Hollywood Review

Hollywood Casino is located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana . It's about a mile off of I-275, which is the Outerbelt for Cincinnati, Ohio. Lawrenceburg is the first exit in Indiana after you cross over from Ohio.

Poker Room

The Poker Room is located on a floor below the Main Casino floor. It is ridiculously far away from the Parking Garage as you have to walk through the entire Casino to get to the escalator that takes you downstairs.

The Poker Room has 41 tables. It is divided into three sections. The front is for the regular Cash games. The back has a tournament area, and a High-Limit area. The tables and chairs are nice and comfortable. There is enough space between tables to move around.

The main games they spread daily are $1/$3 NLHE ($300 max) and $3/$6 LHE. Most days, they will also have a $2/$5 NLHE ($1000 max) and $1/$3/$5 PLO ($1000 max). On weekends, they will usually get a $5/$10 NLHE game in the evenings. Omaha-8 will spring up on some days, usually $3/$6 or $5/$10 Limit with a Kill.

The rake is the national standard of 10% $5 max, with $1 for the Bad Beat Jackpot, which is Aces Full of Jacks losing to a Full House. The Bad Beat Jackpot is usually in the $50k - $150k range. Their Bad Beat Jackpot is updated every day on their website. This is a nice touch, and I wish more places would actually use their websites.

The do offer comps to their players, up to $1 per hour. They have the Bravo system that swipes your Player's Card at the tables. They also have a beverage machine right outside the Poker Room that has Coke products.

There is a Food Menu that you can order from the tables. I didn't look at it when I was there, but I know that they have things like Chicken Tenders and some Salads.

The players are a mix of skilled grinders, old nits, and degen gamblers waiting for a bigger game to open. Based on my limited experience, I would say that there are more grinders than the typical Poker Room. But with any $1/$2 or $1/$3 game, it's all about who happens to be sitting there.

They usually have two daily tournaments with some variety in the types of tournament and the buy-ins. Their schedule can be found on their website. The tournaments are very popular, with some of them getting over 100 players. I've played in two of them, and they have a fairly typical quick structure that you would expect to find at a Poker Room. They also have a few tournament series each year that last between two weeks and a month.

Casino
The Hollywood Casino is a two floor set-up. The Main Floor is humongous, with the Table Games down the middle, a high-limit area, and a few small bars and restaurants around the edges. The other floor is downstairs, and contains the Poker Room, some slots, and a little bar near the Poker Room.

They have all the usual table games spread out among the Pit. The table minimums are a little high, with $15 on weeknights and $25 on weekend evenings. The games with flexible odds, like 3-Card Poker, have terrible odds.

Hollywood Casino has a good selection of restaurants. They have a couple of small eateries, a Buffet, and a higher-end Steak House that just opened. The only one that I have really tried was the Buffet. I have to say that it is the best Buffet in this part of the country, including a good variety of dishes, and decent pricing for a casino buffet.

Hand Of The Day #36

$1/$3 NLHE - Hollywood Casino - 03.16.10

I'm the BB with Kc 7d in a Limped pot. Six players see the Flop of Ts 7s 7h. Why does it seem like the only time that I flop Trip is in the Blinds? It's the worst position to play this hand. But I have learned from past experience that the best way to play this hand is to lead out. If you want to play a big pot, then you gotta bet it. So I bet my standard $11. Only a young lady on the Button calls.

Turn: [Ts 7s 7h] 7c. I guess I gotta check the Quads. Fortunately, she bets it for me, $20. Obviously, she has a T, Probably KT or maybe AT. I don't want to raise, and scare her off, so I think for a moment and call.

River: [Ts 7s 7h 7c] 5s. Well the Flush Draw got there. So I decide to bet $40, and hope it looks like I'm betting the Flush, because everyone always assumes that you're on a Flush Draw. She thinks for a bit, and finally calls. I show my Quadzilla. She said, "Wow! You get the Oscar for that one. I almost raised."

Hand Of The Day #35

$3/$6 LHE - Hollywood Casino - 03.19.10

A bunch of limpers, as usual. I'm the BB with Jd Jh. I let out a sigh when I look at my cards because there is just no point in raising. The UTG, who I've been chatting with, makes a comment about my sigh.

Six or seven player see the Flop of Th 9s 6c. SB bets $3. I quickly raise to $6, hoping that some of the limpers will get scared off. Only UTG, Button, and SB call.

Turn: [Th 9s 6c] Qh. SB checks. I hate that card. It's an overcard, a possible straight, and now a Flush draw for someone to chase. But it's Limit, so I bet $6. UTG and Button calls. SB folds.

River: [Th 9s 6c Qh] 4s. I certainly like that Brick. I bet $6. UTG thinks for a moment, gets disgusted, and flashes his cards to me as he folds them, Ac As. The Button also folds. Since UTG was kind enough to show me his hand, I turned over my JJ as the Dealer ships the pot to me. He was not amused.

As bad as some of the $1/$2 or $1/$3 players can be, the $3/$6 player can be so much worse. And this hand is a great example of this. Earlier in the session, this guy didn't raise with KK in the SB after I raised on the Button. I can understand not raising with a big pair sometimes, like with my JJ in the BB. Nobody will fold, and it will just create a bigger pot for everyone to chase. But the best time to raise preflop is as the first player into the pot.

We discussed the hand later on. He realized that he screwed up, and was kicking himself for it. If he had raised preflop, then the whole hand would have played differently. Less players might have entered. I might have 3-bet with my JJ. And he would have won the pot.

Hand Of The Day #33

Hollywood Casino - 03.18.10 - $340 NLHE Deepstack (20k): Level 7 (200/400/50)


I'm UTG with Kh Kc, and raise to 1400. Four players see the Flop of 7c 5d 2c. The SB leads out for 2500. He's been very active at this table, with lots of betting and raising. He's also catching a lot of big hands. We are the two big stacks at the table, but he's got me covered.

His 2500 bet is less than half the pot of 6450. He could be betting anything from Top Pair to Two Pair+ to some sort of draw. I'm not screwing around with this situation, and raise to 10k. One of the other preflop callers in Mid position thinks for awhile, and goes All-In for 12500.

It folds back around to the SB. He goes into deep thought, and starts talking through the situation. He seems to put me on AK, and just making a move. That would be a retarded move for me to make in this spot. Anyone who's been paying attention at this table would know that the SB doesn't like to fold.

After a full minute, the SB raises to 30k. Because he took so long to make this decision, I'm fairly positive that he's not hollywooding a big hand. I insta-ship All-In for 58500. The SB gets that "Oh, Crap!" look on his face. He thinks for about 30 seconds before making the call. He had to call because his raise to 30k made him pot committed. He just needed to call 28500 into a pot of 107450.

