Returning to the Felt (Part I)

Part step back in time, part looking to the future. I'm hoping to getsome live poker in this weekend at either Spirit Mountain or La Center. This post is an attempt at giving some history of my casino-poker experience, so that I can critique it and learn from it for this upcoming session.

First off, I'm not a winner at live casino poker. I've had just about as many winning sessions as I've had losing sessions-but the numbers look something like this:

+$35
(-$75)
(-$40)
+$15
(-$60)
+$20
(-$30)
(-$20)

Besides my first win in my first casino experience at South Lake Tahoe (which I promptly lost two times over the next night), I haven't had more than a 4xBB win. I have played mostly $3/$6 limit, with a few $2/$4 limit sessions thrown in at Spirit Mountain.

South Lake Tahoe:

This was my first live poker experience, and the only place I have played where you get complimentary beverages. The occasion was my girlfriend's 21st birthday, so her, her sister, her brother and I all decided to play poker at Harrah's. We were at a new table and the
dealer helped everyone with a few pointers.

I didn't feel too much like a newbie at that point (but looking back, of course I was!), especially being seated at a table with three other people I knew. I don't remember all too much about that first night except that I was the only one out of four of us who won money. I think I played pretty tight, got KK once and raised the whole way and took down a nice-sized pot on a very non-scary board with only one or two callers the whole way. I also hit a flush. Those two hands basically made my night and I walked away feeling great about my play and buying everyone else drinks.

The next night was much different.

The second night I definitely did not have any advantages over the table like I had over a few of the players the night before. This was the first night I played against the 40-50 year old asian lady-type who has a big stack of chips in front of her. I just assumed she was good from all of the chips, but more likely she hit flushes or straights on some of the 8-to-the-flop hands.

The night before the most people to one flop was probably five, and usually there were only three or four. People folded, I think I might have even won a pot on a bluff once. The second night I was at the complete mercy of the table. Most hands were at least 6 or 7 to the flop and nearly every hand got shown down.

I was at the mercy of the cards, and the cards weren't showing much mercy! The most memorable hand of that fateful night was my 88 hand in MP.

EP raises, guy to my right cold calls, I cold call along with 3 others and the blinds. Flop is As 8c Ad. Jackpot. Check, check, I raise and get three callers.

Turn is a 3h. Check, check, I raise and only the guy to my right calls.

River is Ah. He checks, I bet, he calls.

I show my flopped full house, and he shows his AQ for quad aces and a $100 high-hand prize. I'm stunned. Then I finally blurt out, "thanks for not raising on the river."

There was a mountain of chips in the middle already, but could have been a lot more! That one hurt.

After another hour or so in that game I called it quits and felt pretty dejected. This was my first experience losing big, and I was completely out of my element in the extra-loose preflop game. I thought the dreaded, "If I moved up to 5/10 or 10/20 I would own, because I could put people on hands better!"

Thank god I didn't have a bankroll for that! My friend Brandon soon put me straight shortly thereafter, and recommended the Ed Miller book on loose games SSH? I think it is? I read that (and should probably read it again) after I got back to Sacramento, and realized how poorly I played at Tahoe.

I played a few times at a card club in Sacramento, losing overall. The play was similar to the second night at Tahoe, and there were a lot of regulars at this club. Mostly tricky, gambling Asians. Had a couple winning sessions, but nothing big. Had a couple losing sessions usually due to me not letting go of a primary holding and losing to a flush or two pair.

The two big hands that stand out from that card room were these:

First was when my Kings got beat by a flush on the river. I raised the entire way and got reraised on the river. I called and mucked when he flipped up 7h3h. No straights, no pair, just a flush draw. I have no idea if he had odds to call, he might have, but after I mucked he said, "You have a king?" Because I had flopped top set. "I had two," I said, and the table groaned.

That same game I royally sucked out on someone with AsTs when the flop came Ac Th 2d. I flopped top two, but he flopped a set of T's. I bet, he raised, I reraised, he called on the flop. Think we got everyone out on the turn when a blank fell. When he 3-bet on the turn I realized I might not be ahead. An Ace hit on the river and we capped it. I felt pretty bad afterwards, because he flipped over his set and I happily showed my AT like I was the shiz. What a suckout.

I hit the Jackson Rancheria Casino once, which is about two hours SE of Sacramento. I probably should have just driven to Tahoe, lol. I had to wait an hour to play, but when I did get in, the game was pretty fun. Not too much memorable happened there, I think I ended up $8 or so, not enough to pay for gas.

As I was about to leave, a new guy sat down and straddled my BB, and proceeded to raise every chance he got for the next four hands. With crap. I think he just did that to set an image, but I'll never know, as I got the hell out of Dodge!

(TBC)