WHA...YOU SUCK!!!!

So let me set up the title...I, again, am playing in a 1-2 NL game, it is the weekend before the main event at Harrah's and I hope that I run into some goofy lunchboxes. I sit down and am greeted by a regular who says the table is "tighter'n shit." Well after hour six and up only $120 I understood what he met. He had moved to the 3 seat and I was in the nine seat. At hour seven I was up a few hundred and this hispanic fella sits down in the ten seat and seems to play well until this hand. Seat 10 is on the button, four people limp to him, he does and the blinds call and call. SEVEN to the flop! The flop, 10c 10s 4h, everyone checks. The turn is a Jd, everyone checks to the button who finally bets, the small blind calls EVERYONE ELSE FOLDS. The river is a 2s, the small blind makes a VALUE BET. I do not remember what was in the pot but lets say, 7 at $2, $14, with the bet and call on the turn of about $15, so now about $44...the small blind bets...$20. WHAT DOES THE SMALL BLIND HAVE...AT LEAST...two pair Jacks up? I don't know, well button calls and shows, A4! Small blind has Q10...takes it down. Seat ten pays off three other people, but when the time is right to call, he folds! Well I have been playing pretty tight and at about hour 8 I get involved with a multi way raised pot, I think it was four callers five of us saw the flop. I told myself, I am in the hi-jack seat, that if I miss and it is checked to me,(hispanic guy is in the hand and is the button, because the actual folded), I am going to bet to win the nice pot. I miss, I make a nice Value bet, hispanic guy calls, everyone else folds...here is the board...2 7 9, I have J10, so I have a gutter ball, but I wanted to take it down. The turn is a KING, I bet again, another Value bet, want it to look like I want a call but etc etc. He calls again, I miss on the river and give up...he tables 2 3! I look at the hand and go "What is up with that...what made you call...do I have a tell or something?" He says why did you try to bet me off the hand? I go, what...there were three others I value betted to take the pot down, I bet into everyone you called with the worst pair. I actually was trying to explain something to a lunchbox...it did not penetrate his cortex! I asked, "do you understand?" He just says..."Value bet, what's that?" I get up, and say forget this...and I am pissed at myself off for saying this, but I may never see this guy again but I did say..."Wha...You Suck!" In response, and I left. I know that if I would have put more time in, he would have paid me off or someone else, but it was inevitable! UGH!!! I win $32. Until next time! YAAHHHHHH!

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

Trying to wipe the dust off...

I finally got to get a session in and it has been a while. I sat at a 1-2 NL game this past Wednesday night and settled in for a show. The big stacks had about $800 a piece and at one point they got involved and the Irish fella lost about 3/4 of his stack he eventually got felted and the other big stack took his winnings and left, kudos!

Well the Irish fella starts raising from every position, classic post beat maniac play, he is winning with the worst hands, 5-2 and makes a wheel, 6-3 hits a river gut shot for a straight and he continued to push at people left and right, he even got me later as I made two pair on the turn and being out of position I wanted someone to bet but alas it did not work out and he caught the straight on the river. The funny thing is when I bet $15 and he raises it $45 more, why call? Only if you can beat the bluff, it was checked down TWICE not once TWICE, the flop and the turn and the river puts a straight out there. I watch as he practically embraces the table has his body weight forward and will not look at me, I ask, you got the 5-6, I want to see if I am right, and call, he says, with his accent, you called it correctly as he tables the 5-6 off. Well eventually, two hours later he busts me with the 10-4 spades, from the big blind he made it $10 to go, I had K-10 off and in the hi jack seat, three had limped before me and the button had limped, everyone called the flop was 2-3-10, two spades, Irish bets, asian guy calls, fold to me I raise another $35 on top and Irish and Asian call. The turn is a spade, Irish pushes in $100 plus, Asian contemplates and I say to myself right here...if he calls I fold and if he folds I just may call. Well Asian folded and I say to Irish, you are a lunchbox...but damnit he is leaning in again, SHYTE! does he really have the flush! Well I push in and the river is a blank. He tables that hand I smile and walk away. Gosh, gotta get the dust off, had the read but could not follow through! UGH ARGH UHHHHH!!! Until next time...


Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

Here Comes the PAIN TRAIN!!!!

LOL! Remember those commercials with the office linebacker that reebok used to air? I just watched most of them on youtube and they are freaking hilarious! So the other night as I was playing in Harrah's, two Fridays ago, I got to say one of my favriote lines, let me tell you how I got to this point.

I sit down at a 1-2 NL game and I see some of the regulars, I sit there for about 20 minutes and I don't catch anything, now remember if you had read any of my earlier blogs one of the many bad things about Harrah's is how slow, utterly slow many of the dealers are, I mean if you can get 15 hands out a down you may make a dollar a hand and at that rate you could average $30 an hour, nah, not these folks, they average about 10 hands a down! Ugh! Alright, 20 minutes and I have not played the small blind yet. Well the next dealer comes in and I get two good hands in a row and I get paid off, I am now up $100. My next hand is J-2 off, I am in the cutt off seat and there are five limpers into me, I decide to make it $17, I get two callers...why? Because they do not believe I can have three hands in a row and/or I may be stealing from this position. Well the flop is repungnant for them, J-2-2. They check as well as I, the turn is an K and it puts a flush draw out there, there is a bet into me and I call the other person folds, the river is a three and completes the flush. This is exciting, but the read I get from the guy in the 10 seat, now mind you I am in the one seat and you can see the excitment in his body language, he bets big, I believe it was like $45. I raise another $100, he goes all in for another $30 or so, I say this as I call the $30, "Here comes the pain train." He shows the flush I show my J-2, he is not happy. I played like a lunch box and got there, the thing was, and this is really not a good excuse, I raised. LOL!

Want to make a few hundred in a 1-2 NL game, come to Harrahs geez! They really do watch the WSOP re-runs and try to re-enact what they saw...it is awesome! Alright, if you pay a lunchbox off in the future...NO WORRIES, it will come back!

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

1-2 Action is so nice, 10-25 game...

So I made my way over to Harrah's this past Friday afternoon, which will probably be my last day time session during the week, and had a blast. I, of course, played well and got my first buy in spread out to the many lunchboxes at the table. Oh so exciting, I pull out my next two bills and go to work, I get my other two back during one down, I proceed to get another two hundred in the next two downs. So now I am sitting on about $650, I'm ready to go, I got my buy ins back and have an uptick of $250, sayanora. Here is the make of the table though, seat one is empty at hour four, seat two is a young asian girl who is a level one, verging on level two player. Seat three is a level two guy verging on being a level three guy, I say this because he bet his two pair into three players from early position when the flush hit. Seat four is a lunchbox, who had $600 in front of him, and now has $120 in front of him. Seat five a lunch box, seat six empty, seat seven lunchbox, seat eight level three player, Mr. Nick, seat nine a lunchbox, oh yeah, that's me, and seat ten a lunchbox.

Well as I was saying I am ready to go, so I run to the bathroom and get back, now on my way I say if I miss the blinds, we roll, if I get back on time, play through the down to the next and see what happens, this table is primed. Well, I get back and I am under the gun and I look at wired jacks, I make it 17 to go, I get four callers behind me FOUR!!! Seat 10, Seat four, seat five and seat eight. The flop, J 9 7 two diamonds, well I will not slow play this hand with four callers, and a diamond and straight draw on the board. I bet out $65, I get two callers, seat 10 and four. The turn is a 4 clubs, I bet $125, seat ten insta-calls, seat four ughs to himself and folds. Seat ten INSTA CALLED what the hell, does he have a set also, maybe two pair, COULD HE HAVE CALLED MY RAISE FROM UNDER THE GUN WITH 8-10? Does he put me on a bluff? I did show some earlier but the pot did not get this big! After that turn bet he has about $350 left and I have him covered. The river is a four of hearts, I am very happy but I want to make sure I get something so I value bet, $150 and the ten seat goes ALL IN!!! OH SHYTE, do you have quads? I get up and move away from the table as I ask the dealer to count down what I owe if I decide to call, about $155 more the dealer says...this is the fun part. I sit in my chair and I say to him, did you hit quads, he responds, why you got a full house, I say yep, he goes ugh, under his breath and I say CALL! Here is why the 1-2 game is so nice, he tables the 8-10 not suited, that is right not suited! He flopped the nuts and tried to let me bet it out, he called my raise with 8-10 not suited!!!! I take down a lovely pot, proceed to give the table back a few hundred and get up frustrated and leave a big winner, that story is for another day.

