Playing on the way to chicago

I played poker twice on this trip. ONce at the Seneca Alleghany near Jametown and then last night here in the new poker room at the Horseshoe in Hammond.

I won only $4 playing a limit 3-6 with a $2 small blind and a kill. It was a hard game especially since the rake is that Harrah's $6 with one going into a pot for a promotional which they have yet to announce.

I would have lost much more because I went on tilt after a flopped two pair of K-7 was beat on the river by a K-9 who bet into me the entire time and caught a gut shot straight. This was a kill pot, stakes of $6-$12.

I got pissed and raised my next hand K-Q. A good player took over the betting after the flop but I had an open ended straight draw and caught the A for the nuts on the river. So that was no a kill,b ut it brought me back even and I decided to get out as the poore players had clearly been replaced by better players, and preflop raisers when the stakes are 6-12 is too rich a game for me.

I miss Laughlin.

I lost at SenecA Alleghany playing a no limit game. My last hand I had trip tens with a queen, my opponent TRIP TENS with a king.

So I am down $143 for the trip.

I am comfortable now with no limit, but I sure am spoiled by Laughlin. Thinking about it, I realize that I play best in games with one single blind. Players are easier to put on cards and I can play a tight wait and see game and throw hands away for free.

And compared to what the River Palms does with rakes, who wants to play at Harrah's. For only a $5 cut from winning pots at River Palms, the casino gives back every kind of high hand bad beat bonus you can imagine and free rooms for 6 hours of play. It will certainly be my new home.

The horseshoe also has games with dealerless machines that take a bit smaller rake, but they put them out in the smoking area and they were full of smokers so happy to be playing poker and smoking. It was a good idea by the casino, but there was no place for me in that scene.

I am hoping to play some no limit at Four Winds in New Buffalo Michigan when we get up to Lakeside. I am happy that Slink finally made me start with the 1-2 100 max no limit games as it gives me some flexibility. I don't think I am quite good enough yet, but I am getting it.

Greg's games helped me make that shift. Much of what we do there works in the casino. And there are always times when I consciously become Greg. That betting into weakness is a great technique. One old player at the El Cortez once told me that in limit poker if two people check, you bet. He gave away too much of his strategy, so when he did that, I raised him, but it was interesting advice.

My best hand last night was J-Q clubs on the button with everyone having seen one raise to my right. So I was the only reraise preflop of the day. All called and it was a nice pot when the jack hit the flop with rag-rag. They all checked and I bet and was not called. Another jack hit the turn. I just bet out and one guy folded and another jack stayed with me with a 10 kicker. It was a decent pot.

dew

Turning Stone with Slink on Yankee Trails

Slink and I took the Yankee Trails bus up to Turning Stone for a day of poker. The ride was fine, the bus not so crowded that we did not get a seat together and we had plenty to talk about as always. It was much too hot and even a word to the driver did not get much relief back to us. Perhaps they leave the AC off to save gas. No one else complained so maybe it was just us. the driver was friendly and easy and not long winded in his instructions. He did not treat us old ones like a classroom of babies when telling the times to board and the time the bus would pull out. He did not worry us. He just drover the bus.

There was no movie. We did not need one, but had Slink not been talkative, I'd have been bored on the way home.

On the way out Slink talked me into trying the 1-2 100 max no limit game and I found it playable. I was up a bit in the morning, then down again. At early after noon when we went to the buffet, I was down $8..

After lunch I got down $40 and decided to buy back up to $100 so as not to be short paid on good cards. A few hands later I was dealt K-K under the gun. I raised the typical $6 and two seats away a fellow raised to $12 so that sifted out some late acting players.

Well, I thought as I called, if an ace comes on the flop, I'm done.
Flop was K-Q-X. Two hearts
I was thrilled.
I checked and bettor guy did a healthy bet that left the guy to his left and me calling.
The turn was a rag and no heart so that killed my runner runner king of heart high flush.
I checked and better guy tossed in three $25 chips.
He was a talker.
Here he turned to the guy next to him and said,
"That will make your flush draw very expensive."

So then I knew I had bettor guy beat.
I put him on Q-Q-Q
The guy next to him went all in and so did I.

I turned my K-K
Bettor guy turned A-A
and the other guy turned A-K
No hearts. Only one out could beat me.
River rag and I am sitting with almost $300 in front of me.

