written by DJ Sensei DeucesCracked Coach
published over 5 years ago

Being as it was Wednesday and all, it was time to roll down to the casino and stack some fools. So I hop on the ol' bike, dodge the rain that may or may not have come down (I wouldn't know, being in the casino all day where they try and keep you from realizing whats going on outside) and head to Lucky Chances. On the bike ride from the Colma BART station to the casino, I realize that I forgot my crown royal bag and my lucky stone frog card protector. [censored]. Oh well, too late to go back now. (hint: foreshadowing)

I lock my bike to a bench under some awning so it wont get rained on and put my name on the list for the 10/10/20 NL game, which has 2 tables running today. It looks like it might be a while before I can get on the table, though, so I have to play some 2/3/5 spread limit while I wait.

God I hate 2/3/5 spread limit, but the game is so easy its like printing bills. Before I sit, I go and raid my deposit box for some big chips, so when I come to the 2/3/5 table and the dealer says "how much behind" I respond with "a lot" and drop a 5k chip, some 1k chips, and a bunch of hundoes. Several people around the table have to check out the 5k chip, which is bigger than usual and octagonally shaped rather than round, because they havent ever seen one before. Not like its going to come into play here, but whatever its fun to have it out on the table.

A few seats to my left is keith, one of the 10/10/20 regulars who's ahead of me on the list and also grinding this game until the seat opens. Seeing that I have big chips on the table, he refuses to be shown up and pulls out a stack of blueish purple 1k chips too. The smallstakes fish don't really know what to make of it, since they have like 500 in red $5 chips in front. Well, until we take them away with superior play.

I end up playing the 2/3/5 game for a few hours, unfortunately, as nobody wants to leave the big game, but there were some interesting/hilarious hands. I flopped 2 pair out of the big blind with 74o, led out about the pot (742 flop), and was called by a dude who limped. turn was an 8, I led out strong again, and he went allin for another $100. Yea ok I call, and the river's another 8. balls. He flips over 99, says that he "had to do it" and that he "knew i flopped 2 pair". I don't argue with him, because I don't really care that much about his shortstack fish ass. Same dude was sitting next to me earlier and asked how the big game was and insinuated that you need a big bankroll to play it. I told him it was good and that yea, you probably do. Hopefully he takes a shot someday...

Some time later, at a different table (there were 3 tables linked in a must-move thingy) I pick up 72cc on the button. There were like 4 limpers, so I came along as well. Flop was Q72 rainbow, jackpot! Some old donkey leads for $60 and I raise the maximum, $200 more. Well he comes right back over the top for another $200, which gives me pause. But, since theres only one combination of both smaller sets, and a higher 2 pair is way unlikely, I see that he has about $400 left and send it right back at him with another raise. He of course puts the rest in, and the turn and river brick off. I flip my monster 2 pair, and he tables pocket aces. Then, of course, he flips out at me for playing 72. I think about informing him that $10 preflop allowed me to take his $900 postflop, but I dont really want to teach him anything. Plus its fun to watch him go crazy. He rebuys and proceeds to go on tilt, but manages to run sick hot, hitting top set with queens and getting paid off a few times. Of course he slowplays them and gets like $200 total, which is hilarious since he jacked $900 in there on the flop with unimproved aces earlier. I learned a new deceptive move from him though. Its the "check-call the turn with top boat, then lead out the river for like 1/4 pot and get called by whatever". You'd be amazed the value he got from those bitches. Also, nobody messed with me for the duration of the time I was there. Smallstakes players are so bad.


Finally I get moved over to the big game. Looks like the usual lineup, with the big whale a few seats to my left and the rest of the players being not bad, but not great. Early on, I open J9cc from early position and am called by a few guys. Flop comes AcQc6o, and I'm checkraised from 300 to 800 by a guy in the blinds. I call and fold to his 1200 bet on the brick turn. Balls.

