TurningStone trip report (very, very long)

[Spota]

I wrote this a few months ago but never posted it. I have enjoyed reading other trip reports so I figured I would contribute. Keep in mind that this was originally an email to a co-worker so I may be redudant or overly state the obvious in parts.

I was in Rome, NY on a business trip so I had to limit my playing time to around 4 hours per session b\c I had to work the next day.

Day1
Got to Turning Stone and immediately went to the poker room. I wanted to get in the 3\6 game but they only had 1 table going. There was only 1 other person on the waiting list so I got on the list and decided to sit in the 1\3 spread limit game. The floor was going to call me when they had room at 3\6 or opened another table. There are about 10 or 15 tables in the main room and another 10 or so in the overflow room right next to the main room. There is also another room somewhere upstairs where they hold tourneys. The main room only had about 6 or 7 full tables b\c everyone was in the Wednesday $85 NL tourney. Apparently they had about 130 people in that, so that’s why the main room was so empty.

So I bought in for 100 whites and sit in seat 8. First hand I am BB and I’m not sure what I need to post. The 1\3 spread game works with 2 blinds, both $1. On every street you can bet between $1 and $3. It took me about 2 hours to realize it, but I can raise to $4 PF because it’s really calling the $1 blind and raising 3 more. So first hand I am dealt JJ. We were 7 handed I think and I had 5 limpers. I raised to 3 (again, didn’t realize that I could have raised to 4) and had 4 of the 5 limpers call me. The flop was 3 undercards and I lead off with $3. 3 callers. Turn and river were both undercards to my J and my MHIG. Nice, first hand and I win a decent sized pot.

Over the next 3 hours or so, I managed to get dealt AA twice. I won one unimproved and lost the 2nd to a full house. I got KK once and won that unimproved. I limped with 89o once, was raised to 4 by the button, had like 5 callers so I called as well. Flop was 8,9,2 rainbow. I think a K came on the turn and I forget the river. I show my 2 pair and MHIG. I win another good sized pot.

The guy to my immediate left (seat 9) decides to move to seat 3. I asked him if I smelled or something but he wouldn’t tell me why he moved. I figured he didn’t like getting his blinds raised or something. About 10 mins later a lady sits in his old seat and proceeds to move to seat 5. She was about 98 years old and loved to call down with Q high.

I limp in with Q10o along with 5 or 6 others. Flop is 9,J,K rainbow. Sweet I flop the nuts. I bet 3, have 2 callers. Turn in a 5, I bet 3, and have 1 caller. River is a Q and the guy who moved away from me earlier bets $3 into me. I call thinking maybe he has A-10. He flips 10-3o and we end up splitting. I love this guy.

I immediately get up and tell the brush that I don’t want to go to the 3\6 game, I want to stay at this 1\3 spread game.

I am dealt K10 of hearts on the BB. As usual, there were 385 limpers so I just check my option. I thought about raising but I didn’t for whatever reason. Flop comes with 2 hearts and I check intending to raise a bet from early position to trap everyone for another $3. It checks right through to the button (who was the only other decent player at the table) who bets $3. SB calls and I raise. My plan failed (maybe I should have just called) because I only had 2 callers. The turn brought my heart giving me the 2nd nuts. I bet 3, one folds and the button calls. River is a non-heart, I bet 3, and he folds. I assume he was on a straight draw or had middle pair.

We never had a full table, usually 7-8 handed. I was running very well, hitting flops and getting AA twice, KK and JJ once each. I never (except for me) saw someone reraise PF and maybe only once or twice on any other street. I ended up limping PF 4 or 5 times, but usually I was raising to $3 or $4. I never bet less than $3 on any other street but I frequently saw others betting $1 or $2. This table was as passive as it gets. I cashed out up one rack and a handful of reds for +$140. Not bad for 3 hours (about 100 hands) of 1\3 spread limit.

Played for around 4 hours and ended up about even. Well, actually down less than $10 but between toking the dealers and drink girls I figure I was even.

