Casino Virgin hits Harrah's 3/6 - Small Trip Report

Chief911 · #1 05-31-2004, 11:46 AM

Hey all,

Well, I've started playing more low limit hold'em (2/4), and decided it was finally time to head over to good old Council Bulffs new card room, and see what it was like. This would be my first trip to a casino, as I only started playing Hold'em earlier this year. It was also a move up for me in limits, going from 2/4 that I'm used to, up to 3/6 which is the smallest game they have there.

So I get there, and my friend had put me on the list already, and I only had to wait about 10 minutes, and bingo. I sit down, cash my $100, and away we go. Then I waited. And waited.....waited. Just getting nothing. At the same time, the table had gone fully on tilt, with a pokerknowitall blindly raising pots several times, and several other people full on tilt to try to take a hand from him.

This was all I had imagined a casino. Easy money with 6 people seeing most flops for 1 or 2 bets. But as time went on, I lost the few hands I went to showdowns on, and three hours in I'm down amost $200. It was painful. I felt as if I was better than 7 of the other 8 players at the table.

Then things changed. From hour 4 to 6, the deck caught up with me. Hit a nut flush, a straight, and both were paid off to the river by several people.

Then this hand came up, which I would love opinions on. As a sidenote, this hand came up with me finally up around $50, and I had promised myself I would only play with that $50, and leave break even at the worst.

I'm dealt A [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and Q [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] one behind the button. 6 people pay to see the flop in front of me, and I raise to 6$. 5 people stay in.

Flop was K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and 7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I called a single bet to chase my flush a bit, and all 5 people see the turn - 10 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Woohoo. I just made my nut flush on a non-paired board. I raise a bet, and we're down to 3. River is a rag. 1 bet to me from the person utg+2, and I raise, knocking out everyone else that had called his first raise. At this point, we get into a raising battle, as there is no raise cap on the river headsup. After about 6 bets on the river, I've used up all my $50, and would have to dip into my $300 that I had worked so hard to get back.

I then also consider the possibility that he has the straight flush (J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]) to beat me. So I simply call after 6 bets/reraises.

He shows K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and 7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]! Seriously? I about fell over. How many of you would continue to bet that thing until he stopped or you were out of money?

Anyhow, was fun to play some live 3/6, and get my feet wet at the casino. Hope ya'll weren't bored to tears.

Nick

adanthar · #2 05-31-2004, 12:24 PM

Congrats [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img][ QUOTE ]
Flop was K [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Q [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and 7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. I called a single bet to chase my flush a bit, and all 5 people see the turn - 10 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Woohoo. I just made my nut flush on a non-paired board. I raise a bet, and we're down to 3. River is a rag. 1 bet to me from the person utg+2, and I raise, knocking out everyone else that had called his first raise. At this point, we get into a raising battle, as there is no raise cap on the river headsup. After about 6 bets on the river, I've used up all my $50, and would have to dip into my $300 that I had worked so hard to get back.

I then also consider the possibility that he has the straight flush (J [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and 9 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]) to beat me. So I simply call after 6 bets/reraises.

[/ QUOTE ]First off, you should be raising for value on the flop. If you count diamonds, A's, and Q's as outs, you've around a 33% stake in the pot with 5 people in. That's an easy raise (plus you can take the free card on the turn if they check.)

On the river, unless it turned out to be a misdeal because there were 2 7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]'s in the deck...I don't know. I think I'd want to see his play and how confident he was. Online without a cap, I wouldn't stop till the amount of bets hit double digits.

Again, nice hand/congrats [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Chief911 · #3 05-31-2004, 01:03 PM

Hmm. Maybe it was a 6 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] on the board. Thanks for the advice on the flop.

Nick

ThePopinjay · #4 05-31-2004, 06:04 PM

[ QUOTE ]
you've around a 33% stake in the pot with 5 people in. That's an easy raise

[/ QUOTE ]

Hm how does that work? See if your stake in the pot is > than 1/# of people in? Do you include yourself in that final # of people in?

cosmo kramer · #5 05-31-2004, 06:36 PM

[ QUOTE ]
As a sidenote, this hand came up with me finally up around $50, and I had promised myself I would only play with that $50, and leave break even at the worst.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is a bad idea.

[ QUOTE ]
He shows K [img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] and 7 [img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]!

[/ QUOTE ]

This is why. Can't play with scared money, it's that simple.

As for the hand, raise the flop.

Chief911 · #6 05-31-2004, 09:56 PM

While I agree, its not a good iddea to play with scared money, I simply was not willing to go below that. Plain and simple.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Nick

LetsRock · #7 06-01-2004, 10:29 AM

Gald you had a good first trip to live play. A rough session can really mess with your confidence.

I've had A high flushes smoked too many times by SFs to not consider the possibility that it's there after a couple of raises. I think your decision to stop raising because of your BR was a bad one, but to stop raising because of a possible SF is very reasonable. I've had this happen 5 or 6 times and it really sucks. It's hard to imagins what would make a player keep raising like he did - like you're gonna lay down after 3 or 4 raises? Amazing. But I've seen this too.
Regarding your BR decision, it's better that you just decide to quit at $50 up then to quit when you get back down to even. This choice may very well have cost you a lot of money (if you were sure he didn't have SF) and it means you are paying too much attention to your stack and not to your play. When it's time to go, it's time to go - your stack should not be the deciding factor.