Hagar
02-14-2006, 12:48 PM
Our annual Hearts tournament involves (well actually requires) extreme alcohol consumption so poker was out of my schedule for Sat. and Sun. We got done at about 10:00 on Saturday and again we scattered. We had a 5 man $20 SnG in our room, which I overplayed a bad hand against a idiot calling station and went out quick. Didn't really care. We finished the game in a couple hours and I was beat. I wndered around the casino for a few minutes taking inventory on my friends, somehow got a little second wind, but managed to stay true to my "stay out of the poker room" rule.
Sunday we were done at around 9:30. We hadn't suppered yet, so most of us wandered down to the Coffee shop to get some chow and then some headed back out into the gaming population. There were a few guys scattered among the tables, wandered and back seated a few of them for a while. Finally sat down with oneof the guys and put a few bets in play at the 3 card poker table. I hate those games, but I was trying to be sociable. I wound up winning something like $15 after 20 miutes (while my buddy got cleaned out). When he gave up, I cashed out. Went to bed.
My ride up had planned to stick around til the afternno on Monday, so I was hoping to get a littel action in before we left. I woke up early (couldn't get any decent sleep all weekend!) went down to see if thee was anything going on (7:30 am) and it was a ghost town. I asked the guy and he said probably around 9:30. I dumped a $20 in a slot machine while waiting for the buffet to open and managed to drag out an additional $40 in the process. Sweet! 8) ;) Grabbed a couple of poker mags and waited for the 4/8 game ot get rolling. HAdn't hooked up with my ride yet, but I knew he'd come looking for me in the poker room. There was a $25 NLHE tourney scheduled for 1:00, and when my buddy showed up, we decided to get in and leave after the tourney.
The 4/8 game opened and I was seated next to guy who was dressed like an off-duty dealer. He was acting like he was drunk and was claiming to be drunk. (There was enough smell to be convincing.) He was a pretty funny guy and we were jabbing back and forth for most of the time he was there, having a few good laughs. Apparently, I amused him enough to become valuable "counsel" for him and declared us to be brothers. I couldn't tell what level of bullshit he was trying to pull off on me, but I was taking it all in good fun until proven otherwise. He called his frequent straddle bets "jerky bets"; when it came time for the straddle he lean over and ask me "Is it time for a jerky bet?" I'd look at my watch "Not for 5 more minutes." "OK, I'll wait. Wait, I have to raise anyway!" (after missing the blind straddle opportunity). He was very splashy and just enjoyed raising, which he did quite often. I tried to just stay out the pots when he was pulling his shit and in general treaded very lightly at a table that was mostly old regulars and a couple of fools.
I was running pretty cold and wsa getting no respect when I tried to buy some. My first bad hand came when I got QQ from EP. I raised, got 4 or 5 callers. Flop came something like 478. I opened and a old fart in seat 10 rasied me. WTF? HE was dragging pots (Not necesarily good cards) so I just decided to call him down. River was a 6. Not what I wanted to see, but tried to not be too weak about it. Check, bet, call. River was another 4 giving me hope that my 2 pair were better than his 2 pair. I still check called. He flipped up 95 for the gutshot turn. Excellent.
Another hand that went bad had me limping with something like 76 from late position and calling a raise from the BB. I hit a 6 on the flop and also had a gutshot. I convinced myself to call the flop bet. Turn brought me a 7 which was a dubious card. One bet and call in front of me, I raised my 2 pair ready to bail to action, but was just called. River brought a Q. Check to me, I opened and was checkraised from the BB. I shook my head and made the crying call. His QQ hooked up for a set on the river.
This game was just going nowhere for me. After several just head banging situations, I was 3 racks into the game. I made a little run to get on eof my racks back, bled a little back. I was sitting on about $120 when suddenly we were 3 handed. A couple of the old farts had to go hame and nap (or something) and the predaters left with them. They had just opened a 2nd 4/8 game and there was no list. It was about 12:30, 30 minutes before the tourney. I didn't want to sit in on a different table for 30 minutes. I should have just left, but one of the brushed planted himself with a rack and siad deal 'em up. Fuck it, let's play. I bled away about $40 in the shorthanded game. Pretty much anytimef I got a playable hand, it was in a chop. 12:50 or so, I'd had enough. Picked up and turned my chips into cash. Hit the head, had a smoke and waited for the tourney.
