I decided to take a little road trip last Sunday (10/23), and headed up to Harvey's at South Lake Tahoe. There was no special event going on Sunday. I just figured I would check out the place. However, I won't be going back anytime soon, because it was a giant waste of time.
There was a $40 donkament at 10am. It took me a little longer to get up to Tahoe than I thought it would, and walked into the poker room at 10:10. The tournament had just one table with two alternates waiting, so I was shut out of it. The Floor said the $3/$6 game should start around 10:30 or 11am. I wandered around for a while, dumping a $100 bill in a Video Poker machine and then sitting down at a Texas Hold'em Bonus table. I was down $45 when they started the $3/$6 game.
The $3/$6 game started shorthanded with five players, and was playing rather tight. Eventually, the game filled up, and started playing like a normal $3/$6 table. There was some good, some bad, and a lot of frustrating.
Here's some info about the Harvey's Poker Room:
- I gave them my players' card, and found out they don't give comps to poker players.
- I bought into the $3/$6 game for $100. The dealer gave me 60 White $1 chips and 8 $5 chips. I thought this was bizarre, as most $3/$6 games frown upon Red chips at the table. I asked him about it, and he said they don't have enough White chips in the room. During a busy Friday or Saturday night, they run out of White chips, and have to use the Silver $1 Slugs that the Pit games use. How can the almighty Caesars Corporation, the largest gaming company in the world, let one of their larger poker rooms not have enough chips?
- They do have the High Hand Bonuses that most rooms have around here, but they do them in a very different way. There is a sign posted that says, "Poker Rewards," along with a dollar amount. I'm assuming that it's the total of the Promo account. On Sunday, it was $8798. For Quads, you win 1% of the Player Rewards. A Straight Flush pays 3%, and a Royal pays 5%. The other bizarre thing is that you only need one card to collect the Bonus, but they only pay if you get Quads 9 or higher.
They also have a second tourney on Sundays. It's a $120 NL tourney at 2pm. Obviously, I'm planning on playing in it, as well as one or two people at our $3/$6 table. At around 12:30, I heard the Floor talking to a customer about this tourney. He said that it probably won't run today, since it didn't go last week.
This really pissed me off, and I snapped at the Floor. I told him there are a few of sitting here waiting for that tournament, and if you tell others the tourney probably won't happen, then they won't come back. If you don't want to be here, than close the room. He babbled about some lame excuses, including staff issues.
At 2pm, the tourney did start, so I cashed out of the $3/$6 game down $3. The tourney was capped at one table with 11 players squeezed around it because they were too cheap to pay another dealer. They gave us 6k chips with 20 minute levels, and a quick structure.
Since we were 11 handed, I played tight for two levels, and then start to go after the Blinds. I raised with 96o from the Cutoff, and got called by one of the Blinds. I hit Two Pair on the Turn, and got All-In. The other player had a better Two Pair with A9o. Next hand, I 3-Bet All-In with JJ. The original raiser had AK, and flopped a King. I was the first one eliminated.
I then sat down at the $2/$3NL table that had recently opened up. I was there less than an hour before I dusted off my $300 buy-in. It was a combination of bad luck and bad play. The only thing I'd eaten all day was some McDonald's on the way to Tahoe. I was hungry, grumpy, and had very little patience. That's a bad recipe for a session of poker.
I then left the casino, and headed into town to get a sandwich and fill up the gas tank. On the way home, I stopped by two casinos in Carson City just to do some recon. The first one, Casino Fandango, only had a Dealer and a Floor in the poker room. They were sitting there chatting since there were no players. As it turns out, the poker room is only open four days a week, and it's mostly for daily donkaments. The second one, Gold Dust West, didn't even have a poker room.
I'm really glad got transferred to Reno rather than Carson City.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
LOL Donkaments #8
Harrah's Reno 10am $35 NLHE - 10.21.11
I had a rare day off from work on Friday. And by "rare", I mean my last one was back in late June. So I got some work done on my car, went to the bank, and of course, played some poker.
My first poker stop was at Harrah's for their 10am tourney. Their structures are horrible: 15 min levels, 25/50. 50/100, 100/200, 200/400, 400/800. 500/1000, 1k/2k, 2k/4k, etc. For this one, they gave us 2500 chips, and that includes a $5 add-on for 1k chips.
In spite of all that, I actually like their tourneys, and that's because of the quality of the players. Most of the local grinders stay away from Harrah's because they don't want to waste their time. So the players are those who are staying at the hotel, or live downtown. They are all Level 1 players, or even Level 0. It's not uncommon for someone to be playing in their first casino tournament. And this one was no exception.
We had 15 players, and the staff seemed to be surprised it was that large.
If you've played in a previous tournament, followed by their cash game, you get a coupon for an extra 1000 chips. Starting with 3500 chips is way better than starting with 2500 chips.
I was one of the few player with the extra chips, and it really helped. I hit a couple of hands, and I stole a few pots as the table was playing rather timid. By the break at end of the 100/200 level, I was up to 7300 chips and we had 11 players left.
In the next level (200/400), we had five players at our table, and we're still on the Final Table Bubble. UTG went All-In for 600. The Button called. The SB went All-In for 1100. I was the BB, and looked down at 87o. I was getting great pot odds (call 700 to win 3200), assuming that the Button didn't go All-In. He's an 70's guy who had been playing passive. I called the extra 700, and the Button called the extra 500. Flop was A 8 4, and we both checked. Turn was [A84] 8. I bet 1000, and the Button quickly folded. UTG and the SB didn't even have a Pair yet, and were drawing dead. This sent us to the Final Table with just nine players, and I was the healthy chip leader.
I stayed patient, as there were many short stacks. My next big pot was in the next level (400/800). We were down to five handed, and it folded around the SB. He limped in, and I raise to 2000 with TT from the BB. He called, and the Flop was 9 6 3. He checked, I bet 2600, and he called. Turn was [963] 4. He checked, and I went All-In for 5800. He thought for a moment, and called with Q9o. He missed the River, and I doubled up. He was still in, but had less than 1500 chips left.
