OCALA-GAINSVILLE JAI-ALAI POKER ROOM

 

Trip report Ocala poker

I drove the hour or so from our Crystal River winter home here in Florida to the Ocala-Gainsville Jai-Alai poker room.

I got there a bit after noon and played until a bit after six.

I've been there other years, but not one a Wednesday.

It was the strangest poker game I've ever joined and pointed out to me again that poke really depends on opponents.

I started with seat on a table of all regulars, good players who knew one another.

This is not where I want to play. Gradually for the first half of my playing I got drained. I did not get cards often and when I did, my opponents folded to even tiny bets. It was a 1-2 table and once the entire table folded to my $3 bet.

When I did win, the pots were very small.

One fellow to my right lost three pots holding pocket Aces, and one holding pocket kings and one queens.

He was not happy either.

He played them well. Just luck.

I was happy not to be that fellow, but I still was losing.

Normally, I would have gone home, but slowly I bought in up to $500, with $300 gone. I was just hoping for perhaps half that back.

Then the old boy locals left and were replaced by other folks, some who played a bit aggressive in small ways, but few who went all-in.

It became more of a flop game.

I like flop games.

With 5 cards I can better tell what I want to do.

I had tightened, but this second group did not seem to notice. They did not fold when I bet.

And my luck changed.

One fellow to my left liked to start out preflop with a $10 bet even if he did not have cards justifying the raise. So in certain situations, I started to raise his bet to $20. Sometimes that meant I got him head to head. If I got a lot of callers, he might even fold.

There were some $5 straddle players. I play straddle hands tighter than normal hands, and if I have cards that I am going to play, I raise the straddle because I figure I'm now playing three blind hands.

In limit poker the pattern was for the guy who straddled to bet again regardless of his hand. But I did not see that here. So, I raised high cards or good pairs, but not suited connectors where if I connect, I want callers.

There was also a high hand bonus of $200 awarded every 20 minutes for the highest hand in the room, Aces full or better.

This only required $10 in the pot. Since the second half of my play there was just one 9 person table in the room, the odds were very good any high hand would hold.

I don't know what to do with trips. I tend to want to play for the high hand, but it depends on the board.

I got 2-2-2-2 on the river and it held up for $200.

I held three fives with pockets and did not really know what to do. I checked the turn and my opponent, a young kid, bet a bit into me.

I worried about higher trips.

I did not catch the river, but I checked and the kid went all-in. Now I really put him on higher trips, but I pushed. He had just pocket jacks, not even two pair.

It was a good pot, as good as the high hand. I still don't know what I should have done. Clearly, I looked weak to him. That is what taking a free card in hopes of the high hand award can do, disguise the hand.

The kid was good about it. It wasn't perhaps a bad bet. Had I held a pair I would have folded.

Once in the blind I held Q-7.

The flop showed a Q.

The loose better guy who had not bet preflop pushed in his $10.

I called.

On the river I caught the 7. The loose guy had a better queen. Boy was he mad.

I fell into a string of good cards and won hand after hand. It was the exact antithesis of my earlier play where everything went to mierda.

Finally, I just had too much money in front of me and I was tired, so I cashed out for a profit of $446.

I wish I could say the afternoon taught me how to play, but I can't. I do think very tight play is a good thing, but then there is the old guy next to me and the whole table of regulars folding to my $3 bet.

BOOM POT

At the change of dealers it is customary to deal a "boom pot".  Everyone puts up $10 and from the same deck two hands are flopped. Then betting starts.  A player can win either or both hands.  High hand may also be awarded.  I never won anything on any of them, but they are interesting.  Players don't have to play these hands, but all usually do.

THE ROOM

What I like best is that the tables are small, and I can see the cards easily from end seats. I did manage to get my favorite seat 5 eventually, but I never felt disadvantaged as I do at Rivers where sometimes I have to have cards read to me.

The dealers are all fine and friendly.

Only I wear a mask. It keeps me safer from flu, Covid, colds and it helps my poker by disguising my tells; however, it does make it harder for me to get into conversation.

Still, I found the crowd engaging and talking about things of real interest, even Vegas. The old guys were not talking health or all sports.

Often the talk was local talk about places to eat or visit. Great stuff for this snow bird.

The odds for high hand are very appealing.

I bring my own seltzer drink, but they do serve water and coffee and were around often for such a small group.

For horse players there is an area with televisions for betting just outside the poker room, and they do serve food.

I can't eat and play poker without disaster.

I did not want to drive home in the last hour of rush hour, but I do know the roads and I did fine. I may try to find a way to avoid the Interstate. I think I can if I drive down into Ocala.

Tonight I have a very different game. Five sons play with me at a zoom table. It is a grand way to get together for banter. They are a grand group of men. Two in Chicago, one Albany, one Boston, one Denver.