Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Losses for Me and the Kingdom

OK, here is a recounting of my HorseShoe trip this past Saturday. I bought $500 in chips initially. I played the $300 max starting chips, and had to refill the other $200 to stay topped off at $300 over the course of about 5 hours. I saw AA one time, and there were 6 limpers, so I pop it to $30 and everyone folded. Not sure if I bet too much, probably did, but I really wanted to play them heads up. I lost a $300 pot with A-10. I know I really should not have played that big a pot with A-10, but it happened to be the table retard and I paid off on the river after getting check raised (I bet every street btw). It came running sixes, which I couldn't see how it helped the guy because I really thought he was check calling all the way with second pair. Yeah, he had a six and I lost. I lost another $60 to the same guy when I raised AQ from late position. I thought he only had about $70 to start the hand. He called $16 pre-flop, then checks to me. His chips were hidden behind a cup holder, so I ask how much he had over there. I was planning to bet what he had left until the dealer said oh about $130, so I c-bet $35 and he goes all in. Now, I have to tell you I thought about calling, but it was about another $100. He flips up AQ. I might add this was after the running 6''s. He re bought for $100 two times after initially sitting down with $100. It was the kind of guy who was open shoving with KK QQ JJ, and then saying--that's the only way to play those hands!! Not that this matters or not, but he was pretty drunked up and would tell the waitress, "hey, buy my buddy a beer over at the other table, he's my designated driver"--and then laughed relentlessly at himself. Only problem, he was serious. He did tell me however he had watched one of IU's new recruits play and he was awesome, a point guard I believe. I then dump $250 in a pot on a really retarded play. I have 9-10 spades and it is a limped pot. I am in the small blind. Flop comes Q99, two diamonds. I check, bb leads out for $10, button calls then I call. I am figuring to play a big pot here, and hopefully get even. The turn is the 4 of diamonds. I check, still not really worried about the diamonds and the big blind bets $50, the button folds, and I start thinking. I'm not really thinking about the flush card, but I was actually holly wooding a little because this guy played really straight, and I figured to get paid off the whole way he needs to think I am making a move, then I say, All-in, which was $250. He says, OK, I guess I call, and then I realize oh shit, I am a fucking retard. Nope, not because he called, but because I had not used any knowledge at all that I gained through hours of playing beside him. So, he had the flush, K-7 (hurts to see that hand get me) and I immediately get up and walk off, because I am furious with myself. Somewhat embarrassed, although its not the worst play in the world, but because I totally misused all the information. Let me break it back down in a way that I should have looked at it. 1) this guy is solid from the standpoint that he doesn't get involved unless he has something and I had seen him fold top pair during our session 2) its an unraised pot--absolutely no reason to go broke in an unraised pot 3) diamonds just got there and he bet $50. During the hand I convinced myself that the $50 into a roughly $40 pot was to protect his top pair from the two diamonds, but in retrospect (which is always easier after knowing the result) he was protecting his diamonds on a paired board and didn't want to see another diamond peel 4) IF he is on the Q then there is no way he is calling a $200 raise,the guy just wouldn't do that 5) I showed him my hand earlier in the session when I raised to $15 with 10-10 and got re-raised to $35. It screamed big pair to me so I immediately thought that if I flop a set then I'm getting paid the whole way. Then an Ace peels off on the flop and I know I can represent the ACE because this guy seemed to be playing somewhat scared. I fire $50 at the guy and he looks at me and folds KK face up. I should also mention he was another guy that believed in blasting wtih JJ and QQ stating several times that is the only way they can be played, he had also commented when someone else has KK that they were guaranteed to bring an ACE. Anyway, I showed my neighbor, the guy I would later check-raise ALL IN with my horrible play, my 10-10 because we were friendly, and honestly I was proud that I had put the pieces together so it was a bit vain also. They guy actually commented like I was being a bit reckless but impressed at the same time, but it didn't really mean much to me at the time. Clearly my image was not the same to him as I thought it was to the rest of the table. Which brings up another point that I find really interesting. Later in the session, the same guy that I got to lay down KK on the flop when the Ace peeled made the comment to someone else at the table that I didn't put a chip in the pot unless I had a big hand. What the guy didn't realize is that I was already down $250 because I had been reloading slowly by pulling chips out of my pocket instead of going to the cage, I guess? It says a lot about how much other players aren't paying attention, but what they do remember is the hands you have played with him, specifically him having to fold his KK because I had to have an Ace. I need to be much more aware of how my image appears to others. While I hate losing the $500 (minus beer and tip money probably $40) I really like analyzing my mistakes. I didn't have a positive outcome with regard to money won during this session, but I do feel like I am becoming more comfortable and aware of picking my spots and learning player tendencies. I think most people call this feel and it is correct in a broad sense, but for me it is just a process in learning the game. I found myself opening many more pots then I have, and taking down more pots because I went ahead and c-bet or even two barreled when I would have just shut down in the past. I made a $50 river call after raising with AQ in EP and only getting a call from the big blind. Flop comes down KQ8 with two diamonds. I c-bet, and then get called. The turn is 3 (no diamond), so I didn't really see it changing much so I went ahead and bet again, just in case the guy was chasing diamonds, he calls again. So, now I'm not really sure if he is stuck on a bad K and is calling with the best hand, or if he is on a draw. The river is a 10, not the best card for sure, so then the guy leads at me for $50, and I start to think. Why would he bet $50 into like a $90 pot (I had raised pre-flop and bet the flop and turn), so I call and he shows the missed flush draw with 7-9 of diamonds. Its definitely not a hero call or anything but there may have been times in the past when I would have just insta-mucked my cards without even thinking about it just because the board was scary and he called my bets.
After getting up and taking on the $1 wheel to the tune of a $200 loss (hey I've seen Natrocity get well off that wheel so I figured that I would give it a shot), I went back downstairs to the poker room. I meet the Tough Man for a smoke and find out that Super Mundus lied to me about him doing 'OK' at the table. He was down like 9 bills, so I know I'm there for the long haul. I decide to take on the big wheel (penny wheel) which is not really even a 'big wheel' because its only half of a big wheel pushed up against the wall. Well, I drop a c-note in and about twenty minutes later I pull $100 profit off, so no I'm only down one bill on my slot play. I decide to go over to the video slots and put $40 in and play the .50 cent game, max bet of course. So, I blow through $50 pretty quickly. I should also mention I dropped a $20 in the Game King before I got a poker seat, but was only able to lose $9 before they called my name. Did I mention my game was located in the high limit area with super soft leather chairs? Well, they were very nice, although the automatic shuffler at the table was broke. The dealers are very good at HorseShoe, very well trained. And, I learned something new from one of them. The table had alot of empty seats throughout the early evening and at one point we were down to 6 players and one of the players says, "the rake just went down". The dealer says nope, we still have seven players, due to one person being gone eating. He said that the floor considers that a sitting player, so break on the rake.

