Winstar Report (OK/TX border)

[Black Aces 518]

Hey all, I went to the Winstar to play some poker on Wednesday and I figured I'd write up a quick report.

I normally play 3/6 live and have played 4/8 once.

They don't have 3/6, only 4/8 and 5/10 and 1/2 NL with a 100-200 range. I had 150 on me and really didn't want to hit the ATM. My bank pays back ATM surcharges, but it's a pain. Anyway, the 4/8 list was about 20 deep. Immediate available at 5/10. Gulp. Let's rock. I was uncomfortable only buying in for 150 in 5/10, I'd prefer 200 with at least 100 behind at the ready. The hilarious part is when I bought in, I covered 5 or 6 of my 8 opponents. Min buyin was 50, and plenty were doing that. Most that weren't doing 50 were doing 100.

I copied this from an email I sent to a buddy. A lot of it is just hand talk, which most of you could care less about. I'll cut and paste the part about the room itself so you can see that first: WinStar's room was nice, no smoking. A little crowded with the tables, but not bad. They have plasma TVs showing sports and they have an electronic board with the waiting list. The dealers varied from excellent to wildly incompetent. We had the worst one I've ever had, which was tilting me worse during my bad stretch. Just was completely clueless and had no control over the game. He wasn't directing the action or verbalizing. Several times I would raise, the automatons to my left would toss in their one red chip like they do every goddam hand, and 3 of them would do it, and I'd finally have to say "Uh, I raised." Another time, I called and the dealer saw my chip and the guy to my right's and announced a raise. Two people tossed in 10, so it had to stand, even though no one wanted to raise. It doesn't help that the players are completely oblivious to the world. IT'S YOUR BIG BLIND SIR. IT'S YOUR SMALL BLIND SIR. You just played the BB, you will play the SB next. Every time. Also every hand "Who bet? is there a raise? who raised?" Look at the chips, dipshit. And of course the betting 10 on the flop and 5 on the turn. Jesus Christ. Guess that's where the profit comes from, but it was eating me up for about 45 minutes there since the dealer was no help, and the cards were openly mocking me. I asked the worst one what the jackpot rules were and he didn't know. That's pathetic. They also were running a high hand JP (every two hours, the high hand for that period got $300. One poor soul made 9999A and with about 10 minutes to go got snaked by a K hi straight flush), and it was right at the start. He was saying if you have a full house show it, b/c you never know. It had KKK66 on the electronic board and I told him it's already kings full of sixes, and he said how do you know. I had to point it out to him. I've been in your place of employment for 40 fucken minutes and I know more than you. Great. The last dealer we had was fantastically professional and efficient. I told him he was great, and made sure he knew it wasn't for giving me good cards. He always kept control, was friendly, and did the little things. For example on the JT straight hand, there was a possible str8 flush. I bet the river and my opp folded. He said "you don't have to show your hand, but i just wanted to see if you had a straight flush, for the high hand". Most of the other dealers wouldn't have even known it was possible, much less thought to tell a player about it.

One of the others told me I should announce a raise after I tossed out two reds preflop. The two douchebags to my left just called, I said "I raised" and they were like "Wha? Who raised?" God pay attention. Anyway, the dealer said the players should announce a raise. Bull [censored]. I have to announce "raise" if I'm making more than one motion to put chips in, jagoff. Otherwise, you have to stretch the brain to see if two $5 chips is $5 or $10. Then, you say, "Raise, play for 10" or some derivative. I stiffed the guy the next pot I won. Never done that before (excepting miniscule pots), but he was incompetent, then blaming me for his error.

BORING HAND HISTORY AHEAD

So I come in on the button and get nothing until I find 33 UTG. Limp in, and it comes like Q-10-9. Seeya. Get 55 in the SB and have 5 opponents. Flop is 2-5-9. I check, 2 checks, bet, all call. Turn is K. I check, 2 checks, bet, call, I raise, fold, call, bettor folds, call. River is 3. I bet, get one caller who has KJ. It dawns on me that that was a $140 pot. I love 5/10.