Day2
I bought in for two racks of white (200 chips). I sat down and immediately 2 or 3 people started making comments about how they were leaving if I started raising every hand. Seems to me they would want maniacs at the table, but whatever. Second hand I get A-J offsuit in MP. 3 people limp, I raise to $4 and all 3 call. Flop is a J high rainbow. It’s checked to me, I bet, and only the Button calls. I forget what the turn is but I bet 3, button calls. River is a Ace, I consider check-raising but I didn’t want him to check behind. I bet 3, he calls. I show my AJ, and say Aces up. He flicks his cards in the muck and a 9 is exposed. I do not know what the other card was, but I assume it was another 9 or possibly an A. He then says loud enough for half the table to hear….can you believe that guy, raising AJ preflop! This is going to be a great table. At this point (and I was in the 1 seat beside the dealer) the 4 seat gets up and leaves. Apparently he doesn’t like anyone to raise PF.

Since I was up on a business trip I convinced a co-worker to come with me. He has only played once before (on yahoo), but wasn’t positive of the hand rankings and definitely was not familiar with starting hand requirements. During our 15 minute ride to the casino, I gave him a few pointers. Don’t play Ace-Junk, no set no bet, no cold calling raises etc…

I notice that there is an empty seat at his table, so I go up to the brush and request a table change. So now I rack up 220+ chips, and move to his table. I sit in the 3 seat, and here come more remarks about my stack. Apparently most buy in for 50 or 60, but I could care less. I just announce to the table that I just don’t want to rebuy. I fold the first few hands and notice that the average pot is like $5. I decide it’s time to put an end to that so I announce to the table that I am going to shake things up a bit. Next hand I get 10-4 off. I raise PF and get 3 callers. The flop didn’t hit me at all. I don’t care. I bet 3 and have 2 callers. The turn doesn’t help me so I bet 3 again. One fold, one calls. The river doesn’t help again, so I bet 3. The lady across the table in the 8 seat actually tries to stare me down. Ha!. I tell her I don’t have squat but am trying to loosen up that table. She says, “I just knew you were going to bet that river” and folds. I table my 10 high and decide that I need to play the next hand the exact same way.

Next hand I get 5-8off. Same scenario, I raise to 4 PF, and bet all the way to the river and show my 8 high. Dealer says “nice bluff” as I am raking in my second pot in a row and I just say again that I just want to loosen everyone up. I tighten up now, hoping to catch a big hand and get paid off. I didn’t really catch anything and before long everyone forgot about those hands anyway.

I limped in with 5-6 suited in EP only because I knew there would be 438 limpers along with me. Some guy with a peach colored tank top and a mullet across the table raises to 3. This is the first time he has raised so I figure he had a big hand. 2 people cold call, and I call as well. Flop had a Q, a 5, and 1 card of my suit but I forget the rank. I bet, one person calls, and mullet man raises, I call, and so does the other guy. Turn is a 5. I check, other guy checks, mullet bets. I raise him, other guy cold calls, and mullet calls. I lead off a bet on the river which other guy folds, and mullet calls. I show my trip 5s, and he doesn’t show. That was a decent size pot.

Enter grandma. Old lady sits down at the 7 seat. She bought in for $40 and the dealer and one other lady at the table know her. I raise with 9,10 suited and she is the only caller. Flop is Q high with nothing of my suit. I lead off a bet which she calls. Turn doesn’t help me so I check and she checks behind. River doesn’t help either, I check and she checks. I show my 10 high and she tables AQ suited. I call her grandma because for some reason she didn’t want to take my money. How sweet.

I really never hit a big hand and missed a few decent draws. My stack wavered from +50 or so to -20. Towards the end of the session I started playing stupid and limping in almost every pot.


Oh yeah, there was nearly a fight at the table beside us where someone got ejected. Apparently it was a 3-6 game. One guy bets 3 on the turn and was raised. The raiser wasn’t paying attention and should have noticed that the bettor should have bet 6. So since he said raise, he had to put in 12. The floor was called, the raiser dropped about 200 F-Bombs. The floor manager (Jack??) was great. He got right up in his face pretty much bumping chests. The raiser actually threw $12 across the table (Roger Clemons style) and the saying something like “Here’s your $12). Anyway, he was ejected, but the poker room was buzzing and my table got pretty loose for the next 20 or 30 minutes.


