I changed my mind about going to Sycuan Casino. I decided to go to Oceans 11 in Oceanside instead. Traffic wasn’t too bad, even though it is about 60 miles to the north.
I left before the rush hour about 3:00 p.m. and got there by 4 p.m. with only a few slow downs. Today was the final day for Del Mar Horse Racing, so I did have some traffic slowing near Del Mar and again in Oceanside. But, overall it was not a difficult drive.
Oceans 11 casino usually have plenty of games to choose from, good food, and the “bad beat jackpots” are usually large. Today the hold-em jackpot was listed as $32,000. Last year I was involved in three of them receiving over $13,000. This year I have not been involved in one. I hope I am due for one soon.
I bought into the 2/3 No-Limit game for $200 and played tight for about 2 hours. Then, I looked down and saw a pair of Aces during my big blind. I raised them only $15 because the table was playing tight up to that time, and I did want some action. I got two callers.
The flop was Ks7s4h. I bet out $25 and got one call. I am hoping he has a king and will stay with me. The turn is a 2d, so I bet $50 and get a call. This worries me a little, but I am now thinking he must be on a spade draw. The river is a Qd and I bet $100 and he goes all in for my last $25. He turns over K7h. #(#*#$$, I should have raised more pre-flop. He called my $15 before the flop and hit two pair on the flop.
I rebuy for $200, and win a couple of small pots over the next two hours, building up to about $300. I get Ah,10h, in middle position and just call a $20 bet. There are three of us to see the flop. It comes 9h, 7h, 9s. I have 4 hearts to the “best flush draw”. The blind bets $125. I decide this is a good time to go for the pot, because we are all equally stacked. I declare all-in, (thinking I will take it down right there.) The button folds and then the big blind calls and turns over 9d, 10d, for three 9s. I am looking at the possibility of “9 outs to” make my flush, and two cards to do it. The turn and the river miss us both.
I buy $200 more to stay in the game. The table is now much looser and there have been a number of buys by others, so there are at least 4 players at the table with over $600 and most players have around $300 in front of them.
I do a lot of folding and a couple of pot steals in good position over the next two hours.
Then I get AQ in first position. I am two in front of the big blind, and the utg did a “live straddle”, so the bet is $6. I just smooth call and about 4 others limp-in. The flop comes A,K,7, the UTG checks, I just check with my AQ and it gets to the button who raises it to $75 I raise it to $150 and he goes all-in. I am sure he doesn’t have an AK or he would have raised from the button. So I call him. The turn comes another K, and then a 3 and my AQ is the best hand. (He had A,10)
I am almost even now at about $600 in front of me. I am thinking of leaving now. I am almost “even”. But, I am playing well, it is a good table, I think I am focused. I have been concentrating on “pot odds” all night. I made some lay downs that I used to call when the odds weren’t right. So, I am feeling pretty good about my play. Besides, I came to win money, not break-even.
Oceans 11 casino serves great food to the players at a great price. I order the double cut pork chops with a baked potato. Because the meat is so thick, it takes 30 minutes after you order it. But, I don’t mind, I am not planning on leaving soon. Dinner came and it was great. I even had a scoop of ice cream for dessert with fresh blackberries & blue-berries on it.
Then I get “blinded” by Aces. I am planning on winning one more pot and then leaving for the night. I look down to discover two red ACES in my hand in the Big Blind position. I am not going to let people in cheap like the last time I was beat by a K7 off suit with pocket Aces.
Five callers limp in and I raise it to $30 more from $3. Only the button calls me. The flop comes Kd, 6h, 8s. I try to act like I am weakly trying to steal the pot by betting out $75 and he calls. I get a little excited inside. I am thinking, he hit the King, and I am going to raise the turn big and win this before anything bad can happen. (I did not take the time to really think about, what he could be calling me with).
The turn comes 5d. The person between us, grunts, and says something about if I hadn’t raised, he would have taken this down. I feel a little panic to end this right now.
I feel good that I had raised out a “middle hand that might have gotten a straight.
And because of what he said, I am comforted by the knowledge that, if he had a straight possibility, then there is less chance my caller has one.
I decide to use “shock & awe. I declare all-in. He had about $600 in front of him also.
Before I can even figure out what happened, he quickly says all-in. The river comes. I don’t even see it because I am hearing him say “I have a straight!”, as I am throwing my Aces face-up thinking “I have taken down a monster pot”. Then it “sinks in” he said he has a straight.
Now I am watching the dealer push a $1200 pot toward him. He called my $30 pre-flop with a 9,7 and then he called my $75 flop-bet with an open-ended straight draw with less then 4 outs and caught the 5 on the turn. In hind-sight I now realized he was delighted when I went all-in on the turn.
