My experience has been almost the opposite of yours, particularly as the time moves from early afternoon to early evening. I will point out that simply being called by name doesn't make you a local. I don't live in Vegas, but a number of dealers and floor persons somehow seem to remember my name.

I am wondering if you are simply making the assumption that the players are local because they have rock-like characteristics? Also, perhaps we have a different definition of "rock". Also, perhaps because of the higher stakes, the 2/5 NL will generally play rockier than the 1/2 NL.

It hasn't ever been the bulk of folks at any of my tables that I can recall, but I have played with a surprising (to me) number of folks coming in from other time zones who've apparently been returning to the Mirage (and only the Mirage) poker room pretty much since the day they fired up the volcano and opened the doors, and they seem to be well enough acquainted with some of the longtime dealers that they know more about them than those dealers can remember themselves. I get the impression they'd just quit poker and Las Vegas if the room wasn't there to come back to. Buy those weren't NL tables. It seems they are guys who played 10/20L+ and suchlike "back in the day."

I don't think he's taken a break in fifteen years; seems he likes his work.

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Life is six to five against.
-Damon Runyon

My bad, just really tight table and seemed dealer was very familiar with 2/3 the table & those with each other. Didn't think about how much time(days) they might have played same table. Still enjoyed myself and yes, think the dealers are very good. Learn something new every day.....lol

No bad by you IMO. I thought it was a reasonable question to bring up. There are places I like to go at some times of day and completely avoid at other times. I think in many rooms the atmosphere often changes from one week to the next and from day to day, especially on-Strip where one group in town for an event packs up and another unpacks, and even just from table to table too. I think its like indoor weather, and very local like having different weather only yards away. I don't doubt your table was playing and acting the way you said at the time. A suggestion: Sometimes a table change can do as much as a casino change. Sometimes works wonders for me anyways.

_________________
Life is six to five against.
-Damon Runyon

Sound advice

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Y'all got me thinking: How do I actually evaluate the relative merits of Las Vegas poker tables in a quick 'n dirty way that's practical for me? Of course, local vs. tourist doesn't require much of a system for me, since if someone lives in the Las Vegas valley and has played a significant amount of time at the same kind of games I usually do (which at Mirage will be either 3/6, or possibly 3/6, or sometimes 3/6) then I will recognize them (and know that precisely 63.47% of them suck). Might not know their name, but I'll at least recognize them. At some casinos that do not have volcanoes or pirates or lions & tigers & bears this will comprise all seats with either odd or even numbers, and at others with fabulously elegant entertainment from psychics & midget wrestling and buffets that cost something north of thirty-bucks not so much at all. But what of taking the comparative temperature of those tables with mostly unfamiliar faces to forecast which will be smooth sailing for Local Rock? Well I guess I do it kind of like an adaptation of a lazy card-counter system at a BJ table:

1.Average how many to the flop for an orbit or so, and score +1 for each.
2.How many to the turn? Same scoring weight.
3.What is the average frequency of raised pots pre-flop? The score is -2 for each, and re-raises contribute -4 to the average, while a four-bet is -6. When there is raising to be done, it is most right and proper that it should be Local Rock doing it.
4.How many cocktails at the table? The count is +1 for each.
5.How much fruit. Note that I said I count the fruit, not just the number of drinks containing some indeterminate quantity of fruit, and this is the rigorous part of the system. What I mean is, a glass with a cherry and a bottle with a slice of something that once lived on a tree or a vine each contribute +2 to the count with one each for the drink and the condiment; while that shameless atrocity in front of seat six with four hunks 'o burnin' fruity love in it scores +5 for the total.
6.Count -1 for each coffee or water bottle. Note that Local Rock's own coffee and water does not count.

And there you have it. If you do this exactly as I have described it, I can absolutely guarantee with no doubt whatsoever that you will be doing it exactly as described.

_________________
Life is six to five against.
-Damon Runyon

I used to play at Mirage a lot, in Vegas every month, and Mirage was one of my favourite places to play.

Since "moving up" to mostly 2/5 NL, I've been primarily at other rooms of late. I was surprised last month to see TWO 2/5 tables running at PH, and made me wonder whether Mirage ever gets a 2/5 game going?

Is it really worth starting an interest list on a Friday/Saturday night for instance?

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I hate it when people actually have the hand that I'm representing.

What? Huh? How do you tell?



Oh, you're talking about THAT kind of fruit.....

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- Low-limit limit poker @ Artichoke Joe's ($6/$12) & 101 Casino ($4/$8 w/ 1/2 kill)
- Poker blog, good writing, OK poker: http://chuck.martin.name/poker/
- Tweets from the felt: twitter.com/chuckspoker

I don't know and am obviously not the best one to answer, but it can be useful to subscribe to their Twitter feed...

...or if you're not into being a twit one can skim through their tweets on the web: https://twitter.com/MiragePoker They don't tweet a lot, but one thing I appreciate is that the management of the room simply does not lie to me; so if they say a game is actually running, there's no doubt it actually is. I've found some rooms do lie when trying to promote their business. Guess how many times I listen to whatever sound I hear as their lips move when they've done that? Hint: the answer is an integer which is less than the number "two." I have never seen or heard Mirage Poker doing that, whether on Twitter or here or ringing them to ask what they've got or wherever.

_________________
Life is six to five against.
-Damon Runyon

Thanks, It is looking better now that I'm paying more attention.Hmmmmm. Have run into the same 3-4 hit & runs at 5 different rooms... LOL. Whatever floats their boat.I know I could use the exercise but I'll have to pass for now. Have found the games here well mixed in talent and good.