Shortly after, the whale kills it from middle position, and I pick up aces UTG. I limp for 80, as does one other dude, and when it comes back around to the whale he raises like $300 more. After the other guy folds, I put him allin for another $1000 or so, and he calls after some fishy thoughts, eventually showing A9hh. I dodge a few hearts on the flop and take his stack. He rebuys, of course, but loses it after a short while to some other guys, and then leaves. Meh.

Shortly thereafter I raise a limper to $160 with AJo. We both check the flop of A54. He check-calls $240 on the 4 turn, and another $300 on the 5 river. Value country, obviously, but I dont know what he had. Probably 88 or something.

The same guy is the second limper in the next big pot I play. I raise QQ to $240 or something over those limpers, and get a call in the blinds. Then out of nowhere, the dude who overlimped makes it $1100 to go. wtfff... He's got about $2800 left. I think for a while and eventually figure that:
a) He's likely to be putting a move on us, since theres some dead money in there and I raise wide.
b) I can't let him see a flop.
c) The caller in the blinds doesnt have a real hand.
So I say something like "well lets get it all in there". Caller quickly folds, and the squeezer calls and asks if I have aces... crap. He flips KK, I flip mine as well. The flop comes QJx and the table erupts, bringing several railbirds over to watch. I tell the dealer that that just isnt fair, and that he should give him a king. Well wouldn't you know it, the damn dealer puts a king out on the turn, which causes more commotion from the rail, and prompts everbody to cheer for a queen on the river, because obviously that would be sweet. I agree, but to no avail, as the stupid 7 kills my hopes and dreams. And, well, 4 g's. There goes my sweet 5k chip.

The dude sitting on my left, a young asian fellow who sits behind deep stacks and apparently owns a sweet software company, is very aggressive and good. His style seems like what i'd play if I had a much bigger bankroll. Also, he doesnt chop the blinds. So when it folds to me in the SB with Q2o, I raise it and he calls. I bet the A66 flop and he calls again. The turn is a ten, and I checkraise him out of his seat. He folds after some deliberation. I think he wanted to make a big call there, but decided against it.

Shortly thereafter, I open the button with 87o. The aggro asian player calls as does the big blind. They check to me on a 755 flop, and he calls. Turn is another 5. He donks into me for $300, I think and raise to $700, and he reraises big. Looks like quadzilla or 7's full, but in any case i dont like where I'm at, so obviously I lay it down.

I get moved to the main table, which isnt a great lineup but at least its away from the right side of that aggressive dude. In my second hand at the table, I raise KK to $200 over a kill. I get called like 4 times, and the flop is AQx monotone, not my suit. Blech, I check-fold all the way (we make it to the river, at which point there are 4 of that suit on board). Some dude takes it down with a small bet.

I pick up aces, raise them up, and am called only by keith, who tends to call any raise of mine when he's in position. Its a little frustrating, but knowing that he's in there with any 2 cards makes it a little easier to play against. Flop is A93 monotone, he calls my bet. Turn is an offsuit king. I check but he checks behind. River is a fourth club, we both check, and his TcTx is good. He gets berated by one of the other guys for being a pussy, but its all in jest.

Shortly thereafter I get aces again, raise them up, get called by keith again, and flop quads, AA9. I check, but dont get any action when I bet the turn. Kinda sucks that the only sets i'm hitting are with aces, and they aren't doing anything for me.

In the one seat is a younger asian guy who apparently spends a fair amount of time on the other side of the casino AKA he's a big gambler. I raise his limp with 64dd and he calls. The flop comes 8d7d6x, and he checkraises me from 240 to 740. I think about it and call. I don't like too many of my 'outs' all that much, but he's a gambler so i'll see what happens. The turn is the ace of diamonds, giving me my flush. He instashoves for a little under $3000, which is about twice the pot at this point. A very tough decision, but when I look over at him he's giving me a death-stare. Heh, strong means weak suckaaa, so I call and own him. River bricked, but I don't see his hand. He leaves to go gamble or something.

