Anyone play regularly at Bay 101 in San Jose? How often?

Yeah I go probably 2x a week or so. They just changed the "live button" rule in low stakes games, so that the format is much more typical (e.g. 3/6 has 1/3 blinds, rather than 3 on button/1 in SB/3 in BB they used to have). Now they just collect $4 from the pot, $3 if 6-handed or less.

Most of the 3/6 games are VERY loose. 4/8 Omaha Hi-Lo and Stud are usually running as well, if you play games other than Hold'em.

Oh yeah man, the rake was killing me last time I was there. I was playing 2/4 since it was my first time in a card room and the blinds were 1/2 and 3 on the button. So, if you were playing tight it was a losing proposition. I was going to do some research on how to adjust my game but never got around to it.

Do they still have the rule that if you call the river anyone can ask to see your cards even if you are beat and have the right to muck it without showing? I hate that rule and that is probably the main reason I haven't been back.

Do you ever play in the 10:00 am tournaments?

AFAIK that's a pretty standard rule at most public cardrooms. I've never really understood why people hate it - I could see it getting annoying if somebody asks to see every hand, but if it's only the occasional hand it often presents a good opportunity for some misdirection.

Technically in California there's no rake, it's a "collection", because state laws don't allow cardrooms to rake the same way Vegas and other places do. So the nice thing about this is that if there's a flop, the size of this collection is constant ($4 per hand that sees the flop at Bay 101). So even if the pot is huge, it's still $4 removed , while a Vegas casino may rake a larger percentage of pot (up to some maximum).

The button rule sucked because you'd be in hands you didn't want to be in and every circuit cost you at least $7 at 3/6 ($6 at 2/4). Now it's only $4 (just like any other regular 3/6 game), which means you can throw away your garbage hands on the button instead of calling raises because of odds and/or being "half-in" already.

Playing live 2/4 isn't worth it in my opinion, since $4 is a lot out of every pot, and Bay Area 3/6 games are still very very loose.

As for the tourneys, no I don't play in them because they have horrendous structures (15 minute blinds that escalate quickly, making luck a much larger factor). This is typical of most cardrooms that spread tournaments with buyins of about $200 or less. Sadly only the bigger events have slower structures/more starting chips, which means those of us without large bankrolls need not apply without getting staked/winning online satellites. But hey that's why those systems are there.

When did Bay get away from the $3 button??? I totally hated that "fee". I thought that he made it very hard to turn a profit if you were not completely catching cards.

Has Garden City changed their policy with respect to the $3 button.

Also, are the games still incredibly loose at the bay, (low limites - 3-6, 8-16

They actually JUST changed the rule on Wednesday last week. I can't speak for Garden City as I haven't played there. In general though, yes the games at Bay are still very loose (I haven't played the 8-16 there so I can't attest to that level).

I was just playing 2/4 to get used to playing live. I mostly play 5/10 online. I will definately play 3/6 next time then if that goes OK, probably move to 6/12 pretty quickly.




It doesn't sound much worse than an online tournament. But, I guess they play less hands/hour live so maybe it is. I just hate paying $58 dollars to find out, Maybe I'll go and watch one or something. I think I'm going to start playing there on Tuesday pretty regularly.

Taking away the live button is great! The first time i went there, which happens to be the only time I've been, I was thrown off by posting on the button. I tried to turn my 20 on 2/4 into a larger roll. HEHE. I'm used to playing at Commerce where there are the standard SB and BB. I'll definately have to make a trip to Bay 101 next time I go up.