I knocked out the 4th place player in a race, AK vs his TT, as I flopped an Ace.
The three handed play lasted in to the next level (500/1000). The Button folded, and the SB limped (the Q9o guy from before), even though he only had 2500 total. I'm the BB with ATd, and put him All-in. He shrugged his shoulders, and called with 32o (Why even limp in, let alone call off your chips?) Surprisingly, he didn't double up.
The Heads-Up match started with me having a 2-1 chip lead. My opponent was an 60's gentleman who had been playing rather tight. However, it was rather obvious from the start that he just wanted to get this over with. He had gotten a phone call, and then started overbetting. It seemed he wanted get his chips in the middle, although there was no mention of a deal by him. I would have done so if he mentioned it, but there was no way I was gonna bring it up.
Unfortunately, I wasn't getting any cards, and he was quickly catching up to me. I did get QQ in the SB, and limped. He didn't raise, and the Flop was K-high. We both checked, and the Turn was an Ace. He checked again, so I bet to end this hand. He quickly folded.
Finally, I limped with A3o. He raised to 4k, and I 3-Bet to 14k. He quickly called, and assumed I was All-In, but I still had 5k - 7k behind. The Flop was 7c 4c 3c. He went All-In. I hate this Flop, as I don't have a Club. But I do have a Pair, so I had to call. He turned over QTh, and missed. We counted the stacks, and I had him covered by one 500 chip.
First place was $240 after the Dealer Tip.
I had a rare day off from work on Friday. And by "rare", I mean my last one was back in late June. So I got some work done on my car, went to the bank, and of course, played some poker.
My first poker stop was at Harrah's for their 10am tourney. Their structures are horrible: 15 min levels, 25/50. 50/100, 100/200, 200/400, 400/800. 500/1000, 1k/2k, 2k/4k, etc. For this one, they gave us 2500 chips, and that includes a $5 add-on for 1k chips.
In spite of all that, I actually like their tourneys, and that's because of the quality of the players. Most of the local grinders stay away from Harrah's because they don't want to waste their time. So the players are those who are staying at the hotel, or live downtown. They are all Level 1 players, or even Level 0. It's not uncommon for someone to be playing in their first casino tournament. And this one was no exception.
We had 15 players, and the staff seemed to be surprised it was that large.
If you've played in a previous tournament, followed by their cash game, you get a coupon for an extra 1000 chips. Starting with 3500 chips is way better than starting with 2500 chips.
I was one of the few player with the extra chips, and it really helped. I hit a couple of hands, and I stole a few pots as the table was playing rather timid. By the break at end of the 100/200 level, I was up to 7300 chips and we had 11 players left.
In the next level (200/400), we had five players at our table, and we're still on the Final Table Bubble. UTG went All-In for 600. The Button called. The SB went All-In for 1100. I was the BB, and looked down at 87o. I was getting great pot odds (call 700 to win 3200), assuming that the Button didn't go All-In. He's an 70's guy who had been playing passive. I called the extra 700, and the Button called the extra 500. Flop was A 8 4, and we both checked. Turn was [A84] 8. I bet 1000, and the Button quickly folded. UTG and the SB didn't even have a Pair yet, and were drawing dead. This sent us to the Final Table with just nine players, and I was the healthy chip leader.
I stayed patient, as there were many short stacks. My next big pot was in the next level (400/800). We were down to five handed, and it folded around the SB. He limped in, and I raise to 2000 with TT from the BB. He called, and the Flop was 9 6 3. He checked, I bet 2600, and he called. Turn was [963] 4. He checked, and I went All-In for 5800. He thought for a moment, and called with Q9o. He missed the River, and I doubled up. He was still in, but had less than 1500 chips left.
I knocked out the 4th place player in a race, AK vs his TT, as I flopped an Ace.
The three handed play lasted in to the next level (500/1000). The Button folded, and the SB limped (the Q9o guy from before), even though he only had 2500 total. I'm the BB with ATd, and put him All-in. He shrugged his shoulders, and called with 32o (Why even limp in, let alone call off your chips?) Surprisingly, he didn't double up.
The Heads-Up match started with me having a 2-1 chip lead. My opponent was an 60's gentleman who had been playing rather tight. However, it was rather obvious from the start that he just wanted to get this over with. He had gotten a phone call, and then started overbetting. It seemed he wanted get his chips in the middle, although there was no mention of a deal by him. I would have done so if he mentioned it, but there was no way I was gonna bring it up.
Unfortunately, I wasn't getting any cards, and he was quickly catching up to me. I did get QQ in the SB, and limped. He didn't raise, and the Flop was K-high. We both checked, and the Turn was an Ace. He checked again, so I bet to end this hand. He quickly folded.
Finally, I limped with A3o. He raised to 4k, and I 3-Bet to 14k. He quickly called, and assumed I was All-In, but I still had 5k - 7k behind. The Flop was 7c 4c 3c. He went All-In. I hate this Flop, as I don't have a Club. But I do have a Pair, so I had to call. He turned over QTh, and missed. We counted the stacks, and I had him covered by one 500 chip.
First place was $240 after the Dealer Tip.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
If It Wasn't For Luck...
6:55 $300 - I walk into GSR on Saturday night and immediately get seated at $1/$2 table. It has just 6 players, with the biggest stack around $400. I recognize a couple of old locals.
7:30 $299 - Table is now full with 9 players. Half are over 50, and the play is as you would expect it to be.
I limped in the Cutoff with A7d. Five players saw the Flop Ac Qh 4d. It checked to me, and I bet $7. Only the SB called, a 50's Lady. Turn [Ac Qh 4d] Ah. We both check. River [Ac Qh 4d Ah] Jc. She bet $20. I called, expecting to chop. She showed KTo for Broadway.
