A Hollywood Welcome

I'm back to blogging, summer is slowing down at work and I'll have more time to contribute. This has been the hottest summer in a few years and the A/C business has been running me ragged.

I went with Special K. to Hollywood Casino for the Indiana Poker Championships. We left early on Saturday AM so that we could get a few hours of cash play in before I headed to the $230 Stud tournament. The poker room was in complete chaos. Evidently the poker room staff wasn't prepared for the sheer volume of people that were coming for the Deepstack and didn't have enough dealers. There were only 5 tables going, three $1/3 games, a $5/10 and a $2/5. The list for each game was 60+ people and there were interest lists for a dozen other games that were 20+ deep but they didn't have any dealers available. The floor lady was a complete bitch and was obviously tired of people asking when they would open more tables. We got on lists and I went upstairs to piddle away some time at the Crazy 4 Poker table.

After an hour and a half I got a seat at a newly opened $3/6. I bought in for $200 and was easily the youngest person at the table. In the first orbit I made two sets and turned quad 10's. After an hour of play I was up over $200 and cashed out to prep for the stud game. The stud tournament was a complete wash. The structure was a bit too fast and I was at a table with 6 calling stations and a rock. Several times I had two pair or better by 5th street and lost to miracle gutshots and and an awesome one out trips that a guy chased me all the way to 6th to hit. I busted out shortly after the first break and headed back to the poker room. I got a seat at the $1/3 and sat down with $300. Hollywood has changed the buy-ins and what they spread now. They have $1/2 $200 max, $1/3 $500 max, and $1/3/5 no cap. I played pretty snug for a bit and was up a little when I got into a weird hand. I had 2-5h in the BB. Guy in mid position opens for $13, four callers. I call and the guy UTG who had limped shoves for $50 total. Everyone else folds to me, and I call. He shows AK, flops a K and runs it out. I go to muck and he says "I want to see his cards!". I still have my cards in my hand and tell him no. He presses the dealer who says I have to show and I contest this, saying since I called I don't have to show. I deliberately munge my cards into the muck and the dealer scours them out and turns them up. The guy starts giving me shit (despite winning the hand), so I decide to just cash out my $50 profit and leave for the night. I go get some dinner and head up to the room to get some sleep.

I get up at 4AM and decide to head back to the poker room and see what's going. There's still three tables of $1/3 going (and Kirsten is still there from yesterday morning with a monster stack) so I grab a seat next to a bleary eyed Colin. He's visibly exhausted from being up all night. The table is playing really snug, except for the calling station on the end who's in all the way. He nicks me a few times and I decide to mix it up a little. I raise UTG with 8-6d and he calls. Flop is 9-8-5. I'm pretty sure I'm ahead so I c-bet it and he smooth calls. Turn is another 8. I bet again and he calls. River is a brick and I bet again. He calls again and I show him my 8. The table starts to loosen up a little and then I find myself in a complete train wreck of a hand. I am UTG with 2-4 off and limp for $3. The SB (who's been a complete rock) makes it $25 to go. Colin calls. I'm about to fold but the two people behind me are already counting out their calls. I decide to try and bingo a flop and call. The other two call and the flop comes out 4-5-6 with two spades. SB bets $75. Colin smooth calls. I am sure SB has a big pair, and I'm 80% that Colin is either on a draw or pair over the board. I'm sure with a set or straight he would just shove. I tank for a bit and decide that $75 to win $275 is pretty good and I call. Turn is a red 3. SB shoves $120 or so. Colin smooths leaving himself about $40 behind. I call. River is a blank and Colin and I check. I show the straight and the SB shows AA and leaves the table in a huff.