I show my KK. The SB has Q7s for Top Pair. The Mid player, who jumped in the middle of this pot, had 99. My KK holds up, and I scoop a pot of 135950.

Hand Of The Day #32

$1/$3 NLHE - Hollywood Casino -  03.17.10

I'm UTG+1 with Jh Jc, and pop it to $11. Surprisingly, only the BB calls. Flop is Tc 8c 5s. BB leads out for $10. So far, the BB has been a nit, so I'm not thrilled with this bet. I just call, in case he flopped a Big Blind Special.

Turn [Tc 8c 5s] 6c. The BB looks back at his cards and checks. Since the Club Flush hit, he probably was looking to see if one of his cards is a Club. I'm guessing that he might have Ac Tx or Kc Tx. I do have the Jc, so I bet $25. If he min-raises, I will probably fold, since my One Pair will be no good. He just calls.

River [Tc 8c 5s 6c] 3h. The BB grabs about $30 of Red chips, but checks. OK, now I'm positive that he's got Ac Tx or Kc Tx. Since he's willing to call $30, let's see if he's willing to call more. I bet $50. BB thinks for a bit, and calls. I say Jacks, turn my cards over, and put a $1 chip on top for the Dealer tip. The BB mucks his cards in disgust.

Hand Of The Day #31

$1/$3 NLHE - Hollywood Casino - 03.17.10

I'm the Cutoff with 76o and raise to $11. Five players see the Flop of Td 8h 5c. The BB leads out of $17. One player calls before it gets back to me. The BB has been an active player at the table so far, so his range is kinda wide. I've flopped an Open-Ender. Since I was the preflop raiser, I decide to semi-bluff with a raise to $45. Only the BB calls.

Turn [Td 8h 5c] Kh.  BB checks. I fire another Bullet for $60. He thinks for a moment, and calls. I can't put the BB on a hand, but he doesn't seem to be afraid of the K.

River [Td 8h 5c Kh] 3c. The BB checks. I decide to "empty the clip", and bet $60 again so it looks like a value bet. The BB calls quickly. I say, "7 high". He turns over K8d, for a flopped Middle Pair, and turned Two Pair.

I suck at bluffing.

Hand Of The Day #29

Hollywood Casino - 03.18.10 - $340 NLHE Deepstack (20k): Level 1 (25/50)

An older gentleman in Early Position raises to 250. I'm in Mid position, and call with Th Tc. The player next to me, in the Hyjack, raises to 600. He arrived late to the table, and this is one of first hands that I've seen him play. The SB calls, but the BB and the older gentleman fold.

Three of us see a Flop of Ts 4d 2s. Sweet! SB checks. I check my Top Set. Hyjack bets 600. SB folds. I decide to check-raise to 1600, just in case the Hyjack actually has a real hand. He just calls.

Turn[Ts 4d 2s] 2d. Well, that a good card. Now I have the virtual Nuts, but I'm not sure how strong the Hyjack is. Since I raised, I really can't check, hoping that he'll fire a bullet. But I don't want to scare him off. So, let's try a value bet of 2000. He calls. Now I'm really hoping that the 3rd Spade card hit the River.

River: [Ts 4d 2s 2d] 5s. Bingo! Now for the trap. When the card comes out, I say, "Check" in disgust, like I can't believe the stupid Flush got there. The trick is to be subtle, and not "Hollywood" it. Hopefully, he'll take the bait.

Fortunately, he did. In less than two seconds after I said, "Check," the following three things happened: He said, "All-In." I said, 'Call." He cards went towards the muck, face down.

I showed my Full House, and counted down my stack. I had 15500. He shipped the full amount, and had 600 left. I scooped a pot of 40300.

Road to Recovery

- I ended up cashing in the Tournament. 38th place $802. I won some pots, but never got the big double up that you need to go deep. Towards the end of Level 22 (12k/24k/3k), I raised to 60k with KJ on the Button. The BB goes All-In, and has my small stack crushed. I'm fairly certain that he's pushing back with a real hand. I could fold, but that would leave me with 180k, or just over 7 BB. The Antes and Blinds are extremely high, and we're near the end of this Level. They paid 64 spots, with small pay jumps every 9 or 10 spots. There was another pay jump of $90 ($891) in a few spots, but the $1k payouts didn't come until there are 27 players left. So I decided that in order to go deep, it's time to gamble. I shipped it All-In, and the BB turned over AK. The board ran out 8-high, and head over to the Cage to collect my $802.

- On the Cash game front, I played some $3/$6 for two hours before the Tournament restarted. I won $100. In the evening, I played $1/$3 for a while, and was down $370. They opened up a $5/$10 Omaha-8 w/Kill table, so I went over there. I played about three hours, and then I stared to hit "The Wall" about 1 AM. I left the table up $135.

Also, throughout the day, I played various session of Blackjack, both the Video machine and Live with some CPMGers before they headed home. All the session combined for -$25.

- Because of coming back for Day 2 of the Tournament, and the giant hole I dug on Wednesday, I never did play in a satellite for the WPT Main Event. It also seems that nobody else was playing the satellites either. Every Mega-Satellite they ran today gave away only one or two seats. The $270 gave away one seat for every 40 player. They only got around 60. There was a $530 at Midnight (1 for every 20). A buddy for one of the players at my table signed up for this one at 11:40, and he was Entrant #1.

This may set the record for the smallest WPT field ever. Hollywood has done a crappy job of running Satellites. They should have been running a Mega for the Main Event every night. Instead, they were running Megas for the next day's tournament. Why do you need to run a Mega-Satellite for a $340 tournament? That's a Buy-In for the $1/$3 game.

$10k is a lot of money in this part of the country. The biggest regular Cash game is $2/$5 NLHE and $1/$3/$5 PLO, with occasionally a $5/$10 NLHE on weekends. Even with the Pros coming into town last night, the only Big game was a $5/$10 NLHE table that was barely kept full, and was playing 6-handed after Midnight.

- Speaking of Pros, I was standing in line at the Cage right behind some tall dude that was taking forever. As it turns out, it was Erik Seidel buying in to the Main Event. Kathy Liebert was at the next window. Bryan "Devo" Devonshire was playing in the $5/$10 game, and Ron Rose was playing $1/$3. Other sightings included Hoyt Corkins, Greg "FBT" Mueller, Andrew Lichtenberger, JJ Liu, and Alan "Chainsaw" Kessler.

- I've decide to check-out today, play some more Cash today, and head home. I'm not sure exactly what time I will leave town. It will probably depends on how many draws and sets I can hit. With my success of the last two days, I could actually break into Profit for this trip with a good day today.