Two hands later, it folded to me, and I raised to $7 with 75c. Hyjack & BB called. Flop Kc 8s 4c. I bet $15 with my Flush and Gutshot Draws, and they both called. Turn [Kc 8s 4c] Th. BB (60's Guy) led out $25. I call, and Hyjack folds. River [Kc 8s 4c Th] 2c. BB checked, so I bet $40. He called, and mucked what I'm assuming was Two Pair.
Later, I limped in Mid with A3c. Button (30's guy) raised to $7. Three of us saw the Flop, Ad Kc 6h, and everyone checked. Turn [Ad Kc 6h] 4c. I bet $15 with Top Pair and Nut Flush Draw. The Button, who was the preflop raiser, min-raised to $30. I call, hoping for a Club. River [Ad Kc 6h 4c] 7h. I checked, and the Button counted out $80, which was more than 60% of his stack. I asked if he had AK or KK before I folded. He showed AKs.
8:00 $389 - I've been very active, so I've fallen behind on my notes. Best hand was me raising to $5 from UTG with T8s. (I only raised to $5 because the table was getting shorthanded when some players stepped away from the table.) Only the BB called. I hit a Backdoor Flush vs what I'm assuming was Trip Ks, and got $40 on the River.
8:30 $397 - Quiet time for me. I really think I got a good table draw. Loose preflop and tight/passive post flop is a great table for me. It doubt there will be many monster pots, but it's a good table to grind out a solid win. I just need to stay a little patient, play position, and stay away from the Bingo hands that can happen at $1/$2.
9:00 $263 - Lost the Hand Of The Day with JJ. So much for not having any monster pots. At least it was mostly profit. Currently, there are 4 $1/$2, 1 $3/$5, and 1 $5/$10 games running.
9:30 $267 - More card dead. I hope this isn't gonna be another night of total card dead after a bad beat.
The Fall Pot Of Gold $1600 Main Event and Deepstacks Live were this weekend. The Main Event had 187 entrants, which is rather good for a Reno Main Event. I did a quick look at the tourney area, and noticed Mike Matusow was still in tourney. (Steve Brecher defeated David 'ODB' Baker for the title on Monday night.)
10:00 $349 - $5 Straddle pot, and I limp with J9h in the BB. Four players see the Flop, 9 3 3. All check. Turn [933] 4. SB bet $15. I call, as does the Straddle. River [933 4] J. SB checked. I bet $20 with my 3-Pair. Straddle folds. SB thinks, talks about paying me off again, but finally folds 77 face up.
Next hand, I have 97o in the SB. Four of us see the Flop of A77. I fire out a Red $5 Chip, and the BB is only caller. She's the 50's lady from earlier, and she's terrible. She buys in short, and calls with any Ace. She's on her third or fourth small buy-in. I bet $10 on Turn, and she called. I bet $15 on River, and she called her last $14 with A9o.
They opened up another $5/$10 table, which is a must-move for the Main Game. Two $5/$10 tables in Reno is impressive, even during tournament time.
10:30 $385 - In a limp pot, I have 9h 9c in the BB. Five of us see the Flop, 7d 3d 2h. I bet $7. Cutoff & Button called, and they are both 60's nits. Turn [7d 3d 2h] 8h. I bet $20 to try to scare them off. Surprisingly, they both called. River [7d 3d 2h 8h] 2d. All players checked, and I'm good.
11:00 $312 - $5 Straddle pot, and I'm the BB with ATo. Four players see the Flop, Td 7h 4d. For whatever reason, I checked. Straddle bet $7. I decided that I'm gonna check raise him. But... the Button raised $20. He's an old Nit I've played with before at the Peppermill. I just called, and Straddle folded. Turn [Td 7h 4d] Ac. I checked my Top Two Pair. He quickly went All-In for $85. I say "I hope we have the same hand," and called. We didn't, as he had TT. I missed my 2-outer.
11:30 $254 - I'm getting a little impatient, and starting to play more Bingo than I should. I limped UTG+2 with JTo, and I was the only caller of a $12 raise. Flop completely missed me. I checked, he bet $15, and I called to Float out of position (who wouldn't). Turn was a King. I lead out $25, and he raised to $75. I'm a moron.
12:00 $245 - A whole lot of nothing happened. Just a steady flow of Q3 and J5 type hands. I really hate leaving just a little down, but it's time to leave. Its past my bedtime, and I'm tired. Even my big bottle of Mountain Dew isn't helping.
Overall, I'm happy with my play. I said this was a good table for me, and I was right. If it wasn't for three hands (a bad beat, a cooler-ish hand, and a minor donk-off), I would have had a nice win.
7:30 $299 - Table is now full with 9 players. Half are over 50, and the play is as you would expect it to be.
I limped in the Cutoff with A7d. Five players saw the Flop Ac Qh 4d. It checked to me, and I bet $7. Only the SB called, a 50's Lady. Turn [Ac Qh 4d] Ah. We both check. River [Ac Qh 4d Ah] Jc. She bet $20. I called, expecting to chop. She showed KTo for Broadway.
Two hands later, it folded to me, and I raised to $7 with 75c. Hyjack & BB called. Flop Kc 8s 4c. I bet $15 with my Flush and Gutshot Draws, and they both called. Turn [Kc 8s 4c] Th. BB (60's Guy) led out $25. I call, and Hyjack folds. River [Kc 8s 4c Th] 2c. BB checked, so I bet $40. He called, and mucked what I'm assuming was Two Pair.
Later, I limped in Mid with A3c. Button (30's guy) raised to $7. Three of us saw the Flop, Ad Kc 6h, and everyone checked. Turn [Ad Kc 6h] 4c. I bet $15 with Top Pair and Nut Flush Draw. The Button, who was the preflop raiser, min-raised to $30. I call, hoping for a Club. River [Ad Kc 6h 4c] 7h. I checked, and the Button counted out $80, which was more than 60% of his stack. I asked if he had AK or KK before I folded. He showed AKs.
