Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Tampa Downs

I started at Lucky's but really did not like the lack of players. It will probably not be there too much longer.
The Downs was so packed that there was hardly room to park in the main lot. They are doing work there to move the road so that it runs behind the lot. In the meantime parking was tight.
I started in the no limit and was up and down for a while. I held A=6 of clubs one hand the and clubs did not come, but on the river came a 4 and I went all in as I had caught a straight. The fellow called me. That was my best win.
My last hand I held K X of diamonds with two coming on the flop. A fellow that caught a set pulled in enough of my remaining chips, then all of them on the turn. No diamond and I was done.

I was down $270

I almost went home. I wasn't feeling just right. I decided to play some limit and just got good cards and kept winning. It was a very easy table. They would pay me on any hand and I never bothered to slow play anything. I got 5-7 of hearts on the button. Everyone was in. I decided to take a chance and so I raised, hoping for a free card. I flopped a straight. I bet.
I had a straight flush draw, but I continued to bet out. There is a huge award for the straight flush, but I just felt that someone would stay with me.
On the river my hearts made a small flush and it was a winner, but not the high hand straight flush. Good pot. Another good pot was pocket fours. I caught the third 4 on the turn. A fellow before me bet and a fellow after me raised. It came around and I reraised and still most of the players stayed with me. That was a very good pot.

So I left down $141.

The horses were running so there were many people distracted and just betting for something to do.

Later, after the races were over, it seemed the players gradually changed to guys who played better. They did a bit of trapping. So I left.

Saturday Tampa starts a new high hand award of $599 ever hour for high hand. That should be better than the straight flushes. More people will get rewarded.

I still like cracked aces better than any other hand.

Oh, I did lose a bit right at the beginning in a fifty cent/ dollar max of sixty dollar game. I may try playing that next time and seeing how it is. I'd like it if it did not just become a lose game.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Tampa Downs Poker

Had a fine day at the Tampa Track playing poker. I won $43 breaking my run of bad luck. I played $1-$2 no limit all the while and enjoyed it. I got such terrible cards that had I played 2-4, I would have lost a good bit of money because none of my cards became much of anything. I had pocket aces and won a good pot. I guess I won only four pots in all. I lost one that I followed to the river and called a $15 bet because I thought the guy had nothing. Otherwise I folded most of my afternoon. I felt very good about it. The flavor of the game changed before I needed to leave, and I cashed out with my winnings, paying attention to my gut feeling that I did not want to be in this game any longer. That too is a good skill.

I won a hand with pocket fives just because one was a spade and completed a flush on the river. Very small pot. I bet my pocket nines after a flop of rags and had two callers, so I just checked. Those cards held up to win a pot. I played A-6 of diamonds and the turn gave me a straight. In spite of the fact that I had been very tight all afternoon, one fellow called my $20 river bet. I won one hand with a $5 bet when I held A-6 of hearts and two came on the flop. five or six people folded after my $5 bet and I thought perhaps at that point I was being seen as a tight player. I won one other hand on the river when I was last to act and had just a queen with ace kicker. I suspected that others could beat me but were not very strong and I counted on my reputation. One tough old fellow thought and thought a long time before he folded and I suspect that he had me beat. It was my only bluff bet.

I had very poor cards most of the day. A few suited connectors that caught nothing. Some small pockets that were generally useless after the flop. No trips. No full houses. No two pair.

The fellows who started the game were old guys who all knew one another, played fairly conservatively, and were too often in too many pots. Later some aggressive young fellows joined the game and made some all-in bets on practically nothing, but most of the day, guys bet what they had, or bluffed with just small bets under $20.