As I leave I look over to the ten and a quarter no limit game and see all the money in play, and I do not mean on the table, I know eight of the nine guys at the table, I mean these guys will get up and shoot the shit with me kinda guys, these guys have so much money that this game is the only reason why the show up at Harrahs anymore. I than look at what they had on the table, there was over $120,000 on that table, let me tell you something three of those guys keep that game feed. So if you are ever in Harrahs at about 6 pm ask about the 10-25 no limit game and check it out, they move some money and one of the three that I spoke about will move at you with air when you have the nuts and you would think that he had the nuts...SO CRAZY! Alright I have rambled on long enough!

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

9 4 hearts!!!!

As you know when you go to play you have to go in with a game plan. If you are at a table of unknowns, tight aggressive....do not try to outplay if you raise with AK and get four callers and the flop is a bunch of babies, check and fold. Such as that. Well I headed to Biloxi this past Friday, Oct 12th and sat down at a new game with my bud AT@T, yes his initials do spell this out, I got my first buy in taken due to playing 75clubs from the button and getting a raise and re-raise pre-flop from a couple of lunch boxes and I put them on a large pair a piece, I hit the flop with an open ended straight but was ready to release, but they kept me in there with a $25 bet into $75 in the middle, and the re-raiser just called so...I called, I picked up a flush draw, as the board paired on the turn, this is where the money got in and I missed, pocket kings took it away from pocket queens, who was the raiser. Well I get another $200 in and I lost that, I get another $200 in and I build it up to $600 and I continue to play very good poker. I build up to about $500 and am sitting pretty, I do not have to get involved unless I have a great hand. Well, I look down at 9-4 hearts under the gun, the devil on my shoulder said to raise, and if we hit they will never know! I listened and got four callers! Well the flop is Q 9 4 rainbow! Wow! I bet out, $50, making it look like I hit the queen, or to a good player this looks like a continuation bet to get people out of the pot. I had raised to $15 pre-flop, I get two callers. The turn is a 7 off, no flush possibilities, I bet $100, I get one caller, a lady who has played like a lunchbox. The river is a deuce, she is out of position and pushes all in for $115, I smile and look at the board and go, "you have two pair?" she smiles WIDE, big tell, and says, "my money is in there." I should fold but the value is there to call, I believe I am beat and I should fold, I am putting her on Q 2, seriously...I SHOULD FOLD!!!! I do not, I call and she turns over Q 9 off and takes it down. I am a lunchbox!!!!

Why play the 9 4 hearts? Why try to out play them with this hand!!!!! It was bad! I try to judge my sessions by how much I win, this time, I did leave winning but I had a bad session, I ended up play bad hands out of position and did not get away from hands I knew I was losing in but became a pay off wizard!

The point is, just because you are up, do not change what got you there!

Why do we drop our focus so? Somebody help!!!!

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

Twenty Four...