8:00 $389 - I've been very active, so I've fallen behind on my notes. Best hand was me raising to $5 from UTG with T8s. (I only raised to $5 because the table was getting shorthanded when some players stepped away from the table.) Only the BB called. I hit a Backdoor Flush vs what I'm assuming was Trip Ks, and got $40 on the River.
8:30 $397 - Quiet time for me. I really think I got a good table draw. Loose preflop and tight/passive post flop is a great table for me. It doubt there will be many monster pots, but it's a good table to grind out a solid win. I just need to stay a little patient, play position, and stay away from the Bingo hands that can happen at $1/$2.
9:00 $263 - Lost the Hand Of The Day with JJ. So much for not having any monster pots. At least it was mostly profit. Currently, there are 4 $1/$2, 1 $3/$5, and 1 $5/$10 games running.
9:30 $267 - More card dead. I hope this isn't gonna be another night of total card dead after a bad beat.
The Fall Pot Of Gold $1600 Main Event and Deepstacks Live were this weekend. The Main Event had 187 entrants, which is rather good for a Reno Main Event. I did a quick look at the tourney area, and noticed Mike Matusow was still in tourney. (Steve Brecher defeated David 'ODB' Baker for the title on Monday night.)
10:00 $349 - $5 Straddle pot, and I limp with J9h in the BB. Four players see the Flop, 9 3 3. All check. Turn [933] 4. SB bet $15. I call, as does the Straddle. River [933 4] J. SB checked. I bet $20 with my 3-Pair. Straddle folds. SB thinks, talks about paying me off again, but finally folds 77 face up.
Next hand, I have 97o in the SB. Four of us see the Flop of A77. I fire out a Red $5 Chip, and the BB is only caller. She's the 50's lady from earlier, and she's terrible. She buys in short, and calls with any Ace. She's on her third or fourth small buy-in. I bet $10 on Turn, and she called. I bet $15 on River, and she called her last $14 with A9o.
They opened up another $5/$10 table, which is a must-move for the Main Game. Two $5/$10 tables in Reno is impressive, even during tournament time.
10:30 $385 - In a limp pot, I have 9h 9c in the BB. Five of us see the Flop, 7d 3d 2h. I bet $7. Cutoff & Button called, and they are both 60's nits. Turn [7d 3d 2h] 8h. I bet $20 to try to scare them off. Surprisingly, they both called. River [7d 3d 2h 8h] 2d. All players checked, and I'm good.
11:00 $312 - $5 Straddle pot, and I'm the BB with ATo. Four players see the Flop, Td 7h 4d. For whatever reason, I checked. Straddle bet $7. I decided that I'm gonna check raise him. But... the Button raised $20. He's an old Nit I've played with before at the Peppermill. I just called, and Straddle folded. Turn [Td 7h 4d] Ac. I checked my Top Two Pair. He quickly went All-In for $85. I say "I hope we have the same hand," and called. We didn't, as he had TT. I missed my 2-outer.
11:30 $254 - I'm getting a little impatient, and starting to play more Bingo than I should. I limped UTG+2 with JTo, and I was the only caller of a $12 raise. Flop completely missed me. I checked, he bet $15, and I called to Float out of position (who wouldn't). Turn was a King. I lead out $25, and he raised to $75. I'm a moron.
12:00 $245 - A whole lot of nothing happened. Just a steady flow of Q3 and J5 type hands. I really hate leaving just a little down, but it's time to leave. Its past my bedtime, and I'm tired. Even my big bottle of Mountain Dew isn't helping.
Overall, I'm happy with my play. I said this was a good table for me, and I was right. If it wasn't for three hands (a bad beat, a cooler-ish hand, and a minor donk-off), I would have had a nice win.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Hand Of The Day #85
$1/$2 NL ~ Grand Sierra ~10.15.11
I'm UTG+1 with Js Jc, and I do my standard raise to $7. Five players see a Flop of Qd Qh Jd. It's checks to me, and I bet out $15. I want to bet small enough for the draws to come along. Plus, with this many players calling the preflop raise, I fairly sure that someone has a Q. If it was J 3 3, then it might be a different story.
The player next to me raises to $45, and has a little over $100 behind. It folds around the Button, who thinks for about half a minute before calling.
It's back to me. Well, there's no reason to slowplay here. At least one of them has a Q, if not both of them. I 3-Bet to $145. The first player goes into deep thought, starts whining, and eventually folds K9d for the Gutshot Straight Flush Draw. The Button thinks even longer. Eventually, he calls for his last $88 with QTc
The Turn and River is [Qd Qh Jd] Ad Ah. The Button wins the pot with Queens Full of Aces.
This is example #94 of, "There is no good way to play JJ." Seriously, this isn't a bad beat story. I'm happy with this hand, and I got what I wanted. It just didn't work out. Sometimes the 23% hits.
Nice Hand, Sir.
After the hand, the K9d guy said that I should have slowplayed this, so I could have gotten his money after the Flush hit the Turn. The idea of slowplaying to trap is very overrated. It will usually result in winning a much smaller pot, or letting the other player catch up. In this hand, if I just call the $30 raise, I would have to assume that both players have a Q. The Turn would have been [Qd Qh Jd] Ad. That could have easily scared off the Button with QTc, since their kicker wouldn't even play.
Granted, if the Button folded on the Turn, then I would have won the pot. But that is results-oriented thinking, and shouldn't be part of how you look back at hands.
I'm UTG+1 with Js Jc, and I do my standard raise to $7. Five players see a Flop of Qd Qh Jd. It's checks to me, and I bet out $15. I want to bet small enough for the draws to come along. Plus, with this many players calling the preflop raise, I fairly sure that someone has a Q. If it was J 3 3, then it might be a different story.
The player next to me raises to $45, and has a little over $100 behind. It folds around the Button, who thinks for about half a minute before calling.
