....yes readers, if there are any left. It has been a while but poker has certainly taken a back seat as I get further acclimated into life in Los Angeles. According to my trusty phone app, I have only logged 27 hours of cash play since Labor Day, but am averaging about $40/hr when I do play. I've made around 1K since then.
The poker excursions have been to Vegas and Pechanga, both twice. Why do that, you ask, when I have 5 casinos minutes away? Well, none of those establishments are DESTINATIONS. People go there to play poker, period. At the very least they are enthusiasts, and while there is money to be made, the soft spots are far fewer at Commerce, the Bike, or any of the other rooms. Vegas and Pechanga ( a resort casino in Temecula) are real destinations where money seems to just fall from trees. Let me give you an example from a hand I played at Pechanga the other night.
So to my left is a guy that, when I sat down, had just won the hourly high hand with quad 9's or something. That netted him $100, which he added to his stack. We were at a 1/3 table with a $200 max, so he is full up. I came in with $100 because $120 was about the average stack, and I didnt plan on staying long, as I was only passing through from an audition in SD. Anyway, I get AQ of spade in LP. Some limps and I make it yo 11. Two calls. The flop comes 10 K X, two spades. A check, then the bonus guy throws out 10. I re-raise it to 30, seeing a nut flush draw and four outs for a sraight. He announces all-in. I think for a minute, figure I came in short anyway and push my remaining 80 in. Turn, a brick, And I river an off-suit Q. I am figuring for sure he is holding two pair, or at least a K...and he shows some raggy 10 high hand and mucks! I missed and still won. This is the kind of play we find at Pechanga. I left with a little over a double up after 2 hours.
You don't see this as much at Commerce or the Bike. I see a lot more free time coming in January, and I may just have to commit the extra miles on my car and hit Pechanga more often.