I made my way into Harrah's this past Monday evening at about 3:30 pm and sat down at a juicy 2-5 NL game. I bought in for four hundred and on my second hand I look down at KQ off under the gun and raise it to $20. I proceed to get four callers. The flop is 10c Jh 9c...flopped the nuts, but I do not like the flush draw, I bet out $90 dollars hopping to make the price not right. The next guy pushes in four hundred, I don't like it but at the same time this is what I want. Everyone folds to me and I call. The turn is a red deuce and the river is a red QUEEN. He turns up the AcKc. I loved his action and he actually got lucky on many people the rest of the night. I just don't understand why he would want to push his draw, the nut draw, into three remaining players. I do not understand why you would want to scare that money out in that spot, I understand he had the nut gut shot straight draw and the nut flush draw, many outs, was he scarred that I had hit a set, did he not see that maybe someone already had a made hand, why get all that other money out? His play to me was not the best in my opinion but it worked out and I was felted in the end. I buy in two more times and eventually move down to the 1-2 game because the money has moved to locked up spots or they were smart enough and eventually left. Oh yeah, the guy who felted me after five more hours of play, left with what he bought in for, about $500.

I proceeded to tear into the 1-2 nl game, I build up to $800 and am sitting there picking great spots and making excellent reads. I build up to $1200 and run into a little asian guy who gets me to call his nut flush on the turn after I had flopped top two with KJ. I even went over the top on the river and called his value raise, I was back down to $800. This play happened after about 20 hours of play. I get to about hour 24 and I am at about $1300 and I know that I can not continue, I rack up and leave.

In the 1-2 game I was able to play much more patient because I was not dwelling on the fact that I could get felted in one hand. I know how to get away from hands unless I get that luchbox feeling. I have enjoyed success in the 2-5 NL game but there are times that I or you should realize that stepping down can be easier on your bankroll but more importantly on your mental game.

I look to make another move this Friday, so more to report at that time.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

The SUCK OUT!

I headed over to Harrahs friday afternoon and started my day at about noon, at 2:30 pm I am walking out of there down several hundred and shaking my head in shame. I head home recoup and get back over to Harrahs where I meet big Bill at about 6:30 pm. We are at the same table together and I watch as Bill beats the table up and two hours later he walks out, uptick several buy ins! NICE JOB BILL! I however, grinded away and lost my first buy in, I rebought asked for a table change and moved over to a table by the rails. I sit next to this guy with a fult tilt hat and sunglasses, thinking nothing of him. I observe all the stacks at the table and see that some of the folks must have gotten lucky. The guy next to me has way about him but again, I blow it off. About six hands in I pick up AK off, I make it $15 to go and proceed to get four callers. I am in the high jack seat, two off from the button. I have position. The flop is Ac 2d 8d, check around to me and I bet $40, they fold around to full tilt, who stops and thinks about it, he looks at me and asks how much to I have left, I count out my money and he sees that he has me covered. I immediately put him on a range of hands, deuces, fours, diamond draw, A2 A8, Ace weaker than me. He goes, I am all in...I again run through the range and take him off of the sets, because I do not think he put me on a diamond draw. I did not put him on two pair so it must be weaker Ace...I called, the board paired the 8 and the river brought the queen of diamonds. I for some reason knew I was beat. He turns his hand over and says, "Did I suck out on you?" as he tables the AQ off. I muck my hand and take a long walk. My only reason for being upset is that I got felted again. I do not think that his play was bad, I actually might have gotten the wrong odds to make that all in call, but I felt that I had the best hand and that was the only reason why I called, and I was right untill the river.

I get back in a game three hours later, sit next to this guy again at a different table and we talk, and he talks about the suck out, I explain that it happens and that it was not a bad beat but a bad way to lose was all. This was an interesting way to meet one of my fellow bloggers, the Virge, I learned this fact later during the wee hours after making all of my money back and upticking several hundred more that he was who he was. We had a blast cutting this table up, as I was the chip leader and he was running a close second. It was fun and I hope to sit with him at future tables.

Alright, thats all for now, stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

Biloxi...SO NICE!

I made it to Biloxi and played in one of the 7 pm tourneys and played in the JUICY 1-2 no limit games! My goodness, if you were not there you would not believe the action that was on the table. In the 1-2 games you had guys who would push just to push because it was not there limit, I had 5-10 players who bought in for $1000 at a time who lost over $3000, it was so nice!