It's back to me. Well, there's no reason to slowplay here. At least one of them has a Q, if not both of them. I 3-Bet to $145. The first player goes into deep thought, starts whining, and eventually folds K9d for the Gutshot Straight Flush Draw. The Button thinks even longer. Eventually, he calls for his last $88 with QTc
The Turn and River is [Qd Qh Jd] Ad Ah. The Button wins the pot with Queens Full of Aces.
This is example #94 of, "There is no good way to play JJ." Seriously, this isn't a bad beat story. I'm happy with this hand, and I got what I wanted. It just didn't work out. Sometimes the 23% hits.
Nice Hand, Sir.
After the hand, the K9d guy said that I should have slowplayed this, so I could have gotten his money after the Flush hit the Turn. The idea of slowplaying to trap is very overrated. It will usually result in winning a much smaller pot, or letting the other player catch up. In this hand, if I just call the $30 raise, I would have to assume that both players have a Q. The Turn would have been [Qd Qh Jd] Ad. That could have easily scared off the Button with QTc, since their kicker wouldn't even play.
Granted, if the Button folded on the Turn, then I would have won the pot. But that is results-oriented thinking, and shouldn't be part of how you look back at hands.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
GSR $400 Bounty - End of Level 6 (200/400/50)
76 players for this one, which right about where I said it would be. That means they missed another guarantee by 24 players, so we have an overlay of $7200
Things were rather quiet for me, due to lack of chips and cards. I never got over 10k chips, but didn't fall below the 5k mark. I played a few hands. I won some small ones, and stabbed at some others at the wrong time.
Towards the start of Lv6 (200/400/50), they broke our table. After about two orbits of folding at my new table, I shoved for 4500 with AJc after one player limped. The Button thought for a moment, and called. He's collect two bounties since I sat down, and says he is playing his rush as he shows KTo. I tell him that I don't mind the call, as I will either get chips or be put out of my misery. Naturally, a Ten hit the Flop. The Turn was a Q, giving me a Broadway draw. But, as you've probably guessed by now, the River was a brick, and I walk out of the GSR somewhere around 40th place.
Things were rather quiet for me, due to lack of chips and cards. I never got over 10k chips, but didn't fall below the 5k mark. I played a few hands. I won some small ones, and stabbed at some others at the wrong time.
Towards the start of Lv6 (200/400/50), they broke our table. After about two orbits of folding at my new table, I shoved for 4500 with AJc after one player limped. The Button thought for a moment, and called. He's collect two bounties since I sat down, and says he is playing his rush as he shows KTo. I tell him that I don't mind the call, as I will either get chips or be put out of my misery. Naturally, a Ten hit the Flop. The Turn was a Q, giving me a Broadway draw. But, as you've probably guessed by now, the River was a brick, and I walk out of the GSR somewhere around 40th place.
GSR $400 Bounty - End of Level 3 (100/200)
Lv1 (50/100) 7-handed. UTG+1 raised to 300. A couple of players called. I'm the SB with As Ad, and 3-Bet to 1600. UTG+1 folded, but one of the other players called. Flop Kc 7c 3s. I bet 2600. She thought for a moment, and went All-In for 6300 more. I don't think she has a monster by how long she took, so I call. She has Kd Jh, and missed her 5-outer. Bounty #1.
Two notable players at my table. First is a lady who is a regular in the Reno tournaments. I'm glad she's at my table because she's a world-class calling station.
The second player is an older gentleman named Woody who I thought was at a WPT Final Table. As it turns out, he was at the LAPC with Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth.
Lv2 (75/150) 8-handed. Folded around to the Button, who raised to 400. I'm the SB with As Ah (again). I decided to just call, as the Button seems to be a tight player. The two of us saw a Flop of Js Tc 5c. I checked, he bet 750, and I called. Turn 6d. I check, and he bet 1500. I think he's got a real hand, so I check raise to 4000. He called. I tried to bet 6500, which would put the Button All-In, before the Dealer put out the River card. But the Dealer was too quick, and it was 3d. The Button thought for a good minute, but folded. Almost Bounty #2
A Kid sat down on my direct Left. He a college kid who also a Pro. He's talking about California and Nevada poker stuff with others at the table. I hate that he's on my Left, but I have enough chips to be patient. Unfortunately, he's off to a good start, and has already collected a bounty.
Lv3 (100/200) 8-handed. I raise to 525 in Mid with QQ. The Kid 3-Bet to 1600. It folded around to me. It's close whether to 4-Bet or call, but I decide to 4-Bet to 4000. He asks how much I've got, which is more than he's got. He just calls, and the Flop is Th 7h 3s. I bet 6500. He thinks for a moment, and ships it All-In. I call, and he's got AA. I miss my 2-outer, and send him 21575 chips.
So much for being patient and playing small pot poker. Maybe I didn't need to 4-Bet. But with the 10-high Board, I was still gonna lose a chunk of chips.
I have 7875 chips.
Two notable players at my table. First is a lady who is a regular in the Reno tournaments. I'm glad she's at my table because she's a world-class calling station.
The second player is an older gentleman named Woody who I thought was at a WPT Final Table. As it turns out, he was at the LAPC with Phil Ivey and Phil Hellmuth.
Lv2 (75/150) 8-handed. Folded around to the Button, who raised to 400. I'm the SB with As Ah (again). I decided to just call, as the Button seems to be a tight player. The two of us saw a Flop of Js Tc 5c. I checked, he bet 750, and I called. Turn 6d. I check, and he bet 1500. I think he's got a real hand, so I check raise to 4000. He called. I tried to bet 6500, which would put the Button All-In, before the Dealer put out the River card. But the Dealer was too quick, and it was 3d. The Button thought for a good minute, but folded. Almost Bounty #2
A Kid sat down on my direct Left. He a college kid who also a Pro. He's talking about California and Nevada poker stuff with others at the table. I hate that he's on my Left, but I have enough chips to be patient. Unfortunately, he's off to a good start, and has already collected a bounty.
