risen
08-18-2003, 08:34 PM
(Cross post from B&M)
My plan for this trip was to put in my first profitable sessions at 4/8 and try to apply what I've learned here on 2+2 and various other websites to my advantage. I also intended on taking notes at the table to try and comment on my play and opponents real time, and take down some hands for posting here, but that lasted for a grand total of 5 minutes, the game moves a little too fast for that.
1. Tropicana 4/8 (8/10 11:30 AM)
The Trop is the only B&M room I've ever played poker in previously, and there was a seat open at 4/8 immediately so I was able to start play with no hassles. Very loose table, with 6-7 players seeing every flop. However it was completely dead and after 2 hours, I racked up bored out of my mind and up $5. Not the best start, but I am encouraged, at least I have all of my money.
2. Taj Mahal 3/6, 5/10 (8/10 4:00 PM)
After getting settled in my room, I decide to take a walk to the Taj Mahal to check out the poker there. That is a loooong walk, and after waiting 15 minutes for a Taj Card I reach the poker room to find ... no 4/8. I didn't realize that the casinos all spread different limits of Hold Em after 1/2. Left with a choice between an open seat at 3/6 and a waiting list at 5/10 I take the 3/6. Bad move, welcome back to the land of No Fold Em, 10 players see every flop unless I fold, and after getting top set cracked by 2 4 off pulling a straight on the river, I rack up down $30 in 30 minutes and get on the 5/10 list. A much more civilized game, but still very soft, unfortunately between it being a must move and the satellites running it's hard to keep a full table for long. But I do well over the next 2 hours and end the session up $45 overall. Almost invest it in a Limit Hold Em Satellite, but decide against it. Some observations on the Taj poker room. Wow the thing is huge, and hard to miss, but damn it is bright in there. The Donald should have found somewhere else to store his chandelier collection. All that light really shows the wear on the facilities in there, I wouldn't exactly say it's dirty in there, but the tables, chairs, chips, and waitresses have all been in service a bit too long. However the Floorpersons were very attentive and helpful, I like the clock in/out system of tracking play over the Trop's random "hourly" scans, and after moving from the 3/6 to the 5/10 someone promptly whisked away my white chips and replaced them with reds. I do have a beef wtih the limits offered at the Taj though, when the Small Blind is more than half of the Big Blind, it almost forces you to complete in an unraised hand. After a long walk back to the Trop i decide to make my donation to the Casino's stockholders at the table games rather than play any more poker.
3. Borgata 6/12 (8/11 1:00 PM)
Wow. This place is beautiful, after a painless 5 minute wait to get a Borgata card, I set off in search of the Poker Room. 20 minutes later, I'm still impressed with everything I've seen but a little peeved when I come across the escalator down to the poker room. Wow, again. This is what I thought a poker room would look like before I ever stepped foot in one, leather everywhere, plasma TV's, computerized wait list, scantily clad waitresses, even a useless Live Odds board on the wall, make this the place to play as far as comfort is concerned. No 4/8 or 5/10 games are on the list (Is this how the casino's differentiate their poker rooms?) but after a quick bankroll check I decide 6/12 is in my range. I was 9th on the Interest List and a new table was opened within 5 minutes. The game was an excellent mix of local regulars and newbie fish and the time flew by. I get off cheap when I'm blindsided by a fish with a full house but only $18 on the table and a stack of hundreds in his pocket. He learned an important poker lesson the hard way, and slowly donated those hundreds to the table over the rest of his session, and though I left the game only $10 richer after a 4 hour session, I was happy. The Borgata is hands down the best poker room in the area and will get the majority of my business from here on out. When I returned to NY I called the Trop for a poker room rate for 8/31 and was told there was a waiting list for every day through the end of December. Secured a $100 poker room at the Borgata with no hassles in a matter of minutes. It's a beautiful thing.
4. Tropicana 7.50/15 (8/11 11:00 PM)
Well I've been sort of unintentionally moving up in limits every time I sit down, so I sign up on the 7.50/15 list on a lark at 9 PM. Since I'm 8th on the list I go gamble some more and forget about it, but when I pop back into the poker room at 11, I'm next in line and 15 minutes later I'm in the infamous Pink Chip game. What a mess. These $2.50 chips are everywhere (And sort of unneccesary, next time I'll just get a rack of Reds and a rack of Pink) And the game is as wild and crazy as they say. The hand after I sit down while waiting for the blinds, A Royal Flush takes the pot (A $10 camera is the prize awarded from the wheel for the hand). But for all the colorful trash talking at the table, some really solid poker is being played and I'm loving it. I'm a little offput by the way it seems that everyone at the table knows each other, but I hold my own, Loosen up my play a little, have the most fun I've ever had at a poker table and by the time the game breaks around 4 AM I'm up a rack and a stack of Pink Chips. Not shabby. I'm sure being an unknown at the table increased my profit. And having a 2 hour table conversation about the merits of Crack vs. Cigarettes was almost more fun than winning $300.
So my poker vacation to Atlantic City was certainly enlightening to me, Even though such short sessions prove nothing about my skill level, I learned some quick and important lessons about the differences between low and mid limit hold em, Found a new favorite place to play, and gained the confidence to take my game to the next level. At least I can be sure that I'm not the dead money wherever I sit down. I'll be back in town Labor Day weekend at the Borgata, probably sticking to 6/12 but I might take a stab at 10/20 if it's available.
I wonder if I came across any 2+2ers on my travels, I'm 6'1 and African American with close cropped blonde hair (Not too hard to pick out floating around AC) If so, I'd appreciate any comments or critiques of my play, and I look forward to seeing you next time out.
