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Adventures in Atlantic City

Friday, June 20th, 2008 by Phil

I took a few days off and decided to go to Atlantic City for a day trip. None of my friends were available to go with me so I decided to take a bus there. This was the best thing I ever did. As a poker player we love +EV situations.  And what’s more +EV than paying $15 for a round trip ticket and getting back $25 from the Casino? Furthermore, if you factor in the tolls and the price of gas these days it’s almost like getting a rakeback.

It’s 9am in the morning and I’m ready and rearing to go. I take a seat next to a gaggle of grandmothers who have the combined energy of a nuclear reactor. We exchange pleasantries. The woman I’m sitting next to is named Angela and in a typical grandmotherly way she offers me a cookie.  Perfect, this will go great with my coffee. I could tell that the cookies were made from scratch just by the smell. I think to myself that there’s nothing better than a cookie baked with love, unless of course you’re getting $25 back from the casino on a $15 bus ride. Angela then tells me that she and her friends take the bus to Atlantic City every week and the seat I’m sitting in is usually reserved for their friend Betty, who couldn’t make it on this particular day, and I’m welcome to sit there as long as I can put up with their yakking.

“Not a problem and thanks for the cookie”.

I immediately put on my headphones and start to work on the crossword puzzle. I can still hear them talking through my headphones. Oddly enough, I see myself becoming enthralled with their stories of Uncle Joey and his disabiliity situation, how Micheal is in danger of flunking out of highschool, how Marie just had a new baby girl and why Betty, whose seat I’m currently occupying, couldn’t make this day (she had a doctor’s appointment). I don’t mean to eavesdrop but their stories was worth the 5 minutes it took trying to figure out a four letter word for litterbug.  The answer was slob.

Soon the coffee wears off and the last image I remember before dozing off is of me dragging huge pots towards my way….

I awaken with the sounds of “Welcome to Atlantic City”.

I’m going to the Showboat. The Showboat has a new poker room that’s really nice actually. They used to have it upstairs next to the House of Blues but it was a pain in the neck to get to and it was really out of the way. Their new room is much better. It’s bigger and it’s near the boardwalk so they get a lot of traffic now than they used to.

I arrive at 12:30. Just in time to miss the tournament so I wait for a cash game to open up.

The live games are usually pretty loose. I don’t know why that is. I can understand playing loose online. You’re not face to face with a live person. You’re probably distracted with the internet, TV, email or whatever else that you’re doing at while playing online. In any event the game was pretty good for a guy like me at least.

Some highlights and lowlights of the trip:

12:45 I buy-in for $200. I get seated in seat 10. My table has 7 players, 3 of whom are married guys from Pittsburgh who are on vacation with their wives. They’re playing poker because it’s too hot outside to play golf. They seem friendly enough and they’re there to have fun. There’s a guy named Randy who’s sitting next to me. He’s a dealer at the Borgata and he’s there to earn a few extra dollars (there’s a rule that you can’t play poker at the casino you work in). The two other players are young kids who look young enough to get carded at the table. The young kids are aggressive for the most part. They’re your typical internet type player. The 3 guys from Pittsburgh are calling stations and pretty aggressive at times also. They don’t like being pushed around by the two young guys. Randy and I are picking our spots and not engaging in the clash of egos that is beginning to develop between the Pittsburgh guys and the two college kids.

2:00. I’m watching the action and staying out of trouble until I get a clear handle on the other players. It takes about an orbit or two before I begin to really play poker.  I’m playing steady and utilzing position to my advantage. I win a $70 pot by bluffing on the river (I made a $50 bet with Ace high) and one of the Pittsburgh guys folds his top pair (he shows).  I’m up about $50 so far.

3:00. My stack is dwindling. I lose a big pot when my flush runs into the nut flush.

4:00. I lose my initial buy-in when my A/Q flush draw loses to 10/10.  I buy back in for $300.

5:00. I flop a straight with 7/8 clubs and take down a huge pot ($250+) against a guy with a set.

6:00. I go card dead. I lost a few pots but nothing huge. I’m down $75 on the session but I’m climbing back.

7:00. Nothing special this hour also. I win a few pots here and there but it’s just a lot of folds as I’m basically card dead.

8:00. Dinner break.

9:00. I buy back in for $300. I’m down on the day about $75. This isn’t so bad. If I didn’t lose that flush over flush pot I’d be up $200 but that’s poker.

10:00. An aggressive loose player is at the table and he’s amassing chips. He bluffed me out of a pot when he bet huge on a 3 diamond board when I had two pair. I fold. He shows 7/2 hearts. I know I can get this guy if he stays.

11:00. The aggressive guy is raising a lot of pots. I tangel with him with K/9 suited on the button. He raises the usual $12 preflop. I call because I’m in position and I want to see a flop. The flop is two hearts. He leads out $30. I call. The turn is another heart. I hit my flush. He checks and I check. The river is an Ace. He bets out $40. I re-pop him $120. He calls with two pair. Not good enough.  I purposely overbet this pot trying to make like I’m trying to buy it. He knows that he bluffed me out of a huge pot earlier when he represented a flush when I had two pair.

12:00. I win another decent pot from the aggressive guy. The aggressive guy who had amassed a huge stack has given a lot of it back. He’s kind of steaming right now. I have pocket 7s. He raises his usual $12 preflop. I call. The turn is ragged. He bets out $25. I call. The turn is a blank. He checks and I bet $25 he calls. The river is a J. He now bets out $55. I think for a few seconds and I think I’m ahead so I call. I show my 77 and he mucks his hand. Aggressive guy leaves soon after. I’m up over $200 now.

1:00. I hit my high peak at +$340 in profits. I get a real good run of cards and I felt 2 players with small stacks.

2:00. I lose a big pot when my set of nines gets rivered by a player chasing a straight. I’m now up $200.

3:00. I’m beginning to feel tired. I’m not playing sharp. I decide to call it a night. I count my chips and cash out with just over $200 in profits.

So after 11 hours of poker I have $212 to show for it. The last time I went AC I lost a few hundred so I’m basically even in Atlantic City. But I’m a better player now than I was the last time I went to AC so I’m excited to go back and see if I can get a winning streak going.