Saturday, July 29, 2023

RIVERS AND TWO SETS OF QUAD ACES WITH KICKER

 I played 1-3 NL again after not playing for quite a few visits.  

I thought a Saturday afternoon might offer a softer game, and perhaps it did, but I still had issues with playing underchipped.

I put just $100 on the table in a 1-3 game.  My second hand I had pocket kings, and after the flop, my bully opponent bet half my bankroll.  

So, I went All In.

The turn was a Queen

The river was an Ace.

I thought certainly I had lost, but I won and doubled up.  So strange!

I played for a couple hours, playing tight.  I raised only once, again with pocket Kings, and given my tight reputation, everyone folded for just a $3 raise.

Perhaps I need to make a few bluff $3 raises and then show nothing after they fold.

Even when I knew I had the nut full house, I did not go all-in on the river, but settled for a value bet of $30 against one opponent.  I felt lucky to get it.

In the end, I cashed out $108 ahead.  

I liked playing, but I find it the most difficult poker.  There is always at least one bully bettor who pushes every hand.

This time I moved my seat, so that I played directly after he played, and with that information, usually I could play a lower stakes game.  Under the gun, I generally just folded.

I thought of going all the way to Turning Stone and playing the limit game there, but I would never win $108 in that game.  However, I could play longer.

It adds a lot to the driving there and back.

++++++++++++++++++++++

My buddy advises me to just play VP because that is where I seem to be winning money.  

Today was no exception.

I played a couple hours on DDB, hit two hands of Quad Aces with kicker and walked away with a profit of $700.

I only had one other quad, 8's. Full houses came at a good rate and that helps because this is a 10-6 game.

I guess skipping the live poker might be my best option in terms of winning money.  But a live table has some pleasures that isolated gambling does not.

So, I'm thinking.

In the meantime, this was a grand visit and a great day.

*****************************

Here is a hint if you visit Rivers.

The live poker room is cold from too much AC.  Bring an extra layer.

The casino is hot.  Dress for summer.

Monday, July 10, 2023

OVERNIGHT AT TURNING STONE

I decided to get a room and stay overnight at Turning Stone to protect against Canadian smoke, to catch a Johnny Cash/Jerry Lee Lewis concert/ and to play the 3-6 limit poker there.

I arrived about noon on Saturday.  There was no early check-in, not then and not an hour later, so I checked my luggage and went to start the 4 hours of poker that would bring the room rate down to $142 rather than the rack rate of over $400.  I'm sure no one actually pays that price, but it looks good to those who get free rooms.  

I had put my name on a list at the poker room, but by the time I got back, it was gone because the game started.  Luckily, there were still seats.


Then I had one of the worst hours of poker in my life.  For over an hour I won no hands, nor would the cards I folded ever won except one hand where 4-6 of hearts made a winning flush one the river.

I was so happy that I had picked the limit game, and not tried to play 4 hours of no limit.  

Still the limit cost me almost $300 over 5 hours of play.  That is a lot from limit.  I had not been loose nor made any mistakes. I just got drained with no cards.

The fellow next to me was named Larry and was very friendly.  He was happy when I finally took a pot as he noticed the money was just going out.

The weakest player was a woman who had been in the Army.  I took three pots from her, and she stayed with me all the way on each one.  Others made the pots smaller because I had played so tight that once I bet, they folded.  

My 5-4 of diamonds in the big blind caught two pair on the flop and they held up. Three people followed me with many outs, but ending with just a high pair.

I should have showed the winner and announced that these were my favorite cards.  It is a good ruse.  I forgot table image.

In general, the table was full of regulars who knew each other, but in limit that is not the problem it is in no limit.

Twice I had tripped and won the pot, but did not draw a river card to make high hand.  Once I bet with nines, two of the three dropped out, but Larry let me see the river.  He just called to be nice.

He told me with just two in a hand he never would bet, unless his opponent bet.  Then we would raise if he had a monster hand.  

I don't usually agree to check it down with just two on the river, but I did this with Larry to thank him for calling me when I had nines.

The table was full of good humor and friendly.  I'd go to play again.

Turning Stone poker room comps a fine orange juice, large and with little ice. 

I was anxious about my being in the system and that information getting to the hotel counter.  It seems the poker room calls each night, but if the system failed, I would not have another 4 hours to play with the concert taking up most of the night.

