No rake. No tipping. Just pure Poker action.
Hey! It’s Lexy Gavin-Mather, and if you haven’t played Poker in Bend, Oregon… buckle up. This place is a hidden gem. I’m talking about the Bend Poker Room—a cozy, cabin-y little spot with insane action and an even crazier structure: no rake, no tips, just Poker.
Yep, you read that right. You pay a small door fee, and then boom—you’re in the most +EV environment around. Players deal, the shuffling rotates, and your win rate? Instantly more exciting.
Quick Bend Getaway with Big Action
This has been one of our favorite little escapes for a while now. It’s only a few hours from where we live in Redding and a quick flight from Vegas. Add in snow-covered scenery, a room full of action-happy players, and my husband Bobby being, well… Bobby—and it’s perfect.
Poker Without the “Tax”
Here’s the thing about rake-free Poker: your strategy changes.
With no rake and no tipping, you can afford to loosen up preflop. Normally, in high-rake cash games, you have to tighten your range or you bleed chips to the house. But not here. You get more hands, more fun, and way more profit potential.
Plus, everyone deals. That means every hour a player gets chosen to run the table. You don’t tip them, which keeps the dynamic fair and focused. It’s just you, the cards, and pure strategy.
Poker Hand Breakdown: Why I 4-Bet King-Jack
Let’s get into one key hand:
I picked up KJs and decided to 4-bet a player I knew was getting splashy—shout out to Colter, the game’s owner.
He had been 3-betting hands like 9♠4♠ the night before, so I knew his range could be wide. With strong blockers to hands like AK or pocket Kings, I chose to 4-bet rather than flat call. King-Jack doesn’t play well in multi-way pots, especially out of position and 4-betting disincentivizes players on my left from coming into the pot. And guess what? It worked.
Poker tip: If you’re facing an aggressive player who’s 3-betting light, use your blockers to pick smart spots for 4-bet bluffs.
The Bomb Pot Madness
Let me tell you—5-card double-board bomb pots are their own beast. Everyone antes $5, there’s no preflop betting, and you go straight to two boards. With five cards in your hand and two boards to think about, it’s chaos in the best way.
At one point I had a boat on top and two pair on bottom. Another time I rivered a straight and chopped a monster pot.
These hands are wild, and the decisions? Super fun, super tough, and super rewarding when you hit.
Final Results (and a Little Profit!)
I ended up cashing out for $650, a nice $350 profit after buying in for the max ($300). Not a bad result for a night of no-rake Poker, wild bomb pots, and good vibes.
Oh—and Bobby gave me his seat when my table broke. What a gentleman. Or maybe he just wanted to film me punting. Who knows?
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Until Next Time…
Poker in Bend was a blast. The games are juicy, the people are friendly, and the format? Honestly one of the best-kept secrets in live Poker.
Thanks for following along with me on the vlog!
Watch the full video recap here
Now go win some pots—and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button!
