RIVERS SCHENECTADY ONCE AGAIN

 NOVEMBER

I've been waiting for a rainy day to go up to Rivers Schenectady and play poker. But this Autumn on Burden Lake there are no rainy days.

So, finally, yesterday I woke up fully rested and ready.

I had a fifteen minute wait for a new table and used it to win $14 at 9/6 JOB on the full pay machines.

Then I grabbed my favorite number 5 seat which allows me to see the cards more clearly and waited for the table to fill and start.

In general, the NL poker was very dull. I got drained, came back a bit, and left down $25.

My highest pocket pair was jacks which got folded early.

I won on both 5-5 and 6-6, catching trips. 5-5 was the better win with a fellow raising me with just two pair.

I had A-K twice and won once by bluffing on the river after the flop. I had played so tight that I expected no one would call me after a preflop button raise.

The funniest hand was when I held A-10 of diamonds and nothing came, but there was no more betting.  On the river the board had 8-8-9-9 and my Ace was a winner against two other small pair. 

I flopped a straight flush draw in diamonds, but it did not come.  I won with a straight or flush; I can't remember. 

Most of my high cards came with low kickers and, with one exception,  there were no straights, flushes or full houses let alone a high hand. (Rivers pays $300 per hour for the high hand in the room.)

I did get to try out a couple of home made card protectors, basically flat rocks with things glued on top. I did not like the one with driftwood. I thought I had sealed it well, but one time it lost a tiny piece of wood, and so I went to the other.

That one had the silver back, showing a fisherman, of a long gone ten dollar pocket watch from the old Watchman's store in Laughlin.

I liked this one because it was long enough with the fisherman glued to one end and I could put 2 or 3 chips on the other end of the rock in preparation, so there would be no finger fumbling when betting.

The company was as I generally find it. Mostly old men and a few old women. Mostly taciturn.

Most played tight. One fellow was a bit aggressive, and he won often. He seemed to have cards when he was called. I was never head to head with him.

I do miss the old limit games of Vegas that drew folks from all around the world with stories and jokes, but I rarely find that in Vegas anymore. And the old El Cortez game was grand with Jackie wobbling down each afternoon to splash the pot with his poor play and Action Jackson and an assortment of other regular characters as well as dealers with interesting comments, especially Karen who could talk about cooking bluegills. That is the game I miss the most.

Well, I'll soon be in Florida with a raucous home game and a game at Ocala with more banter and chatter. No word yet about when they move closer to the Ocala airport. That will change the game.

Anyway, I played a few hours and the table dwindled, so they combined us with another table at which I had to sit in the Number 2 seat. I did not like that. Also, I was tiring and did not have the energy to learn an entirely new set of opponents, so I went to the video poker down $25 on NL.

I got my $100 up to $140 which was amazing since I never had quads. It was all full houses and trips and grinding with two pair.

Then it dwindled down again and I quit an retrieved my buy in.

So I came home down $11 for the day. My NL poker score dropped to plus $298 since I started playing a year ago.

I did not eat. I just wasn't hungry. So I missed Riccitello's again. 

 I did remember to bring my insulated cup for coffee, but then I forgot it everywhere and had to go back for it.

I drove out into rush hour (not at all what I liked to do) and with a phone that lacked a charge, so I had to find my way home without electronics except the NPR reports on candidates in the news.

I managed.

I was home before dark.

Next trip I may try to get there early as from 10 to 12 they have great rewards for high hands, some as much as $1,000, and you don't need to be the high hand of the room.  I used to think there were no rewards offered until the high hand in the room at noon.