After that hand I misread a newer player who called off $30 on the flop with a gutterball and paid off his straight for $300. I was stuck about $250 for the session when my table broke and I headed to another table full of drunks who'd been playing all night. I plod along for a few rounds until I get K7h on the button. Mid position raises to $12, I call and so does BB. Flop Q-9-3 two hearts. BB checks, mid bets $20. I call. BB raises to $140. Mid folds and I immediately know this guy is weak and wants me off a draw. I call the $140. Turn 2h. He slams his chips on the table and checks, and I shove my last $120 in. He shows a Q and proceeds to berate me for almost an hour for calling with my flush draw. After that I begin taking small pots here and there. I picked off an obvious river bluff from a guy that bet his flush draw the whole way and bricked. I then played the biggest hand of that session for me. I am on the button with 10-9 and come in for the $3. BB is an asian woman that has not played a single hand in three orbits. She makes it $13. Mid position (the guy that got mad at me) calls. I call. Flop comes Q-10-3 two clubs. We both check to her, she bets $20. We both call. Turn is the Kc. We check to her again and she shoves $150. Mid guy folds instantly and I tank. I can't explain why, but I think she's bluffing. Against all logic I call. River is a brick (red 4 I think). I'm hestitating to show my shit hand because I'm sure she smoked that board when she says "I missed" and mucks. I show my 10 and she says it's good and I take a monster pot. The other guy in the hand is going bananas now that I called her down and he folded a Q. I'm racking my chips up and declare last hand when I get dealt A-10. I limp for $3, two other callers, new guy to the table who bought for $100 shoves it in. I look at him and he looks like a dick so I call. Board runs 10-5-6-J-9. I declare "I have a 10 and it's good" and I show my hand. He disgustedly mucks and I take his stack and cash out $900, up $425 for my session. I head up to check out of the hotel and grab a (disgustingly bad) buffet.

After a quick lunch we return to the poker room. All the CPMG degenerates are playing Let It Ride or Hold'em tables games, we decide to play more $1/3. I buy in for $350 and sit at a table full of scared nits. The seat to my left is a middle eastern guy who's been steamrolling the table, and across from me is a horrible old lady who I'm told later put $500 on a flop with no pair or draw and made runner runner flush on a guy who flopped top 2 pair with AK. Within one orbit old lady has cracked my two pair Q's and J's with runner runner spade flush and beat my trip 9's with a miracle boat on the river. I add on $100 and decide I decide to come after the old lady. I straddle for $6 and get dealt 2-9 off. From the button she makes it $45. I call. One guy in the middle calls as well. Flop is A-2-5 two hearts. I check, middle guy checks, she puts out $65. I shove in on her for $200 more. mid guy runs away and she tanks. She starts mumbling "Do you have a set, I can't lay this down". I begin taunting her about how she always calls anyway, and she finally calls and flips up A-K. I have successfully executed the DP blowup and I'm reaching in my pocket for more black chips when I river a 9 and declare "Two pair, 9's up!" and proudly show my hand. The middle eastern guy is shocked, she loses her shit and has to get up and walk off the hand. I start roughing up the table, telling them "I'll out-donkey any one of you donkeys, go ahead and keep calling me down and see what happens to you!". The very next hand I have the BB when arab guy straddles. Couple limpers, I have 10-4d and call $3 more. He does the same shit, making it $45 to go. I have been watching him and he has a horrendous chip tell. I decide to call him since he shows weak and I am sure I can outplay him. Flop comes A-A-4. I check, he does the tell and bets $25. I call. Turn a Q. I check, he bets $45 and I call. River is a blank and I check again, he fires out $65. I snap call and he says "Jacks". I ask to see it. He shows one jack. I tell him to turn over both cards and he won't. The dealer looks at me and I say I'm not showing until he does because I paid to see his hand. The guy gets pissed and says "Your A is good, just take the pot!". I won't show and the dealer is about to call the floor when the guy shows J-8 for absolutely nothing. I show my 4 and collect he pot and it's off to the races. The guy just loses his shit, ranting for over an hour about how I'm an idiot and on and on. Every time I am BB after that he straddles and raises me big, I stab him a few more times and then he doubles up off me with a miracle 3 outer when I had him on the ropes. We go at it a few more times and then I get up for a break, when I return he's gone. He got dealt AA and overplayed it, stacking off to two pair and leaving in a rage. After that I stack a few short stacks with flushes and cash out over $1k.

I head up to the Hold'em table game and make another $125 while I am waiting for K to cash out. We both headed back to Cleveland with a nice profit for our effort. Despite the obvious lack of customer service at the casino it was still a nice trip. I should be back to writing regularly, Dave's POY season is starting soon and I'll be playing a lot more.