Day 3

The room was pretty crowded that night. They had 2 or 3 tables of 1-3, several 3-6, several 100MAX, 200MAX and maybe a 500 Max NL Table. They also had 5-10, 20-40 Limit, and a 3\6 Omaha high/low game going. They also had a NL multi table tournament going.

I got on a waiting list for 1-3 and went ahead and bought a rack of whites. I was called to my table after about 5 or 10 minutes and sat in the 4 seat. When I sit down no one even lifts their head up to see who I was. This was the most boring, quiet, tight, passive table I have ever seen. I got 6-8 off in the BB and checked my option. Flop was 7,9,Q rainbow. I checked even though I normally would have semi-bluffed my OESD. I thought a bet might take down the $5 pot there and I wanted to win a larger one. Thankfully a guy in late position bets, and everyone calls. The turn is a 5 giving me the nuts. I check, same guy bets, and I check raise. River is J, so I no longer have the nuts. I don’t really fear K-10 so I lead with a bet. I had 2 callers and my straight is good. That was the largest pot this table has seen in a while.

A seat opens up at my buddies table so I request a table change. I get red AA in the BB as soon as I sit down. I haven’t even taken my chips out of the rack. There are 4 limpers and I raise to 4. Two call me for what seems to be the beginning of a good sized pot. The flop was 4,6,8. Two clubs and 1 spade. I bet both call. The turn is a 7 of spades. Blah. I bet one folds, I calls. River is a red 8. I bet, one calls. He flips over 6,7 for two pair. I say nice hand, table my AA. The dealer pushes me the pot and I didn’t even realize that I have Aces up. My AA887 beats his 88667. I don’t think the other guy realized it either.

I get 2-4 of clubs in the SB. Flop is 3-5-10 with 2 clubs. The lady to my right (button) bets 3. The dealer tells her it’s not her turn so she pulls it back. I now bet, hoping to get a caller or two so she can raise trapping everyone for another $3. So I bet 3, get two callers, she raises, I call, (Maybe I should have raised?) and so do 2 others. Turn is a red A. I check raise with the current nuts. The river is a club which gives me a flush but I would rather stick with my straight. I bet, she calls. I turn over my flush and take down the pot. One guy at the table says, wow you were betting before you had the flush? I just smiled at him saying that I had a feeling it was coming. He was completely oblivious to my straight on the turn.


I ended up + a few dollars, basically breaking even with the few dollars from the previous night.

[Ignignokt]

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Apparently it was a 3-6 game. One guy bets 3 on the turn and was raised. The raiser wasn’t paying attention and should have noticed that the bettor should have bet 6. So since he said raise, he had to put in 12. The floor was called, the raiser dropped about 200 F-Bombs.

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If I was at that table, I'd sure be sorry to see that guy go.

When you have that much trouble dealing with the bet size at a limit table (much less a low limit table), it's like screaming "Here! I'm throwing my money at you!! Take it!! Take it!!"

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The raiser actually threw $12 across the table (Roger Clemons style) and the saying something like “Here’s your $12).

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D'oh.

[mcc235]

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About 10 mins later a lady sits in his old seat and proceeds to move to seat 5. She was about 98 years old and loved to call down with Q high.

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Ha! Did she eat her entire dinner at the table, and take about 45 minutes to do so? Everytime I am at Turning Stone, I think some of those old ladies think they are in the bingo room or something.

[Spota]

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[ QUOTE ]

About 10 mins later a lady sits in his old seat and proceeds to move to seat 5. She was about 98 years old and loved to call down with Q high.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha! Did she eat her entire dinner at the table, and take about 45 minutes to do so? Everytime I am at Turning Stone, I think some of those old ladies think they are in the bingo room or something.

[/ QUOTE ]

No, I didnt notice her eating.