Mundane Trip Report - Harrah's AC

[pa3lsvt]

CLIFF NOTES: Waste ~2+ hours playing a crapshoot MTT that ends up being a 2 card game. Lose half my stack, then double up back to even with quads in the first orbit of 1/2NL, lose a bit to quads, then fold bad cards for 3 hours. Catch a small rush and get even in two orbits, then slowly leak chips trying to catch a hand at an action table for the next 3 hours. End up -$100 (and another -$50 for the MTT) during an 11 hour session. Harrah's has a great hot chocolate.

Haven't played B&M poker in over 3 months - I had an awful session in June (lost two buyins - once AA<KQ all in on a Q33 flop and another TT<As5s all in on a AxTs3x flop when the runner-runner flush comes in) and then my gf's Exploder exploded twice this summer right after the family vacation, so $$$ for poker - or anything really - wasn't there. My new job gives me half-days on Friday (I work near the Philly airport), and when I started I immediately knew Friday afternoon in AC was going to be a regular occurrence.

I get to Harrah's at about 1 PM and sign up for the 1:15 PM tourney. $40+$10, 10k to start, 100/200 starting blinds with 20 minute levels. Like any low stakes AC tournament, you either have to double early or play a two card game. My starting table makeup was a loudmouth woman to my right (god bless the iPod), three WSOP wannabes to my left (including a double-wide fella who needs to eat one less cheeseburger), a 21 year old girl who was on her first B&M session (but said she played online previously), and four old dudes.

Play was pretty terrible all around (no surprise). Old guy in the 3 seat ends up CRAI on the flop in the second level with third pair and stacks off to top set. Another old guy in the 2 seat open shoves a gutshot on the flop, only to catch on the river against top two. Meanwhile, I played exactly two hands in the first four levels: limped 55 in the CO and folded on a AKJ flop, completed J8hh from the SB against 5 limpers and check-folded a whiffed flop. Other notable hands I was dealt and folded: A5o and KJo. Basically as card dead as possible. I was looking for chances to steal from the WSOP wannabe crew but the table never let me open from late position and fold equity was essentially zero. I saw all ins called with QJo, A7s, and 66. Newbie B&M girl liked to limp UTG and call raises, which she did just about every time I was in the CO and I didn't think she'd fold any hand she limped.

During level 5 I get moved. This table was better as they were able to fold occasionally to preflop shoves. I open shove my first hand there with 5 BBs when I'm dealt ATs UTG. UTG+1 thinks, then folds and I steal the blinds. A few hands later I open shove A7s from the HJ and steal the blinds. I'm dealt QQ UTG and open shove my 7 BBs, get called by AKs from a member of the WSOP crew who was moved when my original table broke and I win a flip. I then donate all those chips back when I open complete from the SB with J5s, we see a J high rainbow flop, I lead for half the pot, get min-check raised and call, then check-fold the turn. (That's some terrible play on my part there kids. Check-call flop/shove turn or open shove flop have to be better lines than the weak-tight spew line I took.) An orbit later I shove over a 4 BB raise from the SB with AKdd, get called by BB and original raiser, and get knocked out in 15th/58 (paying 5) when I come in third to 88 (BB) and ATo (PF raiser).

OK, so off to 1/2 NL. I buy in for $160 to get a feel for the table (planning to top off after an orbit or two). I had scouted this table while waiting, and I knew that the 1 seat (I'm in 3) was LAG, and the 10 seat was loose-passive. Third hand in I limp-call a SB raise to $8 with ATs UTG and we see a flop 5 ways. T-3-7 rainbow, SB leads for $15, I call and we get two overcalls. Turn is a Q, SB checks, I bet $25, get called twice including the 10 seat. River is a 3, I throw a $30 blocking bet in there and get called by 43o in the 10 seat. Not unhappy with my play (first time I've correctly used the blocking bet live after quite a few misapplications of it) but there goes half my stack so I plan on adding $100 when the button gets to me.

In the SB (two hands later), I complete behind 6 limpers with 77 and we see a KJ4 flop. Checks around. Turn is a 7, I check and the BB bets $10, gets called by the 1 seat, I raise to $25 in order to have a PSB left on the river if I'm called. I get a call from the BB and Zeebo shove my stack in when the river is the case 7, giving me quads. I table my 77 when I'm called and the BB flashes KJ to me while stating he's happy I didn't have more on the table. (D'oh!)