Let me tell you about my 7 pm tourney experience, now I am more of a cash game player and I do well in tournaments not as well as my fellow bloggers but they know I have skills, they just need to be sharpened. Well I am sitting well with about 2500 on the second level of play where the blinds are now 25-50, I am two from under the gun and look down at A Q off, I fire a standard raise of 150, folds around to the small blind, a lovely gal who has not played a hand yet, other than her big blind. The flop is a rainbow with a Q, she checks I check, ( I put her on AK, AJ, medium pair at this point). The turn is a brick, she checks I bet 300 she calls,(oh yes, she's chasing!) the river is another brick, she checks again, I obligate and bet 1100 (please just call, if you just call...I WIN!), she calls, I table my A Q,(with a huge smile on my face) she shows pocket kings!(The smile disappears) This is how good I am, I bet for the best hand. These are the players that I run into, I never knew where she was, my read was way off and she gave me no reason to feel that I was in trouble. If she did this on purpose GREAT JOB, but I do not think that is what happened. I believe she was willing to check it all the way down, my only reason for that is because the river did not help anyone and with a hand like that a check raise would have been a bit more correct that a check call. I eventually got busted by a lunchbox. That simple hand told me that poker, especially No LImit hold'em will be here for some time, and the bad players will never dry up. I love Poker! More on my cash games later.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

World Poker Tour stops in Biloxi...

This thursday is the $300 buy in event and I expect that there will be over 250 people to play in this event, alas I will not be one of those people due to prior engagements. My fellow bloggers are on there way and should do well, in my opinion. We have talked off line about different situations and I believe that the mental prep is done, now they need to be physically ready.

I will be there this weekend playing in the side action. I believe that it will be juicy. There are those that travel to these events and sit at the ring games only, as vultures, waiting for those that just got busted out of the tournament of that day. Those folks that just got busted get into the cash games in hopes of recuping their loses, sometimes their frame of mind is not correct and they lose more than expected. I will be one of those vultures and I hope to come back this weekend with enough to play in several second chance tournaments and supers to get into the main event. Lets hope that the GCP crew can walk the walk, hell we sure can talk the talk!

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

Book Review

Greetings and salutations!

I am going to give my take on a book that I have finished reading, Master the Mental Game Your Worst Poker Enemy by Alan N. Schoonmaker.

Very nice, smooth, and enjoyable read. This book will help you look at yourself, at the game and at how the game effects your play before, during and after you play.

In part two: evaluating ourselves and the opposition, Dr. Schoonmaker gets into denial about ourselves and our opponents. This was very interesting as how we cope with mistakes. "They give all sorts of rationalizations to justify their foolishness: I feel lucky, I'm on a rush, I'm due(LOL!) I'm advertising, improving my table image, I'm so good, I can win anyway." You ever say any of this to yourself when you play badly. This is a very small part of the book. It talks about Understanding Unconscious and emotional forces and handling stress plus many other topics.

I truly enjoyed this book and feel that for those who are on a scary losing streak this would be a nice addition to your library. I am ranking this an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

So many lessons...this one was learned!

Harrah's the closest, cosmetically nicest poker room in New Orleans. Still hate the lighting and the time rake and the sups and the dealers could use more work. Anyways let me get to it...2-5 No limit on table seven right by the rail. We are eight handed, I am in seat three, got me a couple of lunchboxes on the other side, tall fella that gets overly aggressive at the wrong times, in seat eight, a fedora wearing fella who has moved up from the 1-2 NL game in seat seven and a sprinkle of average to better than average all around.

I have built my stack, from $300 to about $850, it is late, about 4 am. I am in the big blind, two limpers to the tall fella in seat 8 who makes it $50 to go, the small blind, who has been getting pummelled for about $1200, by the big fella makes an insta-call...I look down at two black aces...I think, I am going to take this down NOW! I make it $250, the big fella insta calls and small blind says this..."Did he call down there? Yes. Good, I call."

