[ba-poker] Canterbury Park (MN) Card Club micro-trip report

[Brian Goetz <brian(deleted the rest)>]

While on business in Minneapolis, I decided to check out the local
card club action.  There's a race track on an indian reservation about
40 min south of town that has a poker room, Canterbury Park.  

The room was large (30+ tables), well-lit, clean, and non-smoking.  A
pleasant surprise indeed.  They were spreading Holdem from 2-4 up to
30-60, with two 15-30 and 3 8-16 games.  

I played in the 8-16 games (all terrible players, +400) and 15-30 (a
few decent players, but still some spectacularly bad ones, +400.)  The
games were good, the players and staff were friendly, if a little
green.

But here's the part that really blew me away.  I ordered a sandwich and
fries from the player menu, and it was 6.25.  I gave the waitress eight
bucks (four $2 chips), and she asked me...

  "Do you want change?"  

I nearly fell off my seat.  In ten years of playing in the bay area,
the concept of change has never ONCE been volunteered by food service
waitrons, and the few times I asked for change (like, I wanted $2 back
when paying $10 for a $5.50 meal), I got some majorly nasty looks.  (I
quickly learned to make sure I have exact change before ordering.)

They do things differently here, you betcha...

I'd go back there again.