A Full Day Of Poker At To Different Casinos! (MN) “DAY 56” – 8/29/10
August 30, 2010 - 11:38 am - (MN) “DAY 56”
I woke up this morning and is my new routine... I went downstairs and paid for another night at the Hostel ($27.97). I don’t mind paying because I like the people here, I sleep well, shower, it has free Wi-fi... so it’s worth the money. 🙂
After that I wrote “DAY 55”, I knew it would take me awhile because of all the pictures from the Vikings game I had to download, name, and file. Not to mention, when there is that many pictures... it means I have a lot to write because I saw and did it all! 🙂
I got finished around 2:30 pm and had to rush to get to the casino in time for their 3 pm tournament (23 miles away).
Poker Tournament (Free)
I arrived at Running Aces a little after 3 pm. That’s OK though, you can still enter this tournament all the way up until the 1st break (1 hour). I rushed inside and found my way to the area where you register for the tournament.
F.Y.I. - This tournament was free to players who played more than 10 hours of live poker in their (Running Aces) poker room that week. (I accomplished that on Wednesday alone when I played from 4pm - 7am the next day. ;)) About 300 people qualified to enter but only 160 people showed up, very good odds considering they are paying the top 9 ($1,100 seat).
Anyway, after registering, I was seated at my table. Each player started with 3,000 in chips, but for $10 (dealer appreciation) you were able to buy an additional 3,000, giving you a grand total of 6,000. (Everybody did, it’s a no-brainer.)
Since it was free, I knew there would be very loose play. People play different when they have nothing to lose. So my strategy was to play tight and catch people playing aggressive. 🙂
The second hand I got was pocket K’s (K, K). The blinds were 25-50 so I raised to 200. I got one caller. The flop... (Q, J, 7). The caller checked as I bet 350. He called. The turn and river didn’t help him either as he called me down the whole way. I won the pot and picked up 2,000 in chips. A great start!
My cards then went cold for I lost back most of the 2,000 in chips I won over the next hour (til 1st break). When we got back from the break I was moved to another table. This was the main table in the room. (It would be the final table.)
Hour 2
It was set down in a pit with rails all around it, so people can watch the final table of a tournament. Very cool set up!
At this point in the tournament, the blinds are getting higher as my chip stack is getting lower. Not a good combination. Still, I played patient and waited for a good hand.
The next big hand I was in, I won with (A, K) off-suit. I put a guy on a bluff and called him down the whole way with just Ace high! He had (A, J) and the board was (10, 8, 6, 2, 2). He raised pre-flop but I just smooth called because I was in little blind.
I put him on high cards and was right, as I almost doubled up in the hand. I had about 11,000 in chips. I didn’t play many hands after that until after the second break (90 people left).
Hour 3
Right out of the break, I was dealt pocket 6’s in the button (6, 6). The blinds were 800 -1,600 so I min. raised to 3,200. I wascalled by the guy in the little blind who had just been moved to our table (he had a ton of chips).
The flop... (10,10, 2). He checked. I didn’t put him on a 10, so I pushed ALL IN (8,000 chips)! He insta called me. Damn! He has a 10!
He didn’t though, he had pocket 8’s. I was still crushed and to add insult to injury... a 8 hit the turn and gave him a full house. I couldn’t even route for a river 6. 🙁
I was knocked out somewhere around 80th place. There’s no consolation prize though for beating half the field... whether I took 160th, 80th, or 10th, it all paid the same... NOTHING!
It was now close to 5 pm but instead of staying playing poker their (Running Aces), I decided I would go home (Hostel), get some food, and then head to different casino in the area.
I have heard good things about Canterbury Park (Racetrack and Card Club) from other players, so I’m gonna go there and give them a shot.
Dinner
For some reason, I was craving Arby’s roast beef sandwiches so I went back to the same Arby’s I had jogged to a few days earlier. I ordered 2 junior roast beef’s ($2.13) and got a cup for water (soda) ;).
The cool thing was, on your receipt was a number to call for a survey. If you completed the 2 minute Q&A you got a code for a free LARGE roast beef sandwich. Nice!
I ate the sandwiches I ordered and walked outside to do the survey. Five minutes later, I returned and got my large sandwich. Sweet! I got 3 sandwiches for $2. 🙂
Supermarket
Then, I walked across the street to a grocery store to get some soda for my car/hostel. This place had some good deals on everything but the prices for 12 packs of soda were great!
It was $1.48 for Pepsi products (12 pack cans), but I don’t like Pepsi. Damn! So I kept looking and saw a sign under the coke products for $1.78 per 12 pack if you bought 4 of them. Nice!
I have been around the block and knew this sign was a grocery store mistake because it was the only sign up in the whole Coke section. I still got the 12 packs (four - Sprite 0) and went to the register. They told me it wasn’t on sale this week, that was last week’s sale.
I know the supermarket rules and if a item is mislabeled, you get it for free or at least at the discounted price. I was right as I got the four 12 packs of soda for $7.50. Justice... Nice! 🙂
Canterbury Park
I arrived at Canterbury Card Club somewhere between 8-9 pm. The first thing I did was what I always do in a new casino... get a player’s card.
