Interesting Poker Weekend

It was my 3 day stretch to run poker this weekend and it was an interesting one. Friday was a TOC with the winner getting a $250 casino buy-in and when they got heads up nether one wanted the buy-in both just wanted cash. So, I ended up purchasing the buy-in for half price. Hope I end up making money at the casino to show them how it is done. Saturday was just a regular night and it must have been a full moon, because it was crazy poker night. I thought at two different points that I was going to have break up fights and had two people pick up their chips because they didn't want to play anymore. It was because of all the crazy people. Get to final table and I am dealing and the drunk guy that had caused a lot of the problems keeps calling all ins with the worst hand and wins. He gets to heads up and it's loud in the bar because of UFC fight. He can't hear and hardly function and after a long heads up of "it's your turn" he finally loses. Then the grand finale, last night was a TOC type night with extra cash prizes and everyone getting chips stacks based on points accumulated over the past weeks. I started with the minimum chips of 4000. First hand I am BB and have A-J off. My table is full of very poor players and I would normally raise with this hand, but decided to check. Flop is Q-J-10 of diamonds. I have the ace of diamonds. Small blind checks. I bet out 200 and get no one to fold. Turn is an eight of spades. I check. Person on right bets 500 and has a straight, but everyone calls so I do to with my straight and flush draws. River is a small card not a diamond. Person bets out 600 and small blind calls, so I fold. Bettor turns over A-9 with a straight. Small blind turns over A-K and wins after flopping a straight and never once making a bet with it. Very next hand, I am small blind with K-5. Several people limp to me so I call as I know that BB will never raise preflop. Flop is K-3-9. It is checked to my, so I throw out a small 200 bet and get many callers. Turn is another king. A good player bets out 500. I call but now am weary. River is a blank and he checks. I bet out 200 and he reraises to 1100. Why didn't I just check! I call knowing I am probably out kicked. He turns over 99 and wins with a full house. Two hands in and lost over half my stack. I did make a nice comeback, but only lasted a little while longer. When we got down to final table, as I always do we have a redraw for seats. Now this is easily the worst final table that has every been assembled in bar poker. One of the guys, whom I have written about before is in my book a cheater. He draws his card and then right in front of me switches cards with a very nice lady that plays regularly. I look at him and say absolutely not you must move to seat that you have drawn. I say in my book that is cheating and if you ever do that again I will take both players chips away and you will be out of tournament. The nice lady is now mad because I called her a cheater and after she is knocked out pulls me aside and is almost crying telling me she would never cheat. So now I am pretty sure that she will never come back and play again. I hope she does, but switching cards in a redraw is never ok. I know it was not her fault, but I felt that a point needed to be made to the cheater guy and to let everyone know not to switch cards when you draw for your seat. I have always felt that bar poker needs to be played by the same rules as in a casino, but am tired of being the bad guy because I enforce the rules. I think I need a vacation!

Poker Room #1

Bellagio
Las Vegas NV
www.bellagio.com

This was the easiest pick of all as the poker room at Bellagio is the undisputed hub of poker in Las Vegas and maybe the world. Home to some of the biggest cash games in the world, yet the average person like myself can go in and play one of the many lower level games. The room consists of 40 tables and the famed Bobby's room that has two tables for high stacks action named after former WSOP champion Bobby Baldwin that designed the poker room. The hotel is a 5 diamond rated hotel and comes with a price to match. The food by many of the great chefs of the world is fantastic. Don't forget about the free fountain shows in the lagoon out front and the gardens located near the hotel entrance. They are some the best freebies in Vegas. So, if you can afford to stay and play, this is the ultimate vacation spot or if not, like me stay across the street and walk over and enjoy the finest poker room anywhere

Amenities

5 Diamond Rated Hotel
World Class Restaurants, Shopping & Spa
40 Table Poker Room
Bobby' Room
Best High Stakes Tournaments in Vegas
Home of WPT Tournament of Champions
Cirque du Soleil® O one of the best Cirque shows in town

Charity Event

Wow, it has been a long time. This summer is going fast and all my extra time has been spent at the lake or taking care of a new puppy which by the way is worst then taking care of a baby. At least a baby you can put diapers on. Here are some updates.

Last weekend was the first annual charity event for the CMPPA. I was a little disappointed with the attendance of 60 but event went smoothly and we raised almost $1100 for Cancer research. Players started with 10,000 in chips and blinds were 30 minutes for the 1st 4 hours and then 20 min. for the rest. My chip stack spent the day going up and down until I called an all in with pocket queens and was knocked out by A-4. I seem to be in stretch where I can't win to the 2 or 3 outer. It is certainly where I want to be in the hand if I am all in. Hopefully this streak will end soon. I started on a table that had several tighter players and it, but what made this table interesting was the fact that early on players keep getting AA or KK. I had AA twice early in the tournament and the first time they were cracked. Another player had KK twice and lost both times with them. It was one of those tables. As the tournament moved on, we got many new players to the table that changed the play on it. A player was moved in to my left that I will call player C. Player C is very aggressive and like to reraise any raise that I make. He has done this on my occasions when to my left and today was no different. I finally asked him if he was going to reraise me every time and he basically said yes. It is good and bad. I won several pots when I had better starting hands, but it takes away the chance to bluff at anything as you know you will get called or raised. Then it happened. I reaised to 1600 under the gun with pocket 4's. C moves all in for 12,000 in chips. The button thinks for a little bit and calls. I fold my 4's. C turns over pocket 9's and button has pocket kings and takes out C. I asked him why he would reraise so much with 99. His answer was that he wanted to be heads up with me. I say the only hand that would call that big of a bet is a hand such as AA or KK. I like C but was glad to see him leave so I could get back to playing my poker game. My advice to C. Don't move all in in early position with anything less then a big hand. If you want to reraise then make it to 4800 and be able to get away if someone calls or reraises you. Then instead of being out you could have had chips to give to me!