- This will probably be the last Blog entry about this trip, unless something news worthy happens today. I've been posting for about ten straight days, and I'm a little Blogged out. I do have a bunch of Hands Of The Day that I will be posting over the next few weeks, as well as a Review of the Hollywood Casino.

$340 NLHE Deepstack Tournament

I decided to do another running log for this tournament. But instead of doing an entry every Level, I did one every Break, which was every three Levels.

Shuffle Up & Deal 20000 - The room is buzzing. There are 59 tables in the ballroom, and they're all in use. Currently, the computer screen says there are 532 players. Our table is starting out with 8/10 players. There are three other CPMGers in this tournament: Colin, Chan, and Meat. Levels are 30 minutes long.

Break 1 - End of Level 3 (75/150) 41075 - Currently 644 entries, and still a few more alternates to be seated. I doubled up with a Set of Tens (future H.O.T.D.)  Table is fairly passive. One Action Guy two seat to my Right. He seems to be a Card Rack right now. A Cash "Pro" got an empty seat on my direct Left.

Break 2 - End of Level 6 (150/300/25) 61025 - Officially 647 players. I'm in annoying spot with an Aggressive Card Rack on my Right, and a Cash "Pro" on my Left. Since I've got chips, I'm being very patient, but slowly bleeding chips.

I got into a couple of big pots with Aggro guy. First, I raised him with just Top Pair on Flop. I fired on Turn, but we checked River. He missed his Flush, but hit a Straight on the River.
Second hand, I 3-bet him preflop with AJ. He called, and an A hit the Flop. He bets 15k, which puts me All-In. I snap call. He shows 98o, and I double up.
Shortly after this hand, we got into a rare Blind vs Blind hand. Naturally, he raised the Small Blind, and I just called with 66. The Board was A53 4 K. He fired all three streets, including 16k on the River. I called him down, and he said, "I got nothing." I showed my 66, and he was not amused. I believed the word "Unbluffable" was used.

Break 3 - End of Level 9 (400/800/75) 157200 - 442 players left. I won a monster double up with KK against Aggro guy, and another short stack jumped in the middle. (Another future H.O.T.D.) Later, I knocked out AK with KK for 21k. Otherwise I played very tight. Both Aggro guy and Cash "Pro" were active, so I'm just staying out of their way. There's no reason to risk my chips right now. I've gotta be in the Top 5 if they tracked chip stacks. Aggro guy was eliminated on last hand before Break.

Colin and Chan are gone. Meat is still grinding with around 40k chips.

Dinner Break - End of Level 12 (800/1600/200) 153800 - 287 players left. Early after break, I eliminated 55 with AQ (Q on Flop) for 6500. After that, I was very card dead. I tried an occasional move, just to maintain my stack against the Antes. Not all of them worked.

Just before the Break, an passive old guy in the Hyjack raised to 4400, and had 12200 behind. I was the BB with KQc, and decided he had a small enough stack for me to gamble. I raised to 30k in order to isolate against him, and hopefully I'm not crushed. He thought for about 90 seconds, said "I hope you've got a Monster," and folded. I can't believe he folded.

Break 5 - End of Level 15 (2k/4k/400) 158k - 165 players left. Right after the Break, I knocked out two players with KQ. However, the largest of the two was only 5100.  In Level 14, our table broke. The guy who in now on my direct Right has as many chips as I do. He said he got them in an AA vs KK vs 22 hand. Guess which one he had?

I ended up getting into a big pot with him. He limped UTG. I get KK, and pop it up to 15k. Only he called. Flop was Ts 8s 5c. He leads out of 20k. I think for a moment, and then grab a stack of Gray 5k chips, and move it foward for 100k. He goes into the tank, and reluctantly folds.  Later, I tried to steal with A3c. The SB woke up with AQ, and I was pot committed. I whiffed my 3-outer.

The blinds are really getting high. Even though I'm on one the larger stack at the table, I've only got 26 BB going into the next level. The Average Stack is around 80k.

End of Day 1 - Level 18(5k/10k/1k) 157k - I knocked out a few players with AQ and AK. I got my stack up to the 230k-250k range for most Level 17. But I lost an AQ vs A8d (River Flush). Later, I was the solo BB. It folded to the Button, and he raised to 30k. It smelled like a steal. I had A6o, and put him All-In for 67500. He thought for a bit, and called with KQo. He spiked the K on the Turn.

The rest of the day was me being patient. Surprisingly, I only had one pocket pair for the last 4-5 levels. It was QQ, but nobody called. Of course, the very next hand, I raise with J9o. An old geezer two seats down shoved All-In, and I insta-mucked.

Officially 90 players left, as they broke a table when the Level ended, but there are a few tables with 9 players. Meat busted out in Level 17.

As for my table, I'm around 4th or 5th in chips. The chip leader at our table might be the overall chip leader with 544k. He's seems to be fairly solid, and no-nonsense. He's also on the other end of the table. There are a couple of local "Pros" who recently got moved to our table. One is on my direct Right, and the other is a few seats to my Left.

We are roughly 25 players away from the Money. I'm not sure exactly how many get paid, how much the Min Cash is, or how much 1st place is for one simple reason... I don't care right now. I will worry about that stuff when we get down to seven tables, or even the Final Table. It will be interesting to see how everyone plays when we get to the Bubble. I've never been involved in a multi-table Bubble.

I would say my chances of cashing are 60%. I've got enough experience with shortstack play to hopefully not do anything stupid. But with the starting Level of 6k/12k/1500, I've only got 13BB. As we all know, anything can happen with Push & Pray Poker. If I can pick up a few pots, or get someone's shortstack, then I will be in better shape.

Either way, it will be posted here tomorrow. We start back up at 2pm.

Cell Phone Update #1

What a difference a day makes. +$355 in Poker & BJ this morning. Over 600 players for tourney. I doubled up in Level 1.

St. Patrick's Day Massacre

At the Hollywood Poker Room, I got a seat at a new $1/$3NL table about 11am. I bought in for $300, and added another $100 later. There was two Action Guys at the start. They were waiting for the $2/$5 game to open. They were raising every hand, and throwing money around. Unfortunately, I didn't have any cards to catch that money. So I tried to play the occasional hand while being patient, and bled away some money. After a few hours, the Kid next to me had been raising a lot, and I had been folding a lot. So he raised to $20, and I 3-bet to $50 with KQ. He called. The Flop was J9x. He checked, and I c-bet $80, which was more than half of my remaining stack. He looked at my little stack, and went All-In. I was committed with a Gutshot & Two Overcards, so I called. I turned a Flush draw, but an Airball hit the River. I said, "K high." He turned over AA. Nice Hand, Sir.

So, I went up to the Pit. I put $100 in the Video Blackjack machine, and lost it. It wasn't completely due to bad luck. I tried something different with my betting, and it failed miserably. I won't do that again.

