It's been a while since my last post. I've come to learn that I enjoy sleep more than I enjoy grinding $10 sit and go's and micro MTT's online until 6 am. I no longer have a burning desire to play every night knowing that I will be going to work late and on 3 or 4 hours of sleep. This is not to say that I have lost any love for poker. I would still look forward to grinding those same games if I could do it during normal hours or if I could get in at least 6 hours of sleep without missing work. Also, live poker is a totally different animal. I get an adrenaline rush playing live poker, whether it is tournaments or cash games.
Hollywood Casino is holding their Hollywood Poker Open starting March 24. Each Tuesday in March leading up to the HPO, they are giving away $100 tournament vouchers for individuals who play at least 8 hours of poker. Last week, I earned the max 2 $100 vouchers. I started at 7:30 am and finished up at 6:30 am the next day. I finished my session up around $500. As I waited for my vouchers to be distributed, I played some 3 card poker. It's not really poker. It's more like Caribbean Stud or Let it Ride. I sat down with a middle aged couple and an older Asian woman. I got the feeling that the other 3 had been at the table for a while. After about 30 minutes, the couple got up. Two hands later, the older Asian woman was dealt a Royal Flush in Spades (AKQ all spades). This hand not only won the woman about $800 on her bet but also the progressive jackpot of $6,990! Had the other couple stayed for 2 more hands, they would have won the jackpot. What was also cool, is that everyone at the table when the jackpot is hit also wins $100 "envy" bonus. I got a little off track, but I thought that was a neat story to share.
This past Tuesday, I headed back to the Hollywood to collect another voucher and hopefully make a few bucks at the same time. The Sunday before, I was up until a 6am. I had finished up my Sunday schedule online and was witnessing a member of my home poker forum (www.badbeatspoker.net) make it to the final table of the Sunday Millions. He chopped and won $311k! So sick. Anyhow, I decided to sleep in on Tuesday and just go for 1 voucher. I got to the Hollywood around 3:00pm but a table didn't open up until 4:30. Therefore, I couldn't get in my required 8 hours in order to receive a voucher. To add insult, I lost $340 playing slots and 3 card poker waiting for a table to open up.
I came to the casino with a little more than $500. The max buy in for the game I play is $500, yet I only had $200 left. I thought about withdrawing $400 from the ATM, but decided to try to build a stack with what I had. The very first hand I was dealt 5 7, normally a pretty shitty hand. The first few players to act folded. The guy to my immediate right acted like he wanted to fold but must have convinced himself to put in a small raise. I immediately knew that I could easily get him to fold by reraising. By reraising, I also send a message to all those yet to act that I have a pretty strong hand. No one in live poker, at this level, 3 bets (reraises) without an insanely strong hand. So even with 5 7, I reraised. Everyone except the big blind folded, including the original raiser. My read on him was correct. Now I had to deal with the big blind. The flop came out pretty dry. I made a continuation bet. The BB called. The turn card was also non threatening, yet no help to me. I fired again only to be called again. The river came and completed a fairly dry board. Here's the beauty of playing with a short stack; based on the standard bet sizing on the flop and turn, the standard bet size on the river would be about the the amount I had left in my stack. If I wanted to win the pot I would have to bet, and if I bet it would have to be an all in bet. Most players in the live games I play are fish. Most fish don't go all in without a very strong hand. General assumption in these games is that if a player bets every street and is willing to get all his chips on the river, then he has a great hand. So my shove on the river was the perfect bluff. I did, and he folded as expected. I flipped my hand over to exposed my rags. The message I wanted to send by showing my cards was "don't f@#* with me," and stay out of my way unless you want risk your whole stack. I also hoped that by exposing my hand, I could get paid off when I actually held a good hand.
After scooping the first pot, I now had a respectable stack of about $350. Because I could not get in enough hours on Tuesday, I made it a goal to just play well and make about $500 to compensate my time and travel expenses even though I couldn't get a voucher. I anticipated playing until midnight or 1 am. I easily reached my money goal but hacked my time goal. I finished my session up $2,100. I failed in my attempt to leave by 1 am as I stayed until noon the next day.
Funny Quote of the Day
I was heads up with a guy who was with some friends and learning the game. I had flopped top pair of Kings. He was first to act and asked the dealer:
"Can I check-raise?"
Um, what the hell was I supposed to do after he checked???