Well, I did not like playing that much in one hand nor did I like better guy betting behind me and pushing so after a few hands of listening to that and his endless drivel talk about his cat, I decided to go even if I was sitting next to a young cutie.

Bettter guy was not happy to see his money leaving.
I went to 2-4. The first game was short and bad.
I walked down and played my keno matchplays, $6 got me $12 bet across six games and so I watched the balls bounce into the shaft and at the end picked up my only win, just $2. Even with matchplays it is very hard to hit Keno.

Back at the poker table I was at a fine game full of calling stations. Everyone was in on every flop. So I began to raise my draw button hands. Once I raised on 6-8 just for fun. The guy to the left had K-K. On the flop I got an inside draw and a free card while K-K planned his check raise that was not going to happen. The turn gave me trip sixes so I raised K-K who finally was relieved to be betting his monster hand.
"You must have caught your straight he said as he called. I have a straight but it is smaller so I won't raise."
The river gave me my gut shot straight but K-K had to call me to see it.
He was pretty mad, but then he was mad the entire trip.

Later I hold A-J which Slink has been losing with all day on no limit even after he flops two pair. I flop J-J-9. I am last to act, but I don't bet.
The turn comes yet another Jack.
Well, I figure I win but I don't get paid on this. Even a guy with a nine full might not call my bet, but I figure wrong as a guy with a queen-nine bets and another guy calls and then I call. On the river the Queen makes the first better really happy. He bets. The second guy is very unsure so I take the chip stack off my chips and put them in my hands as if I am going to fold them when he has finally acted. He calles.
I raise. First better calls and the other guys swears a lot and throws his cards away.
So it was a decent pot afterall. No free room, however, like in River Palms.
No free drinks either. All day I've been adding my own Myer's rum from the flask that nephew Chris gave me for my birthday to the "free cokes."
With the bus bonus the buffet cost over $8,.

The freeplay goes like water threw a sieve. I play max bets on a Lion Fish machine where Slink once hit big. There is no reason to try any grinding bets because Turning Stone actually takes back the $25 they put on your card if you turn in a winning card. I was ahead $7 once. Guess I should have taken the seven and booked.

So the bus is not such a good deal as at Foxwoods. But it is much, much shorter. It is $5 cheaper too. So that almost covers the buffet.

Slink lost all day. He left ready for a poker holiday or maybe a 2-4 game switch.
I liked the no limit, but I think the 2-4 pays just as much with less need to concentrate at all on who plays what but just dance the limit dance in patterns and no need to throw everything away either. There 8-9 of clubs is a much better bet than K-10 offsuit. In late position especially. If I was a bit more ready to gamble big bucks, I would have had a fine opportunity with $250 in front of me to win some real money. But I hate risking that much on one bad beat.

And sitting next to a very sexy Asian dealer at the 2-4 was not too bad, especially when she told me that my gentle humming relaxed her. Almost put her to bed. For some unknown reason I was humming the theme from some old TV show (probably rum inspired) and at first I thought she was telling me in a nice way that it was annoying, but that was not it at all. So not having to watch my opponents, I watched her deal. Ah, the delights of 2-4 poker.

Came away just $136 ahead. It seemed I ought to have more than that, but I did not.
Stiill, that is a fine hedge against my losses lately.

Bill's game July 23

poker - July 23, 2008

Bill hosted today and Robin came down so there were five of us, six for a while when Bill's son played. it was a fine game, different without Greg certainly who takes control of the table.

I played well and felt well in control. I had good cards, but I also had many folds when hands did not develop. I seemed to know what people had and play right. I lost in the beginning, bought in 4 times but ended $69 ahead.

Bill beat me in winnings. The rest lost.

One hand I remember had Bill with trip 8's after the turn. He bet "all in" but it was not all his chips. Peter reminded him that he had a full tray off to the right. It reminded me of once when Greg bet "all in" and then talked his way out of it when I called with lots of chips. Bill back pedaled so well that I decided to call him although I knew he had me beat. I had just pocket jacks, but the river might give me a flush, straight, or another jack. As soon as Bill back pedaled, i put him on trips at best, so I called his bet. A spade gave me the pot.

I got a bit goofy near the end of the session, the way I might at certain tables in Vegas.
I had been very tired. I was up today at 3AM and then I seemed to shift in second syndrome as an old college friend called it.
So I was singing some old TV western themes and goofing, and making a bit too much noise for the group, and they made me quiet down.
Then followed the old, "They would not let you do that in Vegas" discussion. We have a lot of those discussions, often on odd bits of rules. Bruce will often come up with some odd rule he hears on television that has no bearing on casino cash play. Today he was saying that "soft play' was illegal meaning that letting someone win was wrong. Well, not at our game, certainly. And when pushed he admitted that he got the rule not in casino play, but from watching television.
Oh, boy!!