At this point, I'm a little on Tilt. So I do what any rational person would do. I sit down at a 3-Card Poker table. I buy-in for $350, and dusted that off. This was to do horrible cards. It was one of those sessions that I never really had a chance.

So, now it was time for the Buffet.

After some gorging, I go back to the Poker Room, and get seated at $1/$3 table about 4pm. I bought in for $300, got into a hole early, and added another $100. I then started grinding my way back towards even. But the best I did in my eight hours at this table was back up to $450. Most of the session, my stack was in the $225-$275 range. If I managed to get above that, then I would lose a very frustrating hand. If I went below that, then I would win a decent pot to get me back there.

Here are a few hands from this session:

- I'm the BB with T4o. Five players see the Flop of Ts 9h 6c. I check Top Pair. A Mid player, who is playing his first hand at this table, bets $6. Three players call. I smell weakness, so I squeeze to $26. The same Mid guy 3-bets to $76. Three players fold. Now I'm very confused. This bets seems like either a set or straight. But why would someone with a strong hand bet so little, and let everyone chase their whatever draw? But I've only got Top Pair with no kicker. So I say, "I guess my Two Pair is no good.", and fold. He said he had 87 for a Straight.

- I'm in Mid with A2h, and raise to $11. Four players see a Flop of Qh Th Td. It checks to me, and I bet $20 on my Flush draw, which has been my standard c-bet. I get two callers. Turn is [Qh Th Td] 9h. Both callers check to me. I hit my Flush, but I'm a little concerned about potential Full Houses. I bet $50. UTG+1 calls All-In for $45, and the other player folds. I show my Nut Flush. River is [Qh Th Td 9h] Jh. He shows K8h for the six-card Straight Flush. Ya gotta love the perfect Runner-Runner. Nice hand, Sir.

- I'm down under $100 at this point, but I'm leaving soon. I'm in Mid with AKo, and raise to $11. Four players see a Flop of Kc 5d 4h. It checks to me. Normally, I would just fire a c-bet of $20. But I've only got $59 left, and I want to get maximum value. This Flop is fairly dry. So I check hoping that someone after me will bet after me. They don't. Turn is [Kc 5d 4h] 6h. Not a great card for me. Someone bets $20. I go All-In for $59. The guy next to me grabs his chip stack of around $250, and moves it over the Line. At this point, I know I'm going to leave broke. The first better folds. River is [Kc 5d 4h 6h] 7s. I say, "I assume my One Pair is no good?" He show 87o for a Turned Gutshot. Nice hand, Sir.

And that hand ended my worst casino day ever. I guess this is what I get for not wearing green on St Patrick's Day.

Cash Game Update

On Monday, I got to the Hollywood a little early before the 3pm tourney. So I sat down at a $3/$6 Limit table. While I was playing, one of my fellow CPMGers, The Meats, also sat down. There are various players stopping by for a day or two while I'm down here.

Anyway, the session was just under two hours, but it went well. I was almost $100 at one point. The biggest pot was when I rivered a four card Nut Flush. But the last two orbits didn't go as well, and I left the table up $32.

After the tourney, I sat down at a $1/$3NL. I only played two hours. I was getting tired, and the table was rather tight. Although in one hand, I did Flop trips in the BB, Turn Quads, and got a young lady to pay off a $40 River value bet. Overall, I left the table down $20.

On Tuesday, I sat down at a $1/$3NL at noon. It was a fairly typical weekday afternoon table. A lot of older regular players who know each others names, along with the names of all the dealers and the cocktail waitress. There was only one Action Guy, and he was three seats to my Left. He was playing 80% of the pots, and was calling everything, including a few times with A-high on the River. Unfortunately, I doubled him up once. I raised with QT. The Flop came Jd Td 9c. I lead out for $25, and he raised to $60. He only had $89 behind, and his range was rather wide in this spot, so I put him All-In. He had AJ, and I whiffed.

About an hour after I sat down, another CPMGer, DougPoker, sat down at the table. He didn't have a good session, including running into a nasty cooler. On a Turn card of 883 7, his pocket 77 ran into Quad 88.

After about three hours, I had managed to climb back to -$50. I went to lunch with The Meats, who was still playing $3/$6 Limit. When I came back, only three original player were still there. Both DougPoker and ActionGuy were gone.

Thing started to go much better. I pulled off a nice semi-bluff in position that got a few players attention. Very next hand, I was dealt AK. I raised, and hit the Flop of KJ5. I got check-raised by the player next to me. He only had $115 total chips, so I put him All-In. He called with KT, and I stacked him.

At 5:30, I end up leaving the table up $363. I was getting tired because I didn't sleep well the night before. I decide to go back to my room and chill for the rest of the night.

As for the Pit games, I've been pretty good at not playing them so far. I've only played the Video Blackjack machines, which have a $5 minimum. I like them because they have the Surrender option, which is an advantage for the players. I just bet the minimum, and if I win, I will up my bet by $2 each time until I lose. So far, it's gone very well. I've played a few short session, and I'm up $135.

For the trip, I'm up $170 for two days, and that includes -$340 for the tournament. That's certainly not retirement money, but I'm pleased overall. Today will be more cash games, and tomorrow is another $340 tournament.

$340 Omaha-8 / Stud-8 Tournament

WARNING: This post contains no TV Poker (NLHE) content. If you're not into terms like Scooping, Live 4 Low, Rolled Up, 6th Street, Quartered, and Nut Low Wrap, then just move on to your next Blog to read.

"Shuffle Up & Deal" 10000 - This tournament started at 3pm. It ended up with 36 players on five tables (max 8 per table due to Stud). Four places get paid. Each Level is 15 minutes.

At my table, we started with 6 players. Surprisingly, only one is over 50 yrs old.

End of Level 1 (100/200 Omaha-8) 9525 - Only played one hand. Had Nut Flush and A3 Low. He had A2.

Level 2 (100/200 Stud-8) 10025 - Won two small pots. Our seventh player arrived, a young kid with his hat on backwards. He asked the Dealer about the betting because he's never played Limit poker before. The rest of the table seems solid. Only one player is being aggressive. He seems to be a local "Pro" who's been playing all the events.

Level 3 (150/300 O8) 10450 - Won two half pots. Kid still asking questions like, "8 or better for the High?" It's hard to believe that Dead Money would pay $340 for this tournament.

Level 4 (150/300 S8) 10275 - Didn't play a hand. Kid is playing 90% of the hands.

Level 5 (200/400 O8) 9800 - I cracked Aggressive Pro's AA3x with A3cK6h. Nut Flush and a chopped Low. Next hand, I flopped Trip 6, and lost to River Flush.

