Amsterdam - a little trip report

[ijustliketoplay]

'My head hurts, my throat is dry and i can't understand a word these guys are saying. That’s it, i'm leavi.... wow qj suited!'

OK, time to rewind. I spent last weekend in Amsterdam. 'Dam is a truly beautiful place, especially when the sun shines. The architechture is fabulous, great canals, good food etc etc. The culture there is truly something special to take in.

Good job I’d been there before. Because I spent most of my time in coffeeshops and bars. Just about managed to get in a game but this is not the most obvious

First thing’s first though. There is only one casino in Amsterdam and if you there to play at anything other than beginners stakes, don’t turn up at the casino before 8pm! I turned up at 2 thinking, like me, there’d be some gamblers there looking for a Saturday afternoon game. Oh no.

There were only two tables. One offering a 2/4 Euro limit game and the other offering 10 euro sit and go’s. List for both were huge and the organisation was a bit ramshackle.

However, I did speak to someone who looked like the manager who was a nice guy and he put me on the list for the 5/5 euro NL game that started at 8.

So I spent a few more hours weaving in and out of coffeeshops and enjoying the sunshine before leaving my friends for the evening and heading to the casino somewhat worse for wear. I knew my A game wasn’t coming with me but held high hopes for my B game.

I was sat down and playing quite quickly. The room was nice (nothing special though), but had an overpopulated rail and terrible service at the tables (I waited half an hour for a coke). This however sums up Amsterdam – you wait for EVERYTHING there.

The game itself was one of 3 new games to start at 8. Two 5/5 Euro NL and a limit (think 10/20). No cap on the buy in at the 5/5, but a min of 250 to sit down. I bought in for 250 (50bbs) which I always do until I feel I have a read on the table.

Action seemed to ebb and flow from tight to loose. There were one or two soft spots a few seats on my right but no obvious fish. I couldn’t even understand a word they were saying (‘its all dutch to me’), so wasn’t able to get many reads from the discussions they appeared to be having about their hands.

What made it worse, I was totally card dead for the first hour and a half. And if I have one gigantic leak, it’s a lack of discipline when card dead. It usually goes something like this:

J4: fold, 10 3: fold ‘I am not a tight player. I am not a tight player.’ K2: fold. Q6: fold ‘everyone thinks im a rock, gonna get no action, really bored, why do I play…. WOW QJ suited! Got a feeling im gonna flop big - I’m playing this no matter what… ’

And this is what happened. I limped and called a pre flop raise from the blinds. Then I called a c bet on a 5 handed flop with a J 10 7 board even though it had already become abundantly clear I was behind. Turned an up and down straight draw and decided that was good enough to get it all in against what turned out to be kojak. No luck and im down 250. What a player.

I buy in again for 300 this time and play for a while longer, losing a few chips to loose pre flop calls. Then pick up KK in the SB and re pop to 60 an uncharacteristically small raise from a laggy donkey sitting four seats to my right.

He calls and we are heads up with about 150 euros in the pot. I have 200 behind and he covers. Flop comes A K 4 with two hearts. A great situation. So, do I remember how he played and use that? No. Do I put him on a range and decide my action from there? No. Do I try and get a read from him before I act? No, of course not.

I think this: ‘There’s an ace, there’s an ACE! He must have an ace. Lets get it all in’.

So I bet half my stack, he dwells up (‘pls call, pls call, pls call’), considers a bluff raise after putting me on jj/qq (he said this out loud to himself!), then realises I cant really fold with what I have left and decides to pass.

I guess I didn’t lose, eh.

Last hand I pick up is an 87s, flop a double gutter with backdoor against a new fish that just rebought and min raised out of the sb. I bet it, turn a straight and bet again then had to check down scare card. He shows what was a pair and a missed straight draw and think to myself ‘should have pushed turn!’.

So I leave to join my friends for one last visit to a coffeeshop. Somehow im even for the night. Cant work out why, but I guess that’s poker in Amsterdam...

[remi983]

sounds like you had a fun trip despite losing a few euros. i guess the coffee shops will do that to you...im thinking about making a trip soon. what kind of rake did they take out of the game? did you notice if the 10/20 game was going when you left?

[MWers]

Nice trip report! I dropped by the Holland Casino on a Wednesday a month or so ago and there no midday games going on.

[ijustliketoplay]

The 10/20 was still going when i left. all the games were, inc the 2/4 that started at 2. i really dont know about the rake as i was too spaced to work it out! my guess tho is that it was high because cities with just one poker room tend to have brutal rakes because of their monopoly

[kabouter]

Yeah the rake is brutal, games start at 8 and the casino closes at 3 o'clock midnight. I never seem to win at that donkfest either, so I simply decided not to visit it anymore.

[tbrown932]

when is 3 o'clock midnight?

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
when is 3 o'clock midnight?

[/ QUOTE ]

Transliteration, I'm guessing.

[iceman5]

Amsterdam is "truly a beautiful place"? Its one of the dirtiest places Ive ever been, and Ive been all over the world.

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
Amsterdam is "truly a beautiful place"? Its one of the dirtiest places Ive ever been, and Ive been all over the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

I doubt you have been all over Amsterdam. The Museumplein and the Jordaan neighborhood, to name two areas, are far cleaner and prettier than the Damrak.

[augie_]

your poker stories are lame, let's hear more about the coffeeshops