So, after I dump the $40 in the Game King (how does Nate really do it?) I decide to sit back down at the poker table, sense it is clear the Tough Man needed to get his money back. I will say that all he said was to give him an hour notice, but I didn't want to pressure him like that. I check in and go to the assigned table, but I get back there and there is no seat, so I go back up to the podium and let them know there was no seat. He looks at his computer and then walks back toward the same table and asks the dealer if he has a seat, and sure enough they do. The 10 seat is open but I don't realize it because seat 9 has his chips spread all the way from his seat over in front of seat 10. He moves them, slowly I might add, and then I come face to face with another crazy situation. It always baffles me to see people gambling to the degree they do at the poker table, hell there is an entire casino there to gamble in, but nope they pick the poker room. So, this guy goes all in the first seven hands I'm there--and loses all $900 in about an hour. Apparently he had won a bunch playing blackjack and came down to the poker room with his buddy to have a little fun. The buddy is apparently holding his money for him, and he rebuys two more times for $200 each time before he says he's done and asks his buddy for the rest of the money. The guy puts up a small fight then hands over the money. But, he stays around to coach his buddy, and by coach I mean he tells him to bet more, quit folding hands, etc. Well, that guy eventually goes bust and they leave. Of course I pick up QQ on the eight hand after sitting down and crazy guy folds!!!! Yeah, that's my luck. But, later on in the session I pick up KK and raise it up and get called by a guy that is about 6'6" and has like four teeth. The flop is Q93 all clubs. I've got the K of clubs, so I c-bet $35 (there was one other caller pre-flop so it wasn't quite a full pot c-bet). Tall toothless wonder min raises me, and I think for about 3 seconds and begrudgingly call. Even though the guy didn't seem to get appear to get a lot of dental care, he seemed to play pretty well, so I immediately ruled out him making that play with a Q, so I actually considered folding during that 3 seconds, but that K of clubs just looked too powerful in my hand. The turn is a beautiful card, Ace of clubs and I am putting twigs and branches over the trap I'm setting: Insta check. He fires $100, I think for about 7 seconds, and slowly call. The river does not pair the board and I can't lose so I get super sneaky and check. I think this is probably my best poker play of the night, because my action on the river sells the story I've started telling on the turn with my check. So the guy bets $100 again, and casually say I just got $45 more on top. He immediately knows he is beat, but also feels like he has got to call considering the pot size, and shows 33 for a flopped set. Whewwwwwwww....I run good. But, do I? I was only a 4:1 preflop. So, I double through when a few smaller pots after that and then I run into an Indian. Dot. He played with me earlier and pissed me off because he called a pre-flop raise and top pair flop bet with KQ. Yeah, I raised up K-10 but so what, I told you I was opening my game up some. Of course he catches the Q on the turn and checks, and I check behind, only to see him lead the river, which I call and see the bad news. Frustrated is the best way to describe how I felt after that hand. maybe that led to my $250 dump off, I'm not sure, but if it did it really shows my lack of mental toughness. So, back to the second table where I run into DOT. I call a raise to $10 with 22 and then Dot raises it to $25 on the button. He only starts the hand with around $135, so I'm immediately intrigued. I'm not saying that I am the best hand reader in the world but it appeared to me he wanted action, so I immediately put him on a bit pair. The original raiser calls the extra $15 and off we go to see a flop of Q 10 2, BINGO!!! Original raiser checks, I lead out. Why? I'll tell you why because I knew the guy had either AA or KK, and I am going to drive the action. Of course Dot raises I turn over my 22 and call simultaneously and he keeps his hand closed, good news right? Nope, not so much after the dealer runs the board out he turns over QQ for top set. This really pisses me off because that is basically a slow roll in my book, and it pisses me off because I had doubled up and was above $600 and then run into that bull shit. Set over set just sucks.