I asked if there was any new player promotions and she said no... but then added, on Monday’s, if you play for 2 hours in the card room, you get a 10 cent prime rib dinner coupon. Nice! Steak for dinner tomorrow. 🙂 (Promotions in Minnesota are the best yet!)
Canterbury had a very big and nice card room. It reminds me of a smaller version of a casino in AZ I used to play in all the time... Casino Arizona!
Anyway, this poker room doesn’t have no-limit Hold’em (none in Minn. do), but they do have a wide variety of limit games. I love limit games, but I don’t get play them because on the east coast, they aren’t popular and rarely fill up (even in Atlantic City).
My favorite limit game is 6-12 limit Texas Hold’em. I like it because the pots get big and you can’t get bluffed out either, plus if you’re disciplined... a bad night is down $200. So... if you play tight and your hands hold, you can win a good amount with minimum risk.
4-8 Limit Texas Hold’em
The problem... there always is... I couldn’t get sat into 6-12 game, it was full and had a list. So I went against my better judgement and sat down in 4-8 limit game. It doesn’t sound much different... but it is. Players chase much much more in this game.
F.Y.I- They use blue chips here for whites ($1) and a yellow chip is worth $2.
I played 4-8 limit for about a 30 minutes before I was called for my seat in a 6-12 game. I was up $24 at this point but instead of going right into the game (6-12), I cashed out and left for a few minutes.
Gas Station
What I did was... I took the $24 profit and immediately went to the gas station across the street and put it my tank. I can’t lose it, if I don’t have it! 🙂
After that, I went back to poker room, bought in for $200., and sat down in the 6-12 game.
6-12 Limit Texas Hold’em
The table had a lot of chips on it and it looked like it was playing loose. I would find out soon enough how loose it really was ;).
Anyway, my plan was to play tight, save bets, and make a $100. Sounds easy enough. The first hand I played was (A, K). I hit the Ace on the flop, bet the whole way, and my hand held. The pot wasn’t big, I won about $50.
For the next hour or so, I floated between $200 and $240. During this time, a few players had left and we were playing short handed (6 players).
F.Y.I - I normally don’t like a short table, you have to up your aggression and play hands I normally wouldn’t, but at a short table...they are good due to the odds.
A Crazy Hand
Moving on, I am now up the most I had been on the night (plus $120), when I was dealt pocket Q’s (Q, Q). The table was playing real loose at this point and every hand there was a live straddle (except on my turn ;)).
Anyway, I was first to act and raised to $6 to $18 total. The next three people behind me all called. It was now the button’s turn to act and he raised $6 to $24 total. Then the straddler capped it at $30 (5 bets). The whole table called!
The flop... (K, J, 9) all clubs. I don’t have a club... damn! The straddler bets out $6, I call as does the whole table until it gets to the button and he raised to $6. The whole table calls.
The turn.. 6 of spades. The straddler again leads out (this time $12, it has to be), I fold. I have to be losing to somebody at this point. Everybody folds to the button, but he calls.
The river... 2 of diamonds. the straddler leads out again with $12. The button calls. ARE YOU READY FOR THIS!!! They turn over their hands and... the straddler has (6, 3) off-suit. Are you kidding me... A five bet pre-flop with (6, 3) off!
That’s not even the crazy part... the guy in the button who 4 bet the flop, called the whole way down with... (Q, 6) off suit, and won the pot with a pair of 6’s, Q- high.
ARE YOU F$$KING KIDDING ME! A $400 pot won with 6’s and there was (K, J, 9) out there, a club draw, a straight draw... and most importantly... I FOLDED POCKET Q’S!
I was still up about $70 at this point. Enough to pay for another night at the Hostel and still have $40 left. I was on tilt because of the last hand, so I took a break to decide whether or not to leave.
I was gonna leave when the Chinese man who won the last big pot kept egging me on. I crumbled under the Asian peer-pressure and posted my blind.
I was in the big blind and got dealt (6, 3) of diamonds. There was a raise to $12 and the whole table called, shocker! It was up to me and I was priced in... not to mention if (6, 3) can make a 5 bet... why can’t I call $6.
The flop... (A, 6, 2). I checked and somebody bet out $6. The whole table called so I had to. The turn... 6. Cha-ching! I checked and let the better bet. He did and it when it got back to me I raised.
Two players called. The river... Q of hearts. I knew I was good so I bet out and got called by an Ace. I won the hand and was up over $220.
I played a few more hands but the table was so crazy, I figured I better leave while I was ahead. Heck.. I’ve doubled my goal and then some..
I left up $208, plus the $24 I already put in gas tank. Nice!
Thanks for reading!
Winning at Poker, that’s what I’m talkin about!
Good Job Dave.
How’s the new camera treating ya buddy…?
Getting used to it! I still have to figure out a few things but good!
I’m glad the fine folks at Canterbury Park were generous. You picked up a reader.
-M
Thank you for stopping by. And I liked both Minnesota casinos I played in. Very nice and well run!
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