Even though he made two poor plays in that hand, and then sucked out, I think I made one mistake that cost me over $200. I should have thought more about what he could have when he called the $75. I could have bet $150 or $200 on the turn instead of $400 and I would have realized he couldn’t just be calling me with a King.
Had I slowed down I would have realized he must have two pair or the straight that he did make on that turn.
I would really like some feed back on this hand. Is there anything else I am missing in analyzing this hand?
I left pretty discouraged, and ruminating over thoughts like “when is all my studying & practicing, and playing my best every time I play ever going to pay off for me?” I know I am in no frame of mind to play poker. So I will see if I can shift my tomorrow, or I need to take a couple of days off poker and get my thinking back in a more positive place.
This is the most challenging and frustrating endeavor I have ever pursued.
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6 comments:
Hello again, I live in the midwest in iowa. I picked up the game of holdem while i served in the navy right out of highschool i was an 18 year old getting a steady pay check every 2 weeks with nothing to spend it on. Being stationed in the state of washington you only needed to be 18 to step into a casino. I remember playing $2 blackjack a game i understood beat the dealer. sometimes i would win but i would say im defiently down in that game. but over my right shoulder there was a game going on that i had no idea how to play poker. this is my introduction to the game. the hand stacks of little white and red chips and i looked at what i had in front of me maybe $40 or so. I want to have those chips in front of me i was thinking. well i sat down at the table it was a 3/6 limit game in which i became a very familiar face in the game. i didnt know what i was doing i have K2 oh K29 flopped out so i bet and bet and bet i win. This is a great game i played every hand i was dealt i didnt know anything about hand selection. played for a couple hours and saw my $200 go down the drain. It didnt matter to me though i was having fun but the night was over. I knew i would be back the feeling of having a pile of chips pushed toward you is awesome. Of course i had seen poker on espn at this time and enjoyed watching maybe this had something to do with me starting to play the game. im not sure. any way i went to the barnes and noble and bought a book on poker Phil Helmuths Play Like the Pros. I must have read it 4 times front to back. It defiently helped. i went to the casino about a month later and played the same 3/6 limit game bought in for the same $200 i rember having been dealt AA i was in late position and raised of course everyone folds but the BB we capped it to $12, 4 bet maximum in washington this hand because of this hand i didnt play at this casino for atleast 6 months. flop came down 10 10 5 ok we capped it now this guy had a buddy at the table he was talking just blabbing i was trying to pay no attention to him. the turn came and 8. he bet out i raised reraised and capped again now im really thinking what the F*ck does this guy have a 10? No way he capped it with 10 something river fell a King. now i was thinking he has KK what else would he have and there goes his buddy blabbing when that king fell he bet and i just called and his buddy said "what your not going to reraise" but he said it like one of those pathetic pieces of trash that you just want to strangle. Something told me i was beat i sure was that King that fell on the river gave him KKK1010. i had just lost $54 bucks. I thanked the dealer. for what i dont know but i stayed and was dealt AA 3 out of 5 deals that being the first and i lost all 3 i couldnt believe it. Now you cant find me at a limit table because of this. But to you and your aces sounds like you were only playing solid cards did you become to suspectable to the other players? I like to mix up my play. If i knew you were super tight than i would mix it up and play a few connectors or not so optimal cards against you not everytime but if thats the only way to get your money im in. with his 79 he was gambling of course he had to know he was behind in the hand preflop and even on the flop but he had Outs and unfortunately for your self he hit and you were all ready all in looking at two beautiful cards. my point is mix up your play be unsuspectable so the other players have no idea what you have in your hand until the showdown and you turn over that 79 for the straight. P.S. the just built a new casino over here in riverside iowa im going this weekend i heard they have 14 tables with a 3/6 limit game and a 1/2 NL game i'll be at the 1/2 for hours im sure. They also have a couple of riverboats over here the one has 4 tables and the other has 2 and than theres the indian casino in tama about 2 hours from where i go play on the first sunday of the month. i took 9th last sunday won $212 off a $65 buy in 104 entrants i was dissapointed i had 24k in front of me with 12 players left and had some beautiful black Aces dealt to me the blinds were 1k and 2k i was 2 off the button and noticed the BB had 16k left so i bet 16k to my surprise the button went all in for his 19k and the BB also went all in so the Button had KQ and the BB what a f*cker had 107 spades. 1032 on the flop than bang a 7 fell. i dont remember the river but it wasnt and ace now the BB had just trippled up but i got the extra 3k off the Buttons KQ so now i have 15k and im furious. Hes going to risk this tournament on 107 and the other guy with KQ with 2 players to go until the final table. BS so were down to 11 someone had just been busted on the other table we gathered our chips and went to the other table. We went on break i went to smoke and there he is Mr. 107 i ask how do you call. He said the were suited and i fealt lucky. OH my i wanted to take the trash can beside me and beat this old man to his grave. but i controlled my self went back and played 3 more hands. than i saw 99 what horrible timing 2 callers called my last 13k as i had already went through the blinds and KJ paired his Jack and i was out. i was thinking afterwards i shouldve ran away with this tournament if those aces held up i would have brought nearly 50k to the final table and been the chip leader. oh well i have to say now "another bad beat." i remember someone once told me you cant win em all. But you sure as hell can try. NO BAD BEATS and the world would be a better place.