Level 6 (200/400 S8) 13000 - I got dealt (55)A. Old guy before me raised with a K. I 3-bet to represent the AA. Old guy and another player called. I finally win it on 5th street when they don't improve. Very next hand, I get (A5)A, and win it on 4th street. Later, I get (AK)A in the Steal (last spot before the Bring-In), and Complete. The Bring-In calls, and we end up going to Showdown. He missed his straight and Low draws, and I win with Two Pair.

Level 7 (300/600 O8) 18575 - I flopped Quad 6 in the BB of a raised pot, and scooped when the Low missed. Later, I got into a pot with Aggressive Pro. I check-raised him on the Flop with Nut Flush Draw & Low Wrap. I scooped, and knocked him out.

Level 8 (300/600 S8) 18200 - Quiet level. I just stole the Antes & Bring-In with an A showing.

Level 9 (400/800 O8) 15700 - Not a good Level. I got saved when I turned a 1-outer A for Top Boat to get the High. With the Blinds getting higher, the chips are starting to move.

Level 10 (400/800 S8) 14300 - Card dead, but I've had very few Bring-Ins. I'll probably get stuck with them later when it starts to hurt.

Level 11 (500/1000 O8) 11800 - I tried some Blind stealing, but it didn't go well. I need to be very selective about stealing with the Blinds this high.

Level 12 (500/1000 S8) 8100 - I completed the Bring-In with (AKc)2h. Only the Kid called with a Q. He fired out on 4th, 5th and 6th. My board kept getting better (AKc)2h 4d 9c 5s. On 7th, he checked, but was holding a 1k chip to call. I peeked at my 7th card, and it was 2c for a Pair of 2. I checked, and he showed just a Pair of Q for the win. The Kid now has almost 20k. Despite this hand, he's not completely Dead Money. He plays PLO8 online.

- Dinner Break -

Level 13 (600/1200 O8) 2700 - This got ugly fast. In the BB, I flopped a Wheel Draw against UTG. I turned a pair with an Open-Ender. I rivered Two Pair with a Live 4 Low. UTG had a better Two Pair with a Live 2 Low. Also, I tried another Button steal that didn't go well.

Level 14 (600/1200 S8) 4000 - Our table broke. Players are starting to bust faster, but not as fast as I thought they would due to the split pots.

I'm holding on for dear life. Last hand of the Level, I get dealt (A2c)3h. I decide to gamble, and just limp right after the Bring-In. Someone completed. Two other players call. I back-raise to 1200. The Completer 4-bets to 1800. The next player goes All-In for 2100ish. Bring-In calls. I go All-In for 1800. My gamble paid off, as I'm getting 3-1 on the Main pot, and there's a small side pot which I'm not involved. I end up drawing (A2) 3 5 9 8 (T). Even though I missed my 4-card Wheel Draw, My 8 5 Low holds up for half the Main. The other All-In player gets the High of the Main with a Set of Q.

Level 16 (800/1600 O8) 3600 - Since the All-In trainwreck was the very last hand of the previous level, we didn't play an Omaha hand until 3 minutes into this Level. We only played a few hands. I was the SB at the start, and folded to a raise.

Level 16 (800/1600 S8) 7000 - I Bring-In with (T8) 3. Two other players limp. Next Card (T8) 3 2. The other two players check, so I bet to represent the Low draw. They both call. 5th Street is (T8) 3 2 4. They check. I go All-In for 1600. One calls. 6th and 7th are (T8) 3 2 4 T (2). I miss my Low, but my Two Pair scoops the pot.

Level 17 (1k/2k O8) 10000 - Hit a Small Blind Special. Flopped Two Pair, and turned Small Boat. Later, I raised with AKhK5, but missed the Flop horribly.

Level 18 (1k/2k S8) 5500 - Got dealt (5d 6s) 7d. I tried to raise, but screwed it up (don't ask). Next player raises with a J. Two more call. Player goes All-In for 1675. I decided to try to isolate, and raise to 2675. Not surprisingly, everyone called. 4th Street is (5d 6s) 7d Th. The J who raised just paired his J, and bets. Next player raises with 6A showing. Next player folds, and i have to eject. I'm not sure if my raise to isolate was the correct play with that many players in the pot. But it only cost me 1000.

Level 19 (1200/2400 O8) 0 - In the SB, I turned Two Pair, and rivered Three Pair, but the other player rivered the Flush & a Low. Next, I get it All-In for 2200, and get 3 callers. My A2 Low gets Quartered, and I get my 2200 back. A few hands later, I'm UTG, and raise All-In with 654d2c. I get two callers. The Board is JT5 6 K. My Two Pair gets beaten my AQ for Broadway. I finish in 17th place at 9:15pm. The Kid is still playing at a different table.

Overall, it was a good experience. It's good to step out of the CPMG pond, where I'm one of the Sharks, and see that I've still got a long way to go before I consider myself a Good player. In this field, I was middle of the pack. I played OK, but made some mistakes. Mostly, I was too aggressive trying to steal with mediocre hands. That's just not a good idea in Limit. Plus, my run of good hands came too early, but I can't do anything about that.

I was able to survive for a while by dodging four All-Ins. But I never got the cards to get my stack back up into contention. And eventually, this cat ran out of lives.

Snow Day

The Greater Cincinnati Area got buried in snow yesterday, with some parts getting up to a foot. This caused all kinds of traffic problems, and numerous business closings. But the Casino is always open. There was definitely a drop in attendance for customers and dealers. They canceled some of the casino promotions, and even closed the Buffet early (3pm). But when I walked into the Poker Room just after 10am, there was five $1/$2 and three $3/$6 tables running.

Here are two logs from my day, one tournament and one cash game.

"Shuffle Up & Deal" - The 11:15am tournament had 29 runners, which is less than half of what they normally get. It's a $125 Bounty tournament ($20 bounty). You get 6000 chips, and 25 minute levels.

End of Level 1 (25/50) 9125 - I called a 200 raise in the BB with 55. Four players saw a Flop of Q Q 5. Being in the BB, I checked, assuming that someone would bet. They all checked. Turn [Q Q 5] 9. I bet 625. Two players called, including the initial raiser. River [Q Q 5 9] 6. I bet 1500. UTG just calls with KQ. The initial raiser folds his AA.

How do I not collect any bounties with this hand? What a bunch of Nits.

Level 2 (50/100) 6725 - Won a decent pot with J9 in the SB. I flopped Top Pair, turned Trips, and rivered a straight. I don't know what the other player had. I lost a bigger pot when I limped in the Cutoff with 53o. I called a bet from the BB with Bottom Pair (9 6 3), and I raised him when I hit my Two Pair on the Turn. But the 5 gave him a Straight with 87, and he doubled up.

