Delaware Park and Showboat - Trip Summary

This mysterious place known as Delaware Park was holding a series with some low buy-ins, including the bane of my existence, Omaha8, so Craig, Yvonne, Tony and I planned a trip to take it on, and then stay the night in AC where Elizabeth was, play the Showboat 11am tourney the next day and then head home.

So, Delaware Park. Ghetto on the outside, and kind of equally ghetto on the inside...no real decent food options, low ceilings, and just quite simply not very hospitable as a venue. Pluses - the track was nice outside, the Omaha8 dealers were VERY on the ball (unlike Harrah's), and there were two full rooms of poker action going on...no real waits, and lots of games were being spread.

I, of course, busted out about halfway through. Tony lasted the longest of us, and I lost about $14 in an uneventful 1/2 NL session while we waited. When all of us busted, we made our way to AC.

I was too tuckered out to play, so I went to my free Showboat room, ordered room service and went to bed, hoping that in the AM I could play a little cash before the 11am tourney. No such luck.

I got up at 8am and the room was deserted. I mean, empty. I could have just strolled over to the Taj and found a game, but I have sworn that I will never set foot into that hellhole again, so that was out. I did get some news about The Revel while I was waiting around....this is the new behemoth of a hotel/casino that has been sitting unfinished on the Strip for years, and now is finally opening, apparently in installments until a grand opening in September. It seems a lot of the Showboat personnel might be jumping ship to work there, or at least, that is what it sounded like. Apparently the Revel is touting a great poker room, with $2.50/hr comps. I'll believe it when I see it.

So, the cards flew at 11am, 45 runners. 20K chips. About 20 minutes in, a chatty foreign regular tangles with me. I get AK preflop at 100/200, I raise to 700, and a call from CFR. Flop comes 2A7 rainbow, I fire 2000 into the pot, a quick call. Turn brings a spade draw 4, I make it 4000, and a quick call. I'm thinking that if he called my 700, he isn't going to keep flatting with trips, and if he has hit top two, I dont think he'd call a raise with a4 or a7, and would most likely raise with top two. My main worry was him flatting with a2. A K hits on the river and I shove. He calls, and I felt him with A10. Up to 39K.

I basically floated there for a while with little pots here and there. I then flopped top two with a2 suited, trapped a guy and felted him as well. Up to 49K.

I then joined Elizabeth at a very lively table, where I kind of went en fuego. Quad queens, set of 5s, then a set of 6's that turned into a boat brought me to a very comfortable stack of 122K that I rode all the way to the final table.

Paying 5, I, in my usual charitable manner, start making chatter about paying the bubble their buyin when we got to 6. Everyone seemed to agree, and a good thing, because guess who was the bubble? I was busted by a dude who was in his first tournament, that guy that always asks what the next bet was. I was at about 11 big blinds after a long string of bad hands, and shoved with ad10d. He showed up with AJos, and I got two diamonds on the flop, but the third one did not come. So, even. Elizabeth cashed for $600 after a 5 way chop...but I was happy with my play. It had been since December that I had even cashed in anything, so it was a good feeling to just bubble.

I plan on seeing ALL IN-the movie this week in NYC...I'll be posting a review!

PARX 08 Tournament, etc

Another trip to PARX, this time with Craig and his cousin Ken.

In my bones I feel like I have the appropriate mindset for 0E, it is a thinking game, a patient game and often a folding game. Somehow, though I succeed playing it in cash format, the tournament success has evaded me - I've never ONCE cashed in an 0E tournament, save a few one table SNG's online. I've read all the strategy (what little there is for a fixed Hi-Lo tournament)and I feel like I am doing things right, but I somehow end up getting counterfeited all over the place. Anyway, this trip was another failure in that department, busting out 92nd out of a mere 138 players.

Then I sat down at 1/2 NL and promptly won my buy-in back in, oh, about fifteen minutes? No huge pots, I just ran over the table for about an orbit with some good hands, and some not so good hands - it is so liberating to have two cards to play when you have just spent five hours with four cards in the hole. I should always ply a little Omaha first and then go to NLHE, because I always seem to win that way?