I kept asking if I was in the system.

I also went to the desk when I was done, and asked them to call the poker room to see if everything worked well.

It all worked.  In the old days the brush just gave us a slip of paper and we carried it to the hotel desk.  I like that better.

THE ROOM

Great room.  Comfortable king bed.  Nice in every way except no refrigerator.  I could charge my phone through the clock.


THE CONCERT

Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Jerry performed first.  I can't judge how well he imitated because I have not seen much of the original Jerry Lee Lewis, but his act seemed close to what I see on Utube of the original.

He played a much older Jerry than the young man who played the character in the play I saw last week at the Berkshire Theater.

I enjoyed both.

What was anxiety producing was using my phone as my ticket.  I paid $54 for very good seats on Ticketmaster (Turning Stone the same day wanted $100). Folks sitting next to me had paid $85.  

However, I had to find my tickets on the phone and scan them into machines.  It was not simple.  It took three screens to finally find the tickets.  One of the ushers at the event helped me.  Also, I arrived as the doors opened at 7PM for a show at 8PM and once seated, I stayed seated..  

They were fine seats about 13 rows back, just where the stage was at eye level.  I was happy to not be any closer to the stage.

But I had great conversation with a young couple about Vegas and other casinos, and about traveling.  They hoped to travel, but were not so far in a position to do that.

I usually don't have endurance to sit for three hours, but without certain meds that day and little to drink, I was comfortable.

Also, a woman with tickets to D25 thought I was in her seat.  It took awhile before she got it that I was in the N row.  I was happy not to have to wait for the phone to load and then try again to see the ticket.

I had some talkers next to me.  That was annoying.

Still, I had a great time.

EVENING AT TURNING STONE

At home I am generally asleep by 10 AM, but it is rare I have the chance to walk about the casino late night.  

I walk in a strange wooble, especially when I am tired.  A worker came up to me, probably thinking I was drunk, and engaged me in conversation.  I guess I sounded sober enough.  

He asked me if I were winning and I shook my head "no" and oddly he said, "Well, save enough for gasoline"  I guess I looked pretty rugged.

Part of that was my warm jacket.  I had been cold in the casino and put on this grey jacket from my old Vegas days.  It is probably 30 years old, but works great.  It came from the Silverton Casino.  With points I paid 18 cents for it.  Those days are gone.

I had brought a shirt an tie to wear, but trying to get checked in and make the concert held me up.  That would not have been visible anyway.

I lost $200 playing Ultimate X VP, first in quarters (3 play)and then in nickles(5 play). I just could not get away from that DDB.  Great fun with multipliers. I won money last visit.  Not this one.

  I liked walking around and seeing all the gambling and the games and all the people full of celebration. It reminded me of being there with Mike and Robin, decades ago and wandering between coupons. 

One very interesting looking waitress who was certainly at least 6.5 feet tall.


EMERALD CAFE

I had eaten breakfast before I left home,  but only a handful of cashews since, so I went to get supper when the concert ended, at 10PM. at the Emerald Cafe.

I like this place.

I used my $5 poker.

The clam chowder was great.

The carrots were cut lengthwise and well displayed and tasty.

The meatloaf special was spiced with something that tasted just okay, but the whole deal did not sit well with me.  I had indigestion all night. 

I went to bet at 2AM, but only slept until 5AM, waking with the indigestion and a migraine I could not treat because the pills would further upset my stomach.  

I don't mind losing at gambling, but waking up basically feeling hung over after drinking no alcohol seems a bit unfair. Well, the random universe doesn't give a damn about "fair" and gambling teaches me that each time I play poker.

So, I just decided to give it up. 

I missed my pool swim and missed stopping at the Arkell art museum on my way home.

But I drove out of the weather and the headache lessened, so I stopped at Rivers to play some high pay table DDB.   

I was up and down for a couple hours and finally hit 3333A for $200, and went home up $160, bringing my two day gambling losses down to $340.

I had driven out of the weather and the weather now had followed me and the head ache was back, so I headed home earlier than I had planned.

In spite of not feeling well in part, I really had a great time.



Thursday, May 25, 2023

FRUSTRATED AT RIVERS, BUT LUCKY

 I went up to Rivers Casino again for a day of poker.

