+4 @ The Commerce Casino

Another Saturday afternoon and once again I found myself playing poker. I was the first one to arrive at the newly opened table and I picked seat 8. I don't really care where I sit but I have grown fond of the "corner" seats because they have more room. There was a slight scuffle when one player tried to sit down and this old fellow said "that's my seat". It seems that neither one of them wanted to sit in 5 which was, along with the 7 that they were fighting over, the only seat left.

The first half-hour gave the table lots of aces; three pocket pair (they won two of the three times) and at one point three on the board. I didn't have any of them. My best pocket pair were 10s but they didn't amount to anything.

In one hand I had Q,J of hearts and the flop came A,K,J with one heart. The turn gave another heart, but the flush didn't show on the river. However, a 10 did appear and that was enough to split the pot with a fellow who had flopped the straight. It wasn't very much money since after the turn it was just us playing. In another hand I was the big blind which was the only reason I was playing my 2,5 offsuit. The flop gave us 5,2,K rainbow. I started betting strong but the turn was a second club. When the river put a third club on the board I just checked. It was bet by one fellow so I put my $6 into the pot and, of course, he turned over the flush. The last hand I'll mention is one that I'll be thinking about for a while. I started with K,J suited in early position. I raised and got four callers. The flop gave us 10,10,5 and it was a check all the way around. When a 7 came on the turn (no flush possibility for me), I bet it and everyone folded. I won the pot and can't feel bad about that, and I know that I would have folded if it had been raised. But should I have really been betting it in the first place?

+1 @ The Commerce Casino

I think that I like playing on Saturday afternoons. I'm not feeling as rushed to get there after work, I can have a nice lunch before hand, and I am more awake and aware. I wasn't able to translate these pluses into a big winning session this time around, but at least I didn't lose anything.

I did misplay a couple hands though. Once again I went the entire distance with my pocket Aces only to have them lose to the straight that he made on the river. I should have folded when he raised me, but I had gone the distance and after previously watched him unsuccessfully bluff a number of times (he lost over $300 in the 3 hours I was there) I decided to call. In retrospect I don't think that it was a horribly bad play, but it wasn't great. In another example of a bad play, I bet my trips on the flop and everyone folded. I should have waited until the turn.

The best hand of the day was when I had K,7 of hearts in late position. I decided to play it and the flop gave us two more hearts. There was a lot of action because of a straight draw possibility as well. The third heart fell on the river and I decided to raise it even though the ace was unaccounted for. I got called and took the pot. The fellow who called me, a 60 year old who had been playing fairly tight, started muttering to himself and slamming his chips around. He left for another table soon thereafter!

-63 @ The Commerce Casino

Nothin' to see here. Move along.

There were some slight misplays on my part and a couple fair sized pots, but it was a pretty uneventful night. My pocket kings lost when the straight draw made his rag card on the river, but I was able to take a pot when I bet my flopped threes when there were also three to a flush on the board. We had some poor dealers and had to get a floorman twice while I was there. The first time I was the ultimate beneficiary of a flub by the dealer when she burned and turned before everyone had acted. The replacement card gave me a set of J and that took the pot. The second time I was the last to act and the person before me asked if I was going to call. I shrugged and one of my fellow players said that he wasn't allowed to ask that question. The dealer disagreed, and the floorman sided with the player who complained.

+25 @ The Commerce Casino

Jennifer was going to tea at the Ritz, so in a low-brow counterpoint to her adventures I took off for the Commerce Club. I had never played there on a Saturday afternoon before, and it seemed a little less desperate than a week night. Then again, we did have one fellow at our table who announced that he filed for divorce and bankruptcy today, and there were at least two retirees. One of them was a shark I had played with before, but luckily she left after taking the table for $300 in less than an hour. None of it was mine I'm happy to say. Overall the table was quite a hoot and we all had a lot of fun.

Now onto some interesting hands. I had pocket sevens in late position and the flop came 7,10,9. The pot was capped after the flop with half the table in and I was a little nervous, but when another 7 showed up on the turn I was nervous in a good way. A 10 was the river card, and at this point there was still a lot of action. With the jackpot a possibility I wouldn't have mind getting beaten but I did have the best hand and beat out a full house and a straight to take the $100 pot. I wasn't so lucky with my pocket kings though. Just as on the previous Tuesday night they lost to a straight draw that my opponent made on the river. In another hand in early position I had a suited big slick and collectively we capped the pot before the flop. The flop and turn were rags, and two folks went all in with $4 when the ace came on the river. I called and they were very annoyed to find that I had the aces. On my last hand of note I had A,Q suited in middle position and the flop came A,10,8. I bet and the button raised. The turn was an A and again I bet and this time only got callers. The river was a blank and when I bet the button raised again. I reluctantly called to find my 3 aces beaten by the button and his pocket eights.

When I went to cash out I was all proud that I had over a full rack of blues but an event at the cashier was a bit humbling. This dumpy little Chinese woman in front of me started pulling out whites from her purse and she eventually cashed out $8000 worth of chips. I can't ever conceive of a time where I would be comfortable playing at the level she must have been playing. I'll stick with my $3-$6, thank you very much.

-20 @ Chez Johnson

I lost a little bit of money, but not much. As with my last time playing no limit, I was again fairly uncomfortable, but I am getting a better feel for what I can play, and how to play it. Guy has documented a memorable hand and I should clarify just how it went down. I had A,7 suited and the flop came 7,7,10. Guy bet strongly and I came back over the top at him. He took some time to call and during this time he made some comments about me "raising his 10,7". It turns out that helped me understand what was going on. If he had had 10,10, he wouldn't have waited. If he had 10,7 he wouldn't have said anything but just called right away. Therefore, he had a straight draw or the case 7. When the turn gave a 10 I didn't hesitate and bet it strong right away. He threw his hand away but not before flashing his 7. I showed mine right back.