Filotimo / Manchester poker room N.H. review (1 Viewer)

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Royal Flush
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I haven’t been up there in a while so I figured I’d leave a mini review. I drove up last night for their $150 tournament at 5:30. It’s actually $160 because you get an extra 10k chip for a $10 dealer addon or whatever (why do places do that?) So it’s 35k stacks, 20 minute levels starting at 100/200/200.

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I registered at 5:12 and was handed a slip that said Alternate 17. But it wasn’t a true alternate situation - he sat the first 9 alternates before the tournament started, and the next 9 (including me) halfway through the first level. I think it’s just a matter of moving dealers from cash tables to tournament tables. Including re-entries, we had 113 total.

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Overall, the structure felt too fast. There’s plenty of room for play in the early levels, but when late reg ends after the break after level 8, you come back 1,000/2,000/2,000, then right to 1500/3,000/3,000, 2k/4k/4k, 3k/5k/5k so it mostly plays all in or fold for the entire field for the next 4 levels. And since you’re losing so many players so quickly, and they can’t break tables fast enough, you’re playing short handed a lot, which gets painful with the big blind ante. I didn’t make it any further than that, so I don’t know if it leveled out at all. I got my last 10 bigs in good, jamming my AJ into a raise that turned out to be Q9, but he likes Q9 so he called and was rewarded with a Q on the flop and a Q on the turn. GG. Out in 35th place.

Chairs are gassers, tables are nice, chips are plastic but not completely terrible - oversize 10ks, which is fun. The crowd is friendly and mostly ABC players who aren’t agressive enough. The dealers are hit or miss. But overall it’s a very pleasant playing experience.

But I post in case anybody is looking to see how tournaments fill. Considering this was a WSOP weekend and a sunny Friday night, I didn’t expect it to fill up, but they still got 113. And like I said, if you want to be seated for the start, get there earlier than 20 minutes before.

There seemed to be a bunch of slot machines, but I pay them no attention. I’d imagine there were some table games somewhere, but I didn’t notice.
 
Overall, the structure felt too fast.

i feel like this is the standard now. it's been a while since I've played a tournament at foxwoods or mohegan, and this is the main reason. just not worth the drive.

sucks, because i really miss playing big(ish) field live tournaments.
 
One problem with their MO might we worth mentioning. It seems like it’s their habit to only sell like 5 tables initially, then sell a pile of alternate tickets. As they get dealers to open new tables, they seat those alternates in order.
They only sell like 5 tables initially, then sell alternate tickets, which they just sit in order as they get dealers to open tables.

Problem with that was at my table - the two people to my right were clearly boyfriend/girlfriend or husband/wife. They weren’t a problem; they actually beat on each other. But it opens it up to collusion when you know you can register together and sit together.
 
My buddy played there the other night. Their Dover room plays similar I believe. I think the house plans to get players to chop things to wrap up the games.
 
My buddy played there the other night. Their Dover room plays similar I believe. I think the house plans to get players to chop things to wrap up the games.
I’ve been playing tournaments in NH for a while now. Believe me, the house doesn’t need to plan chops - it’s part of the culture.
 
honest question - why would the house care about a chop vs. playing it out? i mean, a final table is one (rotating) dealer that they probably have to pay for that time either way anyway.
 
Great timing for me! Friends and I are planning a NH poker trip in July.

I was thinking the Lebanon Poker Room on Friday night, Filotimo Saturday, and Lakes Region on Sunday but would love recs if there’s a better itinerary.
 
By the way, I definitely got covid up there. This guy got sent to my table, put on my immediate left. Had one of the strangest, worst coughs I’ve ever heard.
Guy on my right knocked him out after about two orbits, and I thanked him for it, but it turns out it was too late.
The following week I had the Vid. Last week I thought I was all better, but I’d forgotten how tough the physical recovery from Covid is.

I won’t be leaving the house any more.
 
The start of this thread had me considering the trek now I’m off the boat after this update. Hope the recovery speeds up!
 

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