Lv3 (100/200) 8-handed. I raise to 525 in Mid with QQ. The Kid 3-Bet to 1600. It folded around to me. It's close whether to 4-Bet or call, but I decide to 4-Bet to 4000. He asks how much I've got, which is more than he's got. He just calls, and the Flop is Th 7h 3s. I bet 6500. He thinks for a moment, and ships it All-In. I call, and he's got AA. I miss my 2-outer, and send him 21575 chips.
So much for being patient and playing small pot poker. Maybe I didn't need to 4-Bet. But with the 10-high Board, I was still gonna lose a chunk of chips.
I have 7875 chips.
GSR $400 Bounty - "Shuffle Up & Deal"
This tournament has 12k chips, with 40 minute levels. The bounty is $50. There is a break every three levels, and that's when I will make the next post.
For this tournament series, Grand Sierra Resort has been doing guarantees for various tournament. According to the thread on 2+2, they have been badly missing their guarantees, as they are around 1 for 8 up to today. One of them had an overlay over $16k. This one has a $30k guarantee, which means they need 100 player in order to hit it. I would be stunned if that happens, as I expect the total entrants to be in the 60-80 range. I'm not sure if this one has re-entries, but that would help.
Right now, they have 11 tables set up. The tables are 10-handed, but only have eight stacks. My table has five players, and I'm the youngest.
Very first hand, I hit a Straight, and won a decent pot.
Chip Leader!
For this tournament series, Grand Sierra Resort has been doing guarantees for various tournament. According to the thread on 2+2, they have been badly missing their guarantees, as they are around 1 for 8 up to today. One of them had an overlay over $16k. This one has a $30k guarantee, which means they need 100 player in order to hit it. I would be stunned if that happens, as I expect the total entrants to be in the 60-80 range. I'm not sure if this one has re-entries, but that would help.
Right now, they have 11 tables set up. The tables are 10-handed, but only have eight stacks. My table has five players, and I'm the youngest.
Very first hand, I hit a Straight, and won a decent pot.
Chip Leader!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Happy Anniversary
One year ago today, I turned off of I-80 with the U-Haul, and arrived in Reno to start my new life. So, was it worth it? Am I happy that I did it?
In a word, abso-fucking-lutely.
The best thing about living in Reno has been the weather. It's always sunny in Reno, as the Sierra Mountains block most of the storm fronts that come off the Pacific Ocean. Even during the winter, it's sunny most days. That is a big difference from the Cleveland area, where the sun might shine 5-7 days from November to March.
As a mailman, I love the lack of rain. During the summer, there was a three month period of no measurable rainfall. Yesterday, we had our first storm system in months. The amount of rain falling from the sky was not that much, and it was gone in a few hours, followed by more sunshine. It's a big difference from the all-day soakers that we would get in NE Ohio.
Since there no rain, there is also no humidity. The summer temperatures are in the mid to upper 90's, but it doesn't feel like it. Yes, there were a couple of days when it was damn hot out there, and that sun can be very intense with the higher elevations. But overall, it's much better to be outside all day in Reno rather than Cleveland.
Even the winters are milder. The coldest that the daily high temperature got was around 25 degrees. Back east, it was not uncommon to have a full week with daytime temperatures hitting the 10's or even single digits.
Up in the mountains, they got buried in snow last winter. It was so much, that the ski resorts were still open on Memorial Day weekend. But down in Reno, we only had a few snowfalls that added up to around 12 inches for the entire winter. Cleveland had at least five different blizzards that dropped more than 12 inches of snow each.
Anyways, this isn't "The Biggest Little Weather Blog In The World", so it's time to talk about the main reason I moved across the country. Living five minutes away from the two best poker rooms in Reno has been glorious, especially after being used to drive 2+ hours to either Detroit or Mountaineer / Pittsburgh.
However, I'm now playing less hours per week than I did back in Cleveland, and that is because of work. Back in Ohio, I was Regular Carrier. I had a route, no mandatory overtime, and a set schedule for off days. Since I transferred to a new office, I had to start over on the seniority list as a sub, I am working six days a week, 55+ hrs each week. I haven't had a day off since June.
I was playing cards on my off day, and maybe the night before when I headed up for an overnighter. I also had my Saturday nights home game, and sometimes on Sundays. Now, I'm trying to play on Thursday and Saturday nights for a couple of hours, and on Sundays. But some weeks, that doesn't even happen. These days, a four hour session at a $1/$2 table is a long session for me.
Unfortunately, I don't see my work schedule improving much in the next year or two. At least I'm getting a huge paychecks every two weeks. "Money won is twice as sweet as money earned, but money earned is guaranteed."
One thing I do miss about living back east is having buddies to talk poker with. I don't have anyone out here to discuss poker, and that's probably why I'm still doing this blog.
As far as my results for the past year, they've been good and bad, as you loyal readers have noticed. How much of that was variance and how much was me is anyone's guess.
Because of my lack of free time, I really haven't been trying to get better or focus on bigger games. I guess you could say I'm now a "Recreational Bumhunter". I play for fun when I have a chance. When my work schedule improves, then maybe I can take poker more seriously, by focusing on bigger games and trying to become a better player.
On a side note, the Grand Sierra is having their Fall Pot Of Gold tournament series now. On Sunday, they're having a $400 Bounty tournament at noon ($50 Bounty). I haven't done a Live Blog since the WSOP, so I'm gonna do one for this tournament. Tune in at 12n (3pm EST) for the first entry. Hopefully, I can actually make it to the dinner break this time.
In a word, abso-fucking-lutely.
The best thing about living in Reno has been the weather. It's always sunny in Reno, as the Sierra Mountains block most of the storm fronts that come off the Pacific Ocean. Even during the winter, it's sunny most days. That is a big difference from the Cleveland area, where the sun might shine 5-7 days from November to March.