My plan for this trip was to put in my first profitable sessions at 4/8 and try to apply what I've learned here on 2+2 and various other websites to my advantage. I also intended on taking notes at the table to try and comment on my play and opponents real time, and take down some hands for posting here, but that lasted for a grand total of 5 minutes, the game moves a little too fast for that.
1. Tropicana 4/8 (8/10 11:30 AM)
The Trop is the only B&M room I've ever played poker in previously, and there was a seat open at 4/8 immediately so I was able to start play with no hassles. Very loose table, with 6-7 players seeing every flop. However it was completely dead and after 2 hours, I racked up bored out of my mind and up $5. Not the best start, but I am encouraged, at least I have all of my money.
2. Taj Mahal 3/6, 5/10 (8/10 4:00 PM)
After getting settled in my room, I decide to take a walk to the Taj Mahal to check out the poker there. That is a loooong walk, and after waiting 15 minutes for a Taj Card I reach the poker room to find ... no 4/8. I didn't realize that the casinos all spread different limits of Hold Em after 1/2. Left with a choice between an open seat at 3/6 and a waiting list at 5/10 I take the 3/6. Bad move, welcome back to the land of No Fold Em, 10 players see every flop unless I fold, and after getting top set cracked by 2 4 off pulling a straight on the river, I rack up down $30 in 30 minutes and get on the 5/10 list. A much more civilized game, but still very soft, unfortunately between it being a must move and the satellites running it's hard to keep a full table for long. But I do well over the next 2 hours and end the session up $45 overall. Almost invest it in a Limit Hold Em Satellite, but decide against it. Some observations on the Taj poker room. Wow the thing is huge, and hard to miss, but damn it is bright in there. The Donald should have found somewhere else to store his chandelier collection. All that light really shows the wear on the facilities in there, I wouldn't exactly say it's dirty in there, but the tables, chairs, chips, and waitresses have all been in service a bit too long. However the Floorpersons were very attentive and helpful, I like the clock in/out system of tracking play over the Trop's random "hourly" scans, and after moving from the 3/6 to the 5/10 someone promptly whisked away my white chips and replaced them with reds. I do have a beef wtih the limits offered at the Taj though, when the Small Blind is more than half of the Big Blind, it almost forces you to complete in an unraised hand. After a long walk back to the Trop i decide to make my donation to the Casino's stockholders at the table games rather than play any more poker.
3. Borgata 6/12 (8/11 1:00 PM)
Wow. This place is beautiful, after a painless 5 minute wait to get a Borgata card, I set off in search of the Poker Room. 20 minutes later, I'm still impressed with everything I've seen but a little peeved when I come across the escalator down to the poker room. Wow, again. This is what I thought a poker room would look like before I ever stepped foot in one, leather everywhere, plasma TV's, computerized wait list, scantily clad waitresses, even a useless Live Odds board on the wall, make this the place to play as far as comfort is concerned. No 4/8 or 5/10 games are on the list (Is this how the casino's differentiate their poker rooms?) but after a quick bankroll check I decide 6/12 is in my range. I was 9th on the Interest List and a new table was opened within 5 minutes. The game was an excellent mix of local regulars and newbie fish and the time flew by. I get off cheap when I'm blindsided by a fish with a full house but only $18 on the table and a stack of hundreds in his pocket. He learned an important poker lesson the hard way, and slowly donated those hundreds to the table over the rest of his session, and though I left the game only $10 richer after a 4 hour session, I was happy. The Borgata is hands down the best poker room in the area and will get the majority of my business from here on out. When I returned to NY I called the Trop for a poker room rate for 8/31 and was told there was a waiting list for every day through the end of December. Secured a $100 poker room at the Borgata with no hassles in a matter of minutes. It's a beautiful thing.
4. Tropicana 7.50/15 (8/11 11:00 PM)
Well I've been sort of unintentionally moving up in limits every time I sit down, so I sign up on the 7.50/15 list on a lark at 9 PM. Since I'm 8th on the list I go gamble some more and forget about it, but when I pop back into the poker room at 11, I'm next in line and 15 minutes later I'm in the infamous Pink Chip game. What a mess. These $2.50 chips are everywhere (And sort of unneccesary, next time I'll just get a rack of Reds and a rack of Pink) And the game is as wild and crazy as they say. The hand after I sit down while waiting for the blinds, A Royal Flush takes the pot (A $10 camera is the prize awarded from the wheel for the hand). But for all the colorful trash talking at the table, some really solid poker is being played and I'm loving it. I'm a little offput by the way it seems that everyone at the table knows each other, but I hold my own, Loosen up my play a little, have the most fun I've ever had at a poker table and by the time the game breaks around 4 AM I'm up a rack and a stack of Pink Chips. Not shabby. I'm sure being an unknown at the table increased my profit. And having a 2 hour table conversation about the merits of Crack vs. Cigarettes was almost more fun than winning $300.
So my poker vacation to Atlantic City was certainly enlightening to me, Even though such short sessions prove nothing about my skill level, I learned some quick and important lessons about the differences between low and mid limit hold em, Found a new favorite place to play, and gained the confidence to take my game to the next level. At least I can be sure that I'm not the dead money wherever I sit down. I'll be back in town Labor Day weekend at the Borgata, probably sticking to 6/12 but I might take a stab at 10/20 if it's available.
I wonder if I came across any 2+2ers on my travels, I'm 6'1 and African American with close cropped blonde hair (Not too hard to pick out floating around AC) If so, I'd appreciate any comments or critiques of my play, and I look forward to seeing you next time out.