Trip Report: Berge to AC for the first time!

[Berge20]

This isn't as good as the Toss to Vegas reports, but....

Part 1: Friday

After many attempts at trying to get up to Atlantic City, I finally was able to put together a weekend to check it out. It was poor timing for my BR since I just booked flights and accomodations to beach and to Vegas, so I was scrounging around for some cash. Pull out the poker books and thumb through them for loose bills (I tend to toss some in them in after poker related trips). Phil Helmuth's Play Poker Like the Pro's comes through with a few bills and we're off. Thanks Phil, best thing your book has done for my game ever.

Fellow 2+2r ChrisAJ and I took off from DC about 2:30ish, about two hours after 2+2r Mr. K who we were helping celebrate his final AC trip and acceptance to law school. He'll be leaving DC, so this was it and I prepared myself for a full weekend of poker, drinking and whatever else we got into.

Immediately we run into traffic and it takes way longer than expected even to get across the river, but things start to clear up and we start making good progress...until Deleware, where it takes us an hour to cross the 10-mile stretch. Not good, but I brought ToP and brushed up on some basics.

We arrived over 5 hours after departure, which I noted is about how long it takes for a flight from DC to Vegas--but in that scenario at least you gain 3 hours, so next time I'm just flying out west under that logic [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Immediately we head to the Borg and I grab a set at a new 1/2 NL game. I get stuck in the 1 slot, but the bigger fish were to my right and it wasn't so bad. 3-4 reasonable players at the table including a woman in her mid-30s with gorgeous hazel eyes and a low cut shirt in the 6-slot right in my view. To my immediate left were two really tight players, but fairly unimaginative from what I could tell. There was a mega calling station and a couple hyper aggro guys both to my right.

I think we'd been playing an orbit when it folded to the blinds (wtf), SB completes and BB mini-raises (score)--SB 3-bets, BB pushes and gets his KK's called by AA. Not an orbit later the same guy runs into set-over-set on the flop and is down two buy-ins in twenty minutes and storms off.

I grind, grind, grind getting nothing solid and am down to about $250. Getting annoyed b/c all the fish are handing their money away and I can't get anything to show down. It's always fun to look at the 2-3 other decent players after a mega-donk pulls in a pot with some randomly rivered two-pair and we are all thinking the same thing "Just don't leave!"

Finally I'm in the HJ and pick up AKs: UTG limps, EP makes it $12 to go, I call, CO calls, UTG calls. Flop is AQ9ds and EP c-bets $20 and I make it $60 to go trying to isolate (he loves any ace or paint)--CO who is pretty tight cold calls and UTG mucks. Turn is a low 3-flush card (I've got the nut draw) and it goes Check-check. River is a Q and goes Check-Check and he shows 9's full--guess scared of AQ/AA?

New player sits down in the 4 slot, really attractive asian gal with Ipod. My view is improving, even if my stack size isn't.

I tangle with her not long after. She seems moderately tight--I limp in with A6s from MP after 2 limpers and she comes along from the CO and we go 6 to the flop. Ten-high flop all spades (bingo!). Checked to me and I lead for $15, she calls and we're heads-up. Turn a blank and I fire $35, she makes it $100 straight. I think briefly and push--she folds AT up (huh).

A few hands later I get KQs UTG and make it $10 to go. She calls from MP and BB comes along. JT7 flop with two spades (I have hearts) and I C-bet $25--she calls and I turn a queen and it goes check-check. River is a ten and I lead $60, she thinks and pushes for another $150 or so and I muck, wishing I'd bet the turn. She shows J7...

Meanwhile Mr. K has doubled through a couple times at another table and has a mountain of chips when he so kindly comes over and knocks my neatly arranged stacks all over the place. I go to retaliate, but then realize his towers are too impressive. Chris has had the opposite luck and ran bad, so he decided to stroll through the casino and see what else is around--it was also his first visit to AC. We discuss some dinner options and I decide that food isn't necessary.

I finally move out of the 1 seat and get some space in the 3. This is when the mini-heater finally starts. Snag 3's in UTG+1 and flop a set in limped pot--I fire out on the flop and get a caller, but he folds to my double barrel on a draw-heavy board.