The tourney was a $25 buy-in with an optional $13 add-on which you could use at any time as long as you had a chip. Everyone at our rable was adding on before we started and I did the same. We started with $300, the add-on was worth $400. So most of our starting stacks were $700. 5/10 blinds, 15 minutes rounds. My table was pretty aggressive. Not lots of all-ins, but very few limped flops. Very first hand I got a couple of suited broadway cards and limped in EP. The guy to my left raised it up. I decided to be patient and folded. NExt hand, I got 2 unsuited broadway cards, limped, raised fold. Alright, I'm gonna have to be very patient.
I waited for a while and finally got AKs and rasied it up to win the blinds. Hng around, some more and we were in the 3rd or 4th round, still plenty of chips but spinning my wheels. I looked down to se AQs in MP and raised. The guy on the button started asking me about my stack. He put me in (barely having me covered). I didn't think much; if I had I probably would have waited, but frankly, the whole scene was boring me to death. This hand looked pretty good to me and I figured the worst shape I was in was a coin-flip. "I'll dance with ya." and called. He flipped up 44. Prety much what I figured. Flop missed brining one of my suit. Turn brought the flush draw giving me 13 clean outs. I have a chance. River blanked and I was walking. I went to find one of the guys in my "crew" who busted before I did. The other guy was doing well. I found him at a BJ table and jined him. I rattled off 5 or 6 straight wins at the BJ table and we were yucking it up with the dealer and just trying have fun. He tapped, I cashed ($30! WOO-HOO!) and we wnadered over to the poker room to see how our represenative was doing. He was doing great.
I wasn't really in the mood for any real poker, but we needed to kill some time so we got them to open a 2/4 game. I know, I know. "A 2/4 game? You're just looking to go on serious tilt." We were just killing some time and I figured that other than penny slots, this was the cheapest it was gonna get. We started 4 handed, but the table filled up pretty quickly. The house brought over an obvioulsy brand new dealer. She was very nervous, and after she did a "textbook" deck-check, she wasn't quite sure how to use the shufflers. "I hav'nt done this in a long time." I was wondering just how long ago a "long time" is to a 23 year old. I was betting on never. The floor guy was standing over her shoulder guiding her through the mechanics. She finally got to dealing and flipped up one of the cards. We guided her through that process. The first few hands just got choped. We were off to a very slow start. Luckily, I was able to mold myself into a "goofy, fun" mood by this time or else this would have been torture. The poor gal was there all of about 4 hands before she got tapped out. The only hand that didn;t get chopped while she was there, was the third hand that the Asian guy stole the blinds. He was kind enough to tip her .50 and I think that's all she made in tips - there just wasn't any money moving.
I sat in the 3 seat, my buddyin the 8 seat. There was a reasonably solid guy to my left, another reasonably solid old guy to his left, an older Asian guy in seat 6. The Asian guy decided he was gonna be the table bully and started raising preflop alot. He wasn't getting much action and I suspect he was just fine with that. The table was having fun and we actually had a real good "home game, buddy" feel to the game, despite the fact that we dind't know each other. I was giving the Asian guy some good natured crap and he was playing back. Somewhere along the lines the table had develped the "rule" that if you had KK, you had to raise and you could only raise with KK. Obviously the rule was non-binding and rediculous, but everytime someone raised, it was "Ah-ha! Pocket Kings!" The Asian guy had raised again and actually had to show his hand. It was KK. We roared. A few hands later, he raised again. "There's no way you have KK again!" It played out and he actually did have KK. "You gotta buy me a drink!" We roared again and I flipped him a chip with which to tip the waitress.
The house had reserved a seat for what I have to figure was a regular. The guy finally shows up and drops $20 on the table. The old guys was slower than slow and was in every pot. WHen his chips shrunk he brought out a $5 bill and bought some more chips. They were quickly gone and so was he. I was very surprised the house would lock up a seat for that little action.
