Cross country road trip report (longest trip and report ever?)

[JTG51]

I packed up the car and left Connecticut heading for Southern California Monday morning, planning to stop for poker in several places along the way.

Tuesday 6/15: Ameristar Casino - St Charles, MO

I hit the St Louis area and Ameristar Casino in the afternoon and headed right to the poker room. The room has 12 or 13 tables but only 5 or 6 were being used. They have a big jump from 5/10 to 15/30 with a kill, so I put my name on the 3/6 and 5/10 lists.

I got called for 3/6 quickly. I didn't win a hand, and hardly played one, in the hour it took me to get called for the 5/10 game. The first hour there was more of the same. Finally I broke through when I flopped a straight draw, bet the flop and turn, then hit it on the river and got paid off. In the next hour I won a couple of small pots when a fun hand came up.

A very loose player limped from EP. I raised from MP with red eights and got cold called by a LP player. Both blinds called and we saw an A 6 5 flop with two diamonds five handed.

EP bet, which from what I'd seen in the last few hours probably meant a draw, and I raised. It was folded to the BB who 3-bet. EP and I called. The turn was a black 7. EP and I called again. The river was an off suit 4 making my straight. BB bet, EP called, I raised, and they both paid me off. BB showed A6 for a flopped two pair and EP showed 74 for a straight draw that ended up as two pair. I put three bets in on the flop drawing to a runner, runner straight. Nice. Running good is fun.

That hand got me unstuck, I was getting tired and hungry, and my big blind was coming up, so I decided it was a good time to quit. I headed to the Falcon Diner to get something to eat. I ordered the char grilled chicken club sandwich. It wasn't charred or grilled, and I'm pretty sure it made me sick, but it tasted good.

Thursday 6/17: Sandia Casino - Albuquerque, NM

Sandia's poker room is about the same size as Ameristar's, but had a much more comfortable feel. I got on the lists for a low limit Omaha/8 and 4/8 and 10/20 hold'em with a kill. I got into the Omaha game right away. New players don't have to post in low limit games here, so I took a hand right away in MP. I got dealt AA24 with a flush draw and raised a few limpers. I flopped the nut low and nut flush draws but missed both and check folded on the river. Before I got dealt a second hand I got called for and move to the 4/8 hold'em game.

I had a feeling this was going to be a good game when I saw a woman at the table with 600 $1 chips in front of her. It didn't disappoint. There were several 200 chip pots in the hour and a half that I played. Unfortunately I didn't win a hand and moved to the 10/20 game stuck quite a bit (for a 4/8 game).

I got off to a good start there when I 3-bet a button open raiser in my first SB with A8s and he folded before the flop. Two hands later the same player open raised and I 3-bet with QQ. He called and we saw a 622 flop heads up. He check raised and 4-bet. I just called still not sure if I was going to raise the turn or not. He made the decision easy by check calling me on the turn and river, and my hand was good.

I stayed for a few more hours, winning a big pot with a flush and several more small pots, then quit for dinner with a nice win for the day. The players and the dealer all told me that Sandia's buffet sucked, so I hit the road.

Friday 6/18: Casino Arizona - Scottsdale, AZ

Casino Arizona is a funny looking place. From both the outside and inside it looks like a circus big top tent, but it was my favorite stop on the trip. They have 40 something tables with a good selection of games up to 20/40, and the dealers were all tremendous. I got on the lists for the 6/12 and 10/20 kill games shortly after lunchtime.

I got into the 6/12 game first, and in keeping with my routine for the trip got stuck before getting called for 10/20. Once again though, I timed my good run for when I moved to the bigger game. The game started slowly. There were two dealers in the game, both playing very tight. In fact, one of them open raised from the button and folded to my SB 3-bet, just like a the Sandia player did. I'm not sure that I've ever seen that happen at Foxwoods.

Anyway, the game picked up quickly when an older guy named Alan joined. He was wearing super dark ski goggles, which really lightened the mood at the table. It also helped that he won 4 kill pots in a row, putting half of the table on tilt in the process. Soon after I benefited when I got to say one of my favorite phrases in poker, "I have Kings again", as I took down my third big pot in 10 hands with KK. I played a few more hours and quit for dinner with a nice win.

I ate in the Blue Coyote Sports Bar, which was very good. After dinner I wanted to play some more, but also wanted to watch the Yankees/Dodgers game. There was a seat open in a 1-4 stud game facing the big screen TV with the game on, so I decided it was time for me to play stud in the casino for the first time ever (I've played maybe 10 hours in a home game and 20 hours online). It ended up being a good decision as I made three flushes, two full houses, and trips a few times. The game had a $1 ante, which made for good action and I quit up $180 in 2 hours. I think I'm going to become a professional 1-4 stud player.

Saturday 6/19: Laughlin, NV

I hadn't planned to stop in Laughlin, but I wasn't supposed to arrive in CA until late Saturday night so I made the detour. Laughlin is a nice place, with most of the casinos being on the Colorado River, but the poker isn't very good. The biggest game in town is 10/20 hold'em at the Colorado Belle, and that game only goes on Saturday. I ran well for a few hours in that game and quit for an early dinner. I had a couple of more hours to kill so I went to the River Palms.

They were only spreading 2-6 hold'em and 1-5 stud, so I put my name on both lists. I got called for 2-6 hold'em and was unhappy to see that there was a single $2 blind. I played for just a few minutes before I got called for stud. Given my career $90/hour win rate in casino stud games, I jumped at the game. This game had no ante, and I was the youngest player by at least 45 years. As you might guess, there wasn't a lot of action. The bring in won the first two hands and I moved back to the hold'em game.

I decided to play every hand that I could without throwing up. Since there were virtually no preflop raises in this game, my starting hand requirements ended up being close to any two cards that could flop two pair or better. I won a nice pot with 86o in LP when I flopped a full house and got paid off by a player that called my turn raise and river bets with AQ unimproved. A couple of hands later I flopped a straight draw with 56o, bet the flop, got called in 4 or 5 places then won with runner, runner trips.

After an hour it was time to hit the road. One player must have noticed my somewhat loose preflop standards because as I was racking up he said, "Don't leave now, we're just having fun. Come on, sit down and play for a while more, what's the big rush to leave?"



Overall it was a great trip. Lots of fun and lots of running good. I can't wait for trips to the CA card rooms in the weeks and months to come.

[BottlesOf]

Nice report. Good luck JTG, don't be a stranger.

[mike l.]

"my starting hand requirements ended up being close to any two cards that could flop two pair or better. I won a nice pot with 86o in LP when I flopped a full house and got paid off by a player that called my turn raise and river bets with AQ unimproved. A couple of hands later I flopped a straight draw with 56o, bet the flop, got called in 4 or 5 places then won with runner, runner trips."

you play great. in fact, this is exactly how i play all the time. you should move up in limits.

[Joe Tall]

my starting hand requirements ended up being close to any two cards that could flop two pair or better.

Nice choice, was this a spread limit game where you can make all those bets on later street I presume?

CU in Cali next time I'm out there.

Peace,
Joe Tall

[JTG51]

...was this a spread limit game...

Yes, 2-6 spread limit.

[JTG51]

in fact, this is exactly how i play all the time.

I've been studying your posts.

Hopefully I'll get to see the real thing in action soon.

[JoeU]

Great trip report.

Aren't you glad I didn't start the "JTG Trip Across America Progress" thread! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

You have to come home soon, I'm crushing the home game now that you're gone.

Joe