The very next hand, I snag 44 UTG and it goes 6-ways. Flop is 47J and I lead again for $15--MP calls. Turn is a Jack (score) and I lead for $50, he doesn't oblige me with a raise and just smoothcalls. River is an Ace and I make it $100 to go--he reluctantly calls with JT and my hand is good.

I snag JJ in LP and 3-bet a loose EP raiser, no action. Next time in the BB I get QQ and raise it up to $17 after about 6 limpers, 1 caller. QT4r flop and I fire out $30 and he calls--turn is an ace and I fire again, hoping maybe he was monkeying around with Ax or such but he folds.

We decide to call it a night at 2am so we're fully prepared for Saturday. 6 hours of grinding and the mini-heater on the end netted me $301 for the night and we headed off to the hotel.

More troops are arriving in the morning--including some women, who are looking to do some drinking, assorted gambling and perhaps some dancing. We needed our rest.

Next: Saturday Daytime

[TheProdigy]

Nice story!

[blunty31]

2 much poker not enough hookers and blow

[King Spew]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks Phil, best thing your book has done for my game ever.


[/ QUOTE ]

LOL

[Hklm8383]

[ QUOTE ]
2 much poker not enough hookers and blow

[/ QUOTE ]

[CalledDownLight]

Good read. You write well.

[MyTurn2Raise]

i suggest taking the train to philly to AC
jitney bus from AC train station to casino/hotel

works out well and is relatively cheap

can read a book during the time or shoot the [censored]


good report

don't like the checking with the KQ v J7 hand
this is why the blocking bet was invented

[KurtSF]

Hit sets much?

[Berge20]

On the KQ hand: I don't like betting the turn when she had shown the ability to semi-bluff raise (?) a turn lead. I've got a good draw and a solid show-down value hand. Hate to lead the turn and get raised in that spot.

I really thought the river blocker was the right move there.

Kurt, I think that I hit 4 sets all weekend--3 just happened in the matter of a few orbits. Wish I had a better image to fully take advantage of them, but I was so card dead for the first few hours.

[Berge20]

Two other notes about Friday:

What is with the chips at the Borg? Are they magnetic? Designed that somehow they trap air and don't let go of each other? They stick together and I was highly annoyed.

One of the most entertaining parts about my table was the one major fish who kept saying "Man, I know I've got you beat" while trying to decide if he's calling a big bet on the river. Everytime he called and showed a loser (generally not even close)--much love for that guy.

Part 2: Saturday Daytime

I wake up at 7ish thanks to the old body clock and consider leaving the guys and going to start playing, but I roll over and grab a couple more hours of sleep before showering and the usual morning gig. That got the gents up and at em, so before long we were off to the Borgata again. Clear blue skys and 85 degrees outside. I note that it was a really nice day to spend inside.

We decided that eating might be useful and sat down at Bread and Butter for a nice breakfast sandwich. I went with the Cinnamon Swirl French Toast after waivering on my choices--it was solid, but I'd definately try some other things on the menu nextime.

Then back to the poker room. Our companions managed to leave DC at 10am, so they should arrive early afternoon and then we were just going to play it by ear.

I grab another 1/2 NL seat, but the table wasn't nearly as good as the previous evening. There were two major fish, one hyper aggro who couldn't not bluff and one huge calling station. The seat to my direct left came in and was busted about 3 times in a row (new player each time), but I didn't get any of their money--it was the hyper aggro guy.

He was entertaining and was constantly jabbing about the new guys at the table.

There were two players that I realized were fairly decent. One to my left two seats (Quiet, unassuming type) and one to my right a few (Similarly quiet with some Greg Raymber t-shirt on).

I do a lot of folding and finally pick up JJ in the BB. I raise to $20 over 5-limpers and only a MP limper calls. Nothing special about him that I'd noticed. Unders flop, fairly uncoordinated and I fire out $35 and he calls. Turn is another blank and I fire out $60, which he just calls.
River goes check-check and he tables Queens for the win. Needless to say, I was confused.

Shortly after, I snag AQs from the SB and raise it up to $17 over 3 limpers, including Mr QQ. Both call. I fire a C-bet at a dry unders flop and he raises me. Meh, muck.

Reload to the max. I'm getting thirsty, where is the damn waitress and why don't they let me have Redbull Vodkas here?!?