The guy to my right ordered some chocolate-banana smoothie thing and we all agreed that that sounded good. SO half the table ordered them and she asked if we wanted them with the alcohol or virgin? "You can put some booze in one of them things? Load me up!" I was getting in that mood. Early in the game, I hit 2 pair with KT. I decided to let someone catch up and called a bet. Turn brought another K. So, I'm sitting on the nuts, and c/r the guy to my left. River brought another K. My nuts got better. I opened to avoid mising a bet on the river and he just called figuring we was chopping. I looked at my buddy, rolling my eyes. Of course, I'm happy to drag the $20 pot, but I was half cursing my luck to catch that kind of hand in the 2/4 game. Where was that in the NL or 4/8 game.
The table had finally filled, the slow old guy was replaced by one of 2 buddies who were sent back to take what was supposed to be 2 seats. They were strolling in with a rack that had one stack in it and just had the look of "who can I give these chips to?" in their faces. The 2/4 game was much too tough for these guys. There was gal who sat in seat 10 that I figured was at least a little solid and the rest were just plain flat out and out donators.
I was having fun and then I started really hitting hands. I was holding KT in SB. I was check calling a gutshot on the flop. The same decision came on the turn. I thought about it, "donation" as I flipped my $4 at the pot. Terrible call. Sure enough the J hit the river and I check raised the poor old guy. The J made him 2 pair (AJ) and he had to call.
A few hands later I get QJ and call a raise from one of the "who can I give these chips to" guys. Flop came AT9 giving me an open ender. check call, check call, my K hits the river for the nuts. "I don't believe you have KK!" (after all we had informed him of the rule) and opened. HE raised me. "I still don't believe you!" and 3 bet. He made it 4 bets. ABout this time, I start thinking about whether I should skin this guy or just shave him. He didn't have much left. "Is there a cap know that we're heads up?" (Fuck it, I'm going for the skin.) "No sir." OK, I'll make it 5 bets (which was the cap). He raised me again and I made it 7 bets. He finally figured out that he just might not have the winner and called. He had AK. "Oh sorry man, that was tough! BUt that's what you get for not following the "KK Raise" rule. He took it the way it was meant in good humor.
A few hands later, "I have to raise!" doing everything but flipping my KK face up on the table. 3 or 4 callers. A K hits the flop, I bet and still get a few callers. The turn pairs the board. Some knucklehead in EP opens for me and I raise, he calls. River blanks, "I had to RAISE!" as I opened. He called me with Jx. "I told you I had to raise!" Amazing shit.
Very next hand I look down to rockets. I raised again (violating our "rule") but nobody made an issue of it. The guy that I skinned with the straight ended up all in and I drug a small pot with the AA. I was rushing something fierce. I was able to keep the bitterness of this not happening with real money on the line and just enjoyed myself. I was making blantantly bad preflop calls announcing "Giving Back!" as I tossed in my bet. Q7 off? Call. Some of that shit was even hitting and it was getting a little embarrassing. We got the waitress back over for another round of the chocolate-banana smoothie dealies and I tipped her for everyone! The session had evolved into just a real fun time and the table was mine. It got to apoint for a bit that every hand went through me and it was almost as if I was "letting them win" occasionally.
There's just so many stories, but I think you get the idea. I pissed away a couple of stacks "giving back" and then slipped back into my game for a while. Our buddy cashed out of the tourney and we needed to get on the road. We decided to play another orbit or 2 and head out. I hit another little rush and got back the "give back" chips I had splashed around. I wound up almost $100 ahead on the 2/4 table in about 3 hours. I was shaking my head and chuckling to myself as I headed over to the cage - I got unstuck from my 4/8 session in a 2/4 game! What an obsurd situation.