I complete my BB with 97o and several limpers in the pot. Flop comes 653, and I check-call $200 from a late-position player because 4's are probably good and 8's definitely are (and won't be suspected). Another dude, a new guy who looks to be kinda crappy, calls as well. Turn is a 2 and we all check. River is another 2 and I check, presumably to give up on it. The new guy bets $300, and the late position player thinks for a while before making an obviously reluctant call. Now, I was aware that my story didnt make sense, but there was a pretty good opportunity for me to take that pot down, so I immediately declared a raise, and made it $600 more to go (the new guy had maybe $1k left in his stack, and the other guy obviously wasnt calling.) Well as soon as I said it the late position guy was audibly pissed off and frustrated. Heh, all part of the plan. He's not a bad player normally, but definitely prone to making bad plays and giving off too much information (case in point). Unfortunately, the new guy eventually made the call with A4. Oh well.

Now the aggressive asian dude has been moved to our table, and wouldn't you know it he's on my left again. Lame. In any case, i'm UTG and the dealer is shuffling things up, and I think to myself "limp-reraising AA isnt a bad idea in this game". Well wouldn't you know it, I get dealt aces and insta-limp. Aggro asian guy makes it $220 to go and there's one caller back to me. I raise $800 more, and aggro calls. Other dude folds. My stack before the hand was probably $6500 or so. The flop comes out Q33 with some diamonds, I lead a deliberately weak $1200, and he calls. We check through the Q turn (kinda looks bad, but i'm not too concerned about it. I doubt he has a Q here unless he has quads.) The river is a 9, making the flush, but i'm not really worried about that either. I mainly just want to get what I can from his smaller pair. After a long deliberation, I bet $2k and he instacalls. I don't know what he had, but AA was definitely good. I think probably KK or JJ, with a leaning towards KK. Well, ship the monies regardless.

I overlimp A8dd in middle position, and several of us see a flop of A92 with 2 spades. First limper (frustrated old dude from my 97o bluff hand) leads out $80, I call, late position limper calls. Turn is another ace. Guy leads out $160, I call again, late position thinks longer and then calls. River is a queen. Guy and I both check, LP bets $500, guy folds quickly, and I instacall and flip the trips. He has 53hh, which apparently became a flush by way of runner runner. I didnt even see it, but oh well i'd probably have played it the same. After the hand he takes the opportunity to introduce himself as another 2+2er who I knew was playing the game but I didn't know which guy he was. (After taking my money, of course, heh.)

A new dude is in seat 1 after the guy who called my bluff busted somehow. He's a jittery, pudgy, weird-looking asian guy. Doesnt appear to be that good, but he's already doubled up with jacks by reraising preflop and shoving the 8xx flop. Aggro asian called and mucked, which is a little suspiciously bad. Probably TT or something. Anyhow I limp 64dd and call this guys raise to $300. Kind of weak, but I figure to bust this guy when I get there, or outplay him if necessary. Plus I dont like folding. Anyhow, the flop comes KKx and we both check. The turn is a J, and as I reach for a stack of hundreds to size out a bet or at least think about it, I see out of the corner of my eye that he's re-checking his cards. Looks weak. I bet $600 and he shows his neighbors his cards and mucks. The rest of the table wants to see them too, so the dealer turns them over. Pocket aces. Man, live players are so bad. I thought about showing my cards but decided against it, because I didn't want to break his heart and I was leaving soon anyhow so I probably wouldn't get to reap the benefits of his monkey-tilt. Dudes at his end of the table muttered something about "if you knew how this guy plays you wouldn't have folded that" or something. Heh, suckas, You have no idea how I can play.

Its getting to be a little after 11 so I get up and take my chips back to the cashier. I don't want to miss the last train again like I did last week. I guess I could stay until 4 when the trains start running again, but meh. I'll save that for when the game is really good.

In the end I wound up down about a grand, which marks my first losing session around these parts. I blame it entirely on the lack of my lucky frog. But tomorrow i'll take mad loot from those suckas.