We've got a short-stack guy two to my right who has been playing a long time and is a clear gambler. He moved AI from UTG for like $17 and I called from the SB with ATs, only to see AJ. Next hand, I open raise from the Button with A9o, both SB and BB gambler call. Axx flop, I C-bet for $20 and he moves in for another $15 or so. I call and get shown AT. Meh.

I got a little frustrated at that point and took a quick walk. Just wasn't getting it going and couldnt get into a hand against the two big fish at the table. Mr. K had once again started building a stack at his table (luck-box) and ChrisAJ was again struggling. Mr. K said the other guys and gals had arrived and were at the racebook, so he was going to meet them.

I go back and sit down at my table to see if I can't get going. Soon after, I'm sitting on the button with AQs and the guy in the Raymer T-shirt raises to $15 from UTG. Big calling station comes along, as does a new guy who looks like he's been up all night. I decide to do the same and we end up 4-way to an AA3 double suited flop. He C-bets $20 into the pot and I consider the possiblity that he's got AK or a big pair that's testing the waters. The big mega calling station was still in and he loved any Ace, so I decided to raise to $60 and see if perhaps that's where the case ace was. No dice--the fish fold and Tight Raymer T-shirt guy calls.

Turn goes Check-check. He leads for $91 on a blank river and I ponder before giving him credit for AK and folding. He shows a King and I feel moderately like a donkey for playing AQ against his EP range. I suppose he could have 2 kings there sometimes, but not really often--if he thought i was on a flush draw that busted he wouldn't have led I don't think.

Only other interesting thing was when a Black Card holding Asian woman asked to see this guy's hand after he was in a pot later (she wasn't even in the hand). Hyper aggro guy had bluffed and was called--and he immediately mucked. She insisted on seeing the winning hand and the dealer obliged.

He took some offense, asking her if she felt she was cheating and then explained the spirit of the rule. She just kept saying "I just wanted to see your hand" and without too much of a stink he let it go.

I packed it up soon after--Hyper aggro guy had felted his AA against a set of 2s and the major calling station was gone. Down $321 on the morning session. So to the racebook I go to meet up with the others.

I head in and immediately see them at the bar yelling at a main screen. They had bet some trifecta that was about to pay off, if only the 2 horse faded. It did and there was much celebrating. We added 3 ladies and 2 other guys to our event, moderately helping our good looks average.

I decline on betting the ponys and just do some drinking. Not long after, the ladies want to go play some table games and drink, so who am I to say no to that. It is decided that roulette will be our game of choice. Mr. K and ChrisAJ wisely decide to keep playing poker.

$5 Minimum tables ftw and we all plop down and I buy-in for $200. Oddly the ladies are impressed, but I knew the house would end up getting it somehow. We go over the basics with them and they play mostly red/black or on a column. I dance around all over the place, start up quickly.

A smoking hot blonde waitress was getting our drinks and she did a wonderful job bringing me Captain and Cokes at every pass. I look up and see it has been ten reds in a row, so time to make a big bet on black. Red! Doh. Ok, that can't happen again. Red! Meh. The girls decide to start betting against whatever I do, just to prod me. Black again I say, but the wheel says Red.

Down to my last $15, I decide that a desperate move is needed. Double Zero it is. Around and around the wheel goes. The ball bounces around, close to the needed salvation--nearly stays right next door and then hops into payday glory!!!

Bam! I'm yelling like a drunken fool and the girls don't appreciate what has just happened. Our friend Greg definately knew and we did some little high-five thingy. The dealer stacks and ships my chips too me and we all have several more rounds. One-by-one they each lose their buy-in and once it's down to just me, we decide to pack it in and go prepare for dinner. I leave only down $140, but up about 8 Captain and Cokes, two single girls 3-sheets to the wind.

I go back and get the two poker players and Mr. K and I sweat ChrisAJ who is donking around at 2-4 limit now. We make some random sidebets and there is a lot of screaming about "give me a duece!" which the dealer didn't appreciate coming from non-players.

We headed off to the hotel of the evening to drop off our stuff and change. Someone picked up a case of beer on the way, indicating that we might be saving that for the BYOB strip joint I had heard so much about. The girls were slow at getting ready, so we had to break out the beer--oh the shame. Finally, by like 9pm we headed out to the Tropicana to grab some dinner and complete the evening.

Next: Saturday Evening