BUt, I have to admit that it was the most fun I've had in a public card room in a very long time. I didn't get rich, by any means, but we just had a fun time and I made some profit. I finally found one of "those" tables that I have always read about - don't need much to win, and you'll paid off when you do hit a hand. So my fiall tally for the weekend - poker, pretty much a wash ($10-$20 one way or the other), Slots +$20, 3 card poker +$18, BJ +$30. 2 1/2 days of hanging around with your buds getting hammered and then being King of a 2/4 tables to end the weekend:Priceless! 8)
Sunday we were done at around 9:30. We hadn't suppered yet, so most of us wandered down to the Coffee shop to get some chow and then some headed back out into the gaming population. There were a few guys scattered among the tables, wandered and back seated a few of them for a while. Finally sat down with oneof the guys and put a few bets in play at the 3 card poker table. I hate those games, but I was trying to be sociable. I wound up winning something like $15 after 20 miutes (while my buddy got cleaned out). When he gave up, I cashed out. Went to bed.
My ride up had planned to stick around til the afternno on Monday, so I was hoping to get a littel action in before we left. I woke up early (couldn't get any decent sleep all weekend!) went down to see if thee was anything going on (7:30 am) and it was a ghost town. I asked the guy and he said probably around 9:30. I dumped a $20 in a slot machine while waiting for the buffet to open and managed to drag out an additional $40 in the process. Sweet! 8) ;) Grabbed a couple of poker mags and waited for the 4/8 game ot get rolling. HAdn't hooked up with my ride yet, but I knew he'd come looking for me in the poker room. There was a $25 NLHE tourney scheduled for 1:00, and when my buddy showed up, we decided to get in and leave after the tourney.
The 4/8 game opened and I was seated next to guy who was dressed like an off-duty dealer. He was acting like he was drunk and was claiming to be drunk. (There was enough smell to be convincing.) He was a pretty funny guy and we were jabbing back and forth for most of the time he was there, having a few good laughs. Apparently, I amused him enough to become valuable "counsel" for him and declared us to be brothers. I couldn't tell what level of bullshit he was trying to pull off on me, but I was taking it all in good fun until proven otherwise. He called his frequent straddle bets "jerky bets"; when it came time for the straddle he lean over and ask me "Is it time for a jerky bet?" I'd look at my watch "Not for 5 more minutes." "OK, I'll wait. Wait, I have to raise anyway!" (after missing the blind straddle opportunity). He was very splashy and just enjoyed raising, which he did quite often. I tried to just stay out the pots when he was pulling his shit and in general treaded very lightly at a table that was mostly old regulars and a couple of fools.
I was running pretty cold and wsa getting no respect when I tried to buy some. My first bad hand came when I got QQ from EP. I raised, got 4 or 5 callers. Flop came something like 478. I opened and a old fart in seat 10 rasied me. WTF? HE was dragging pots (Not necesarily good cards) so I just decided to call him down. River was a 6. Not what I wanted to see, but tried to not be too weak about it. Check, bet, call. River was another 4 giving me hope that my 2 pair were better than his 2 pair. I still check called. He flipped up 95 for the gutshot turn. Excellent.
Another hand that went bad had me limping with something like 76 from late position and calling a raise from the BB. I hit a 6 on the flop and also had a gutshot. I convinced myself to call the flop bet. Turn brought me a 7 which was a dubious card. One bet and call in front of me, I raised my 2 pair ready to bail to action, but was just called. River brought a Q. Check to me, I opened and was checkraised from the BB. I shook my head and made the crying call. His QQ hooked up for a set on the river.
This game was just going nowhere for me. After several just head banging situations, I was 3 racks into the game. I made a little run to get on eof my racks back, bled a little back. I was sitting on about $120 when suddenly we were 3 handed. A couple of the old farts had to go hame and nap (or something) and the predaters left with them. They had just opened a 2nd 4/8 game and there was no list. It was about 12:30, 30 minutes before the tourney. I didn't want to sit in on a different table for 30 minutes. I should have just left, but one of the brushed planted himself with a rack and siad deal 'em up. Fuck it, let's play. I bled away about $40 in the shorthanded game. Pretty much anytimef I got a playable hand, it was in a chop. 12:50 or so, I'd had enough. Picked up and turned my chips into cash. Hit the head, had a smoke and waited for the tourney.