Level 3 (75/150) 5575 - Someone min-raised, and I called in the BB with 96o. I flopped a combo draw, and called a 1200 bet. I missed on the Turn, and decided to fold to the 2000 bet.

Oddly, even thought they have broken the third table, there have been no bounties earned at our table.

Level 4 (100/200/25) 0 - I limped on the Button with Q6d. Flop was Kc Jd Td, giving me the big combo draw. BB lead out for 1000. It folded to me, and I decided to shove All-In for 4000. The BB called with KJ. The Turn and River were the last two K, giving him Quads.

I think the All-In was the right move in this spot. Even against two pair, I was only a 47-53 underdog. If I win, I'm back up near 10k. Sometimes you just gotta go for it.

-----------------------

2:40pm $200 - After a free lunch in the Buffet, and getting in some quality Pit time, I headed back to the Poker Room. There was a full interest list for $3/$6 Omaha-8 w/Kill. So I put my name on it, and they opened the table soon after. We started with seven players. And much to my surprise, I was not the youngest player at the table.

3:00 $218 - Young guy two seats to my Left is an Action Guy who brought over $700 from a $1/$3 table. The very first hand, he raised in Mid with 5h6h7h8x, and ended up scooping the pot. The only hand that I played, and I took down the Low in a Kill pot with 6h5h4x3x.

3:30 $201 - The player to my direct Right has no clue what he's doing, and is asking numerous questions. Unfortunately, he is getting quality starting hands, and keeps getting half pots. The Action Kid left the table, but the table is now full.

4:00 $199 - I'm kind of card dead. I did win a High with the Nut Flush, but someone called the River bet with a 76 low and no High.

4:30 $236 - Cards got better, but I didn't win all the hands I played. The best hand was hitting Kings Full on the Turn, and the Low missed the River. I also folded the 2nd Nut Low (A4) on the Turn, when I put the preflop raiser on A2. I was wrong.

5:00 $209 - This game can be so frustrating. The only winner was me raising with AKhA2c preflop. I completely missed the Flop of Q82. An A hit the Turn, and my Set held up for the High. We're down to seven players, and this game might not last.

5:30 $173 - I'm playing very donktastic. I even made a crying call on the River with a Low that wasn't there. We're down to five players. Nobody wants to break the game, so we're talking about making this a Limit Hold'em and Omaha-8 table to draw more players. I will gladly play any mixed game they want to play.

6:00 $178 - Just before we started the Hold'em round, a new player sat down and said "No!" That's why Mixed tables are very rare in casinos. My cards aren't good, but I did scoop a small pot with a Boat on the River.

6:30 $150 - I flopped the Nut Low wrap in a Kill pot with 234x. I raised the Flop and bet the Turn, but the Board ended up AQ6 A 6. The only good news was that we now have nine players.

7:00 $163 - I rivered the Nut Straight. The pot was still three handed, and ended up getting 3-bet. As you can guess, one of the players had the same straight, and I got quartered.

7:40 $220 - It's time to go. I think I've hit "The Wall". I was up late last night, thanks to the tournament win, and my body just doesn't like to sleep in. Since I knew I was leaving soon, I started splashing around more, and it worked. The biggest pot was me getting a 3/4 pot with a baby flush and A4 Low.

So I played for five hours, and made $20. That's a $4/hr win rate. Not exactly time to quit my job. The cards weren't that good to me. But to be fair, I did screw up a couple of hands, and wasted around $20-$25. In NL, you could just hit a Set and stack someone to make up the money you donk off. Since this is Limit, that is just not an option. It's hard to get those Bets back.

A Hollywood Ending

"Shuffle Up & Deal" - After playing Cash for a couple of hours, I bought in to the 8:15 tournament at Hollywood Casino down by Cincinnati. We ended up with 57 players, with six getting paid. We start with 5000 chips and 20 minute levels.

End of Level 1 (25/50) 4625 - Fairly tight table. Only one potential Action Guy, and he's two seats to my Right. In one hand, I ended up hitting Two Pair on the River in a multi-way pot. Even though that brought a Flush, I still made a value bet of 500 when it checked around to me. A Old Guy in the Blinds instantly check-raised to 1000. I quickly folded my Two Pair face up, and he showed a Q-high Flush. It was a dumb bet by me, but the Cash game player in me wanted to get some Value.

Level 2 (50/100) 4900 - I called a raise with AQ, and won it on the Flop. I tried a Semi-Bluff with an Open-Ender (96c on a Qc Jd Td Flop). I was called by a Young Player on the Flop and Turn. I missed the River, and gave up because he only had 1300 chips left. The Board was Q J T J Q, and I was playing the Board. As it turns out, he had 87d for a gutshot Straigh Flush draw, and we chopped the pot.

Level 3 (75/150) 4500 - I raised with AQc, and everyone folded. I raised with 65o, and three players called. Typical of my tourney luck these days.

Level 4 (100/200) 4500 - I'm card dead, as usual. I'm slowly starting to "Step on the Gas" with mixed results.

Level 5 (200/400) 4100 - I played only one hand. I shoved with JTs, and everyone folded.

Level 6 (300/600) 7500 - Very first hand of the Level, there were a few limpers. I'm in the Small Blind, and shoved with KJc. Everyone folded. Next hand, I get TT on the Button, and raised to 1700. One player called, and I won it on the Flop. A few hands later the table broke.

Level 7 (500/1000) 6500 - We are down to two tables now. I'm doing some stealing, but I still haven't gotten a double up. I lost 4500 in a A9 vs KQd, and he hit the Flush.

Level 8 (1000/2000) 52000 - I finally picked up a hand, QQ, and more than doubled up to 28500 against KQ and J8. I won more big pots with AK and AQ and eliminated players. We got to the Final Table just before the end of the Level. I had 52000, and was in 2nd place. Chip Leader has 73000. We eliminate two players before the end of the Level, and go on Break with eight players left.

Level 9 (2000/4000) 135K - I popped the Bubble in a Blind vs Blind hand. I'm the SB with Q3x, and I flopped top pair. I check & call on the Flop. A second Q hit the Turn, and we both checked. The River was brick, and I lead out for 15k, hoping it looked like I missed the Flush draw. She thinks for a while, and goes All-In for 18k with second pair. We all agreed to give the Bubble $20, except for the former Chip Leader. So I eliminated him next by raising to 10k with AA, and he shoved in the SB with A9. Karma is a bitch.

We are now five handed.

Level 10 (3000/6000) 165K - While five handed, there was two extremely short stacks  (under 10k). Because there was a $110 difference in prize money, they were trying to out-fold each other. Since they had so few chips, I started limping in to help eliminate the players. It took about two full orbits to finally eliminate them.

