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!