Anyway, not much time to go into detail today, but I left down $5.

The Bike and Commerce - My LA casino review

Greetings from sunny California, where I have been working and playing for the past two weeks.

Even though I have been to LA many times, it has been since my poker infancy that I was last here, and I knew that I would be unable to avoid the temptation to sample the cardrooms in the area, so I decided to take a day and hit both the Bicycle Casino and Commerce Casino - I contemplated going to the much-hyped Hustler Casino, but ultimately decided that I could not walk in there with a straight face. The two casinos are a few miles from each other, and both only about 30 minutes away from Hollywood in traffic.

So, to the Bike I went. The area of Bell Gardens, CA is not exactly BelAir. It's pretty grungy and dusty down there, and the Bike proved to be quite similar. Atlantic City citizens - all I have to say to describe the Bike is 'Taj' and you will have a pretty clear picture. It's so much like the Taj, when I walked in I thought I was there.

Now, a moment about games here...there is no conventional "1/2" like we know it out here. It appears that there is a buy-in cap of sorts, and the only thing available at the Bike was a 2/3 $300 cap buy in. Looking at what was signing up, high Limit games are big....really big out here.

40/80 tables looked commonplace with 3 tables running. As I'll mention in the Commerce section, no-limit seems to not be as prevalent out here. Anyway, I sat down at the aforementioned table.

I was only here about 90 minutes, but a few things - a woman came by with a food menu, and I was hungry so I ordered some stir-fry asain vegetables. When the veggies came, I pulled out my wallet to pay, and she said "Compliment" in broken English. So, food is free here! That's a first. I was up and down for a bit, then lost all-in with jacks to a rivered K. On to Commerce.

The Commerce Casino was, in short, a welcome scene change. For starters, it looks like an actual casino from the outside. Inside, I walked into a nicely proportioned gaming floors with blackjack, pai-gow and the like, and ahead of me was a very nicely appointed poker room with big screen tv's, etc. Not as big as I heard it was, I thought. Also quizzical...no clear place to put your name on the board...instead, there were inscrutable marker board with various levels - very high levels. Unsure of what to do and already a bit baffled by the lack of 1-2NL in California, I just went up to a floor person and asked to be seated at a NL table. He said, "10-20? 25-50?" I said, "Um, no, more like 1-2." "Oh. You're new here, right? NYC?" "Yes." "Follow me."

He led me out of that room, which I now realized was the highroller room, and beyond a wall was an incredible sight. A HUGE, MASSIVE airplane hangar of a room with easily 150-200 tables, with floor perople and screens in six places. I quickly sat at a table that was 3-5 with a $200 cap (I know, right? bizarre).

I knew right away that this would be a good session. The table was soft, real soft. My first hand was a flopped set. And chipped up rather quickly. I went up another buy-in not long after holding AQ and an AQ8 board. I led out and was called every street, K, then 7, I scoop it when he shows q8. I go up two more buy-ins when I call a raise in LP with 3d5d, and two 5's come. A raise to 20, I call. The turn is the 3. Villain bets 60, I call. River blanks, and villain bets 125, I shove my full stack and a call. He tables AA. Boing!

I saw a lot of draw-chasing, lots of second pair at showdown, just basically a lot of sloppy play. I had a good read on who to attack and who to avoid....and I ended the day up $700. should I choose to move to Los Angeles, I think I have found my new home!

PARX on Wednesday

So I returned to PARX again on Wednesday night, taking advantage of the sweet Zipcar deal ($39 from 6pm-8:30am), this time taking Lisa in tow, as she had never been. After a tasty dinner at the Noodle Bar, play began.