At Slink's last week it was whether casinos let you see a rabbit run. One fellow insisted they did. When I finally asked where it was at Turning Stone and he agreed it was just once in a while. I was generalizing as I have been plenty places where the rule is "no rabbits" especially if a player complains about it. Nothing that slows down the game is tolerated in casinos.

So today is was about how much noise you can make at the table, how distracting you can be. I have been so often at tables where some lose, aggressive player tries to put us off our game with talk and banter. I know some who think it is just part of the game.

Well, anyway, I don't think these guys would much like the El Cortez after midnight when Action Jackson or any of ten other characters are going into their acts of distraction. I don't sing in Vegas, that is true, but I have been at pretty loud tables. The only rule I know is that you can't talk about a hand or read the board for people, or insult anyone. Otherwise, I have never seen even the worst agitator thrown out. Warned perhaps if it gets on the dealers nerves or a player complains.

Well, in less than a week I'll be in Vegas. At first I'll be at quieter tables, and certainly I expect Laughlin will be pretty subdued, but when I finally hit the El Cortez, well, I don't expect quiet there. If Catherine plays there will certainly be some whoop, whoop and a fine run of commentary.

I'm ready.

Foxwoods

Son Peter and I took the Yankee Trails bus to Foxwoods today. I have a voucher, so the trip was free; Peter had a $5 coupon. The benefits are just fine: $20 in keno bets and a free $15 buffet for a $27 fare ($2 less if you book online)

However, it is a long ride, and we had not planned well this time. We had not noted that it was a combined trip, half Foxwoods folks and half Mohegan Sun overnight folks, so on the way out we had to stop at Mohegan Sun first. This would not be much of a time waster if the casino host was there on time and if they would just let the folks off the bus before they explain to them every detail of their two day Mohegan Sun staym warn them about every possible danger, and even be open to questions. Instead the Foxwoods folks must wait for the Mohegan Sun casino host to lecture the overnight folks. She ends by saying if they have any questions they might meet her at her desk in the lobby. I felt that in the lobby is where they should al have met be for the entire lecture.

On the way home one of the passengers brought a fine Johnny Carson comedy tape, so we were entertained. I always forget to bring a few so that the three hour journey back goes a bit easier. some drivers provide a movie. I guess Fred doesn't. This one was a very fine choice, but no one seemed to know how to play the second selection so we had just a one hour break in a three hour trip. And the piped in music was annoying. The quality of the sound is poor. I love Mamas and Papas, but did not recognize them when they sang or enjoy them. It sounded like some teenager had earphones turned up just loud enough to annoy the rest of us and not loud enough so that we could actually catch the melody.

On the way up Peter and I had some fine conversation and that works just great.
The bus driver Fred was very personable. He went over all the details, especially the one about making sure we made the return bus and did not get stuck overnight. Then he also had details for the Mohegan Sun people. He was perfect except he kept saying he was dropping them off tomorrow instead of picking them up and this confused some. He told some jokes so they could not always tell if he was just kidding or not. But in the end it all worked out.

The poker was fine, but both Peter and I lost. I won in the morning on a 2-4 table in spite of the fact that great cards after great cards lost. I lost with A-K three times in a half dozen hands. In the afternoon it went worse and I really lost. I ended $229 down which is a substantial loss for me even if it is only a variation of 1 or 2 hands at the 4-8 game.

Our opponents were not too hard to play. No maniacs capped the betting. Folks were believable and predictable. When I folded my predictions came true, but they were sad predictions. But in the afternoon too my A-K and pocket Kings lost enough to make the table feel sorry for me.

I had to show some and showed others, so that I might get some respect on raises, but that did not work either. It was not a mistake because I really was never in the position to bluff a raise without good cards and very few dropped out when I did make those raises. I tried to bluff with A-K one time againt a guy I knew was weak but he called my bets all the way with his simple pair of Queens and low kicker. I could see him thinking about throwing it in, but he just kept calling.

My best afternoon hand was 4-6 in a blind that caught 3-5 on the flop and a 7 on the river. I had someone betting in to me on the turn, who I check raised after two other people had called him. He called me on the river also. It was unthinkable that I might play a 4-6, I suppose. Maybe showing the A-K helped me after all.

