Poker Musings

Just a couple a stories from this week.

I went to Harrahs on Tuesday. It had been a while. I had intended to play 1/2 but it was full. They had just started a 3/6 limit game so I sat down with the intention of moving to the 1/2 game when a seat opened up. I used to play limit a lot when I first started playing live. It is really no fold 'em hold 'em. I sat down with the usual cast. Mostly older retired guys. I chipped up a little here and there. My turn came to move and I decided to stay. Why you may ask? Well there were three donating station at the table. I wanted to get my share before my tournament started. One guy was $300 down in an hour. Not easy to do at this limit if you show any starting hand restraint. He went so far to say that he does not play junk. He exposed his hand to me during play. He held T8os. He had called a pre flop raise. The flop was AK8. He called a bet and a raise. The turn was a ten. He called a bet and then folded to a raise and re raise. The river was another ten. He slams his hand down hard so hard in disgust that the whole table looked at him. Horrible etiquette. He would have lost. Another player had KT.

I got into a hand with this gentleman later. Harrahs has an aces cracked promotion every day. First five aces cracked wins $100. There was one left when I look down at my cards under the gun to find AA. Now normally in a 3/6 limit game I am raising here to drive out the ever fishing limpers. But here I am encouraging action. The promotion stipulates that there must me at least $30 for the hand to qualify. Imagine my delight when we saw the flop seven handed. Okay, the thirty dollar limit is a cinch to be hit. The same old guy with the T8 bets out from the blinds on a non face card board with two clubs. I am just calling all the way now. Two more come along for the turn which is another small club. Old dude bets and I smooth call again. We are heads up. Oh I have the ace of clubs so if the next card is a club I have position to raise and still make some money. The old guy bets six in the dark. This is just silly. He knows he does not have the nut flush. His action is not going to induce a fold, the cards are. If another club comes he has to think he is getting check raised. A heart fell and his J6 of clubs held. For a mere $18 investment I win the $100. I'll take it.

I was playing on Full Tilt last night. I have no money on the site so I am utilizing my large amount of points to try to build a bank roll. I enter a satellite to a crappy free roll. There are 10,000 people in it. Along the way I get moved to a table that had every single person sitting out. Not one other player was participating. It took me about three hands to figure it out. Quick folds all around. I went about four rounds that I just min raised and took down blinds. The blinds were 60/120 I think so I beefed up my stack nicely. It finally ended when I busted a short stack. Has this ever happened to anyone before? It was unique for me. I noticed that FT must have some kind of contingency for it because play slowed between hands. It was not as instant when you have live play. It was not all short stacks either. There were two huge stacks who must have left because they knew they could fade the bubble. It made internet poker feel even more lonely.