Drowning On The River(boat) ((WARNING: LONG POST))

Finally back from the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg IN for the WPT event. The casino is actually the nicest one in the Midwest area I'd say. The poker tables (both cash and tournament) are very nice, the poker room is efficiently run, and they comp you very well. Players get $1 an hour comps, plus if you sign up new for a players card you get a BOGO buffet and they give you a meal comp on your card. I didn't pay for a single meal on this trip.

Monday I got in early with the Meats and Mailman and decided to play some cash before the WPT tournament. I sat down at a newly opened $1-3-5 PLO table with $300. The play was surprisingly nitty for PLO, lot of unraised pots and check downs. I won only two pots. One guy straddled my BB and I called with J-9-8-7 double suited and flopped trip 9's. I checked to the straddle, he pots for $75 and one guy calls in between. I shove and both players fold. The other pot I raised preflop with AAKJ double suited, flopped top set and nut draw and didn't get any action. I floated for a while before getting 3-5-6-7 double suited in the BB. Flop is 5-6-7 with two of my suit. One guy pots, I call and guy behind me calls. Turn K gives me second flush draw. Guy bets again, I flat call as I know he's on a straight and I don't want to push him out of betting if I hit. River 2h, complete brick. I fold when he pots again and the guy behind me calls, they split pot with nut straight. I get stacked when I pot preflop with QQJ10, flop Q-J-9, get the money in and lose when a 10 drops and the guy next to me rolls over Broadway.

Off to the $340 tournament. When we sat down they announced that the blind levels were split, so instead of having 30 minutes of stud and then 30 minutes of Omaha we were having 15 minutes of each at that same blind level. So, level 1 was 15 minutes of $100-200 Omaha and 15 minutes of $25-100-200 Stud. This, in my opinion, was stupid. With only 15 minutes in each game we were getting roughly four hands of each per level. I was also seated at a table with a guy who had never played Stud (or any limit poker) before and had to be told what he could bet every time. Between him and the stud hands taking so long it became excruciating. The guy turned out to be a complete calling station, too. He had no idea what to do, so he simply called every bet all the way down and turned his hand up for the dealer to figure out what he had. By the dinner break he had over T30K and had eliminated a player and crippled me. He couldn't miss, at one point I advised him not to use the bathroom because the horseshoe up his ass might fall out. I posted a more detailed hand report on the tournament on the Meetup Site. I busted in Level 13 after a five way Omaha train wreck where Mr. Calling Station got half with a 3 out gutshot for high and the low got quartered. I was not unhappy with my play. I played patient, jammed pots when I was ahead, and escaped from several spots where I could've gotten stacked earlier. I didn't try to run anyone over and wasn't stealing or tilting, even after being crippled by idiocy. I simply couldn't make a hand hold up.

After that debacle I went back over to play cash. I sat down at $1/3 with $100 and decided to short stack my table. All the people there had at least $600 except for me and the guy to my left. There were a lot of black chips on our table. Hollywood is weird - the dealers have fully stocked trays but are not allowed to sell you chips out the tray, they're only for change and raking chips. You can buy chips off another player but not chips that are on the table. The chip runners take forever and often ignore the dealers calling for chips. Most of the regulars buy two or three buyins in black chips and keep them in their pocket so they can rebuy quickly rather than lope off to the cage for chips. Anyway, I played somewhat aggressive. I double up early when I flopped a pair of Aces and shoved on a guy with a flush draw. He missed and I rode my stack up to about $400 when I got train wrecked. Guy to my right button raises to $10. I call with KTc. BB calls. Flop K-9-5 two clubs. I bet out $15, both call. Turn 8c. I bet out $45. BB raises to $155. I call with the intention of check raising him all in on the river. River 5h. I check, he shoves. I was going to call when he took two black chips off his stack and tossed them in with a flourish. I had only seen him do this one other time, and that time he had the unforgiving nuts. I turned up the Kc and asked if my flush was good. He smiles and shows the Jc. I am then certain he has the Ac. I muck my flush and he shows the Ac. After that the pasting begins, I flop two pair and get mushed by a rivered set. My last hand I raise with 67d. Flop 5-7-8 two clubs. The girl at the end leads into me for $10 and I shove on her. She tanks and finally calls with 9-8. No straight and she stacks me. Frustrated, I leave.

After a comfortable night sleeping on the floor of the hotel room I choke down one of the worst breakfast meals of all time. Powdered eggs and lukewarm rubbery sausages. Ugh. Head back to Hollywood and give the $1/3 another go. I buy in for $200 and get to work. I am floating for a while when I get 77 on the button. Guy in the middle (who works brush for another card room) raises to $15. Three callers, I come in. Flop 8-3-8. Checks around to me, I check. Turn 7. BINGO~! Initial raiser bets $30. Action Jackson at the end of the table calls. I shove $160. Guy behind me can't call fast enough. Everyone else folds. I ask if I just got coolered and he doesn't answer. River is a blank and I roll over my 77. He flips up 88 and I am broke. I rebuy and piddle around until I get KK on the button. Raise preflop and Action Jackson calls. Flop A-6-4. He checks, I fire out a healthy c-bet. He immediately calls. I check the next card and he checks. River checks down and I know he called me with a shitty ace. I muck and am down to $40. A few hands later I get AJ on the button. Action Jackson limps, I open shove for $40. He snap calls. Board runs out Q-8-5-4-2 four clubs. He says no club and I turn up AJ. He rolls over KQ off and scoops. I put my final buyin on the table and am floating down to about $150 when I get K-9 suited on the button. Cutoff makes it $15. I call, flop is K-J-9 offsuit. Guy leads into me for $50. I consider Q-10 but decide he's pretty solid and wouldn't have raised with it. I shove in and he snap calls. Turn A. River K. I flip over the K when he turns up AA and scoops. After losing twice with full houses I decide it's time to quit.

The last week of poker has been the absolute worst in my live game history. I got bludgeoned at every turn, couldn't get a hand to hold up, and finally had to just give up. The only bright spots were a $100+ cashout at $3/6 limit whilst I was on break from the tournament, and a +$125 cashout from the Hold'em table game. I think it's time for me to take a break from cash poker and try to reorganize.