Peter too lost most of his budgeted $70 at 2-4 tables. The morning table was also good for him, but the afternoon caught him. I played with him in the morning, and his play was very good.

The Keno paid us $5 each.

People were friendly at the tables, but not as interesting as Vegas.

I think I like these bus trips better in colder weather when I have been inside and bored for a week. It is just too long a ride even with good company.

I checked again, or tried to, on the poker rate at Foxwoods. As I understand it now, I might get a rate of $69 if I play a while and then ask for it, or I might not. Well, this is of no use to me if I want to sandwich some days between two bus trips.

Yankee Trails will get me there and back, but I would not have a certain place to stay, so I guess if I want to make an overnight trip, I'll book some of the mailed promos (still at $69) and then try for the bus. Even though the bus would cost me $52, it is a good deal as I get coupons for both days, so I eat two $15 buffets and have $40 in free keno bets. All that for about what it would cost me in gas/tolls to drive there and back. But if I drove I could find a cheap $40 motel.

Still, when I can stay in Nevada for under $12 a night, I have trouble swallowing the $69 Foxwoods rate as a "cheap promotion." I guess I need to get over that except that my mathematics of 11 nights of saving $50 a night in hotel expense by going to Nevada more than pays my airfare to fly to Vegas even if the airfare goes up another 50%. Add that to the fact that the first and only time I have tried to book Foxwoods at the $69 rate, they were out of promotional rooms. I suppose sometimes folks hear that hotels in Vegas are out of promotional rooms, but I have never personally been told that in the over ten years of booking promos.

Now if only Laughlin would have bus deals like Yankee Trails. The only promo bus rides I find are one day trips and no luggage can be taken along on the bus. The shuttle is currently $110. So in Nevada a shorter bus trip is 50% more, while the rooms are 60% less. If I were marketing Laughlin, I'd find a way to set up promo bus trips from Vegas in which folks paid for transportation and housing for three or four days.

Day bus rides to Tampa Hard Rock from Crystal River up North where we stay in winter area about the same price as our Yankee Trails, but stay a much shorter time, probably due to rush hour traffic. A short time at a casino is of no use to a poker player.

Local Games

Well, I have not written much of Greg's games lately. I don't think anyone in the group reads these anyway and I can't imagine the game details of much interest to others.

The games go along very well with the regulars coming just about every week. Phil has been in Disneyland, but he comes back for next week, and the Greg takes off for his great China trek after that game, so I won't see that local poker much for a while.

Peter comes every week now. He and Jen go to lunch with me and we have some good talks.

Bill comes too with his classic "unbelievable" comment each time the board goes against him, especially on the river. He won a little last week and lost this week and left early.

I have not been doing well. Greg does well every week. Peter hangs in. He got too loose and tightened a little this week and played a lot smarter, laying down losers. The three of us all made money. I got very lucky. I was holding A-9 of hearts and went all-in when two hearts flopped, Both Peter and Greg called. The turn was heart. Peter bet again, but Greg folded. Pete held two hearts also, one of them was the king. But I had the nut. That hand made my money. Otherwise I'd have been down $20.

After that Greg called the game. He did not want to face both of us if we were as high chipped as he was and perhaps lose his afternoon's winnings in one hand. Smart, but disappointing. It underlines too the fact that although he always says he loves the game, there are times when he is ready to quit with his profits rather than risk a huge loss. Had I not lost so much on the one I overbet, I'd have been able to make more on my big hand from his racks.

Peter still had a harder day. He bought in five times. Both Greg and I had only 2 buys. Mine was almost the first hand of the day, when Bruce took me for an all-in win. Greg lost everything and worked his way back against the big chips to have a few trays. It was really amazing to watch.

There were lots of quads. Bruce and I had them and Greg had them twice. None made huge money, but all did fine.

Greg is very good and hard to figure. He is aggressive, but seems to know when to escape. I learn a good bit playing with him that may come in handy in Vegas/Laughlin at the end of the month, if I play no limit. I had him cornered twice yesterday, once with quads, and could not get him to go over the top with an all-in against me. The one time he went, I did not have it and was pushing him. On my second push, I intended to bet another 20 chips that had matched the pot on my first bet, and instead said, "Match the pot again" so it cost me $60, and then he went all-in. I had to fold.