As a mailman, I love the lack of rain. During the summer, there was a three month period of no measurable rainfall. Yesterday, we had our first storm system in months. The amount of rain falling from the sky was not that much, and it was gone in a few hours, followed by more sunshine. It's a big difference from the all-day soakers that we would get in NE Ohio.
Since there no rain, there is also no humidity. The summer temperatures are in the mid to upper 90's, but it doesn't feel like it. Yes, there were a couple of days when it was damn hot out there, and that sun can be very intense with the higher elevations. But overall, it's much better to be outside all day in Reno rather than Cleveland.
Even the winters are milder. The coldest that the daily high temperature got was around 25 degrees. Back east, it was not uncommon to have a full week with daytime temperatures hitting the 10's or even single digits.
Up in the mountains, they got buried in snow last winter. It was so much, that the ski resorts were still open on Memorial Day weekend. But down in Reno, we only had a few snowfalls that added up to around 12 inches for the entire winter. Cleveland had at least five different blizzards that dropped more than 12 inches of snow each.
Anyways, this isn't "The Biggest Little Weather Blog In The World", so it's time to talk about the main reason I moved across the country. Living five minutes away from the two best poker rooms in Reno has been glorious, especially after being used to drive 2+ hours to either Detroit or Mountaineer / Pittsburgh.
However, I'm now playing less hours per week than I did back in Cleveland, and that is because of work. Back in Ohio, I was Regular Carrier. I had a route, no mandatory overtime, and a set schedule for off days. Since I transferred to a new office, I had to start over on the seniority list as a sub, I am working six days a week, 55+ hrs each week. I haven't had a day off since June.
I was playing cards on my off day, and maybe the night before when I headed up for an overnighter. I also had my Saturday nights home game, and sometimes on Sundays. Now, I'm trying to play on Thursday and Saturday nights for a couple of hours, and on Sundays. But some weeks, that doesn't even happen. These days, a four hour session at a $1/$2 table is a long session for me.
Unfortunately, I don't see my work schedule improving much in the next year or two. At least I'm getting a huge paychecks every two weeks. "Money won is twice as sweet as money earned, but money earned is guaranteed."
One thing I do miss about living back east is having buddies to talk poker with. I don't have anyone out here to discuss poker, and that's probably why I'm still doing this blog.
As far as my results for the past year, they've been good and bad, as you loyal readers have noticed. How much of that was variance and how much was me is anyone's guess.
Because of my lack of free time, I really haven't been trying to get better or focus on bigger games. I guess you could say I'm now a "Recreational Bumhunter". I play for fun when I have a chance. When my work schedule improves, then maybe I can take poker more seriously, by focusing on bigger games and trying to become a better player.
On a side note, the Grand Sierra is having their Fall Pot Of Gold tournament series now. On Sunday, they're having a $400 Bounty tournament at noon ($50 Bounty). I haven't done a Live Blog since the WSOP, so I'm gonna do one for this tournament. Tune in at 12n (3pm EST) for the first entry. Hopefully, I can actually make it to the dinner break this time.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
What About Bob?
I sat down at the $1/$2 table, and it looked like a typical $1/$2 table. The gentleman on my left is an older nit who is also named Greg D. He's a regular at the Peppermill, and we joke about our names whenever we see each other.
The table played fairly normal for a $1/$2 game. You know, tight and passive. I was a little card dead. I did play a few hands with mixed results. After an hour, I was down a little when this hand happened:
I limped in the SB with JTo. Around five players saw a Flop of A Q 8. I lead out for $7 with my well-hidden Double Gutshot (K or 9). One or two players called. Turn [AQ8] K. Sweet! I bet $15. A Mid player raised to $55, and it folded back to me. So far, the Mid player seemed to be a no-nonsense player. I don't see any reason to slowplay, so I 3-Bet to $115. He thought for a bit, and called the extra $60. Before the River card was dealt, I started to go All-In for $122. The River was [AQ8 K] T. That's a terrible card for me, as it would scare some players. He thought for over a minute. Eventually, he called because the pot was so big. I show my hand, and he mucked his hand in disgust. One of his cards flipped over, 8s.
Later on, the table was playing rather calm, so I tried the Button straddle to $5. A couple of players limped. I looked down at AKo, and raised to $20. The BB and Cutoff called. Flop J T T. They both checked, I decided not to c-bet. Turn [JTT] 5. Again, they both check. I could probably bet, and take it down. But if I check, one of them could stab at it, or I could get some value if an A, K or Q hits the River. The River [JTT 5] 6. BB checks. Cutoff bet $20. I seriously doubt he's betting a 6 in this spot. It's probably a T that he slowplayed, or he has nothing. I can beat nothing, and it's only $20 to win $80. I quickly called, and he had KQo for a missed Straight draw. We talked about the hand afterwards. I told him the River bet was too small, and betting the Turn would have been better to either take the pot down, or build the pot for your draw.
There is a 60's gentleman who's been losing, and we'll call him Bob. We have played various pots together, and he recently sucked out by calling with nothing on the Flop and hitting an Overcard. In another pot, I stabbed at a Flop of Q J 5 with just K8o. Only Bob reluctantly called. I bet the Turn, and Bob reluctantly called. I bet around $60 on the River, which would put Bob All-In. He thought for a moment, and said, "Well, I guess I'm going home." (I love to hear that when I'm bluffing.) He pushed his chips forward, and I said "King High". He showed A2o, no pair and no draw.
Less than an orbit later, I limped UTG with AQo. The Flop came Q-high. I bet $11, and got one caller (guess who?). I bet $25 on the Turn, and $45 on the River. It took him almost a minute to call the River bet, but I got back a big chunk of the money I bluffed off earlier.
