Sunday 31 March 2013

Twas the night before Easter

I felt much more calm and focused after watching the Tommy Angelo video. That, combined with feeling centered about my game while playing online, made me decide to head to the casino today. I really wanted to know if I could play my best before I get to Las Vegas tomorrow - I've never played poker there and I decided I'd rather blow some money here if my tilt play attacked again and then just be in Vegas for a mad (non-poker) holiday.

The first substantive hand I was involved in I mis-played AK: too soft p/f and ended losing 85 of my 300 stack. (Max buy-in for $2/5 here is $300) Played a few more hands, took small pots - up to 280 when I got AA. Played it excellently to get all the chips in on the turn heads up (7s4hJs Qd), river Qc and I lose to Qs9c. NH. I told the dealer to lock my seat and went out for a breather.

I did a tilt-check: all my mind was focused on was how I wanted to be in that spot again and again with seat 9. And a couple of other good reasons for being at the table: there were three other players overvaluing their hands besides seat 9 and all were willing and had done full re-buys and this kind of table was exactly what had led me to good sessions before my tilt-capade. So I got $300 more out of the machine. Yes, I know casino machines charge an arm and a leg and your firstborn but I thought the worst poker decision would be to leave.

The table broke after another hour or so of me not doing much and I sat at a table that looked just as good - except for one reg I'd seen before, quite the table captain with a loud voice and an opinion on every hand, lots of gold jewelry to go with his manicure, but he's not rude or bad-tempered by any means. He's actually quite a good player and a great reader of other players' hands. He's occasionally caught out by a fish making one of those bizarre winning hands, or folding to what seems to have to be a superior hand, but he doesn't berate them so I can live with him.

Tonight he had K4 on a 4d4cQd10s10d board and folded to a monster re-raise only to find the winning fish proudly showing his Ad6d. Fish had nearly folded on the flop, and actually play was stopped for a minute while players discussed it with dealer, but it fairly was decided since he hadn't released his cards, he was indeed allowed to re-check them like he wanted to and call the big re-raise he was facing. Table captain was (obv) one of the players asserting that since fish hadn't released his cards, they were live. Table captain did tank quite a while before his fold on the river but couldn't figure what he was beating. He never thought the fish was quite that much of a trout to be certain his flush was the nuts (and neither did the rest of us).

Anyway, that dynamic aside, my first real pot after a few limpers I raised to $35 w/ AcJc in LP, got two callers, saw Js 5c 7h, pot is ~$120 and I get donk-bet into by a reg for $75. He's a laggy older Asian player (always frowning but doesn't say much) - I tanked for a bit: He could have a set, 2pair, a worse Ace - really I'd seen everything with this guy, and especially that he likes to bet people off their hands. I figured I couldn't do anything but shove/fold with my stack. (sat with something >$300 after last broken table) I shoved. He called. J hits turn (Table Captain looks at me and says: you've got it now) river 10. Frown turns over 5d7c. Bit of an iffy way for me to double up, but I'll take it!

After that I continued to sit up and breathe and play well and also get lucky. Stacked a really nice old gent (about 80yrs old) who played quite well mostly but got too tricky with KK: I was in CO w/Qd10d, pot limped around entire table to SB who raised to $35 (into pot of ~$37 after rake), the bet was called in all but one spot so I called too and my gent on the button flatted with his K's as well. Flop came Qx10x6x, ck ck ck ck... to me. I bet out, old gent raises, I Re, he shoves and we're all in and I finish with a house to his KK. Felt kind've bad that it was him over anyone else because we'd been chatting along happily, but mostly I felt great of course.

I went on a good heater and ended well up.

Session stats:

Duration: 6:16
Buy-In: $600.
Cash-out: $1,435.
+$835.

Overall:

P/L: +$3,340.
$/hour: $15.39
Hours: 217

My heater was of the nature that a player I recognized (as a person I didn't much like tbh, obnoxious with a 'poker' baseball cap on) kept saying to the rest of the table: "You guys have sh** for brains when you keep playing with seat 6 in the hand! hahaha!" and the like.

It annoyed me even a bit after I left, but then I realized a guy like that was perfect - if he's so convinced of poker voodoo then he's someone I should play with again.

Anyway, playing well and spotting when I wasn't playing well and adjusting etc. leaves me feeling relaxed about Vegas tomorrow - but still on guard against the tilt-capade. I guess I'm also looking forward to seeing what celebrations Las Vegas creates for Easter LOL!

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