A couple more orbits of crap and I raise KT diamonds in late position with one limper. SB calls, limper calls. One fun note, lots of people limped in, then folded to a raise. Generally bad, since the odds you are getting are almost always worth it. Love compounding a mistake with another. 3 way, it comes K-7-2 all hearts. Hmm. Chick bets, guy calls, I raise, chick calls, guy folds. Turn is 6 of not hearts. Chick checks, I bet, she calls. I deduce she doesn't have the frush, since she has not raised. Please no heart. River is 3 of not hearts. She checks, I bet, she says "Well only one card beats me" and calls. She flips Q5 of hearts. Sweet. I realize that was a $100 pot. I hate 5/10.

I then get a series of playable hands but no love. Get AK twice, and lose to 57 who makes a straight (I folded the turn), and I got heads up with 77, who check-called me all the way down on a J-T-x board, and no A, K, or Q comes (I did check behind on the river, no point to betting). 3 hands in a row I got 66, 66, 77. The first 66 I was 3 handed and it comes J-3-4 with 2 spades. Not bad. I bet, one quick caller. Turn is K. He checks, I bet, he calls. River is Q of spades. He lights up like a fricken Christmas tree, then checks. I say your flush is good, I check. He flips up A6 of spades. Sweet. Next hand is 66, I'm BB and we're 4 handed. Flop is AKT. Baha fold. Next hand I'm SB with 77, 2 limpers, I just call. It comes 2-4-6. I lead, 2 callers. Turn is A, I bet, 1 caller. River is Q, I check, he checks, and flips A7. Awesome.

I have at this point dwindled down to like 70 bucks. I'm nauseous. I raise AJ, miss badly and have to fold. I decide to pick a good hand and push it hard. I find 66 again UTG+1 and raise. Somehow, I only have one caller. It comes K-K-Q. I lead, he calls. Turn is Q. I lead, he raises. I look down, and I have $13. AWESOME. He says "You wanna just go allin now?" I flip my cards face up and say "Uh, no I don't want to go allin now." He flips his, he has Q4 offsuit. Delicious. I decide to play through my blinds, see if I win a hand, then decide if I want to reload. The table is great, but I'd need at least another 150 and I wasn't planning on dropping 3 bills at cards. Can't believe I had $270 on the table an hour ago. Did I mention I hate 5/10?

So, UTG I get KQ. Raise. 3 callers. Flop is K-7-2, two diamonds. I toss my last 3 bucks in, but am told that dollars don't play at the 5/10 table except in the blinds. AWESOME AGAIN. The flop is checked through. Turn is 9 of not diamonds. Bet, one call. River is J of diamonds. Suck me sideways. Bet, call. One guy has JQ and one has Q9. I'm good. I have like 40 bucks in front of me. In my BB I get 95 and flop 9-5-2. I win a big pot there. It was funny, there were 4 of us on the river and I bet and they all folded. In the SB I get Q4. 6 limps, so I complete. It comes Q hi and I win again. I'm up to 155 bucks, from basically 10. I spend a little more, and I am sitting right around 100 and the BB is next. It's 215 and I had decided to leave between 2 and 230. I decide to play one more orbit.

On the button I find the beautiful black kings. And I don't mean the Jackson 5. A couple of limps and the guy to my right raises. I reraise, everyone folds, and he caps. I call. Flop is J-10-4. He bets, I raise, he reraises with a slight laugh and shake of his head. I get a bad feeling. Turn is the K of hearts. Please God no AQ. He bets, I raise he calls. River is the 6 of spades, the third spade. He checks, I bet, he calls. He has AA. WHEW, what a freaking bullet to dodge. That would have been crushing to battle back, decide let's play one more, then lose KK to AA. Sucks for him, but the hell with him, am I right? I'm right.

I then make a straight with JT and win a pot with A4 hitting my A. I decide to play one more orbit. Get nothing until UTG+1 I get AK for the third time. I raise, and the chick from earlier calls. We're heads up. It comes 5-5-4. I check, she bets, i call. Turn is K (the third spade, I have the A of spades). I check, she bets, I raise, she 3 bets (oh [censored]) I call. River is the 9 of not spades. I check, she bets, I toss in the ten. She flips Q5 offsuit. Same hand she snaked me with earlier against my raise. Damn. UTG I fold 5-7 offsuit, and rack up. Cash out for $285 all told, not bad at all.