Another interesting had was raised and reraised preflop by two players. Flop is K-K-4. Hand is played all the way to river. One player turns over AA and the other KK. He flopped quad kings and then got bet into all the way to river and AA called his big bet at the end. Why does that never happen to me! It was another case of over playing AA. It was clear by the turn that the player had at least one king and AA should have been able to fold to the big river bet. I do give him credit for not getting them all in preflop and staying alive in the tournament.

Hand of the night

Last night in a hand early in the tournament, I look down to KK. Blinds are 50-100. I raise to 300. Hoping to get several callers and no ace on the flop. 3 callers and flop comes J-10-3. BB bets 600. I raise to 2600. He thinks quite a while and calls. Turn is a Q. He checks. Now for some reason I think he may QQ, so I check. River is a 9 giving me a straight to the king. He checks. Now I know that I should bet here, because I still think he has a set of queens, but I decide to check and announce that I have a straight and turn over my kings. He turns over pocket aces. LOL, I was behind the whole hand and rivered him. What I find amazing is the fact that we both played it so conservative after he called my reraise. He could have easily reraised my 2000 reraise and I would have moved all in with the worst hand and sucked out. In hind site I probably should have bet the turn and river but just wasn't sure where I was in the hand. He on the other hand also played very conservative. It just goes to show that you don't have to be all in early in hand with kings or aces. At least I was on winning end for a change and I give him credit for not lossing all his chips with aces.

Poker Room #2

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Formally Cherokee Casino
Tulsa OK
www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com

This is one of the best Poker Casinos that I have ever played in. They have 36 poker tables with lots of cash game options and the players to fill them. Tournaments are king here with two daily events and home to the OK state championship and many other big events. This is the home Casino of Scotty Nguyen. He comes to most of their big events. Great location with a very nice hotel, lots of dining options and night club options. A lot of casinos that you go to poker players are treated as 2nd class citizens but not here. Poker is king here.

Amenities

36 table poker room
Bead beat jackpots
Players card comps program
Major poker tournaments
Home of Scotty Nguyen
Lots of Dining options
Newly remodeled hotel rooms
National entertainment
Night clubs

Limping Aces

I am pretty sure that I have talked about this before, but here goes again. When you have a big hand such as aces or kings and the pot has not been raised then you must make a bet. I know that some of you like to mix up your play, but slow playing big pairs is slow death. It may work once in a while to limp with them, but it is not worth the risk. Remember it always better to win a small pot then to lose a big one. This example is from my Tuesday game. I was on a table with a lot of players that like to limp pre flop. Five players are in the hand for 100 each. Big blind checks. Flop is 3-6-7 with two of one suit not sure which. Min bet guy is first to act and bets 100. BB rasies to 600. Min bet guy calls. Turn is a blank. Min bet guy bets 100. BB pushes all in and min bet calls and turns over aces. BB turns over 4-5 unsuited and wins 80 percent of min bets chips. After hand BB says why didn't you raise. I would have folded. Min bet says I like to mix it up with aces and play them different. LOL! I have never seen him play them any other way then limpimg them. That same night I have JJ on the button with 3 limpers to me. I raise 6 times the blind and get 3 callers. Flop is all unders. Player makes a small bet and I move all in over the top as I have them covered and don't want anyone with an over to catch. Player calls and turns over aces. I lose 75 percent of my stack, but am not worried as I still have enough chips and the players on my table are mostly poor. I end up winning all my chips back over the next few blind levels and winning the tournament. So remember, If you have a big hand make a raise or a reraise. You don't have to commit all your chips, but you must get rid of weak hands that will sometimes out flop you.

Poker Room #3

Saloon #10
Deadwood South Dakota
www.saloon#10.com

Maybe one of the most famous poker rooms in the world. It's just like stepping back in time to play poker with Wild Bill Hickok, well before he was shot anyway. Not a lot has changed but this is a place where change would be wrong. Poker is king in Deadwood. The state allows bets up to $100, so even if it is not no limit it is close enough. Cash games are a plenty with a few tournaments thrown in. Win 25 percent of bad beat jackpot by getting Aces and Eights the hand that Wild Bill had when he was shot.

Amenities

History
Lots of great cash games
Wide variety of games played
Bad beat jackpots
Free beverages
Live music
Restaurant on site
Lots of hotels close by