Dukie Does Muckleshoot (Long)

[El Dukie]

I don't normally do trip reports, but I often enjoy reading other poster's, so I figured I'd write this one up....

I had a business meeting in Seattle Wednesday morning, so I caught a plane out of LAX Tuesday afternoon, landed at Sea-Tac around 3:30, and made it down to Muckleshoot around 5:30. First impressions of the room: It was bigger than I expected, but kind of dark & dingy. Probably because I'm used to Commerce & The Bike. The staff was very friendly, however, as were most of the players. (This also seemed atypical, probably because I'm used to Commerce & The Bike. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]) Smoking was the one major gripe I had, though most of the players were considerate enough to sit back from the table to do it. I got a mushroom cheeseburger off the player menu. Quite tasty, especially in comparison to Hollywood Park or Commerce. Overall, I would rate Muckleshoot as the 2nd-best Indian Casino poker room I've played at (behind only Sandia in Albuquerque, and the food was better than Sandia), though I haven't played at all that many....

They were running a NL tournament starting at 7:15, so they had a pretty long list for most games. Players were waiting for the tournament to start. There were several 4-8 tables going, two 10-20, one 20-40, and one 30-60. I got on the board for everything up to 20-40 (not enough $$ for 30-60). It only took about 20 minutes for a 4-8 seat to open up, and I sat down for around 1/2 hour of 4-8. Typical low-limit fun. I won exactly one hand with K3s in late position after several limpers, betting the river with Kings and Treys and taking it down unopposed.

Right about then I got called to a 10-20 seat, so I moved over and settled in to a nice, loose table. There was one LAG named Dick, who was very friendly and talked a great deal about his adventures at the WSOP. Maybe it was an act, maybe he was just having fun, but he played lots of trash hands and went too far with them. (Though, in his defense, he was getting a lot of extra action on his good hands, too.) I didn't really get much to play, but managed to pick up some small pots with AQs, and I picked off a bluff (made by a nice, fishy gent) with 88. The best hand I played was 87s in the blind, which flopped two pair and filled up on the turn when the case 7 hit. (I say "case 7" since, on the river, I was able to make it three bets against the fishy gent who had the other 7.) At this point, it was 7:15, and due to some poor game management on the part of the floor staff, my table broke for the tournament. They had allowed two players from my table to make table changes to the other 10-20 game when we were already short, and the game broke. I was fortunate enough to draw a seat at the other table, so I was able to move over without much of an interruption.

I was up around 9BB in my first hour of 10-20. I moved over to the 6 seat at the other table, with the two best players (ahem, apart from myself, of course [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]) at the table in seats 7 & 8. Jason and Bernie. Bernie A. NOT 2+2er Bernie S. When I heard one of the other players refer to him as "Bernie," I asked, "You're not Bernie S., are you?" I explained to Bernie that I was looking for Bernie if he was there. Bernie told me that Bernie had been playing at the 20-40 earlier, but he wasn't there now. I told Bernie that if he saw Bernie, Bernie should tell Bernie that I wanted to say "hi" to Bernie. Bernie promised that if Bernie walked by, he'd tell Bernie that I was looking for Bernie. Right about then, the floor called to announce that there was an open seat for Bernie J. I don't know what's up with those Muckleshootians, but I was really confused. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] Once things were clear, I settled in for some poker.

Turns out I should have headed back to the hotel. I proceeded to catch an apparently never-ending series of T4o, J3o, 63o, Q8o, etc. The game was good, but the cards weren't cooperating. I was able to get a pretty good read on most of the opposition, simply by virtue of never being involved in a hand and having nothing else to do. Jason and Bernie were both a little loose preflop, but played pretty well postflop. Seat 9, a fairly pleasant Asian gent in his 30s was the most aggressive player. Seat 1 was a complete calling station. Seat 2 was a dealer who was falling asleep at the table and kept making short buy-ins. Seat 3 was a weak-tight ABC player, but was catching some cards. Seat 4 was a younger Asian man who played fairly aggressively, but made some odd bluffs in strange situations. Seat 5 was a fish. Nice guy, but a fish. (I made most of my profits off seats 2, 3, and 5. Seat 1 kept drawing out on me, or I'd have had her money, too.) I played mostly my blind hands when I'd get a free look, and on those occasions, I kept making 2nd-best hands. I lost with trips. I drew to a flush with 67s, hit it, and lost to 34s. (On a board of 5s 2s 7 As 7. Str8 Flush. The only good news is that my flush was low enough that I only called his river raise, and didn't 3-bet.) I did make a couple of mistakes, once with JTs (Which has been hashed over extensively on the Mid-limit forum), and once with A2s when I made trip deuces and should have realized that the calling station's raise meant that she had filled up. (At some point they called me for the 20-40. Since I was convinced (probably foolishly) that I was a strong favorite in the 10-20 game, and had invested some time in figuring out the table, I declined to move up. (I was also tired and stuck, which is usually not a good indicator that you're ready to play your "A" game at a higher limit.) Turned out to be a wise move, since the only 20-40 table broke about 15 minutes later.)