When it got to three handed, the short stack started the "Monty Hall" and was trying to chop. Since I had half the chips in play, I held out for a few hands, but we finally came to an agreement. They got $1000 each, and I got $1295 (minus $20 for Bubble Save, and $20 for dealer tip).

I normally hate chopping, especially when I'm the best player at the table and I've got half the chips. But I've never been in a daily casino tournament that didn't chop. Even though I'm the dominate player, the blinds are high. It only takes one silly River card, and a lost coin flip to screw me over.

Hand of the Day #23

$2/$5 - Hollywood Casino - 7/27/09

Here's a Hand of the Day that happened back over the summer when I wasn't blogging.

I went down to the Hollywood Casino near Cincinnati for a couple of days to check out their new poker room. On my second day, I was playing some $1/$3 in the late afternoon. I wasn't really winning or losing. I went to the bathroom. On the way back, I put $100 into a slot machine. About ten minutes later, I cashed out for $550. I walked back to the poker room, put my name on the $2/$5 list, and went back to my $1/$3 game.

About 30 minutes later, they called my name. I went to buy some more chips, and sat down at the only $2/$5 table. I had played about two orbits, and haven't won a pot yet. I really haven't' had any cards, and I've got about $460 in my stack. The table has been rather tight & passive, with only one player who seemed interested in raising preflop.

I'm in the Hyjack with J7d. There were a couple of limpers. Normally, I wouldn't play this hand, but with this table seeming tight, I should limp in with a wider range of hands. The Button is the Action guy, and raises to $25. He just moved over to this seat, and this is the first hand that he raised from this seat. The BB, UTG+1 and a Mid player calls. I really don't want to play a big pot with this hand, but I am get pot odds, so I call. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?

Five players see a Flop of Ad 6d 2d. Oh, that's why some people play J7d, so they can flop a flush. The BB checks. UTG+1 bets $150. She's an older black lady who seems to be a tight passive player. I think she's been here since the day before, because I remember seeing her wearing the same thing yesterday. The Mid players folds.

Now it's my turn. It seems to me that she overbet the Flop, which I think means that she isn't thrilled with the Flop. She could have a small flush, and wants to scare everyone else away. She also could have something like Ax Kd, or 66 for a set. Part of me just wants to call, but I can't. There are still players to act, including the preflop raiser. With the A on the Flop, there are only two cards that I'm worried about. If I just call, and the fourth diamond appears on the board, then my hand is in bad shape.

So I did the only thing that I could do; All-In for about $435. The Button thinks for a moment, and goes All-In for more. The BB gets that "Are you serious?" look on his face, thinks for a bit, and shoves All-In. UTG+1 calls.

Here are the hands (Flop: Ad 6d 2d)
UTG+1 - K9d
Button - QTd
BB - 6s6c

Well, there was only two cards that I was worried about, and they are both in the pot. The BB hits his boat on the River and scoops the Main pot for about $2000. UTG+1 get the small side pot of around $300. I just shake my head, and leave the table.

The worst thing about this hand is if I was in a different position both preflop and on the Flop, then I might not have gone broke. If I wasn't in the Hyjack, I wouldn't have played a garbage hand like J7d. If the anyone but the Button raised preflop, and I wasn't the last one to act, then I wouldn't have called the raise. If I was first to bet on the Flop, I would have  seen all the carnage of the All-Ins, and maybe gotten away from it. If I was to act after others went All-In, then I might not have shoved All-In.

At least I was on a freeroll. All I really lost was the $100 that I put in the slot machine.

Hand of the Day #22

$1/$3 NLHE - Hollywood Casino - 1/3/10

A few limpers. I'm the BB with 33, and check. Four player see the Flop of Jc 6h 3d. Cool! Being first to act, I check, and so does everyone else.

Turn: [Jc 6h 3d] Ad - I'm assuming that A hit someone, so I bet $7, which about half the pot. All three players call.

River: [Jc 6h 3d Ad] Td - Well, that card sucks. Diamond draw got there, as well as KQ and TT. Since there are still four players in this pot, I decide to go into Check/Call mode. The next player bets $25. The other two fold. I grab 5 Red Chips, start shuffling them, and go into deep thought.

This guy is what I would call a Super Nit. He has a big stack ($500+), but it's on lockdown. He plays very few hands. He doesn't bet much, and almost never raises.

So what hand is he betting $25 on the River? The only hand that I can beat with Bottom Set is Two Pair. He probably would have bet AJ on the Flop, or min-raised the Turn. AT is the other possibility, but I just can't see him betting $25 with Two Pair on that board. Super Nits love to get to showdown. They might call with Two Pair on a Flush board, but they wouldn't lead out.

I ended up doing the only option that I had. I turned my hand over, and folded face up. Why show my hand? Because Super Nits love to show their big hands. And he did the same. Jd Js for a Flopped Set.

Set over Set on the Flop, and I only lose $7. I think we can call that a win.

I Thought This Was a $1/$3 Table?

I arrive at the Hollywood Poker Room about 9am, hoping there was any table open so I can play a little before the 11am tourney. Much to my surprise, there was 3 $1/$3 tables, two $3/$6 tables, a serious interest list for $2/$5, and a few other names on various lists. I ask the desk if there are any open seats in any game, and the send me over to a $1/$3 table.

9:10 $300 - This must be an all-night table, because there are some big stacks here. The player two seats to my right has about $1000. The player to my left has about $800.


9:30 $293 - Just played the blinds. I can't believe this is a Monday Morning table. I haven't seen a limped pot yet. It's been $20 minimum preflop. The player on my direct right is an Action Guy. He's got about $600, and is doing most of the raising.

10:00 $309 - Limp pots are extremely rare, so I gotta start doing some calling, and seeing a Flop or two. I called $15 with JTs and missed. I called $25 (from SB Action Guy) with KQc in the BB. I bet $60 on Flop with Top Pair (K). The Flush hit on the Turn, so I had to fold when another player bet $100. I then reloaded with 4 Green chip out of my pocket.

10:30 $228 - I am completely out of my comfort zone. It's like I'm at a $2/$5 table, and shortstacked. It's still very rare to see a Flop for under $20. But there is so much potential at the table for a huge score. I need to be patient and wait for Action Guy to double me up. It is ridiculous how many pots he's playing and raising. His Poker Tracker preflop stats would be 90/75.

11:00 $181 - I've gone from uncomfortable to frustrated. I just don't have the chips to play any hands that aren't Top 10. Even if I add my last $100, it won't do much good with the $25+ preflop action. I would have flopped a set of 3 in the SB, but it was raised early to $15 and then $45 by Action Guy on the Button before it got to me. I was gonna play in the tourney, but I've got $200 'invested' in this table, and there are still many big stacks here along with Action Guy.

11:30 $197 - Won a small pot with a Straight in the BB. The tourney started, and we lost 6 players, including most of the big stacks and Action Guy. The only big stack is directly to my left, and he's a super nit.