The flop is Jc2c9d, sb checks, I bet three hundred, big fella calls, sb pushes all in for another $50 on top...I of course call the extra $50 as does the lunchbox. At this point sb is yelling for a club! Turn card is the 3c, he jumps up and screams, showing the Ac4c (YES, because he had a thing for the big fella)...I say to the dealer..."I'm all in!" I have two hundred stacked one on top of each other like a tower, the fifty I push across the line to signify a bet. The LB goes what, due to the screaming, the dealer says to him three times he is all in for $250 do you call? He nods his head yes and flips over his black queens, sb has forgotten that I have the ace of clubs, but he is so ecstatic. The river is the 2d. Well at least I only lose $350 here...I can get it back.

The LB pushes in $50 and sits there, the dealer explains that I was all in for $250, he goes all that is across the line is $50...basically the big fella is kicked out, did not even pay the $50 because in all the confusion he tried to say that he did not hear my all in...my question was why did you turn your cards up? He said he did not see anymore money in front of me. LOL!

So, even though verbal is binding at most places, and it is a rule at Harrahs, it does not matter, they could not force the guy to cover my bet, he was 86 and has not been back since.

Lesson...make sure the dealer gets the pot right at all times even after verbally saying all in, make sure your money is in the pot and the lunchbox that called has the matching quantity in there so there is no doubt. I have heard that this has happened before, but did not think it would happen to me...well it did.

Oh, Harrah's...alrighty.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello.

Same old Harrahs

Good day. I took a trip to Harrah's poker room this past Monday after a two month break. I hoped to find new...something...alas I did not. The same bad players, dealers and supervisors were there. The best thing this place has to offer is the decor, the lighting sucks, many of the dealers are below average and if they are reading this they know who I am talking about, and some of the supervisors just do not get it. I believe you will get the floor called to a table at least 10 times a down, or every thirty minutes and if you follow where certain dealers go, you will see a pattern as to where the floor goes. It is very funny.

My return was not appreciated. They took my money and smiled! Nah, i played bad and deserved it. If I had ever felt like a lunchbox, this day was it.

On one particular hand I had A7 diamonds in the hi-jack seat, one before the cut-off. This is a 1-2 game two new players joined from a broken game, one young man had $500 and another about $300. Four limpers into me, I make it $15 to go, two early limpers call, I have the button now. The flop is 10, 8, 2 one diamond. Checks around I bet out $35, young guy calls, turn is a J diamonds, check to me I bet $45, he raises to $90, now I only have $70 left. I have picked up a flush draw an inside straight draw and maybe my ace is good. I think he may have a 10, or he has hit the straight with Q9, maybe 97, or he has J10 and is very confident that I am on air. What should I do? I believe I either push or fold, you should not just call here, I mean if I call I only have $25 left right? I called...the river 3 clubs, I check he bets, I fold, could he have been on a KQ bluff? Do not know because I should have put the rest of it in there on the turn and I would not be speculating right now! That readers is what I mean by being a LUNCHBOX! I was so embarrassed that I got up and left.

The action in the 1-2 game is great, they really like to watch the WPT on wednesdays, there were so many references to the program. They spread a 2-5 no limit but there was only one table. There are many 3-6 limit games there and the 4-8 half hold-em and half omaha had a must move table. There you have it my return and a highlight of the room. Another added bonus is that at times you will see movie stars and athletes in there.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello. Be nice to the lunchbox...he/she will pay you off!

Harrah's New Orleans to start up their Wednesday tournaments

Here they come again, the 11 am tournaments this time they are freezeouts(no re-buys, no add ons) with $10 for the dealers for extra chips. I believe the buy in is $110, they plan to run these tournaments until November when they are going to have another WSOP circuit event( I do not know if it will actually be a circuit event, but they will have a $5000 or $10,000 main event).
The wednesday tourneys will start their blinds at $25-$25 with 20 minute levels. You will start with $3500 plus $1500 if you add $10. Does not sound bad. I am sure they will have some of the levels cut out, deeper into the tournament. This information was passed on to me so the exact chip counts and buy ins may vary, but the wednesday tournament is a certainty.


