Old Man's first time in Vegas

You are thinking of a splash pot.

I’ve had mixed feelings about it. At first I was annoyed and thought to myself that I’m here to play no limit. And there clearly are some regs pushing for it because they want opponents to play a variant they are clueless at (especially weaker players who will make horrible mistakes in a game they never play). I’ve seen people who are not even used to playing much no limit look totally confused.

On the bright side (in my opinion), I’ve found it to be fun. No limit can get boring especially if you’re card dead. If you are card dead but participate in the bomb pots, I think your image looks way less nitty and less serious. On the other hand, I’m not sure image means that much at 1-3.

I think some gambly fishy types might find the game interesting because with 4 cards and 2 boards they have more excuses to put money in the pot and the pots are never small with everyone having to post something to play.

Sometimes players are confused though and the action gets checked around a lot.

This new variant might turn off some tighter regs that want to play NL and feel this is just a gimmick. Might turn off some promo chasers too. On the other hand, tighter players can just sit out and continue to collect comps while playing fewer hands an hour.

There is PLO in Vegas but this is Double Board PLO. Venetian had a couple of tables last night but right now there are no tables for it going anywhere in Vegas.

It's actually just a perk for the dealers. The"$6" for the bomb pot is actually $5 plus a $1 tip for the dealer so the dealer starts his rotation with a $6 to $9 tip. I think they are stupid but still mostly play them. Since there is so much confusion a bomb pot often takes 5 minutes plus which just slows down the NLHE game.

You can’t compare poker in the UK with the Vegas scene. Compared to Europe, all poker in America is of a pitifully weak standard. The rooms in LV are tougher than elsewhere in the US, but still far easier to win than anywhere in the UK.

There is a valid reason why this must be so. In Europe, now that the Moneymaker/FullTilt boom is over, 90% of the people who play at all are regular players. I’d guess that the average player at the Vic, Hippodrome, Genting etc plays 3/4/5 times a week. We don’t have casual players over here (in the UK). People are largely regs/addicts, or they don’t play at all.

America is different. Poker is part of their culture. Almost everybody plays a bit, if only on a social level. There are literally tens of millions of people of all ages and sex who play once a month or so, and they’re mostly clueless. They play for fun, and when they come to Vegas they’re often minded to take a seat for a few hours. This community of players simply doesn’t exist in Europe. For a couple of years in the ‘noughties’, Europe saw an emergence of occasional players and it became socially acceptable to play poker, but that all died out over a decade ago and all that’s left is a hard-core population of regs and nits with the occasional loose amateur thrown into the mix.

To my mind, the American poker society is far healthier, more attractive and more enjoyable than the European model, but the consequence is a much poorer level of general play, especially at low stakes.

Americans complain about the preponderance of pros and regs in Vegas because they determine, correctly, that the standard of play is generally much tighter in LV than at local casinos in the cities and on the Reservations. But there’s still plenty enough tourists to make most low-stakes games hugely profitable for the competent Euro.

My advice would be to ignore the negative sentiments propounded by American posters, who are no doubt well-meaning in their advice, but don’t appreciate the context in which you posed your enquiry. I think you’ll find that there’s plenty of weak, loose play to be found at all the LV card rooms, and my suggestion to you is to try your luck initially at Bellagio and Wynn where there’s always a wide selection of tables and the guarantee of a game 24/7.

Muckplz is a regular visitor to LV (from Europe) and knows the scene well, and he’s been adamant recently that the games at the Aria provide huge action. So, if that’s what you’re looking for, I’d be strongly minded to follow his advice

I’d be interested to hear your own impressions after your visit, and whether your observations accord with what I’ve suggested here. Good luck with your trip

David S

The bomb pots are definitely a dealer tip gimmick but the play in them is horrendous

tunnels?

In these bomb pots, do any regs play when in position, sit out otherwise? And do they have a separate bomb pot button? Some places do.

Well just to conclude my trip and this old man's findings....
Played mainly in the bellagio, 1-3 and 2-5.
Played 5 sessions over the week and made a tidy profit.
Almost enough it cover the wife's Vegas spending on the strip.

Had an absolute blast, and am now sitting in dreary England planning my next trip out there.

Thankyou to everyone who commented on the thread. You are all lucky lucky people if you live within driving distance of Las Vegas. For me it's an 11hour flight, and honestly the poker scene alone is worth the trip when comparing to the games we have in England.

As someone who has to fly even a bit longer, I totally agree. The poker scene in Vegas, even as nitty and tight it might be by US standards, are just miles and miles better than anything found in Europe.

Yes, for the reasons I stated above

Venetian has a separate button for bomb pots. The button moves once per half hour while the regular button moves regularly.

most people choose to either never play or always play. some sit out once in a while, but I don't think any regs strategically only play when close to the button. position in bomb pots is really not that significant

Position in PLO bomb pots is everything, and it’s a crucial part of the game. Being on the button is a huge advantage.

So how scummy would it be to sit out hands where you'll be badly out of position?

it's not scummy.

as someone who plays the bomb pots games regularly when I visit Vegas, I still disagree that "position is everything." yes it's important but it's more overrated. having good hands and being able to read them is most important. you are unlikely to push people out of bomb pots if they have a good hand, that's why they are "so wild."

Well, I don't play the bomb pots at all, so at some tables, everyone else doesn't like it. But to be honest, that seldom happened in the 30 hour freeroll grind. There were usually at least 1 other that also sat out.

I mean it's definitely a bit of an angle and kinda scummy to only play bomb pots in position. If everyone were do adopt the same approach, there wouldn't be any bomb pots anymore. I think the categorical imperative is basically the right framework for situations like this -- you should act in such a way that if everyone acted the same way, the poker world wouldn't be a miserable place.

It's not so different from selectively chopping, and very close to sitting out of a mix game during games you think you don't have an edge in.

at the V, if you play two rounds of bomb pots, then skip three or four rounds, then play the next couple... we're talking like a 4 hour span now. half the table will have changed and the other half are either unlikely to notice or unlikely to care.

if you aren't willing to play a bomb pot out of position then you won't be taken seriously as a sharp/shark when you do play them.

Whether people will notice, as well as the impact on your image and/or ev, are all irrelevant to whether it is scummy.

like I said early, it is not scummy. the bomb pots are optional anyway. and like I said earlier, position is not as important in bomb pots than holdem, as bets and raises are likely to come from anywhere, and the vast majority of bomb pots will go to showdown

it’s an angle of sorts but hard disagree on your pov on position in bomb pots

The fact that bets and raises are likely to come from anywhere is the exact reason

We know that won’t happen though.

Yeah I think you’re right.

Some of the regs like the bomb pots because it’s a way to get players to play a variant of poker they are clueless at. And I think some players do feel pressure to participate in them.

Is it scummy if you’re a reg and you try to get those people to play because you know they will make terrible mistakes that you could take advantage of? Maybe not, but I was curious.

I’m sorry but I have to be a nitpick here. Position is the NUMBER ONE thing in bomb pots. You may think that it does not matter and that’s fine but it matters a lot.

https://plomastermind.com/double-board-plo-bomb-pots/

PLO Mastermind

Win at Double Board Bomb Pots: A Practical Guide

by MuckPls m

I’m sorry but I have to be a nitpick here. Position is the NUMBER ONE thing in bomb pots. You may think that it does not matter and that’s fine but it matters a lot.

https://plomastermind.com/double-board-plo-bomb-pots/

PLO Mastermind

Win at Double Board Bomb Pots: A Practical Guide

in a game type known for huge pots where nearly every hand goes to showdown, position is NOT the number one thing.

we'll have to just disagree