Gambling at Greektown

Since it was one of those 'silly holidays' that only mailmen and government workers have off, I went up to Greektown in Detroit.

I got to the Poker Room at 10:45. There were a ton of people standing around for the 11am tourney (99 entrants). I got on the 1/2 list, and knew I would get a seat after the tourney players leave the cash tables. So I grabbed a pager, and went to play some table games.

After playing Blackjack for about 40 minutes (+$85), the pager went off, and I sat down at a 1/2 table with $200. The table started off as a typical weekday 1/2 session, but that didn't last long. The whole day was long droughts of action, then players go nutso, then another stretch of quiet, and then train wrecks. Throughout the day, there were a couple of action player that sat down, and really got chips moving.

And I was definitely in the middle of it. My stack fluctuated between $150 and almost $900. There were many big pots, and eight of them are described below. Some are sweet plays by me, some are annoying suck-outs, and one is a little donkerific (maybe, I'm still not sure).

When I walked away from the table, I was up $458, which is pretty good day. If two or three River cards were different, I could have shattered my 1/2 record of +$720.

On the way out of the casino, I made my ritualistic donation to the Video Poker gods of $100 into a 9/6 Jacks or Better game. One of these days, they will be grateful for my generosity. Of course it didn't help that the lady next to me hit Quads twice in about five minutes.

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Since there are so many hands involving the same players, I'm gonna describe two of them here. I'm not sure of the real names, so these names will do. I'm in Seat #8.

Tony was in Seat #5 when I sat down. He played a lot of pots, but wasn't making many moves. He did overbet hands, even just top pair, when he thought someone else was on a draw.

Frank was an older guy who sat down in Seat #1 about halfway through the session. From the way the dealers were talking to him, he's a higher stakes player who doesn't normally play in a 1/2 game. On the first hand he played, he raised $30 preflop, and show 5 2 when everyone folded. After a while, I figured out that he was playing super LAG to set up an image, and build his stack. Once he got a big stack, he really calmed down by playing better cards and doing more limping and calling.

Hand #1:
Tony raises to $15 in Mid position. I'm the Cutoff with Ah Kc and call. Five players see the Flop of Ac Th 8h. BB leads out for $25. Tony raises to $75. Now I've already seen him overbet just top pair, so I'm putting him on a big A. I 3-bet All-In for $155. The BB calls for just $83. Tony thinks for a bit, and then folds As Js face up. BB turns over Ad 9d, and says that he hopes he can triple up. The BB doesn't hit his three outer on the Turn and River, and I win my first big pot.

Hand #2:
This happens two hands later. Tony straddles for $5. I'm in Mid position with 7d 6d and limp along with a few others. Tony pops it to $20. I call and so do two others. Flop is Ad 6s 4s. Tony bets $25. I'm the only one who calls. He's got a big A, and I can hit one of my cards, or even a flush card for a bluff.

Turn: (Ad 6s 4s) 7h. - Tony goes All-In for $119, since he wants to bet me off my flush draw. Of course I call with two pair. He turns over Ac Qc

River: (Ad 6s 4s 7h) Qh - Nice Hand, Sir.

Hand #3:
I look at 7c 7s in the Hijack. I limp, and six players see a Flop of 7d 5s 4d. I've got top set, but the board sucks. It checks to me and I bet $10. I've learn that there is no point in over-betting, since nobody folds a flush draw on the Flop. I get three callers.

Turn: (7d 5s 4d) 9d - Yuck! It checks to me, and so do I. The player next to me bets $50. He was playing on the other side of the table, and got a seat change next to me. He's been in most of the pots, and playing a lot of garbage. To me, this bet stinks. If he had the flush, wouldn't he have bet smaller ($25-$35). I think I have the best hand.

A few players think about it, but it folds around to me. I insta-push All-In for $119 more. He goes into the tank for a bit, mumbles a few things, and calls. At Greektown, you must turn over your cards for an All-In. He shows 6d 4h for a flopped pair + open-ender and a turned flush draw.

River: (7d 5s 4d 9d) Qh - Whiff!

Hand #4:
I'm UTG+2 with As Jh, and pop it to $7. Five players see the Flop of Js 6s 5h. I bet $20. The player next to me calls. The Button raises All-In to $246 (wtf?). It folds around to me, but I don't fold.