So, then it happens. I hear the Tough Man using some rather rough language with a guy calling him an F'in angle shooter. I hear the guy say, "you talking to me", and the Tough Man is out of his chair on top of the person sitting next to him all puffed up telling the guy that he is definitely talking to him. So, in swoops Dudley do wrong (the floor) and pretty quickly tells the Tough Man to rack up his night is done. I go over over to Super and he vaguely knows something is going on, so I fill him in. The interesting this is that he has a huge smile on his face, and he says, "Driver, the good thing about this is that we were here to seee it". Which really is a good point, because it had to happen eventually. Only problem is that the floor thinks Tommy tells the other player he is going to "shoot" him, and I see this play out when Tommy goes from an expression of anger to amazement. So we all rack up and head to the cage. I make $141 for that session, which takes the sting off of a $500 poker loss. We discuss the incident briefly while walking off the boat and then I mention my bad luck, bad play, etc. but is doesn't really matter because I am invisible at this point. No, really, anything I said was just not met with a response. Ridiculous.

So, after totalling up for the night it looks like a loss of $359 at the poker tables and a loss of $149 in the machines for a grand total of $508. My first loss at the Shoe ever! Oh well, it was bound to happen. But, then I take on a bigger challenge during the trip home, luckily the topic didn't come up until near the end of the drive. Somehow, Mike turns the topic to religion and I feel responsible to defend the Christians he seems intent on vilifying. My argument basically boiled down to roads and people, his position was shrimp and sky wizards. If you're wondering, it wasn't the classiest most articulate debate about religion that has ever been engaged. So, I chalk that up as a loss also, because I didn't win a soul for the kingdom. I guess I run bad (or was it a message from GOD) , maybe I should have went to church instead of playing cards.

ME

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