I have to preface this by saying...PARX simply looks NEW. Something about the color scheme, the shiny floors, reminds me of a visual version of 'new car smell.' The poker room itself, while vast, has a sort of girlish quality (purples, greens - not a very masculine aura). Basically, you wonder if this style is a hindrance to the casino or not. You often see programs on TV about how casinos are designed a certain way for certain reasons - when you see a low ceilinged room that is bright orange and people are throwing craps, something feels a little off. Anyway.

I sat down for 1-2 and immediately smelled something odd. I mean, literally. The guy next to me smelled awful. When I say awful, I'm vastly understating the sheer complexity of this odor, and it appeared that everyone knew it. I was hearing vague allusions to it bit by bit, as if a running joke had been occurring already. I tried to stomach it, looking over to Lisa's table periodically to see if there was an opening there. Finally, he got up and everyone chimed in. Nothing all that interesting happened at this table, as I chipped down to about $180 there. Lisa waved me over as there was an open seat, so I moved there.

Talk about a passive table...open limping was rampant, and depending on who limped, a bet of $12-15 would often take it down outright. There were two solid guys to my left, both of whom has big stacks. The first big hand I got involved with was with AcQs, and I promptly dusted off about 90 bucks chasing a club flush all the way to the river. The board was so dry I felt like I could make a stab at it multiway, but two flushes made it on the turn. Reload 100.

I got back up to even by simply value betting aces and having them hold up - always nice. I then open limped 44 and flopped the set, checked around and got into a raising battle with KK, the set held up and I felted him. My big fold of the night was against the solid Asian guy. I had 7d8d. The flop came 9T_ rainbow. After three bettors.the turn...a jack. So, I have the low straight. Asian guy puts out 40, and I call. The turn is a brick, and Asian goes pot-sized bet. Now here, I'm immediately wondering what level this fellow is thinking at. On one level, that size bet certainly isn't begging for a call - he may be trying to push me off the hand. Then again, QK is the absolute nuts on this board, so if I've called him on the turn, he knows he has me. We've all been in this position before but the bet sizing had me a bit confused, so I took my time. He was moving around a little, then he turned his chair and looked away. I concluded by that gesture that he wanted a call, so I didn't give it to him. I folded and he showed QK, sure enough.

I filled out a flush with Ac6c, had a few AK meet up with pairs and that was about it, ending up about 150. I think on the way back, we made it back to the city in about 80 minutes. It's crazy how close the place is. I need to go back more often. This weekend, AC with Dawn ans her gang.

Best not to talk about...

So, in short, a summary for my trip to AC.

Cash: -$290

Set over set at a 2-5 table took me to this amount on the final night, and I was up $200 before.

WSOP Satellite -$190

Lasted to 14th when my 9's did not hold up against k7 when a straight filled on the turn. 5 got seats.

WSOP Omaha8 event -$345

Totally unimpressive, played horribly, was out in 4 hours.

and the one bright spot...

Borgata $100 +20 15k guarantee +$160

I came in 16th, two after the bubble broke, shoving my short stack with 6's against KK.

My run of luck was bound to end, and considering my November wins, this whole thing was kind of a freeroll anyway...I actually only managed to play two WSOP events due to bad money management (i.e., I don't know my daily debit card limit - fail).

I did meet some wonderful people on my trip, though. But that's for a blog I don't currently write. :)

Stupid is as stupid does

Greetings from Harrah's, where I have committed a huge error in judgment.

I planned on playing today's event, got here last night, played some cash(see below) but neglected to remember that my bank card has a maximum withdrawl per day and I didn't come with cash - and therefore could not enter the event today! Woops. There is a 6-max $345 tomorrow, but I've nevr played a 6-max tournament, and while I love playing 6 max cash, 6-max while protecting your stack and quicker orbits...not so much, i.e. I've never even tried to play it. So, aside from an attempt at sattying into the Main Event, I might not play a single woo-sop while I am here. Oh well! I look at it as fate.

Now, to cash. The Harrah's poker room, since it is the site of the woo-sop, was hopping like I had never seen it, with almost every table filled with hoodies and ipods and PLO spreads, it was nuts.

