[Garland]

Live Trip Report Casino Arizona November 14 to November 19. This includes a time line of events. I hope you enjoy it. Cliff Notes on the bottom.

Stats:
Number of days for this trip (including travel days): 6
Hours of poker played so far: 43
Number of 2+2ers met/seen: 2 (that_pope and Howard Beale)
Number of poker rooms played in: 2

I finished exam FM, and decided to reward myself by taking a trip to Casino Arizona where the action is (hopefully).

November 16:

I leave around 2:00PM for lunch, and on the advice of a poster, I went to KO’s in Scottsdale. This bar and grill is owned by Kevin O'Donnell who made 2 consecutive final tables at the Legends (message said 3, and I can only find 2). So I decide to go there for lunch. I had a Chicken Club with Potato Corn Chowder on the side. Very tasty. On the way out, I actually see the owner, Kevin and he nodded at me on the way out. I feel honored [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

At about 3:30 PM, I arrive back to Casino Arizona. The first thing I see is a new table for $20/$40, but they sold the last seat. On the $40/$80 game, I see “pope”, so I think that_pope is in the house. I go to the other board and find there’s an open seat in the $10-$150 spread instead, so I take it to test the action. The first 3 hands were very telling of how things were running.

Hand #1:

I’m waiting for the button to pass as I don’t have to post and can get free hands. Guy (to be referred to as Tiltguy from now on) on button raises pre-flop to something. Called by someone in EP. The flop comes AA9. Check to Tiltguy who bets and is called by Passive EP. Turn is a T, check/check. River is a blank. EP checks, Tiltguy bluffs $150 and is snapped off by 55.

Hand #2:

Very next hand, Tiltguy raises in CO to $90 and is called by Button and called by same EP player (to be referred to as super-passive from now on) as before. Flop comes T85 rainbow. Check to Tiltguy who bets $150, CO flashes AQo to our side of the table and folds, EP calls. Turn is a blank. EP checks, Tiltguy bets $150, EP calls. River is blank. EP checks, Tiltguy checks his 99 and EP shows ATo for the winner. So now we’ve established a love/hate relationship between Tiltguy and super-passive. Tiltguy loves to hate super-passive.

Hand #3:

The very next hand, there’s a limp or two and Tiltguy raises in HJ. Called by CO and it’s folded to one of the limpers who looks at Tiltguy’s dwinding stack and sees he only has $200 or so left. The limper max re-raises to $150 more and Tilt-boy goes all-in, CO goes all-in and limper calls. So it’s 3 ways and the board comes Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] Turn: K[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] River: 5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. CO had A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] for thw winner, limper had TT, while Tiltguy claimed JJ.

2+2er That_pope comes up to me and introduces himself and points me out to Howard Beale playing $20/$40. That_pope is also involved in a $20/$40 game. We chat for a bit and he goes back to his table. Make that one 2+2er.

Hand #4:

Observed hand involving an angle. UTG mini-raises to $20 and is called by UTG+2. The flop comes A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]Q[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] It goes check-check. Turn is A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. UTG bets $20 and UTG+2 just calls. River is a T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Now UTG bets $20 by throwing 4 red $5 chips in. UTG+2 throws in 4 green $25 chips and feigns ignorance when he does it claiming he actually meant to only call, but dealer says “too late, cannot take back the bet. It’s a $100 bet”. UTG+1 actually falls for it, calls the $80 more with QTo and sees UTG+2’s AK.

2+2er Howard Beale comes up to introduce himself and chat to me for a few minutes. I’m ignorant to the fact that “Howard” isn’t his real name and it’s only a character from a movie called “Network” (1976).

Hand #5:

Interesting observed hand. Passive MP raises to $60 or so. And it folds around to BB who calls. The flop comes 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]. BB checks and MP says “just heads up? I check”. The turn comes K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] So BB checks, and MP bets his obvious AK $150 and BB calls. River is 7[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] BB leads $150 and MP thinks for a moment and makes the loose call with AK. BB shows JTo for a rivered straight. But then MP tabled KK, and the table gawks at the hand.

Hand #6:

Interesting observed hand and a good lesson to be learned for no-limit/spread limit players. There are 3 or 4 limpers to see a flop of TT5 rainbow. Check to CO who bets $20 and it’s called by SB super-passive and Tiltguy calls. So we know there’s at least one T in the house. Turn comes 5. That checks through. The 7 appears on the river. Super-passive SB says “I hit my 7” and bets $70. Now I’m going to stop here and say if you only have a T, you cannot raise in this spot. Your kicker is no longer in consideration, and you will at best be called by a hand that you tie with, and at worse you’ll get re-raised by a better hand. You can only call. Tiltguy is oblivious to this, and can only see an “unbeatable” full house. He proceeds to re-raise to $220. Now CO flashes his cards to our side of the table before he mucks, and everyone should have picked up on the obvious: CO had the underboat. Super-passive re-raises max to $370. Then Tiltguy again re-raises max to $520 with only $60 or so behind. Super-passive says “quads?” missing the easy read he should have gotten from CO and only calls and obviously tables T7o for the winner while Tiltguy tables K[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. CO made a small mistake by not felting Tiltguy. Tiltguy made several horrible mistakes (a) Slow-playing trips (b) Twice re-raising far from the nuts and (c) ignoring SB’s “I hit my 7” warning, which I picked up right away.