So, around 10:30, I'm stuck. But not tilting. Something about not letting it get to you must appeal to the poker gods, because I finally started to catch some cards and pull off a few plays. It began modestly, with 88 winning a small pot. Then AK flopped a K and took down a bigger pot. Then 55 flopped a set. Then I picked up AA. And it held up. (Heads-up, and Mr. Weak-tight ABC folded the river, so not a big pot. But it won.) I got a free look in the BB with 64o. The flop was 447. I check-raised the flop, bet out on the turn when a 6 hit, reraised the Button when he raised me, and got him to pay me off on the river (he showed 45s, so I even had him outkicked).

I was about back to even at this point, and it was nearing midnight. I had to be up at 7:00 for a 9:00 meeting. Almost time to go. Seat 5 had left about an hour earlier, and was replaced by another young guy, who'd been playing pretty tight and folding a lot. He started joking that he was going to defend his BB next hand no matter what. Cards coming... Let's see, I've got AQ. UTG. I ask, "You're going to defend?" He says, "Yes." I say, "Raise!" I caught a Queen on the flop and won a decent pot, which put me back in the black for the night. So right at the stroke of midnight, right as the blind gets to me, I wish everyone good luck and rack up to leave. I wound up winning around 7BB for 6 hours of play, so not a great night -- but not a bad night, either. I mostly played straightforward, solid poker, and that got the job done against my relatively passive opponents. The games were definitely nowhere near as aggressive as the games in SoCal, and that tends to help. I never did see Bernie S. though. The players and staff were friendly, the game was good, overall a pleasant experience. Though the 6 a.m. wake-up call that I hadn't asked for back at the hotel really annoyed me.... [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

[bernie]

Sorry i missed ya dude. I think i left about the time you got there that day. Bernie A is a cool guy. He just won a bad beat JP for $14k. He was tired of everyone coming up to him prior asking if he was the one who won the 'big' one. I told him if there was potential to get laid, say yes. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Bernie J is new to the 'bernie' club. I haven't met him yet, but i've seen his name on the board.

Glad you had a good time there. Dick is great to have in a game. He usually goes into the 20-40. Great action.

Slavic has been back in the house a little lately also.

Hope ya swing by again sometime.

b

[slavic]

Hope ya swing by again sometime.

forget that we need an LA road trip.

[Sponger15SB]

[ QUOTE ]
Sorry i missed ya dude. I think i left about the time you got there that day. Bernie A is a cool guy. He just won a bad beat JP for $14k.

[/ QUOTE ]

now bernie A won a bad beat jack pot??? what is going on up there?

I am changing my name to Bernie and moving up to Seattle.

...
Reminds me of the time there were 2 other "Andy B's" when I went to sycuan, and they just happened to put their name on like 5 boards, so every 15 minutes I heard my name called for a different game.

[El Dukie]

Yeah, Bernie A. seemed like a decent sort. While I was sitting there he won another $700 in one of the hourly drawings they were holding. Not a bad night for him.

Dick was also a lot of fun, good for the game, and likewise seemed a decent sort. I didn't really encounter any angry/surly players. Quite the change from the usual SoCal table. (We have lots of angry/surly players down here. Must be the sunshine or dry air. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])

If you and Slavic are headed down this way sometime, let us know....

[Lawrence Ng]

Great Trip Report...

I miss the Muckleshoot. The food there is awesome, the dealers are great, the management runs it well, and I love the 20-40 game. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Road trip in October for me!!!