For more information call harrahs casino-new orleans.

If you do make it out there have fun and may the cards be with you!

Alright, stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

My trip to the Isle of Capri...Biloxi

This past Saturday night I made a trip out to the Isle. The poker room is on the second floor in a secluded area with nine tables. They run daily tournaments and the room is very nice, several flat screens spread out around the room and the dealers and floor staff are knowledgable and very respectful.



My first hour and a half was in a 4-8 hold'em limit game, I gave away $100 trying to get back on the bicycle. In my last hour of play I got my hundred back plus another hundred...awesome limit session! All those lunchboxes that kept chasing runner runner, hit me several times in the first thirty minutes...seriously, I had a lady chase diamond, diamond with her Kd5d, did not flop a pair, but did flop a left field diamond draw and a right field straight draw. Another gentleman chased with Ac10d and made a straight. These are a couple of the many examples of my first thirty minutes...I locked the doors and I got it all back from those chasers, that was awesome!



It is now about Two am and I am in the 1-2 NL game, their biggest game, the buy in is $60-$300 or half the biggest stack. They rake the pot, 10% up to $4, and they rake one dollar for the bad beat jack pot, which is Aces full of queens beat, but you must have an ace in your hand...like AAQK2, one player must have AQ the other AK. AAA102..one player has AK, the other player has pocket queens this is not bad beat jackpot eligible.



Okay, onto the game...there were a mix of players and only three lunchboxes. The rest of the table was filled with tight passive players. The only time they would push is with the nuts. Not a completely easy game but beatable. My no limit session was a bust...I served as the fourth lunchbox...in my opinion. I made moves from position after raising with several limpers only to get check raised causing me to fold. Not once did they make a move at me except once, and we had the same hand, he just had position. My mistake was I only had twenty dollars left and should have put it in on the turn but did not and folded on the river! LUNCHBOX!!! The cooler was on, two hours later, when I limped under the gun with 2c2s, the big blind, who had sat down three hands ago, raised to $10, there were four limpers behind, I called and so did two of the four limpers...the last two, who should have called, had position, tight passive! The flop was Qc7s4d, bb checks we all check around, the turn is a 2d, bb checks, I bet $40 just in case someone picked up a diamond draw, they are getting odds of two to one to call but they are about 3-4 to one to hit on the river. Well I get called by the bb. I only have $125 left. The river is an Ac...bb bets out $85...I am utterly confused and I sit there and think about it for awhile. "Did he hit the whee!?, maybe he slow played AQ?." I thought maybe a set but why wait, when I bet $40 and the other two folded to him, why not raise to get me off the flush draw or the goofy straight draw? Nah, not a set could not be. I call...he has pocket sevens! Cooler, just the way he played it. I proceeded to lose another hundred plus and the game broke at about 8 am.



This session was a mind bender. I kept asking myself "WHAT THE ...!?!" and I believe I may have played a little faster than I needed to do, soft tilt.



Four things that I need to watch out for and maybe these will help you...



1) Do not bluff bad. The lunchboxes that call with A2 will not fold when that Ace hits and you make a continuation bet representing a bigger Ace.

2) Check yourself! Do not become a pattern that even the lunchboxes can pick up! Raising from the cut-off seat or the hi-jack seat(one before the cut-off). With multiple players making a continuation bet into a scary flop, they will pick it up eventually.

3) When you do not have it yet, play the pot small. For example, I made a raise under the gun with 10c10d, I got three callers. The flop is KdJd7c, checked around, the turn is an 6d, I bet hoping to represent the flush and if I get called I have the flush to hit or maybe the last tow tens are good, I get two callers...heck I am out of position, someone could have the nut flush already, they got a freaking free card! Don't bet the draw as a semi-bluff when you are out of position, in position maybe, but that depends.

4) Take a walk when you feel tilted.