Shortly after, I add $100 to my stack. I call a $12 raise from a TAG woman in the 7 seat from the SB with AQs, four way flop including the 1 seat. Flop is Ts3x3s, I check, TAG woman bets $15 with an obvious 10/overpair, 1 seat calls (10? 3? med pocket pair? he has a wide range here), I call with my two overs and NFD. Turn is a red A, checks through. Knew the TAG woman would check the scare card but was hoping the 1 would bet it. River is a 3, checks to the 1 seat who bets $15, I call and expect an overcall or a raise from the TAG's 3's full of whatever but it doesn't come. 1 seat tables 73o and this time I lose to quads. I'm glad we weren't heads up on the river as I would have value raised his bet. I probably should have reraised from the SB but I didn't like the idea of playing a big pot with AQ OOP to the TAG. As (questionably) played, I probably lost the minimum and was fortunate the hand went down as it did.

I don't play a hand for the next 3 hours. Nothing even remotely worth playing (no SCs, small PPs, big Aces, nothing) and I lose, literally, $24 to the blinds over 8 orbits plus $2 to the waitress for a coke and a hot chocolate. (I highly recommend Harrah's hot chocolate, it was stellar!) I then win enough to get about even over the next two orbits with T9s, AA, and KK.

My problem was the action players aren't in those hands and I won a small pot from with T9 - villain called my flop bet (board JT5), I check-called his bet of $5 into a $40 pot when a Q came on the turn, and he checked behind me when the river brought a 9. He had Q7s.

AhAd - I raised PF to $22 over 6 limpers from the BB, get called in three spots, check a KJ4hh flop and it checks through (again, the aggro players aren't firing into my pots when I want them to!), lead $50 when the 9h turns and I win the pot. A good player, who I had been chatting with for a while, mentions that he was confused by my play - "that was either a big hand or nothing, but I can't quite tell which" - I tell him it was AA with the Ah on a smoke break and he likes it, agreeing that he expected the aggro players to fire if they had something like Kx or two hearts when I checked the flop but they obviously had nothing there.

KK - raise to $15 OTB over two limpers, one call. Bet half the pot on an all undercard flop with two spades and get called once, bet 3/4 pot when another undercard falls putting a straight draw out along with the flush draw and win a pot I was happy to win without seeing a river. I can't imagine a single river card that I can get any value out of and may have to call a bet if either of the draws come in and I'm bet into.

The table makeup changes when the evening tourists start to filter into the game, replacing the action players with even bigger action players. Again, I go card dead but at least the game got loose-passive preflop so I was able to see a lot of flops for $2 but missed EVERY SINGLE flop. One guy bought in for $150 and cashed out for over $1000 in this time. I slowly leaked about $75 limping and/or calling small raises.

The only real hand I had in that stretch was black QQ, which I raised to $25 over 6 limpers from the BTN, getting called by all limpers except for the good player who I discussed the AA hand with. (He knew I wasn't raising junk there.) Six way flop with a $150 pot - the flop comes out AT5 all diamonds. I fold to a bet and a call on what is the worst possible flop for my hand, and Ax7d loses the pot at showdown against KdQh when a diamond came on the river.

The new player to my right was check-raise and PF limp-reraise addicted. He open limps, I raise to $12 and get called twice with 99, then he bumps it to $42 and I angrily fold to his obvious AA/KK. My stack was about $175 so I didn't have the correct stack odds to play for set value any more, even though it was *close* - about 7.5:1. I saw him limp-RR two other times, showing KK once. Another hand, I see a flop from the BB with J7s and it comes 9JQ and checks through. A 2 hits the turn, he checks and I throw a $5 feeler bet into a $14 pot, which gets raised and check-reraised by our CR friend. BTN 4 bets all in and CR guy calls. CR guy flopped the idiot straight with T8 and the BTN flopped the nuts with KT, CR guy stacks off for $300.

I finally leave at midnight when a big fat loudmouth buffoon gets seated to my left, and a smelly meth addict (who bought in for the table minimum and actually asked "what's the bet?" when a hand was checked to him on the turn) gets seated to my right. End up down $100 after 8 frustrating hours at 1/2 and lost another $50 over two hours at the MTT.