1/2 NL @ Tropicana - so fishy that I can still smell it (long)

[peapod718]

I usually play the 1/2 NL at the Taj, but wanted to give the Tropicana a try for a change. Got there around 9 pm on Sat. I was prepared to wait quite a while for a table - which is the norm at the Taj at this time of night. Much to my surprise, there was no board and I was the only one on the list. I got seated within 5 minutes. In fact, they called my name while I was waiting on line to buy chips at the cage.

Place kinda reminds me of FW's poker room, w/ the dark mahogany wall panels, but much nicer in most respects.

The games were great, so many fishes and will definitely return soon - the one particular hand was great ...

I was big blind with 75o. There were three other limpers who called. Rainbow flop comes k75. Three of us checked around to drunk crocket-sunny miami vice look alike (white blazer w/ - I kid you not - a pastel blue undershirt) who bets out $25. Two folded to me and I raised it to $50. The guy stared me down for a few seconds and called.

Turn is a 7, giving me a full house.

I check, fully expecting him to bet out, which he did. He made it $50 and I raised to $100. He stared me down again saying "you don't look like a guy who would limp in with k7 off suit, would you?" I replied "I would if I knew you were holding k5" and smirked.

Anyway, he thought about it for a minute and rather than just calling my raise, he pushed "all in". I pretended to be in shock and deep thought, thinking out loud the possible hands he could have and announced loud enough that he probably had me beat because he had the "top set" (trip k), which meant to him and the rest of the table that I had a set of 7's - "but you know, I gotta make this call in case I'm wrong" and I pushed in my stack (I had him covered by about $50).

Neither of us turned over our cards after the all in and the river was a blank. Before I turned my cards over, I asked if he had three kings and he said no but he said "I got kings's up" and turned over k5. He asked me if I had a set and I said "no, unless you count a boat as a set" and flipped my 75. The table went "oohhhh".

I'll admit, the guy was cool about it and shook my hand - I thought he was going to punch me. I was up about $750 at that point and played for another few hours and slowly bled a few hundred away until my last hand of the day when I caught a gut shot straight on the turn and took a guy for about $200 making me up $600 total for the night.

Another funny moment was when a young kid sat down with the best Phil Laak (unabomber) impersonation - grey hooded sweatshirt pulled tightly over his head. After he sat down, the guy next to him said "oh, chit! It's the grim-reaper" The whole table burst into laughter. I almost felt sorry for the kid ... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Another guy was steaming because the waitress called him a douch-bag because he was obnoxious to her after she told him 5 times that they didn't serve red bull - the guy, who was obviously drunk - got so heated that he called an "all in" w/ bottom pair while muttering - "I can't believe that c*nt called me a douche-bag - screw it, I call you"

I love it!!