Until next time...stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

My trip to Boomtown...New Orleans

I like to travel at times to find soft games with low rakes at local or nearby casinos. It is unfortunate that Harrah's New Orleans, Imperial Palace-Biloxi, and the Beau Rivage-Biloxi do a time rack(that is you have to pay six dollars every thirty minutes) they do this instead of raking the pots. Sucks huh? Today, I went to Boomtown, which is located on the Westbank of New Orleans in an area called Harvey, to play in their 1-2 NL game. On Wednesday evenings they have a NL tournament which is a $50 buy in(guessing at the amount), you get a few hundred in chips the blinds go up every 20 minutes and they start at 25-50, your basic crap shoot! I played it once and have not done so again, I got called down by a lunch box with pocket fives on a board of AK77 what was the river? Yep, FIVE! Geez, I can ramble huh? Okay, so usually after the tournament they have this 1-2 NL game which is filled with the winners of the tourney, locals of the westbank and some of Harrah's employees.

They rake, 10% of the pot up to four dollars, the game is not jackpot eligible, the minimum buy in is $60 and the max is $200 or half the big stack. Patience and a sense of humor got me through my three hour session, many of the lunchboxes were "eventualities"(yep, eventually they would go bust)

I have one story to tell, of the many that I witnessed, it was my fourth dealer, Angie, I was under the gun and straddled (I believe this is the worst bet in poker, but I wanted to induce action, I also got into a very good discussion about straddles and why they are better in looser games, next time, eh?) Everyone called to the button who put in a weak raise of $12 dollars...small blind and big blind call, at this point 7-2 is okay to call, but I have several behind and someone might be savy enough to raise to take down a nice pot thus far. I looked down at 67 of hearts, I called...no more raises and it was a family affair that saw the flop. The flop was 5d 8s 9s, "GULP!" Checks to me, I put in $50, two callers behind me and the big blind raises all in for another $110. Yikes...I put him on a variety of hands and thought that he might have the same hand as myself and may be freerolling, but why would he push all in? Nah, maybe a set, two pair, or the flush draw...I call, (I only have$150 left) hoping to get one of the other two too see the value in it and either push in themselves or call. A shorter stack did push in and we went to the river, no spade, no higher straight scare card, nor did the board pair. The big blind said he had a set, the short stack just mucked and I take down a huge pot. I played for another hour and got out of there.

Hope you enjoyed that, it feels good to get in with value and hit a great hand and get paid off. If you are a local, Boomtown has a seven table room, they normally spread 3-6 limit or 4-8 half omaha half hold'em. On Wednesdays they have this 1-2 NL game, but I understand they also have it on Fridays and Saturdays, I will check this out. The game is soft for the most part and if you are a tight aggressive player you will be successfull 80%(made this percentage up) of the time. The dealers are awesome...on the swing shift look for Angie, Tuan(Tim), Sean and Ciro, they do an excellent job.

Next time I will ramble on about my trip to Baton Rouge and their four table poker AREA, at the Belle and I will talk about my trip to Vegas, detailing four poker rooms, The Venitian, Ceasars, The Mirage and The Wynn.

Until next time stay nice as rice and mello as jello! Smile at the lunch box and think to yourself, "Gosh you are good for the game!"

Lunchbox...good for poker always in life...

"Come on! I just got called down by that guy with J Deuce! Was it suited? YES!!! For the love..." This thought goes through my mind many times during a cash session, before I would verbalize those thoughts, now I just simply say..."Nice hand...lunchbox!"

What is a lunchbox...I have used it instead of the word donkey. We all had them growing up, scooby doo, smurfs, spiderman etc. Now they are coming to the tables like sheep to the slaughter! I mean they watch the WPT, US Pokerchampionships, WSOP and see that the guy just busted another with K2 suited..."hmm" the lunchbox thinks..."I'm going to play that hand in my session tomorrow...it worked for him...gotta work for me!" They do and that person gets a lot of money from me and proceeds to spread it around the the table! I, unfortunately, do not get any of it back from him.

So all you lunchboxes...keep it up, you are good for the game!!!!