I sit down with $200 at a 1-2 table. Let's just say my day was SWNGY, starting at about 5pm. Once again I failed to be Jordan and didn't take notes, but I ended up being felted twice and caught myself down 400 with 625 total bought in at about 11pm. The pivotal hand that got me back up to even.

Limpy table. Comes around to me in the SB with AKos. I raise it up to 20, four callers, old smug dude, emaciated Hank Azaria and hoodied Lieve Schrieber lookalike. The flop comes A-Q-3, two spades. Decent flop for me, but I check, knowing that I am going to get some kind of action - both of these guys liked to splash. Old guy checks, Liev throws out 25. I make it 50. He calls. Two folds. The turn is another 3, and I check. Liev pushes out 85. I don't think he just calls with AQ, and no way he has a 3 so I feel like I am still good, and I flat call. The river completes the flush, but with a spade 3. Now, if I didn't telegraph that I had an A with the min-raise, this is a great position. I can only hope he thought I was second-best or drawing to the flush, but even with a queen I have some kind of boat....so I was at a loss with what to do here. All I have to fear are quads, AA or QQ and I feel like based on his line, none of the three are possible, and conclude he has been drawing to a flush. Here is the conundrum...do I check and potentially lose value, or do I bet out and possibly induce a fold? Based on the two hours I was with him at the table, if he had the perceived nuts he would always bet the river, so I pretended to miss, and checked. Sure enough he puts me all -in, and I call. He mucks 2s6s. And boom, back up to even.

I drop some chips for an hour and then pack it up, down 15 for the session. You do the math and say, hey, you DO have enough money for the buy-in today! Well, I paid for Bill's Burger Bar with cash. Fail! More to come after today's antics.

Bodog f**ks us all in the ass pardon my French.

What might very well be the most ridiculous software update since Windows Vista, Bodog has succeeded in alienating every skilled poker player, flung open wide an inevitable wave of collusion, and reduced the game of poker to an arcade game in one fell swoop.

If you don't know already, EVERY POKER table on Bodog has gone anonymous - in other words, no more names, just seat numbers. No indication of who is sitting there, which eliminates a HUD's usefulness, or the ability to take any notes. What's more, the update looks and sounds like very little thought had been put into it.

But I see where and why this 'update' has taken place.

Read this statement from Bodog's VP. An abridged version of this article is basically, screw the grinders. On the surface, this whole 'recreational poker model' looks, sounds, and literally reeks of short-sighted judgment. If you read 2+2, players are withdrawing in droves, crying foul at this unannounced plundering of one of the few US-friendly poker sites remaining. Why lose all this business? they will certainly lose mine, as I'll be pulling my substantial bankroll there as fast as their processors will let me. But I think this radical move runs deeper.

Merge has already felt the crunch. They halted accepting US players, and blocked play from 'dangerous' states like New York and Kentucky. Bodog's poker traffic since Black Friday jumped 97%. This 'revolutionary game-changer' that is the Bodog update is not meant to progress - it's meant to eradicate. They know exactly what they are doing - they want the grinders off the site so they don't get in trouble with the DoJ. I highly doubt they even want poker to remain part of their model at all. If they do, they want it to be a game of chance, not of skill - how to do that? Eliminate the edge by making everyone anonymous. What is incredibly frustrating to those of us who enjoyed playing on the site, is that it seems so incredibly asinine to make such a business move - but in the big picture, this is exactly what Bodog needed to do to keep their sportbook and casino intact, and stay viable for the US market in the long term. they'll make more money on all the Super Bowl bets they will take then they would in six months of collecting poker rake -- not to mention that comparatively, poker is 'honorable' in comparison to sports bettors. Words like win rate and BB/100 don't apply to sports and casino bettors...they keep their balances online - fewer withdrawls means less risk, and more $ in the long run for Bodog's coffers.

So, it's sad, but ultimately understandable. I've investigated other options, but Merge is locked for me, and no other site comes close in terms of volume. It looks like my online pay might very well be coming to an end.