Went to Ameristar again to try my luck. Got there around 9:45 in the a.m. and got the last 1/2 seat. I thought I would play it safe for the first round and assess the table. The poker gods had other plans. Third hand in I pick up AA under the gun. I limp in. Now I usually would not do this but they have a busted bullets promotion and there were three left. Two guys to my left raises it to $11. Three callers back to me and I bump it to $45. The original raiser calls and the others go away. The flop is the innocuous 922. I bet out $75. The other dude instant raises. I move all in and he calls. Now there really is no thought to this at all because I have AA. If they are cracked, I get a $100 rebate from the promotion. I flip over my AA and he flips over. Wait for it. Wait for it. Fucking 92os. NO WAY. I am stunned. 99 I could handle. Maybe ever A2 suited. But 92 off suit. I lose of course and have $25 left. I ask him if he new it was coming. He looked at me straight faced and said the dealer was talking about the Montana. And once that happened there was no way he was folding. I told him straight faced that it made perfect sense. My end of the table laughed. I pressed him and asked if I moved in before the flop that he would call. He said yep. Guy next to me whispered "Moron.". Love that guy. And I guess the 92 is called the Montana Banana or something. I got my $100 rebate and played on.
It whittled down to $65 or so. Turns out I was seated directly right of the two biggest aggro dorks I had ever played. with. They bet and bet and bet. I picked up 77 in the big blind and we saw a cheap flop six ways. It flopped A 7 2. Gin. I check. Aggro dork directly left of me bets $11. Called in two place and I call as well. The turn is a 8. I love this board. I have to be getting paid by someone with an ace. I check. Aggro dork fires $15 at it. Folds to me and I move in. He calls and flips over two pair with 82. He played 82 under the gun. Love this guy. I get my double up back to $130 or so.
I get AA again in the small blind. This time no cracked bullets are left. Middle position semi aggro guy makes it $14 to go. It gets called in two other spots. I bump it to $100 flat. Folds around. Nice $45 pot no work.
Float a flop with the gutty. Get there on the turn. Win a nice little pot. Now I am up $25 on the day.
Get AA again. In the small blind again. I love AA in the blinds. Limped around in three places. I am still sitting next to super aggro donk. He had $600 in front when I sat down. That is gone now and he has reloaded $200 twice. He has been sucked out on and is steaming. I make a calculated risk and decide to limp here. I was checking him out in the peripheral and he seemed like he was going to bet. He did not. Damn. Hate 5 handed flops holding AA. Oh well gotta get away if it gets ugly. The flop comes 348 off suit. I check to see what he would do. He bet $22. Folds to me. I smooth call. I hate that flop with him in the big blind. It would have smacked him. I felt I could get a better read after the turn. The turn is a somewhat scary 7. No flush draw though. I check. He quickly puts out $50. I had been paying attention to his betting patterns. When he had a good hand, he always bet around %50 more than his flop bet which would be $33 here. This was an over bet for him and it screamed go away. I thought for a moment and announced all in for $90 on top. He instant called. SHIT. I am toast. He has two pair or some crappy 56. He pushes his chips in and flips over A8 os. Top pair top kicker. I sigh and flip mine over The river blanks and I am up to $350 or so. He soon melted completely down and lost to an old rock holding AA. OR bets. AD raises before the flop. OR calls. AD announces all in in the dark. Flop is A high. OR calls and shows the nuts.