12:00 $451 - I'm UTG with AK, and backraised to $50, and got 2 callers. On the Q-high Flop, I checkraised All-In for $82 and got two callers. I hit the K on the River. I got a little lucky with that semi-bluff, but it's about time something went right at this table. If I lost, I would have bought into the tourney.

12:30 $494 - Semi bluffed with a flush draw and gutshot on Flop, and won it on the Turn. The table has calmed down to a normal $1/$3 table, but still good action for a Monday afternoon.

1:00 $620 - Flopped a Pair & Nut Flush draw, and 3-bet it for $100. I went All-In on the Turn, and he folded. Unfortunately, he had a opened ended straight flush draw. If I realized that I had him dominated, I would have only bet about $100-$150 on the Turn.

1:30 $506 - I got backraised by UTG+1, and the he checkraised me on a Q high board. He hasn't been at the table that long, so it's hard to put him on a hand. He had about the same size stack as me, and I just felt this wasn't a battle worth fighting.

2:00 $545 - I raised three hands in a row to $11, my standard at $1/$3. I whiffed on the first two, but won a decent pot with the 3rd one (KK).

2:30 $808 - Won a sweet pot with JT in late position. I called a raise preflop. I hit Top Pair (T) on the Flop against what I'm assuming was AK and a draw. The AK kept betting, and the draw and I kept calling. Won a few other small to decent pots, including Top Pair (9) against a old calling station that was chasing a gutshot.

I decided to cashout. There was a $5/$10 Limit table that just opened, along with a $1/$3/$5 PLO table. But I'm getting hungry, and I really want to book a win. Lately, most of these overnighters have ended with me up or down $100. I'm not losing any money, but I'm not winning either. This was a good trip, and I want to leave with a wad of cash in my pocket.

I head upstairs, walk through the Pit, head to the Buffet for a free lunch, and then start my journey home. I don't stop to play anything. I won big last night in the Pit, and I don't see any reason to give half of it back.

Hooray for Hollywood

I arrived at the Hollywood Casino at about 4pm. It's formally known as Argosy Casino, down by Cincinnati. I took the long walk down to the Poker Room, which is one of the best Poker Rooms in the Midwest. There was a long list for the $1/$3 game (they don't have $1/$2). While waiting, I put $50 into a slot machine. I ended up playing for a while, and cashed out for $65.

4:30 $300 - Finally got a seat. There are some big stacks at this table, so I buy-in for the max. The guy to my right has about $900.

5:00 $270 - Very first hand, I limp & called a $15 raise with 55. I missed the Flop. I got to the Turn for free, but missed. There are some really big raises preflop ($20-$25). The big stack to my right is an Action guy. He made a terrible call with K9 to a check raise All-In on a 9 7 7 Flop. This could be a great session.

5:30 $356 - Action guy left with about $800. Drat! A few other players are walking around, so we are playing 6 or 7 handed. The table got very passive. I won a two pots with AK and 88.

6:00 $383 - Won a nice pot with KJ by hitting two pair on River. Lost half of that when I chased a flush draw on the Button, and stabbed on the River when I missed.

6:30 $310 - Card dead and bleeding chips. Calling too much. This table is very loose, with an average of 6-7 players in every limped pot, and 4-5 players in the raised pots.

7:00 $303 - Lost $15 with a stab on the Flop with a gutshot. Two players called, and I missed and gave up. I won a small pot with KK.

7:30 $0 - I got frisky with 54 in late position, but ran into a Nit with big hand. Later I flopped two sets in one orbit, and lost both of them. The last one was against a flush draw, and the money got All-In on the Flop ($180ish). He hit his flush draw on the Turn, and I missed my boat draw on the River.

When you flop two sets in one orbit and they both lose, it's time to walk away. So I put that $65 slot ticket into a random slot machine, and lose it way too quickly.

My next stop was a 3-Card Poker (3CP) table. A very important factor in 3CP, as well as Video Poker, is the pay table. And Hollywood has a crappy pay tables for their games. But they also have a Video 3CP machine, just like a Video Blackjack machine that some casinos have. The pay table is a little better at the Video 3CP machine, so I buy-in for my standard $300.

As bad as my last session was in Detroit, this one was the exact opposite. I don't think I've ever seen so many Flushes in one session. I got my stack up to $500, and upped my bet. My stack floated between $450 and $550 for a while. I finally hit a Straight, so I upped my bet again. The next two hands were a Straight and Trips. I played a few more hands to see if this rush would keep going, but it didn't. I ended up cashing out for $1020, a new record for profit. Since it was a Video machine, I didn't need to tip the dealer.

After cashing in all my chips and tickets, I headed to Buffet for a free dinner. I must say that Hollywood has one of the best buffets that I have ever seen in a casino. They have the largest variety of food that I have seen outside of Las Vegas. And the Sunday Dinner is only $19.21 with tax, which is a fairly good price compared to the Detroit casinos.

After gorging, it was almost 9pm. So I just went back to my room. I'm up $370 for the day, which pays for the hotel, and covers my buy-in for the 11am tourney tomorrow ($125).

We now return to our regularly scheduled Blog, already in progress...

I've decide to give this Blogging thing another try. A few of the players in my home games are now blogging their poker adventures, and other people actually want to read what I have to say (weird, I know.) I'm not sure how long this will last, or how often I will post, but I'll give it my best shot.

Since my last post in January, it hasn't been a good year for my Poker. I had a terrible run of cards over the summer. I actually went busto in August. The cards have improved a little in the last six weeks, but the rebuilding of the bankroll is going slow. It's up a little over 1k right now, which is ok for my home games and a few casino trips. When I get it over 2k, I can start to take some shots in $2/$5 at both Motor City and Nautica.

I've practically given up on Online Poker. It's rare that I play, and when I do, it's only for an hour or two. I've been playing mostly Limit Hold'em. I think it's my weakest game, so I've been trying to get better at it. I also think that Limit Poker is better suited for online play.

On the Road Trip front, new places I've visited this year are Reno in May, Argosy (Hollywood) Casino in July, and last weekend I was in Atlantic City. Reno has a lot of casinos, but it's not much of a poker town. Limit Hold'em is big in Reno, but most of it is either 2/4 or 3/6. There is only one 'big' room, the Peppermill, and the biggest regular games it has is 20/40 Limit Hold'em, and 5/5 NLHE.

Hollywood Casino, formerly Argosy, is located outside of Cincinnati, just over the border in Indiana. They opened up a new 45 table poker room, and it is gorgous. It is one of the best rooms in this part of the country, along with the Horseshoe Hammond. The WPT is coming to Hollywood in March, and I might just sneek down there for an event or two.