The tourney was a $25 buy-in with an optional $13 add-on which you could use at any time as long as you had a chip. Everyone at our rable was adding on before we started and I did the same. We started with $300, the add-on was worth $400. So most of our starting stacks were $700. 5/10 blinds, 15 minutes rounds. My table was pretty aggressive. Not lots of all-ins, but very few limped flops. Very first hand I got a couple of suited broadway cards and limped in EP. The guy to my left raised it up. I decided to be patient and folded. NExt hand, I got 2 unsuited broadway cards, limped, raised fold. Alright, I'm gonna have to be very patient.
I waited for a while and finally got AKs and rasied it up to win the blinds. Hng around, some more and we were in the 3rd or 4th round, still plenty of chips but spinning my wheels. I looked down to se AQs in MP and raised. The guy on the button started asking me about my stack. He put me in (barely having me covered). I didn't think much; if I had I probably would have waited, but frankly, the whole scene was boring me to death. This hand looked pretty good to me and I figured the worst shape I was in was a coin-flip. "I'll dance with ya." and called. He flipped up 44. Prety much what I figured. Flop missed brining one of my suit. Turn brought the flush draw giving me 13 clean outs. I have a chance. River blanked and I was walking. I went to find one of the guys in my "crew" who busted before I did. The other guy was doing well. I found him at a BJ table and jined him. I rattled off 5 or 6 straight wins at the BJ table and we were yucking it up with the dealer and just trying have fun. He tapped, I cashed ($30! WOO-HOO!) and we wnadered over to the poker room to see how our represenative was doing. He was doing great.
I wasn't really in the mood for any real poker, but we needed to kill some time so we got them to open a 2/4 game. I know, I know. "A 2/4 game? You're just looking to go on serious tilt." We were just killing some time and I figured that other than penny slots, this was the cheapest it was gonna get. We started 4 handed, but the table filled up pretty quickly. The house brought over an obvioulsy brand new dealer. She was very nervous, and after she did a "textbook" deck-check, she wasn't quite sure how to use the shufflers. "I hav'nt done this in a long time." I was wondering just how long ago a "long time" is to a 23 year old. I was betting on never. The floor guy was standing over her shoulder guiding her through the mechanics. She finally got to dealing and flipped up one of the cards. We guided her through that process. The first few hands just got choped. We were off to a very slow start. Luckily, I was able to mold myself into a "goofy, fun" mood by this time or else this would have been torture. The poor gal was there all of about 4 hands before she got tapped out. The only hand that didn;t get chopped while she was there, was the third hand that the Asian guy stole the blinds. He was kind enough to tip her .50 and I think that's all she made in tips - there just wasn't any money moving.
I sat in the 3 seat, my buddyin the 8 seat. There was a reasonably solid guy to my left, another reasonably solid old guy to his left, an older Asian guy in seat 6. The Asian guy decided he was gonna be the table bully and started raising preflop alot. He wasn't getting much action and I suspect he was just fine with that. The table was having fun and we actually had a real good "home game, buddy" feel to the game, despite the fact that we dind't know each other. I was giving the Asian guy some good natured crap and he was playing back. Somewhere along the lines the table had develped the "rule" that if you had KK, you had to raise and you could only raise with KK. Obviously the rule was non-binding and rediculous, but everytime someone raised, it was "Ah-ha! Pocket Kings!" The Asian guy had raised again and actually had to show his hand. It was KK. We roared. A few hands later, he raised again. "There's no way you have KK again!" It played out and he actually did have KK. "You gotta buy me a drink!" We roared again and I flipped him a chip with which to tip the waitress.
The house had reserved a seat for what I have to figure was a regular. The guy finally shows up and drops $20 on the table. The old guys was slower than slow and was in every pot. WHen his chips shrunk he brought out a $5 bill and bought some more chips. They were quickly gone and so was he. I was very surprised the house would lock up a seat for that little action.
