AC (Borgata) Trip Report

[Bulldog]

The next few weekends are packed with graduation parties and weddings and so forth, so even though we just went two weeks earlier, I talked the wife-to-be into another AC trip (not a hard sell). In exchange, I had to run in an actual race Saturday morning. She decided to do a 5K, so I did the mile run that was part of the same setup. Fortunately I had just enough left at the end to blow by the 75-year-old slow-and-steady-guy who had held me off for the first 0.95 miles. With that out of the way, we came home, cleaned up, and got to the Borg by 3.

We battled the $10 blackjack for a while, which she was killing, basic strategy be damned, and I was getting murdered. We were both in for $100. She had her stack up to $200. I was down under $40 a couple times, and despite a winning percentage of something like 30%, I clawed back up to even and quit. I just seemed to lose every $10-$15 hand but win the $20-$40 hands. I'm sure I'm on some sort of blackjack card counter watch list now, but ah well.

I got into a tight 1/2 NL game right away, that included the one regular old guy who always wears the fedora-type hat with the faux fishing lures on the side. White hair, white mustache--not sure which of you are Borg regulars but you'd know the guy if you saw him. I wanted to avoid him, but my only big hand of the day was against him. It was the fourth of four straight big starters (AKo that I lost about $40 with, QQ that I picked up blinds and limpers, AKs that I picked up blinds and limpers), JJ. I popped it to $12 for the fourth straight hand, from EP, and got a couple calls including the regular. Flop 954, I bet, he raises, I re-raise, he calls, and all others fold. Turn 7 and I push, while he calls. River A but MHIG. TT? Or just suspected me for garbage with the fourth straight PF raise? Thought it was AK until the A fell but apparently it didn't hit him.

So I was up $200ish and that's not far from where I ended the day. But the doozy of a hand was one I wasn't in. Don't know the preflop details, but two guys get all in on a JT8 flop. One of them is on my right. One had $200 the other maybe $160, so a just-over $300 pot. Turn is A and river is 8. Other guy shows his JT, and the guy on my right picks up his KK and shows me, disgustedly. After a little head-shaking and no turning over of the cards, he mucks them face down!

I don't know if he ever figured it out, but I wasn't going to tell him. I did want to tell the JT guy how lucky he was, but I jumped to another table shortly thereafter.

After a little more 1/2 NL for me, the fiancee decided she was ready for 2/4 limit, despite turning aside all my attempts at teaching! I went along to slum with the low limiters and observe the proceedings. She probably should've won a couple hundred bucks with the cards she was getting, but she just loves to call, odds be damned! I played with her for about an hour and saw two hands that had the couple non-morons in the game painting mental bullseyes on her chipstack. One was a 22 that she called about a million bets with and hit a 2 on the river to rake a monster pot. Another was a Jc2c that she hung in with on a TcTs9c board (not bad) but the player with AT was pissed when the 6c gave her a big pot. She shared her profits on hands like a river three-bet with nothing in a $100 pot, as if the other two players were just going believe her and fold.

At the 2/4 limit game, after telling the mucked KK story, and old guy told me he was in that situation once a long time ago but he spoke up, costing somebody a big pot. He knew he screwed up after, but it was too late. The guy who lost the big pot was busted and left, and the guy telling the story found a rock through the back window of his car when he went to leave!

I got a little more 1/2 NL in, with a couple other interesting hands. Strangely the one-player-to-a-hand thing came up again. We had a tipsy guy who was also hard of hearing playing loose splashing around and just having a good old time. He called a $40ish all-in bet from a guy two to my left with TT when the flop came AJT. The other guy had KQ, and when the hand ended, the TT was tabled and the all-in guy was about to muck when the guy between us said "hey, you have a straight" and he showed it and won! The loser didn't realize (I don't think) that somebody told him that and probably wouldn't have cared anyway. I told the guy about it privately, and that 90% of the room would've blasted him for that, and about the one-player rule. He understood right away, and when the TT guy took a walk later the dealer scolded him too.

I managed to lose a decent pot to the splashy deafish guy later, but he didn't know it. I had KQ on a QT8 flop. Turn 8, river 8. Old Asian lady in with us as well, and with a $200ish pot, when it went check check to me on the river, I slid in a $40 value bet, called in both places. Lady had AQ (whew) and I was happy to split the big pot. Other guy disgustedly tosses his TT face UP and is surprised when the money starts coming his way. Somebody tried to explain but I guess he didn't get it, because four or so hands later he says something like "why did I win that pot? was it because of the queen?" OMG

I battled back and ended up with a $240 profit on the night. The fiancee actually finished with most of her starting stack, which will probably just encourage her to continue to play with no math whatsoever. Ah well!

Of course, I got a little Pai Gow in before heading home. I was at a table where the dealer kept getting poor hands, but just slightly better than me, so I was the only one losing while the rest of the table was winning! I jumped to the next table, and instead, the dealer got good hands, but mine were just slightly better! I finished up two bets and tacked a little on to the final tally.

[jjshabado]

Good trip report.

[punkass]

good report. I know exactly who you're talking about with the fishing hat. Cracks me up.

I know you won't admit to her directly...but do you secretly, silently wish that she would lose her money at 2/4, just so you can say to her..."see, the way you play, it's bad. There is skill and I can teach you."? Actually, that sounds very condescending. Let her keep playing and if she breaks out even, more power to her.

Last week, I went and played 10/20 instead of the usual 1/2 NL. I am now torn between which to play, since both are filled with idiots. I plan on making a Memorial Day trip.

[F0rtysxity]

nice trip report


ps... just because they are regulars doesn't mean they are good. gl

[Bulldog]

[ QUOTE ]
I know you won't admit to her directly...but do you secretly, silently wish that she would lose her money at 2/4, just so you can say to her..."see, the way you play, it's bad. There is skill and I can teach you."? Actually, that sounds very condescending. Let her keep playing and if she breaks out even, more power to her.

[/ QUOTE ]

She just won't be taught. I can't convince her to read a book or let me give her some basics. If I could get just starting hand selection and pot odds through her head, I'd be happy. Instead it is "Just let me play the way I want to play!"

[spresso81]

Nice trip report.


I know the guy your are talking about too. He is not a bad player for a 1/2 table actually. He used to play much higher. I played 5/10 with him awhile back. I thought he stunk for 5/10 and was probably just playing too high at the time.

[Blizzardbaum]

[ QUOTE ]
...In exchange, I had to run in an actual race Saturday morning. She decided to do a 5K, so I did the mile run that was part of the same setup. Fortunately I had just enough left at the end to blow by the 75-year-old slow-and-steady-guy who had held me off for the first 0.95 miles.

[/ QUOTE ]

Time?

[Bulldog]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...In exchange, I had to run in an actual race Saturday morning. She decided to do a 5K, so I did the mile run that was part of the same setup. Fortunately I had just enough left at the end to blow by the 75-year-old slow-and-steady-guy who had held me off for the first 0.95 miles.

[/ QUOTE ]

Time?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sheesh, don't make me admit it.