BB Action

The week of Thanksgiving found me in Southern California, sunny about 50% of the daylight hours, but warmer, so I'll take it. Besides eating meat at least twice a day (mum-in-law dictate), and seeing some art with a friend, the only other thing on the agenda was hitting Commerce Casino with the bro-in-law for some poker.

While NL Hold 'em is where I feel most comfortable, I thought I might want to give Omaha 8 a go. I've been playing that game about 99% of the time the past few months, averaging about 100 or so hands a day in Stars' free site. Granted, freerolling is nothing like playing for real money, but I have been trying to take the game seriously, paying attention to position, figuring odds to draw and not playing any four cards like 75% of the pack does. It's paying off, but again, the field is somewhat lacking and therefore some doubts lingered as to whether I was ready for live action where chips represented more than fairy dust.

I know a couple poker regulars who play O-8, our buddy Mojo being one of them, so I dropped him an email asking for pointers. It would appear that he is a cautious player, perhaps more so than I, but I planned to take his style as my own for this foray, and watch the tables for a bit before taking a seat. If each round of betting was going to get capped as my bro-in-law suggested it sometimes does, I would look elsewhere for a chair.

As it happened, there were only two table of O-8 and they were both 6/12, so, no thanks. I said as much in a response to an email that Mojo sent me this evening asking how I had done. You can thank him and his inquiry for an actual poker-related post.

I've thought about the game off and on over the last week or so. Although the win was nice, the room itself, aside from its monstrous size, left much to be desired. The Commerce spreads a horrible NLHE game. The lowest is 2/3 with a $100 buy-in. The $200 game is 3/5. They are designed for action and rake, and one has to expect to see or be involved in all-in hands. This might be why the older Armenian guy in seat 7 opened so large, anywhere from $20 to $40. I saw a flop with a pair of tens in the BB to his $20 bet and folded to his c-bet on a dry flop. When he bet $40, once again I was in the BB, I folded AKo with very little hesitation. I had yet to see his hole cards during any hand and couldn't see a reason to pull the trigger that time with a drawing hand with less than 2 to 1 to call.

About 50% of the hands were limped around. While this could have afforded me an opportunity to play a wider range, I stuck to basics except when it came to playing the Almighty Deuce-Four and the Spanish Inquisition. Perhaps I was bored, folding as much as I was on an action table, or just because I like Grump and have fond memories of playing the SI with BWOP one evening in Vegas. Sadly, 2-4 cost me a little money, yet I am happy to say that the SI paid handsomely, enough to get me up to about $150.

Of course, pocket Kings brought me back down to $75. I began to consider topping off my stack, as there were plenty of other players willing to call, call, call when someone had the best of it. For instance, the Ukrainian in seat 6 had plenty of gambool in him, and a hot head to-boot. Before I could dig out a crumpled $20, I was dealt pocket threes, again in the BB. The Ukrainian limped, as did a couple other players. I prayed for a set and received it. I led out and only the Uke called. He did so again on the turn. When the last card was dealt, the board was straightening to the middle and I slowed down but he flatted, saying, "You have Ace-ten maybe? Good hand." He showed KT. This set him to leading out for ten bucks for a while, which shut me down. Well played, sir. And after a bit, he had to rebuy, pissing and moaning the whole way. Then he decided to take a walk.

I waited — well, not really, just card dead and more pairs that led nowhere — for his return. In the meantime, another eastern European type settled into seat 8. And when Ukey returned, the fun began again. First it was my Aces UTG. I bet smallish, $8. Ukey called. I checked my set on the flop and flat-called his bet of $10. The turn threatened straights again and I check-raised his $20 with a jam, to which he immediately folded. If looks could kill... The very next hand, again the BB, I got in free with pocket deuces. A deuce on the flop, yummy. I led out for $10, Ukey called (of course) as did the new guy. The turn was a thing of beauty: the case two. Again, I led out, but kept it small at $15. Ukey called and the other guy went into the tank with about $60 behind. My only mistake was insta-calling his jam, but on the other hand, I would not want to be accused of slow-rolling without metal detectors at each entrance. Ukey folded.

I was now doubled up. Better, even, but not by much.

Time was running out. I knew my bro-in-law wanted to leave in a half hour. (I haven't even told you about the other easy money at the table that I could have had in another three hours. Or, I could have lost all of my buy-in in the same amount of time.) As bro-in-law had to rebuy in the 3/5 game, only to see his Queens go down in a blaze to two other players, both holding AK, when an Ace came on the river, we were out of there early.

I paid for the valet parking.