A bit later, the table got a little shorthand due to open seats and other players stepping away. It folded around to the Button who limped. I was the SB with KQc. I raised it up to $5 to juice up the pot. The BB, Bob, 3-bet to $10. Both the Button and I called. Flop Ac Jd Tc. A decent Flop for me with Broadway and the Royal Flush Draw. I debated whether or not to bet, but I decided to check to the raiser. Both Bob and the Button checked. Turn [Ac Jd Tc] Jc. I think check was the right choice as I just hit my Royal. I check again, and so does everyone else. River is whatever. I bet $30, and only Bob called (of course). He had KK. The Peppermill has a Progressive Royal Flush Bonus that was at $550 for a Club Royal.
It didn't take very long to get into another pot with Bob. I limped in the Cutoff with 97o. Bob was the BB and raised to $10. I called, along with another player. Flop 9 8 6. Bob bet $15, the other player folded, and I raised to $40 with Top Pair and an Open-Ender. Bob mumbled something about "Again?" and called. Turn [986] J. Bob checked. I decided to check for some pot control. I really don't know where I'm at in this hand, and Bob willprobably call if I bet. River [986 J] T. Bob goes All-In for $77. Well, I hit my Straight, but I lose to any Q. I make the call. Bob shows JJ for a Set, and Bob walks away from the table.
I left shortly after Bob did. Not because Bob left, but because it was 10pm. I was planning on this being a quick session, even though I am catching some great cards. Even my last two hands were good. UTG+1, I limped with KJo, folded to a raise, but the Flop was K-high. I don't know if I would have been good or not. UTG, I had AK, limped in, and took it down on the Flop.
I cashed out +$349 for 2.25 hours of play. I also got the $550 for the Royal, and $100 for the High Hand Bonus that the Peppermill gives away every four hours. So when I added up everything for this day (including the 3-Card Poker, Slots, Video Poker, a $10 Football parley, the $95 Cash Me Out, and this $1/$2 session), I went home for the evening up $654.
The table played fairly normal for a $1/$2 game. You know, tight and passive. I was a little card dead. I did play a few hands with mixed results. After an hour, I was down a little when this hand happened:
I limped in the SB with JTo. Around five players saw a Flop of A Q 8. I lead out for $7 with my well-hidden Double Gutshot (K or 9). One or two players called. Turn [AQ8] K. Sweet! I bet $15. A Mid player raised to $55, and it folded back to me. So far, the Mid player seemed to be a no-nonsense player. I don't see any reason to slowplay, so I 3-Bet to $115. He thought for a bit, and called the extra $60. Before the River card was dealt, I started to go All-In for $122. The River was [AQ8 K] T. That's a terrible card for me, as it would scare some players. He thought for over a minute. Eventually, he called because the pot was so big. I show my hand, and he mucked his hand in disgust. One of his cards flipped over, 8s.
Later on, the table was playing rather calm, so I tried the Button straddle to $5. A couple of players limped. I looked down at AKo, and raised to $20. The BB and Cutoff called. Flop J T T. They both checked, I decided not to c-bet. Turn [JTT] 5. Again, they both check. I could probably bet, and take it down. But if I check, one of them could stab at it, or I could get some value if an A, K or Q hits the River. The River [JTT 5] 6. BB checks. Cutoff bet $20. I seriously doubt he's betting a 6 in this spot. It's probably a T that he slowplayed, or he has nothing. I can beat nothing, and it's only $20 to win $80. I quickly called, and he had KQo for a missed Straight draw. We talked about the hand afterwards. I told him the River bet was too small, and betting the Turn would have been better to either take the pot down, or build the pot for your draw.
There is a 60's gentleman who's been losing, and we'll call him Bob. We have played various pots together, and he recently sucked out by calling with nothing on the Flop and hitting an Overcard. In another pot, I stabbed at a Flop of Q J 5 with just K8o. Only Bob reluctantly called. I bet the Turn, and Bob reluctantly called. I bet around $60 on the River, which would put Bob All-In. He thought for a moment, and said, "Well, I guess I'm going home." (I love to hear that when I'm bluffing.) He pushed his chips forward, and I said "King High". He showed A2o, no pair and no draw.
Less than an orbit later, I limped UTG with AQo. The Flop came Q-high. I bet $11, and got one caller (guess who?). I bet $25 on the Turn, and $45 on the River. It took him almost a minute to call the River bet, but I got back a big chunk of the money I bluffed off earlier.
A bit later, the table got a little shorthand due to open seats and other players stepping away. It folded around to the Button who limped. I was the SB with KQc. I raised it up to $5 to juice up the pot. The BB, Bob, 3-bet to $10. Both the Button and I called. Flop Ac Jd Tc. A decent Flop for me with Broadway and the Royal Flush Draw. I debated whether or not to bet, but I decided to check to the raiser. Both Bob and the Button checked. Turn [Ac Jd Tc] Jc. I think check was the right choice as I just hit my Royal. I check again, and so does everyone else. River is whatever. I bet $30, and only Bob called (of course). He had KK. The Peppermill has a Progressive Royal Flush Bonus that was at $550 for a Club Royal.
It didn't take very long to get into another pot with Bob. I limped in the Cutoff with 97o. Bob was the BB and raised to $10. I called, along with another player. Flop 9 8 6. Bob bet $15, the other player folded, and I raised to $40 with Top Pair and an Open-Ender. Bob mumbled something about "Again?" and called. Turn [986] J. Bob checked. I decided to check for some pot control. I really don't know where I'm at in this hand, and Bob will
I left shortly after Bob did. Not because Bob left, but because it was 10pm. I was planning on this being a quick session, even though I am catching some great cards. Even my last two hands were good. UTG+1, I limped with KJo, folded to a raise, but the Flop was K-high. I don't know if I would have been good or not. UTG, I had AK, limped in, and took it down on the Flop.
I cashed out +$349 for 2.25 hours of play. I also got the $550 for the Royal, and $100 for the High Hand Bonus that the Peppermill gives away every four hours. So when I added up everything for this day (including the 3-Card Poker, Slots, Video Poker, a $10 Football parley, the $95 Cash Me Out, and this $1/$2 session), I went home for the evening up $654.
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