Felt good to flop a set and win. Felt good to have AA hold up most the time.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Misfortune
Played twice in as many weeks. Lost a buy in each time. The first time was nothing special. Just a whole lot of second best and busted draw hands. Today was a bit different. I am up and down. Mostly down. Hovering around $90 or so. I get Qd9d in the big blind. I get a pass with five other players. The flop is Tc8c6h. I checks around to the button who makes is $5. I call with with double gutter as does a middle position player. The turn is the oh so lovely Jack of hearts. I check and the middle position player makes it $15. The button flats and I move in for around $70 more. The middle player tanks and finally calls. He was on a little heater and had over $500 in front. The button folds and the river bricks with a 5 of spades. The middle guy had Jc3c. I am over $200 now and feeling good. Very next hand I get KK. My first real playing hand in three hours. Folds to the button who makes it $5. This is a 1/2 game. I pop it to $15. The big blind folds and the button calls. T86 rainbow. I put him all in for $52 more. He thinks and says if he calls he is gambling. He finally gives the oh well call and the turn is another ten. The river bricks and he tables JT. I loved the call. Hated the outcome. Just when I though I was getting on a little heater. Six hands later I am under the gun with 55. I limp for $2. The guy next to me limps. Old dude one off the button makes it $10. Button call. I call. Set mining. The guy next to me wakes up and raises to $35 total. Uh oh. This is only one of two hands. AA or KK. I think. He may be trying to isolate the old guy who was giving away money. Old guy call. Button Calls. I make the crying $25 call with presto. The flop reveals the door card as the five of diamonds. Woot whoooooo. The other two cards were the ten of clubs and a fucking ace of diamonds. I check it to the raiser and he bets $50. Fold fold to me. I only have $100 left in front. What to do? What to do? My read was I was toast. He had AA for the set over set situation. I am not good enough. Or I do not play enough to have the discipline to fold here. I announce all in and push my stack in. He flashes me the bad news and asks me "Do you think I should call?" Damn no miracle AK here. I knew I was beat. In my bones I knew it, but was not good enough to throw away a set. No bad beat for me. Igh. Dejected. I either have to play this game a whole lot more or not at all. I think If I was a grinder I could easily fold that hand. I just only get to play twice a month at best and I can not stop myself.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Ameristar
I decided last night before bed that I was going to get up with the kids. Get them off to school and go and play poker. I live about an hour away form the nearest poker playing casino. I was getting up there once a week, but I had only been up there a handfull of times in the last six months. The construction of a new casino at Kansas Speedway is almost complete. It is only twenty five minutes away. My trips should increase February one when the Hollywood Casino is slated to open. But I digress.
Harrahs is about five minutes closer than the Ameristar. The Ameristar's bad beat is about a million dollars better than Harrahs. Based on the miniscule chance that I may win my share of $350,000, I chose the Ameristar. Its main and secondary jackpot both sit at $350,000. The tertiary jackpot is $240,000.
I show up and there is a 4/8 and a 3/6 limit game going. I put my name on the list for both and a 1/2 nl game. I get sat at the 1/2 game by 10 a.m. I went there today with the idea in mind that I would just be happy seeing flops. There is a Zen aspect to the game for me in that regard. I can look at flops all day sometimes and not be so result oriented. The upshot of this approach on this occasion was an extremely tight table image. I got crap for cards. I played some hands in the blinds and with suited connectors in late position. Nothing ever hit. I did not see a pair of AK in the first two hours. I had AQ once but had to lay it down pre flop to a raise and reraise. I finally get my first pair after two hours of basically folding and watching my $200 buy in fall to $140 or so. I look down to AA under the gun. Normally I would raise here, but I had not raised a hand or played past a flop in two hours. They all think I am a monster rock. They are all regulars. They know each other. I decide to limp raise. Only one caller and the button come along. The big blind had folded out of turn and went to smoke. Not horrible for AA. Also, I must tell you they have five Aces cracked every day. There were still three left, so I had that for back up. The flop was ten high. I bet at it small. $5. I do not know why. I think the obvious play here is to check call it down and hop someone catches up. I won the small pot. I do not like playing AA in no limit when there is an aces cracked promotion. It messes with my head.
A couple rounds later I get AK utg. I just limp with the idea of check raising the right raiser. Once again it is limped in but this time we are six handed. The flop is gin. AK7 rainbow. I check. A middle position player bets $10. One caller and it is back to me. I bump it to $45. This bet would basically commit the initial bettor. He only had $71 behind. He thinks a second and moves in. The other caller folds and I call. My AK beats his A7 and I am up $80 for the day.
I slug around up and down for a while and get AA again. Under the gun, again. I limp, again. Three of us see the flop. Q72. The big blind bets out. I just call the $5 and the other guy calls as well. The turn is a J rainbow board. Big blind checks as do I. The button makes it $15. Call and call. The river is a ten. It gets checked around. The big blind is upset, he had rivered a set and wanted to check raise. I flip over my cards and the dealer pushes the pot to the set and starts to muck the card. I speak up about the aces cracked. He did not even know there was one left. It was close to gone, but I got my $100 for my $78 profit. I ended the session soon thereafter up $120 for the day. Not bad for the four hours work. It was nice to get back out there.
Harrahs is about five minutes closer than the Ameristar. The Ameristar's bad beat is about a million dollars better than Harrahs. Based on the miniscule chance that I may win my share of $350,000, I chose the Ameristar. Its main and secondary jackpot both sit at $350,000. The tertiary jackpot is $240,000.