Keith just got back and lost $30. Unusual. He did win earlier and lost on a night when he said he may have been drinking just a few too many Johnny Walkers. That is my reservation too. The limit games allow some leyway for mistakes. He and Bern had an Elvis renewal of vows at Graceland chapel, just the two of them. So fine to see a couple still in love after ten years.

His experience makes me almost sure to play just limit. I make mistakes even when I don't drink. I turned over my cards by accident yesterday and then folded what ended up being a winning hand. I did not want to play them if everyone had seen them. Otherwise I'd have stayed in for certain. That is the kind of error that is the most stupid. I don't usually make those errors in casinos.

Too often in Greg's games too I give Peter a look at my cards. In the casino I am careful to cup my hands, but I have no deck to shuffle and more time to act and decide. I need to slow down a bit at Greg's, especially when it gets late in the afternoon.

Well, we may play at Slink's on Friday. He wants a game, but was late in announcing so people may have the date planned up. I can go. Last time Karp and his son-in-law came and played pretty loose abd aggressive. It was a hard game figure and I guess they go lucky and took most of the money.

Peter and I expect a day at Foxwoods also. I have a free voucher for the bus. Next week might be good. I am done with the woodworking, but the weather has been so nice here I hate to leave the lake for a long day like that.

Derby Lane

I decided to start playing no limit poker at Derby Lane in St Petersburg, Florida where I thought the competition might not be as stiff as Vegas, especially in August when my next Vegas trip is planned.

Derby Lane does have some very low limit games. There is a 2-4 and a "straight 2" in which the bets do not rise on the turn. However, with a $5 rake and a dollar for the bad beat, I was further encouraged to try the no limit.

My first two nights I lost a total of $610 after about six hours of play each time. I made some mistakes, but felt it was more the cards than my play. I played very tight but not very aggressive. In each game I developed a table image of a tight player, so it was hard to bet unless I wanted to drive out the others. I did use that under the gun with medium pairs or after the flop to take a pot with second best. Just a $5 early in the game would cause people to fold or just call.
My third night I went with my buddy Lucky Pete. He has not been a poker player and wanted to try. So we played a 2-4 game and he did very well. The table was loose and passive except for one raiser. So I made money. $134. Pete lost about $27 even with hitting the jack promotion.
Monday-Wednesday Derby Lane had a promotion for winning with pocket jacks. The house double the pot up to $500. But you had to be called to the river, so it did change the play of the no limit games. Peter won for a small amount.
The next day I hit twice on the no limit winning $250 on the promotion alone and coming home with enough to put me up $9 for the trip. The no limit table really played more like limit poker. These players were cautious and not crazy. I managed to confuse them. Still again I developed a reputation for being tight so that I had to be careful not to bet. Slow playing did pay off.
My pocket jacks win on the first table was calling a fellow with a pair of tens (high flopped card) and an ace kicker. I never raised that then kept him trying to push me off the jacks. My second was similar. On that one a king came on the turn and an ace on the river but I kept calling decent bets. A guy with pocket 9's was trying to push me off. He would have gone had I raised. I was very lucky. He did not know about the jack promotion so did not consider that as part of the possibilities.
On my last night I was at a totally nutty table where raisers and callers pulled in pots on the river. When my ace went to a straight, I was beat by a fellow with a 6-2. On one hand I got aggressive. I held ace-queen and there was a queen on the flop and a decent bet from one woman in early position. I raised all in thinking that I could force out the competition and I did but she help a pair of pocket queens.
So I lost. My weekly losses were $331. Not bad for a beginner.
Still it is a much more complicated game and I don't yet really understand the nuances. I don't think I will play it much in Vegas, but it will be a better game for me at Turning Stone where the rake makes limit poker difficult. In no limit the rake is not too hard to overcome even when the table gets down to 6 players.
Derby Lane did have a bad beat, but the bad beat of the week was at Tampa Hard Rock and they hit it while I was there. It had risen to a half a million dollars o the loser of the bad beat hand won over $250.000.
One disadvantage of the dog track was that the card room can only stay open 12 hours a day so it did not open until 1PM or 2PM. On the 2-4 table the game is constantly slowed by people betting horses or dogs or that game played like hand ball with curved rackets. On the other hand this distracted the players in the same way that the horses do at the horse track.
I only be the dogs once. I bet a 2-3 exacta and the 2 came in first but the other dog was...well, a real dog. It was fun to watch them run.

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