Hand #7:

I limp after a few limpers with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] on the button and the flop comes T[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]6[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Check to loose aggressive HJ (CO in Hand #6 and winner of Hand #3) who bets $40, for a change of pace I decide to slow-play it a bit and just call. SB calls as well with his obvious heart flush. I decide that if the flush comes, I’ll dump if there’s a bet large enough that I don’t have odds to draw to a boat…self-punishment for slowplaying. Turn is the perfect 6[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and it checks to CO who bets $50, and I call again and SB folds. River is a blank, and CO checks to me and I bet the max $150 knowing he can’t get away from his 6 and he called with 56s. SB claimed 8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img], so I actually had more hidden outs to worry about.

Hand #8:

There are several limpers and I complete $5 in SB with Q[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. The flop comes J[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]T[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Due to the draw-heavy nature of the board, I wish to attempt to get more money on the flop by check-raising and hopefully getting action from two pair, set, diamonds or pair+straight draw. Checks to aggressive UTG+1 (notes: he often over bets the pot and cannot get away from top pair or draw) who bets $40, called by CO, and I check-raise to $165 total and all folds. Oh well.

The game slows down a lot and I cash out a little bit ahead.

I elect to drive to Fort McDowell to see what it’s like over there. I went in through one building where it looks like the smoker’s convention and people are playing BINGO in two rooms. I walk through and find the poker room and to see what the board is like:

$3/$6: 4 tables
$4/$8: 1 table
$4/$8: Mix 1 table
$4/$8: Omaha Hi-lo 1 table
$5-$150 spread 3 tables with a must move.

In other words, not much for a player who doesn’t like to play small stakes. I jump to the “big game” at $5-$150 spread with a $350 buy-in.

Hand #1:

Because a new mix game opens up and many players are must-moved to the main game, we get down to 4 handed. Button limps, and I find Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] in SB and raise to $20 and he calls. Flop comes A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]4[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] I bet $30 and he calls. Turn is the 3[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] I bet $40 and he calls. River is 3[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] I bet $60 and he calls again with his obvious A, and I win.

Hand #2:

UTG raises to $20, UTG+1 calls along with 2 others, and I call from BB with 5[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]5[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. Flop comes 8[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]4[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] Check to UTG who bets $50, UTG+1 raises immediately to $200. UTG calls. Turn is 9[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. Check to UTG+1 who bets $150 and UTG calls. River is a blank. And it goes check/check. UTG shows A[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]J[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] for his missed draw, and UTG+1 tables A[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]3[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] for the win. UTG+1 will be known as super-lag from now on. Super-lag made me fold the best hand *sob*.

I order Gnocchi Droga w/ Chicken from the Italian Menu. (Can someone help with the translation, please?) Dealer recommended it to me, so I tried it. It’s potato dumplings with Grilled Chicken and a cream tomato sauce with Parmesan Cheese. It was only ok.

Hand #3:

There are several limpers and I complete the $5 with Q[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]. 4 Players and then the flop comes K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]8[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img] and it checks around. Turn comes Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. I bet $15, and get called by UTG+1 and then Button raises to $45!!!. I take stock, and decide re-raising isn’t going to do anything good because it reeks of a slow-played monster or a bluff. I elect to just call and UTG+1 calls. River is a 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img] I check to button who bets $45, and I quickly match it and UTG+1 folds. Button shows KTo. Ship it!

Hand #4:

Limp and LP raises to $30 with only $112 behind. I find KK in the SB and re-raise to $90 total, LP goes all-in, and I call and win against his AJo.

Hand #5:

It gets down to 7 handed or so. I find A[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]K[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img] on the button and raise to $25, and am called by super-lag in SB. Flop comes A[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]3[img]/images/graemlins/spade.gif[/img]2[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. Super-lag leads for $50, and I see he only had ~$380 when the hand began and decide to play for stacks and raise to $150. Super-lag re-raises to $300, and I re-raise to $365 and all-in. SB actually pauses and thinks about folding for his last $55, and he declares “I have a great kicker” and he finally says “F it -- I’m this far in” and forcefully shoves his last chips in. The turn is Q[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img], and I’m going #$%#$%#$% inside. River is a 9[img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]. SB shows ATo, and this hand ends up being the last few hands before the game breaks down.

I more than tripled my buy-in all told.

Cliff Notes: Playing at Casino Arizona and provided lots of hand histories.

Day #1: Lost my initial buy-in at $5-$150 spread.

Day #2: Played $20/$40 limit. Started short-handed, and ended short-handed (even heads-up). Was up a little and down a lot. Down as much as 2, but settled down to a very small win.

Day #3: Played $10-$150 spread limit. Lost a little after more than doubling the buy-in. Moral of the day: Don’t limp re-raise with AK.

Day #4: Played $10-$150 spread limit at Casino Arizona and won a little. I moved on to Fort McDowell where I won some more at $5-$150 spread.

Next up: New Jersey. Minnesota. Tunica. Any suggestions for the next trip?

Garland