Going to play at the Venetian for 3 days (1/3 poker). I'm planning on playing $300 per day. Should I buy in for the max $300, or have two bullets of $150. What are the pros and cons of each decision? Thanks.
It depends if you are a good player or a hacker. A good player always wants the max stack. But playing a short stack is less complex. So do what works for you. Since you are asking, I bet shorter stacks will work for you.
Strongly agree especially since OP only has 1 bullet per day. Maximizing EV is not his goal here - it is maximizing enjoyment. Do not max buy $300 if you will get sad or mad when you get coolered.
He should buy in $150 first day, and if he gets stacked he has another bullet. If he has $600+ left on day 3, then he should buy in for deeper and take his shot on the final day.
Yeah, last time I played, I got aces and lost my max buy-in to Kings. Thought to myself I should have just bought in for half. I'm an average player. Appreciate your advice.
Also unsure of how long you been playing but the 1/3 in Venetian is very soft and a lot of unconventional plays. I prefer the 2-5 or 5-5. Feel like there is more chips being thrown around but I understand if you have a specific amount set for poker. Have fun and enjoy your trip!
One really great thing I love about Venetian is they do a double board PLO bomb pot every dealer change. You can opt out but I definitely recommend playing it. I took down a $1200 pot in one of these playing the 2-5.
In that game it really depends on whether you intend to play the bomb pots and how experienced you are in PLO. Can’t answer the question without knowing that.
I don't like playing the bombpots because of my lack of experience in PLO. I should study up on some strategy, but for all practical purposes I will not be playing that game.
Ok, then you’re going to be sitting out 10-15% of the time, because there is a PLO bomb pot on every dealer change.
If your goal is to play as much poker as possible and stretch the $900 bankroll, I’d go with a short stack strategy. I like 3 $100 bullets and plan to play very tight-aggressive and be ready to get it in. You’ll have lots of squeeze opportunities.
Bomb pots take considerably longer than an average hold ‘em hand and that has almost nothing to do with the efficiency of the dealer. 3 minutes to 4.5 minutes for a bomb pot is a reasonable estimate of the average.
Based on your question, I suspect you haven’t played or dealt many bomb pots.
Just play short, if the game is good, you will want more bullets and you cant be concerned about winning max money when you dont have the money to put up for it. Just sun ran basically two short bullets on a 1 day macau trip
Two different games both had a vip so straddle on so im basically only 120 bb total after winning small earlier. Short stack 40 bb and im all in twice in my first 3 hands vs the vip in one game.
If the game is good you will get spots, you need bullets to live
You any good @ PLO? …..I hate it when I’m @ a Hold-em table and the dealer change comes and majority of the players refuse to play the $6 double board PLO game….If you can’t play PLO feel free to buy-in wherever you want….If you want to play those “bomb pots” @ the dealer change…Then definitely buy-in for no more than $200
I have 2 buy in rules. 1. Buy in max. 2. Always start with 3 buy ins at the ready. But I'm an experienced winning player at 1/3 and 2/5.
My advice is go have fun as you define fun. Playing short will make you a target by guys like me. But if you play TAG, the poker gods might smile upon you and smaller buy ins might allow you to stay on the table longer waiting for good spots.
It's really hard to play live casino poker with just $300 per day, because you could easily get coolered with KK vs AA on your very first hand.
Your best chance though is to buy in short, so you have multiple bullets per day. If you can do 3 x $100 bullets then that's best. Otherwise 2 x $150 bullets is okay.
Buying in deep is best when you're a pro who is trying to maximise your win rate, but it also increases variance (in $ value), so you need a much larger bankroll.
At 1/3, buying in for the max usually gives you more flexibility. You can apply more pressure, set up bigger value bets, and you are not forced into shove or fold spots as quickly. Shorter stacks can reduce variance, but they also limit your ability to capitalize when you have an edge. Two bullets can feel safer mentally, but you might end up playing tighter than you should just to protect the stack. If you are comfortable with the swings, one full buy in is usually the better learning and earning spot.
I’m an amateur, rec player. Intentional starting short will make you too scared. You’ll fold a couple more hands then you should, not raise when you should and just overall handcuff you. You’ll constantly feel like the only move you have is to shove all in after just a few blinds and bet folds.
Nope. With such a low stack you’re always a big bet away from having to shove. You have zero flexibility to bet fold. I really don’t get thinking having less gives you more options. Sit a couple orbits to get a feel, then no cards for a few orbits, then 3 bet a time or 2 and fold, you’re down to under 100 and have zero flexibility but to shove. But, to each their own.
Don't play at the Venetian if you don't have to unless you enjoy supporting the asshole family that was instrumental in shutting down good internet poker in the USA.
It depends if you are a good player or a hacker. A good player always wants the max stack. But playing a short stack is less complex. So do what works for you. Since you are asking, I bet shorter stacks will work for you.
Strongly agree especially since OP only has 1 bullet per day. Maximizing EV is not his goal here - it is maximizing enjoyment. Do not max buy $300 if you will get sad or mad when you get coolered.
He should buy in $150 first day, and if he gets stacked he has another bullet. If he has $600+ left on day 3, then he should buy in for deeper and take his shot on the final day.
Yeah, last time I played, I got aces and lost my max buy-in to Kings. Thought to myself I should have just bought in for half. I'm an average player. Appreciate your advice.
You do not sound like an average player - you sound like a novice and should stack accordingly.
Mistakes are smaller at shorter stacks - such as not being able to fold big hands
So to be clear, you're going to Vegas and have $900 to play poker? Buy in for $300.
The $300/day thing sounds nice but won't last after you bust Day 1. Chips!
Haha, true!
Always buy the max. That means you can win the max if you have the nuts.
Yeah, the general consensus on here is to play the max. No point playing scared money.
