy next to him and peek at what he had while the hand was still going on) I'm assuming that many of these guys are regulars and are "in" with many of the dealers, but the game is still pretty juicy and I've never had a losing session there yet. They have 1/2, 2/2/5, 3/6, 10/20, 15/30 and maybe some other higher limits.

I was hoping I could get a couple more questions answered for those who've experienced the Canadian scene.
I was wondering, does Casino Windsor and bars/etc in the area accept US dollars or do we need to get our money converted right when we cross the border? This is something I know nothing about.
Also, people mentioned calling ahead to the cardroom... is this to just find out the current wait? Or can you be waitlisted over the phone?
Thanks again.

When you go to cross the border, there's a little building where you can exchange your money (it's just before you begin to cross the bridge). You can also exchange your money at the Casino. Canadians are always eager to take US currency, so if you want to pay for drinks at the bar with the us dollar, you can do so. They will usually do an exchange rate for you there, but often it won't be as good as what you can get at the other place. The current rate is around 1.13 to 1 us dollar.

Have any of you ever played the daily tournaments at windsor or greektown? They do not give the buyin at the greektown web site and say that it is between 50 and 1000 at the windsor. If you have played what is the usual buyin? How is the structure? How are the other players?

Greektown has tournaments every weekday at 10am. (They start registering at 9) The buy-in is $125, and blinds I believe are every half-hr. The tournament usually always gets done between 4 and 5, and usually has between 70-80 people. First place is usually somewhere around ~$3,500.

They also have a bad beat jackpot for the cash games, and last time I was there it was around $20k.

Hope some of this helped.