The guy to my right ordered some chocolate-banana smoothie thing and we all agreed that that sounded good. SO half the table ordered them and she asked if we wanted them with the alcohol or virgin? "You can put some booze in one of them things? Load me up!" I was getting in that mood. Early in the game, I hit 2 pair with KT. I decided to let someone catch up and called a bet. Turn brought another K. So, I'm sitting on the nuts, and c/r the guy to my left. River brought another K. My nuts got better. I opened to avoid mising a bet on the river and he just called figuring we was chopping. I looked at my buddy, rolling my eyes. Of course, I'm happy to drag the $20 pot, but I was half cursing my luck to catch that kind of hand in the 2/4 game. Where was that in the NL or 4/8 game.
The table had finally filled, the slow old guy was replaced by one of 2 buddies who were sent back to take what was supposed to be 2 seats. They were strolling in with a rack that had one stack in it and just had the look of "who can I give these chips to?" in their faces. The 2/4 game was much too tough for these guys. There was gal who sat in seat 10 that I figured was at least a little solid and the rest were just plain flat out and out donators.
I was having fun and then I started really hitting hands. I was holding KT in SB. I was check calling a gutshot on the flop. The same decision came on the turn. I thought about it, "donation" as I flipped my $4 at the pot. Terrible call. Sure enough the J hit the river and I check raised the poor old guy. The J made him 2 pair (AJ) and he had to call.
A few hands later I get QJ and call a raise from one of the "who can I give these chips to" guys. Flop came AT9 giving me an open ender. check call, check call, my K hits the river for the nuts. "I don't believe you have KK!" (after all we had informed him of the rule) and opened. HE raised me. "I still don't believe you!" and 3 bet. He made it 4 bets. ABout this time, I start thinking about whether I should skin this guy or just shave him. He didn't have much left. "Is there a cap know that we're heads up?" (Fuck it, I'm going for the skin.) "No sir." OK, I'll make it 5 bets (which was the cap). He raised me again and I made it 7 bets. He finally figured out that he just might not have the winner and called. He had AK. "Oh sorry man, that was tough! BUt that's what you get for not following the "KK Raise" rule. He took it the way it was meant in good humor.
A few hands later, "I have to raise!" doing everything but flipping my KK face up on the table. 3 or 4 callers. A K hits the flop, I bet and still get a few callers. The turn pairs the board. Some knucklehead in EP opens for me and I raise, he calls. River blanks, "I had to RAISE!" as I opened. He called me with Jx. "I told you I had to raise!" Amazing shit.
Very next hand I look down to rockets. I raised again (violating our "rule") but nobody made an issue of it. The guy that I skinned with the straight ended up all in and I drug a small pot with the AA. I was rushing something fierce. I was able to keep the bitterness of this not happening with real money on the line and just enjoyed myself. I was making blantantly bad preflop calls announcing "Giving Back!" as I tossed in my bet. Q7 off? Call. Some of that shit was even hitting and it was getting a little embarrassing. We got the waitress back over for another round of the chocolate-banana smoothie dealies and I tipped her for everyone! The session had evolved into just a real fun time and the table was mine. It got to apoint for a bit that every hand went through me and it was almost as if I was "letting them win" occasionally.
There's just so many stories, but I think you get the idea. I pissed away a couple of stacks "giving back" and then slipped back into my game for a while. Our buddy cashed out of the tourney and we needed to get on the road. We decided to play another orbit or 2 and head out. I hit another little rush and got back the "give back" chips I had splashed around. I wound up almost $100 ahead on the 2/4 table in about 3 hours. I was shaking my head and chuckling to myself as I headed over to the cage - I got unstuck from my 4/8 session in a 2/4 game! What an obsurd situation.
BUt, I have to admit that it was the most fun I've had in a public card room in a very long time. I didn't get rich, by any means, but we just had a fun time and I made some profit. I finally found one of "those" tables that I have always read about - don't need much to win, and you'll paid off when you do hit a hand. So my fiall tally for the weekend - poker, pretty much a wash ($10-$20 one way or the other), Slots +$20, 3 card poker +$18, BJ +$30. 2 1/2 days of hanging around with your buds getting hammered and then being King of a 2/4 tables to end the weekend:Priceless! 8)