Also unsure of how long you been playing but the 1/3 in Venetian is very soft and a lot of unconventional plays. I prefer the 2-5 or 5-5. Feel like there is more chips being thrown around but I understand if you have a specific amount set for poker. Have fun and enjoy your trip!
One really great thing I love about Venetian is they do a double board PLO bomb pot every dealer change. You can opt out but I definitely recommend playing it. I took down a $1200 pot in one of these playing the 2-5.
Yeah, I know it can be very lucrative. Thanks for the recommendation.
In that game it really depends on whether you intend to play the bomb pots and how experienced you are in PLO. Can’t answer the question without knowing that.
I don't like playing the bombpots because of my lack of experience in PLO. I should study up on some strategy, but for all practical purposes I will not be playing that game.
Why the Venetian? Plenty of other options and I’m sure plenty of places that deal 1/2 without PLO bombpots every dealer change.
If it’s about having fun and making your $300/day budget last, I wouldn’t be married to the Venetian.
Ok, then you’re going to be sitting out 10-15% of the time, because there is a PLO bomb pot on every dealer change.
If your goal is to play as much poker as possible and stretch the $900 bankroll, I’d go with a short stack strategy. I like 3 $100 bullets and plan to play very tight-aggressive and be ready to get it in. You’ll have lots of squeeze opportunities.
15%? Your dealers only getting in 7 hands a rotation or something?
Bomb pots take considerably longer than an average hold ‘em hand and that has almost nothing to do with the efficiency of the dealer. 3 minutes to 4.5 minutes for a bomb pot is a reasonable estimate of the average.
Based on your question, I suspect you haven’t played or dealt many bomb pots.
Buy in for 200. If you dip under 150, put the other 100 on. If you get to 500, walk.
Repeat that for all three days.
2 bullets
Cons: Higher variance per bullet, more boring to play nittier
Pros: two bullets, people are awful at adjusting for short stacks
1 bullet
Cons: 1 bullet, its only 1 bullet, 1 bullet???
Pros: Less variance, more interesting, make more $$$ just hit nuts gg ez
Bigger stacks are lower variance per buyin but higher variance per big blind.
So your swings might be 10 buyins on a full stack and 15 buyins on a half stack, but that's $3k on a full stack and $2250 on a half stack.
I might mix it up, one day go full buy in , next day go half buy in
Just play short, if the game is good, you will want more bullets and you cant be concerned about winning max money when you dont have the money to put up for it. Just sun ran basically two short bullets on a 1 day macau trip
How much did you start with and how much did you end up with?
5k usd = 38400 hkd
Played 100/200
Two different games both had a vip so straddle on so im basically only 120 bb total after winning small earlier. Short stack 40 bb and im all in twice in my first 3 hands vs the vip in one game.
If the game is good you will get spots, you need bullets to live
In for 40k hkd, out for 160k
Nice 👍👍👍
If 900 total is a hard limit, I would buy-in for 300 and play a little nitty and hope for the best.
Best option by far is to have more money available. Venetian has bomb pots which are fun and people play badly
This is probably the route I am going to go down.
You any good @ PLO? …..I hate it when I’m @ a Hold-em table and the dealer change comes and majority of the players refuse to play the $6 double board PLO game….If you can’t play PLO feel free to buy-in wherever you want….If you want to play those “bomb pots” @ the dealer change…Then definitely buy-in for no more than $200
I have 2 buy in rules. 1. Buy in max. 2. Always start with 3 buy ins at the ready. But I'm an experienced winning player at 1/3 and 2/5.
My advice is go have fun as you define fun. Playing short will make you a target by guys like me. But if you play TAG, the poker gods might smile upon you and smaller buy ins might allow you to stay on the table longer waiting for good spots.
It's really hard to play live casino poker with just $300 per day, because you could easily get coolered with KK vs AA on your very first hand.
Your best chance though is to buy in short, so you have multiple bullets per day. If you can do 3 x $100 bullets then that's best. Otherwise 2 x $150 bullets is okay.
Buying in deep is best when you're a pro who is trying to maximise your win rate, but it also increases variance (in $ value), so you need a much larger bankroll.
Pro for buying in for max means max double up
Pro for buying in half only lose half
Makes sense.
Captain obvious has entered the room.
Two $150 bullets per day
At 1/3, buying in for the max usually gives you more flexibility. You can apply more pressure, set up bigger value bets, and you are not forced into shove or fold spots as quickly. Shorter stacks can reduce variance, but they also limit your ability to capitalize when you have an edge. Two bullets can feel safer mentally, but you might end up playing tighter than you should just to protect the stack. If you are comfortable with the swings, one full buy in is usually the better learning and earning spot.
Play the min. People saying play the max just hate short stacks messing up their game. This is gonna get like 20 downvotes from sharks.
for best enjoyment just do 150 or 200, you are trying to enjoy yourself and maximize time
Walk to the horseshoe and play the daily tournament a few times imo
Buy in for the max. My opinion.
I'll definitely take your advice in consideration, thanks.
I’m an amateur, rec player. Intentional starting short will make you too scared. You’ll fold a couple more hands then you should, not raise when you should and just overall handcuff you. You’ll constantly feel like the only move you have is to shove all in after just a few blinds and bet folds.
Max buy.
If anything, it should be the opposite.
You should be less scared to stack off with $150 than with $300.
Nope. With such a low stack you’re always a big bet away from having to shove. You have zero flexibility to bet fold. I really don’t get thinking having less gives you more options. Sit a couple orbits to get a feel, then no cards for a few orbits, then 3 bet a time or 2 and fold, you’re down to under 100 and have zero flexibility but to shove. But, to each their own.
Don't play at the Venetian if you don't have to unless you enjoy supporting the asshole family that was instrumental in shutting down good internet poker in the USA.