I show up and there is a 4/8 and a 3/6 limit game going. I put my name on the list for both and a 1/2 nl game. I get sat at the 1/2 game by 10 a.m. I went there today with the idea in mind that I would just be happy seeing flops. There is a Zen aspect to the game for me in that regard. I can look at flops all day sometimes and not be so result oriented. The upshot of this approach on this occasion was an extremely tight table image. I got crap for cards. I played some hands in the blinds and with suited connectors in late position. Nothing ever hit. I did not see a pair of AK in the first two hours. I had AQ once but had to lay it down pre flop to a raise and reraise. I finally get my first pair after two hours of basically folding and watching my $200 buy in fall to $140 or so. I look down to AA under the gun. Normally I would raise here, but I had not raised a hand or played past a flop in two hours. They all think I am a monster rock. They are all regulars. They know each other. I decide to limp raise. Only one caller and the button come along. The big blind had folded out of turn and went to smoke. Not horrible for AA. Also, I must tell you they have five Aces cracked every day. There were still three left, so I had that for back up. The flop was ten high. I bet at it small. $5. I do not know why. I think the obvious play here is to check call it down and hop someone catches up. I won the small pot. I do not like playing AA in no limit when there is an aces cracked promotion. It messes with my head.
A couple rounds later I get AK utg. I just limp with the idea of check raising the right raiser. Once again it is limped in but this time we are six handed. The flop is gin. AK7 rainbow. I check. A middle position player bets $10. One caller and it is back to me. I bump it to $45. This bet would basically commit the initial bettor. He only had $71 behind. He thinks a second and moves in. The other caller folds and I call. My AK beats his A7 and I am up $80 for the day.
I slug around up and down for a while and get AA again. Under the gun, again. I limp, again. Three of us see the flop. Q72. The big blind bets out. I just call the $5 and the other guy calls as well. The turn is a J rainbow board. Big blind checks as do I. The button makes it $15. Call and call. The river is a ten. It gets checked around. The big blind is upset, he had rivered a set and wanted to check raise. I flip over my cards and the dealer pushes the pot to the set and starts to muck the card. I speak up about the aces cracked. He did not even know there was one left. It was close to gone, but I got my $100 for my $78 profit. I ended the session soon thereafter up $120 for the day. Not bad for the four hours work. It was nice to get back out there.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Finally....poker
Played Carls game last night. Showed up late. Six handed. I sit down and what should appear under my hole cards. AA. Merry Christmas. I raise it to $4. Get three callers. They think I am bullying the table. Flop is jack high. Blevins bets at it. Slick smooths and I make it $20 more to go. Fold around and Slick flashes AJ as he folds. I flop a straight next hand and win a nice little pot. Fold the next hand. See a flop with QTc in the big blind the next hand. Flop is ten high with two clubs. I bet and get called. Blevins then blasts the pot. I think for a minute and decide to call and see what happens. The turn is the Qd. I check and the other dude checks. Blevins bets $30. I tank for a bit. Wondering what the other guy has. I am almost positive Blevins has a set. Has to. Oh well I can either fold or push. Fold is out of the question. I have a ton of outs against a set. I finally push and the other dude folds. Blevins instant folds his cards face up. 2 3 off suit. He had bottom pair on the flop and was firing away. I get TT the next hand and take down a nice pot on a 9 high board. I am up $115 in six hands. Only other interesting hand of the night was against Slick. Blevins bet pre flop. Slick hemmed and hawed a little and flatted. I look down at QQ and move all in. Blevins instant mucks. Slick hems and moans about his acting was for Blevins not me. He flashes his cards and I see a king. Shit I am behind. Slick folds AK instantly. He has to have KK. He asks if I would chop right there. I say hell yes. Blevins rolls out the flop just to see and the door card is a queen. Would not have mattered most likely. We would have run it twice. Over all a good night. Gave a little back and wound up $80. Not bad for a .25/.50 game and three hours of work.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Played
Played my home game last night. Up and down. Bluffed a nice pot. Hit top set on a T23os board. Got a double up through Carl when he paid me off with KT. Finished up $40. Carl then bets $40 with a set on the flop. Aggro donk calls with an oesd. They run it twice and Carl loses both times. He throws a fit and ends the game. Says he is not going to have a home game anymore. Ouch. Gotta find a new home.
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