The Best Comps in the United States!
I stayed west of Toledo late on Saturday night, after driving through blistering rain on my drive away from the profitable Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. I had toyed with the idea of driving all the way north to Presque Isle Casino near Erie, but found out that though they had gotten approval for table games including poker, they wouldn't be starting to spread poker for at least a few more weeks. I supped on a box of spicy boneless chicken wings I picked up during a stop for gas east of Toledo. It was not a memorable stay.
At 6:00 Am I left and drove straight through to my brother's house in Dayton, Minnesota -- about thirty minutes northwest of Minneapolis. I booked a nice and inexpensive room in nearby Elk River. I spent the better part of Sunday evening, Monday, and Tuesday with him and his family. I managed a small stakes three person tournament with him and his younger son Calvin (I put up $5 and had each of them put up $1. Hey, don't laugh. In the immortal paraphrased words of Jimmy the Greek, "It's action ain't it?!")
My brother, a sometimes poker player himself (and former host of the short-lived TV poker show "Poker Beat") and I drove up to Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus, Minnesota -- the place with the best hourly comps I have ever seen. They pay $5 an hour for all games -- and the comps can be redeemed for cash!It's about 30 minutes northeast of Dayton -- under an hour north of downtown Minneapolis. What a beautiful place to play poker. It's slogan is "Cards with Horsepower" -- and that does it justice. Under Minnesota law, a poker room can be built only on an Indian reservation or a gambling venue. It seems that the owners of Running Aces created an entire race track just to have a legal way to have a poker room. The result is a very fresh, modern facility for two of my favorite hobbies. Thank you very much Running Aces.
Minnesotan gambling law is unusual in another way -- as are many state laws related to poker. $30/60 limit poker is allowed -- and you may buy in for as much as you like. But no limit is prohibited -- except in tournaments. The maximum bet in a game is $60. So at none of the poker rooms in Minnesota will not find the most popular form of poker these days, $1/2 no limit hold'em. However, to get around the ridiculous restrictions, some of the rooms run widely spread limit games -- in the case of Running Aces that's $2-$60.
We went for the tournament action. We bought in to a $125 no limit hold'em tournament with no rebuys or add ons. 55 folks entered. The tournament was conventionally structured for a deep stack -- with 20 minute blinds and $10,000 in starting tournament chips.
Experts that we were we lasted, oh, about two hours; my brother and I finished in around 32 and 35th place respectively. Nothing particularly dramatic. I played TT pre-flop nearly all of my chips and lost a coin flip; he had the same experience with an AK that didn't improve against QQ. Such is poker life.
I'd played poker at Running Aces a couple of years ago, right back when they first opened. I remember the action was loose and wild back then. I didn't have a chance to play in any of the cash games during this trip -- but I sure would like a chance to try my hand at it. I'd have to brush up on my limit poker skills. But with a $5/hour comp, the 10% $5 maximum rake is much, much less offensive. And the possibility of doing some harness handicapping when I'm not playing poker even more attractive.
I left Minnesota very early Wednesday morning with the intention of driving to and playing in Detroit. I almost made it there -- but poker rooms along the way delayed my arrival to the point that it was too late and I was too tired when I arrived at my motel room to venture forth. More in Part IV of this road trip.
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