Now this guy hasn't been sitting at the table very long. He has started making some large overbets for no reason, and he hasn't shown any cards yet. Because it's such an overbet, I'm inclined to think that it's some kind of combo draw, like 8s 7s or 7s 5s. And, while I'm pondering my decision, he says, "I'm just looking to go home."

Since I don't think he's got a hand, and I have the As for the redraw, I call. He shows Qh Jd (wtf?). The Turn and River are (Js 6s 5h) Ac Kc, and he misses his three-outer and walks away.

I guess he really did want to go home.

Hand #5:
Older guy in Mid Position raises to $15. I've got 8 8 on the Button, and call. Four players see the Flop of 7 7 5. Frank (UTG) bets $75. He has recently sat down, and started playing crazy. The Old Guy thinks for a bit, and says, "I don't believe you." He calls for less with his remaining chips, $24.

It folds to me. I ask Frank how much he's got total. $93, only $18 behind. I'm not sure if I've got the Older Guy beat, but he has been playing a little loose. But I'm fairly sure that I've got Frank beat. So even if Older Guy wins the Main Pot, I can still profit with the Side Pot.

All-In. Frank puts his last few chips in the pot, and turns over A 5. Older Guy shows K J (wtf?). The Turn and River are (7 7 5) K A, and Frank scoops both pots.

Nice Hand, Sir.

Hand #6:
A new guy sits down at the table who is also slumming it at the 1/2 game. He's playing a little loose and crazy. This hand is his first straddle $5. I'm next to him UTG, and I've got KQ. I decide to call the $5, and if New Guy raises his straddle, I would call.

Four other players call the $5, and New Guy pops it to $45. I call. Two seats away, a younger player goes All-In for $127, and says, "It's time to go home." This I do believe. The Kid was at the table when I sat down, and has been playing fairly tight and quiet. But he just got picked off in a big River bluff a few hands ago. I think he's got a pocket pair, or maybe a suited A, and just wants to gamble.

The New Guy calls the $127, and has $95 left. Now this is an interesting position. I think I'm flipping with the Kid, but have no clue about the New Guy. Since the pot is so big, I decided to gamble, and go All-In.

The Kid has 77. New Guy has AQ. Crap! That's one of the five hands I didn't want to see. New Guy hit an A on the Flop, and scoops a humongous pot.

In hindsight, I don't have a problem with going All-In at the end. I think my mistake was call the straddle raise. I feel the best way to play poker is to do the opposite of the other players. If a player is playing loose, crazy poker, then I should stick with sound, fundamental poker.

I'm fairly sure that calling the big raise UTG with KQ is not sound, fundamental poker.

Hand #7:
I'm the Cutoff with Ac Qs, and raise to my standard $7. Frank (SB) pops it to $26. Me and two others call, and see a flop of Qd Td 7s. Frank checks. Tony bets $26. I want to thin the field, so I raise to $60. Frank cold calls, Tony calls, and everyone else folds.

Turn: (Qd Td 7s) 6c - Frank checks. Tony checks. I think for a minute about what they might have, and bet $100. While Frank folds, Tony insta-calls.

River: (Qd Td 8s 6c) 6h - Tony pushes All-In for $169. My first instinct says he flopped a set of 7s. I think for a bit, some of it outloud, and mention the set. He says, "No it isn't. Look at the size of the pot." Meanwhile, Tony gets up from his chair, puts his coat on, and stands at the table with his hand on his cards, like he's ready to walk away.

So I keep thinking, and realize that I'm wrong. If he flopped a set, he would have re-raised me on the flop after Frank cold called the $60. The pot was certainly large enough for him to shove in at that time. So I say, "I call. I have AQ." He says it's good, tosses his cars into the muck face down, and walks away.

I don't have a clue what he had. If he had KQ or QJ, then why get up to leave? If he had some big combo draw that missed, then why shove All-In, and get ready to leave? He has seen me make some big calls already, so why try to bluff into the huge pot?

Bizarre.

Hand #8:
I'm the Button with 8d 6h and limp in. Frank (BB) raises to $12. I call, and five players see the Flop of 8s 7h 5h. Sweet. Top pair with open-ender. UTG, who just recently sat down, bets $20. Two players call before it gets to me.

There are way too many players in this pot, so I raise to $100. It folds around to UTG. He thinks for a while, and goes All-In for $53 more. It folds back to me, and I call. He turns over Kd Kc. Where did those come from? He just limped in, and then called Frank's preflop raise.

The Turn and River are (8s 7h 5h) Ks 3d, and I brick out.