-nathan
Wow, Riverside, Iowa.... You or one of your relatives could become the father of Captain James T. Kirk. I understand Riverside, Iowa is the official future birthplace of Captain Kirk
Maybe, he could be a dealer at your new casino while he saves money for attending "the space academy". (grin)
The "U.S.S. Riverside"Riverside has proclaimed itself the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, a character from the television show Star Trek played by William Shatner.
Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, had mentioned in his book The Making of Star Trek that the character of Kirk had been born in Iowa on March 22, 2233, but had not been more specific.
In March 1985, when the town was looking for a theme for its annual town festival, Steve Miller, a member of the Riverside City Council who had read Roddenberry's book, suggested to the council that Riverside should proclaim itself to be the future birthplace of Kirk. Miller's motion passed unanimously.[1] The council later wrote to Roddenberry for his permission to be designated as the official birthplace of Kirk, and Roddenberry agreed
A lesser known personal fact is
one of my best friends was born down the road in Vinton and a girl that helped me get over a "heartbreak" from a break up with a texan lived over in Ottumwa back when I was about your age and needed some comforting & ego stroking.
I am amazed that so rural (population 928) a place has a casino going in.... (The Commerce Casino has more people then that playing poker at any time of the day or night). (grin)
Let me know what it is like in case I am driving by on my way to Chicago to visit my family..... grin
I grew up in a town right out side of riverside, Washington Iowa now im about 20 miles from ottumwa which you mentioned. i have heard about captain kirk and even been to Trek Fest a parade they have in riverside with a model of the enterprise which is alway stationed in there little town park. See Riverside really is a good place to put a casino 20 minute drive from iowa city at 60k population and another 30k when schools in session at the University of Iowa go hawks!! i will let you know how it is i also if your driving you should stop into council bluffs iowa right on I-80 across the river from omaha. Harrah's is there. Than outside of chicago in Joilet theres a river boat and one of trumps place is over there but dont go to harrahs there $15 bucks just to get into the casino and i asked "do you have poker here?" they said yes but only had some video poker BS. The best game of the week is over in bettendorf iowa saturday nights have a $2/5 game $500 max buy-in at the isle of capri. none of the riverboat casinos have a NL except this one on saturdays. Have you heard of the game H.O.R.S.E. i had never played at today at Poker Stars the site i spend my majority of time on. they had a freeroll of H.O.R.S.E. everytime the blinds change its a different game in accourdance to H.O.R.S.E. and its limit all the way through max in entrants at 2k so Holdem is the first game followed by Omaha, than Razz (which is an interesting low game best low cards win doesnt matter 8 or lower any low KQJ84A will play. than Seven card stud last High/Low seven card stud 8 player tables i managed to make it to the final table took 7th place. blinds were 15k 30 with a 3k anti i was at 212k down to 7 of us i get KsQh small blind utg the player raises to 60k. i called flop came Qd10s4s i bet out 30k and was raised to 60k. i called turn came 9s. now a board of Qd10s4s9s i have top pair king high flush draw and a gut shot. i check he bet out 60k i called river dropped a 7h i check they bet 60k i call my remaining chips and lose to AQ. oh well i was surprised to make it to the final table something different. have a good one.
-nathan
I did stop in the Joliet casino last time I drove to Chicago last year. I found out they don't have live poker there and so I didn't go in. I guess the best place to play in the Chicago area is in Gary, Indiana at the bottom of Lake Michigan. They have a lot of tables there and some pretty good games from what I have been told. I may be back in Chicago this fall. My sister-in law is dying of cancer and I will probably go back to the funeral when she passes on. I'll stay a week or two afterwards to support my brother. When I get a chance I will let you know about the Harrah's in Gary, Indiana. I think there is also another casino in Hammond, Indiana about 30 miles south of there.
You played your aces well, with his eight outs after the flop he ignored pot odds and continued to call your raises incorrectly. Sorry you lost that big stack this time, he will lose his more often.
Thanks Proto,
I know with my head that is true, but when you lose a few in a row to calls ignoring the pot odds, it is hard to see that you will win those more often then lose them....
Thanks for reading....
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