Waste of a good Poker Night

I had the ability to go play on Friday night last week so I jumped down to the Muck only to find that the place was just jammed. All 18 tables full and they had messed up the tables so that one of the three high limit tables had a $10/20 game on it and they could not even spread a high limit game there. For those that don't know the Muck card room has only three class C licenses which allows them to run games bigger than $10/20 only on those three specific tables. If they put a game of lower limit on it they can not move to another table and start a bigger game. Given the fact that all 18 were in use they did not much care anyway to start a bigger game as they get the same rake from a $10/20 game as they do a $20/40 or higher. My options were to sit around and wait, or jump into some lower limit stuff and wait there. They had two $20/40 going and no higher, and the list was a mile long, so I chose option B.

I sat around and talked to people for about 45 minutes then decided to play something I never play, but should, to work on different games. I jumped into the 1-4 stud game. Whoo Hoo $4 max betting. At least I can't get hurt much while I try to get better at the game. I dorked around in that game for an hour and then moved to the $10/20 game about $30 lighter for the fun. I love to play in the lower limit games just to get a feel for what is coming up the food chain. I forget how many poker lessons you get a lower limit tables. It's funny in bigger games no one talks about how poorly you played that hand, or insults bad play. It is encouraged, and a highly desirable trait in that game. It does happen every once in a while, but they get told to shut up pretty quickly. In the lower limit games there are all kinds of pro's telling people how to play or making insulting comments to players that just got lucky. People, leave them alone, you want them in your game, why do you want to chase them off? Why do you want them to get better right now? They probably won't get better anyway so don't give out the lesson they don't want to hear. They are loosing money, maybe not that hand, but they will, don't change their play or insult them off the table. They might just be learning the game and truly don't know how to play. Why do you want them to have a bad experience and maybe not come back? Poker players can be pretty dumb sometimes. Would you rather have me sitting at your table, or the old man drinking having a good time and playing poorly? I take the later all day long. Rant over.

I played in the $10/20 game going mostly nowhere all night. The $20/40 games looked great but the tables were not turning. I could not make any money in the game I was in. You pretty much have to play ABC poker in $10/20. It still plays like a $4/8 game, lots of multiway flops and the best hand on the river will win, even if that means 3,5 sooooited. Don't bluff as you will be called down. I finally got to the $20/40 game at 1:00am. Too late for me to play but I was still stuck $100 bucks so I wanted to go for a quick hit and run. I sat down and looked at a few hands and then picked up K,Q spades about middle position. I was first in so I raised. I got cold called from right behind me. No one else called and we took the flop off heads up. Flop came 10,8,3 no suits. I bet out as I wanted to see where I was. I got called. Turn came a J, now I have the open ender. I was pretty sure I was beat at this point but the guy behind me had shown no aggression yet so maybe he had a small pair I could chase out. I bet, and he raised me, ok now I know I am behind, but let's gamble heads up with two over cards and an open ender. River an A, perfect. I bet out as I am not sure if he will bet with that card, not only did he bet but raised me, I three bet it, and he capped it. Crap, I thought, all that work and we had the same hand. Not so fast, I rolled over my nut straight and he showed me pocket AA's. How unlucky was that guy, I was just about drawing dead and got there. That is why you should slow play AA's before the flop very carefully. Granted he had me dead to rights, and the slow play would have worked perfectly except that he would not have gotten a call on the river if I missed, but he definitely would have made more money played that way than not. He just got unlucky, it happens, that's poker. A three bet before the flop and a bet on the flop and I am gone. He wins my $60, instead he looses $280. Cool for me. I get my money back plus a profit of $121 for the night and I head home.

All in all a pretty good waste of a good night to play cards. O well you can't always get in the game you want. I also will not be playing this Tuesday as I have to travel for work this week. So I guess I will update you all next week. Have a winning week, later..SJ