[lighterjobs]

You would probably get more responses if you posted this in the small stakes forum, since it doesn't really have much to do with the casino. FWIW, poker in oklahoma is a new thing, so are most of the players, so people are going to ask a lot of questions. And the dealers aren't going to be the best around. If you want competent players/dealers, play a black chip game at bellagio.

[wonderwes]

Thanks for posting this report. I am eagerly trying to motivate myself to pay for the gas there/back to make a run there for a weekend. Were a majority of the players from small areas in Oklahoma or did they also drive in from Dallas/rest of TX.

Would you go back again?

[Black Aces 518]

I wasn't really looking for any feedback on the play, that's why I posted it here. Obviously, I welcome any comments if they are there. I did post info on the room, limits spread, dealers, players, promotions, so I would say that is quite a bit of info applicable here. Sorry if it was not what you expected.

I don't expect expert dealers. Someone who spots a raise more than one time in 4 is nice. And I was posting it to provide information.

I don't want competent players as far as poker, but you shouldn't have to be told it's your blind 50 straight orbits. I said it was worth it for their awful play, though.

[Black Aces 518]

I didn't get a feel for where the players were from. My guess is there were a lot from Denton/Dallas, etc. There were quite a few players there for 11AM on a Wednesday.

I would not drive all the way from Austin to play, b/c the limits I play don't let me make up enough $$ to pay for the trip, esp. with gas at $3/gallon. If I played 15/30 or something, maybe.

I was on my way back from OKC to Austin, so it was on the way, and I was curious.

I've played live at Lucky Chances (Colma, CA), Circus Circus, Harrah's and one that slips my mind in Reno; Luxor and Monte Carlo in Vegas; Lucky Star in Okla.; Harrah's in Nawlins; and Gold Strike and Horseshoe in Tunica. The room was as good as any, if a little crowded; the games as soft as any; the dealers the worst I've seen (with one good and one excellent).

I would certainly go there again if I were in Denton or Texoma or Ardmore, or driving Austin --> OKC or back.

[sean c]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for posting this report. I am eagerly trying to motivate myself to pay for the gas there/back to make a run there for a weekend. Were a majority of the players from small areas in Oklahoma or did they also drive in from Dallas/rest of TX.

Would you go back again?

[/ QUOTE ]

Most of the players are from DFW even on the weekdays. The winstar is probably the loosest action in oklahoma I have played in all but a few. The games there are great I mean people without any sort of a clue. The downside is the wait to get on a table and the slowness of the game because of all the newbs.

[four eight suited]

I would say up to 90% of the people playing at winstar are from the dallas/ft. worth area. Ive played in the 2/5NL game there for the last 3 months, a few times a week, and I just love it. There are quite a few regulars that play there, but no really outstanding players. I hear the craziest action is at the 5/10NL game, although it is the same people in the game every day. I cant say i've played the 1/2nl personally, but I know that two of my friends both made $500 after buying in $100. I think its well worth the drive from DFW, but as for austin, I just dont know. PM me for austin games if interested.

[a1doug182]

I've been going about one to one1/2 times a week on average since the first month. Most players are from Texas as I am. On Mondays they have a splash the pot promotion. Every 30 minutes they draw a numbered bingo ball with the number representing each table. The number drawn gets a pot splashed with $100 before the hand starts. Tuesday is AA cracked. If you get pocket AA and stay to the end and lose they give you a $100 worth of chips. And Wed. & Thur. is high hand every 2 hours for $300. On weekends if there is no concert that weekend they open up another 12-15 tables in the concert hall. They are supposed to move to the bingo hall in the near future and open up to 50-60 tables and offer 7stud and Omaha hi/lo.

[ QUOTE ]
They are supposed to move to the bingo hall in the near future and open up to 50-60 tables and offer 7stud and Omaha hi/lo.

[/ QUOTE ]

Has this happened yet? I want B&M Omaha hi/lo like nobody's business? Nobody seems to answer that question for me, though... surely someone from DFW goes to Winstar.

Fellow Austinite here, i've also been considering the trip up there or LA. Thanks for giving me a little more to go on. As it is now, I think it's cheaper to fly Southwest Air to Vegas when they run their specials. But if the games are as soft as you say... [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

did you see any motel/hotels near the casino?