The poker table was the sort I like.  Most players waited for the flop before betting, so my low bankroll was not such a handicap.  However, it was a tough tables with most of the players better than I am.

I played very tight for quite a while, and so when I did bet, my opponents were cautious.  

They also found that they could scare me off when I was weak by what for them was a fairly regular bet.

So, basically, I lost.

I left $107 ahead because I caught quad tens for a high hand award of $300.

Perhaps I should try to go on Saturdays or Sundays when there are less every day regulars and a few fish.  Then the high hand would be $600.  However, my tens had a better chance of staying alive.  I caught the high hand with 23 minutes of the half hour left.  The one before me, and the one after me was taken by straight flushes.  It was a stressful 23 minutes.

The video poker was rather dry, except for quad 8's which I hit 4 times.  Now, hand those been Aces, I'd have come home rich.  The 8's kept me playing.  

I was playing quarters; the guy next to me was on the same game but playing $2 so each spin for him was $10.  He hit four 3's with a low kicker.  $8,000 before taxes.  Just after he hit, I was dealt 4 3's but no kicker.  Nice, however.  It is a lesson in randomness that I could chance the fourth 3 holding trips time after time and never connect only to have the quad dealt to me.

So, I went home ahead, but a bit disconcerted.  

Saturday, May 6, 2023

RIVERS AGAIN

 TODAY WAS A FINE DAY.

Son Peter and I drifted on Burden Lake for most of the morning in the pontoon.
It was a fine day.
One other boat, a blowup boat for a fisherman.
Then we had a nice lunch at Siam restaurant in East Greenbush. Thai food. I love this place. I had a recipe called, "ducks in love"
Then I went for an afternoon of poker at Rivers Casino.
A seat a the NL table was a long wait, but I like the one that I was assigned.
I also was more on my game.
I did not get any wonder cards, except when My pocket Aces tripped up on the flop. I needed to get money in the pot. I just bet five dollars. My two opponents folded. Had I got $30 in the pot and the fourth queen, I would have had a high hand for $600.
I went all-in with pocket Aces, hoping to just force the rest out. One guy with less money called me, but did not beat me.
I played until I got a bit tired, and then I quit. I especially did not like it that one of the newer players was just raising almost every preflop. He acted two players behind me. I like to play a flop game.
I called his raise just before I left, mostly because I was frustrated. Not a good motivation, as I did not hold much. But he held less and so I was happy.
Earlier I had a seat next to an old fellow who constantly hummed under his breath.
So annoying!
I finally changed my seat.
Next I played video poker and the game kept throwing quads at me. I was never behind my buy-in. I left with a profit of $350. The live poker had netted me $57, so I ended up $457 for the visit.
And I managed to be home before dark

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

RIVERS

 RIVERS TUESDAY APRIL 18

I wanted to go to Rivers and make up for my missed poker when I aborted my Connecticutt casino visit.
Today seemed like a good day.
So, off I went.
I managed a fairly good table, and it was not too aggressive and I liked it. However, I was not playing well.
I lost.
I quit with a loss of $400 which is more than I usually put at risk, but I did have my bankroll that I had not used in Mohegan Sun.
I could not put my finger on my problem.
I know one time I called $100 on the river and just knew I should not call. Perhaps I am not willing to lay down once I've committed some decent call bets. I had good cards. The fellow bet $25 and I raised to $50 and then in went his $100 raise. I should have known.
Certainly, he knew from my raise that I had good cards. He would not reraise without confidence.
I was in plenty of hands when I was second best. In one my opponent had a straight flush and also got a high hand award of $150 (half because he held just one card)
I can't remember enough of the game well enough. I have to get a handle on it before I play again.
Some of it might have been due to aborting the Mohegan Sun trip and my disappointment.
I went to play DD Bonus VP and it went along fairly well, until it didn't.
So, I decided to go home and just was playing down the little that was left of the $300 I had put at risk in the VP.
I held an A-J of diamonds, the first and fifth card of the deal.
The 10-Q-K of diamonds filled in the other spots for a nice $1000 diamond royal flush, putting me ahead for the day $305.
It was a grand comeback.
And I went home with my winnings.
My GPS had worked on the way out, but not on the way back.
I don't need it. I know the way.
Hopefully tomorrow I get the GPS I have ordered which will not be competing with other electronics on the car screen, and will not need my phone to operate.
I hope it solves my problem, so I can take road trips.
I don't know what happened to “rush hour” traffic, but it did not seem to be packing the highway on my way home. There were three guys who were putting their feet to the floor and weaving in and out of lanes even in very little space. I hate those guys.
I wonder if that is becoming a hip way to drive again.
Okay. I'm going to sip my Guinness NA and have a hamburger

Monday, April 17, 2023

ABORTED TRIP TO MOHEGAN SUN

 


I booked to stay three nights here at the Micro hotel in Uncasville near Mohegan Sun. However, difficulties made me abort the trip.


It was a very tiny room but comfortable enough. No refrigerator, but ice just out the door. And free breakfast tomorrow.

The shuttle I thought was here only runs Friday and Saturday. So I had to drive to the casino and then back in the dark. Not good.

I got to the casino fairly easily although there is construction all around the Indian Summer garage, and it is difficult to know just where to go. A security guy yelled at me.

However, as I had read, that garage was the right pick for the poker room and there was good DDB video poker at the Lodge Bar very near the poker room.

When I lost my money at live poker, I played there and left with $30.

I had quad Aces, did not hold a kicker, and caught the fourth Ace as my second card drawn.

I also had quad 3's with a kicker.

I liked sitting at the bar and listening to other players. No one seemed to know that these five machines are some of the best pay tables in the casino. I had two comped Athletic Run Wild NA beers. That was a real treat!

In the poker room I had Heinegan NA poured in a glass. That is odd for NA. They also have Sam Adams.

I did a McDonald's hamburger and chicken nuggets while waiting for my room because the place was right across the street. Sale was $4 for both the nuggets and the double hamburger. I brought my own drink.

Next time I'll skip the nuggets. Hopefully, there will not be a next time, but it worked out well enough. I never eat at McDonald's.

For supper I had snacks in the room.


The hardest challenge was the GPS. It had decided again not to talk to me, and talking is really what I need. I could see maps, but they were hard to read a night when I most need them, and somehow they competed for screen time with this Spotify music, David Honeyboy Edwards. I'm not even certain how I started up that music.


I liked the poker table. It was not too aggressive, although there were few free flops. My best hand was a flopped club flush queen high. I held Q-9. The rest of my hands were pretty dull. I played tight. Once in late position holding A-J I bet just $15 and the entire table folded. That told me my image was tight. My final all-in loss was me with a Jack and my opponent with a Q. We both flopped pairs.  Slowly he bet me all in. He had bluffed often, and this was a bluff. But all I had was the paired Jack. Lost $135, my buy in.


VIDEO POKER


Thanks to VPFree I found a fine DDB at the Lodge Bar and not much of a walk from the poker room. I was up and down for a couple hours, drank two comped Run Wild NA beers.

(Mohegan offers Heineken, Sam Adams, Bud, and one more NA choice. Very nice.)


I left up $30.

I liked the experience. I rarely play VP at a bar and the folks who came and played were entertaining.

I just listened.

I also liked the ambiance of the bar. I was tucked in behind a large post, so I just had people to my left.

The baseball was on, although I paid no attention, but some of my fellow bar folks were involved.

I'd return to that spot again. It reminded me of Old Vegas.


Going home in the dark was not pleasant. My 6 minute ride took me a half hour. I missed one turn, but the GPS was not talking and was difficult to read, so it took me a while to find my way. I just am no good in the dark.


Then coming into the hotel were six or seven young folks who were loud and given a room not far from mine.

I did not get to sleep early.

Some were nonstop talkers.


When morning came, I thought through all the trouble a lack of GPS meant for me and just decided to cut the trip short and drive home, especially since booking directly with Wyndom meant they would charge me only for the one night and not for three. So, I saved $244, drove home, and slept in my bed. Perhaps tomorrow I'll go see what Rivers poker is like.

I'm a bit disappointed, but it was the right decision. I can do the long highway stretches by just looking at the map, but little twists and turns are difficult unless it talks to me. So, I did not want to risk driving to Foxwoods or museums I had on my list.

I did like the rest of the car features. I love these blind spot lights on both sides. I love being on Cruise Control and have it slow up for slower traffic and resume when possible.


I came home and took a good, long nap before I unpacked.