Weekend at Foxwoods

So a couple of months ago my best friend dies in a motorcycle accident, and we hadn't exactly been close so I decide to rekindle old friendships, and call up my buddy Matt and hang out with in Pittsburg. While I'm in Pittsburg I get to thinking his cousin Mike and me used to be close it would be fun to hang out, so Matt dials him up and I find out he's in Boston, right near Foxwoods (er 2 hours away but who cares??) So I see a perfect oppurtunity to "play poker" er see Mike :)

So after 10 minutes on the phone with him we agree to meet in Foxwoods in 2 weeks. I get my tickets on Southwest and rent a car and decide that 350$/night for a hotel is ridiculous, I'll just stay up.

My flight is at 7:05PM on a Friday, so I hurry over to BWI and get there early to find out my flight is delayed til 8:45 and the lady must like me because she puts me on the 5:50 with a wink and a nod. Well we sit on the runway for 45 mins, so I get to Hartford,CT about the same time (was this a blessing or a curse??) :)

Now I'm 6'9 and I hate Southwest's boarding policy of A B and C lanes, but I manage to get a front row seat with plenty of leg room boarding next to last in line. I sit next to an interesting woman who writes books about breeding dogs, and I talk her ear off for most of the flight, mostly about poker and directness (ahem)

I land say my goodbyes and hop on the shuttle to Thrifty, 10 minutes later I'm crusiing down 91 all ready to play poker, and of course I GET LOST!!!!!


3 hours later I arrive at Foxwoods, and I'm ready to play. Of course I am not going to play 1/2 with 100$ max buyin, so I settle in with $500.00 at a loose $2/5 game with a huge tuna and wait for the kill. I double up a couple times as does the tuna. The tuna has around 2500 infront of him and I have around 1300. And here it is the bad beat of the night....

I have aces in position and have shown down numerous bluffs so I'm positive I'm going to get action, I raise to 60 preflop
Tuna calls me and flop comes down A46. YAHTZEE, I weak bet $30 into this pot and he just calls, the turn is a 5. He bets out $30, I make it $130.00 and he thinks about it and calls, the river is a 7, he checks I fire 150 and he calls showing K8 hitting his gutshot straight on the river. I let it roll off my back and get my stack back within 10 minutes, just pounding every pot aggressively.

I cash out $700 up and tuna cashes out $600.00 total 12 hours later.

I'm supposed to meet Mike today, he says he's going to leave at 7am, but I am so tired, maybe I'll play around with $1/2.
I buyin for the max $100, Some fish has over $1500 on the table, and everyone else is under $100, interesting table, I figure my strategy will be to gamble until I double up pushing on every pair or half decent flop I hit and then play poker when I have 200-300 infront of me, and take this fish's money.
My plan works well and I push all in with 44's vs AJ and flop a set an double up. I work my stack up to $650, listening the whole time as the fish tries to teach the rock next to him how to play poker. A couple of times I had to leave the table it was too funny.

My friend finally shows up around 12:00 and I'm flying high, he sits down, I haven't played 100 hands or so, so I decide to bluff on my 27 in the small blind, I raise to $20 and get 5 callers, YAHTZEE 5 to 1 on my 27. One of the callers only has 50$ left total, odd that he would just call, but oh well. The flop comes down 279, BINGO, I bet $100.00 to take down this monster pot or heads up with the guy who obviously has a pair and only called preflop. He calls with his TT, and is PIST. The turn is an A and of course the river is an A. He racks up his chips and leaves with his $250.00, Hm cost me $50.00 to win $220.00 with the best hand. Guy to my right says you deserve to lose raising 27. Oh well Foxwoods will remember me.

My friend is not impressed, I am saddened, even though I know I made a good play.

Next up 7Td in position, It's raised 15$ preflop 3 callers ahead, mine as well.
Flop comes 8d9dTh, no way you are getting me off this hand. Fish bets $50, I push to 150, Good Player calls with his nuts JQc and I lose to no flush card. Good Player admits he would have pushed with my hand as well.

I cash out $75 up and curse my friend :)

My friend is bored of poker and has no clue what just happened so I suggest Pai GOW, I always break even or win shouldn't he too???

I pull a crisp $100.00 bill out and buyin, my friend says it's too expensive $25.00 bets, I say you can't lose, it's a break even game. He opts to watch. I make my $100 into $150 and trick my friend into thinking it's a break even game, he buys in for 50. I make another 50 and he wins his first hand, he excitedly says to me I have never won in a casino before. Sadly to say he didn't break that track record, and promptly lsot $100 while I picked up another 50.

BTW I won with J high on top and K high on bottom.... SWEET. Mike lost to a chop *OUCH* He claims it's his family curse.

I promise Mike I didn't invite him to drive 2 hours to lose money at a casino, We have lunch and I promise him I will make his money back for him in the next 20 minutes.

I signup for a $1/$2 and decide to play drunk Blue, I buy in and ask how much is the best and slur my speech and my friend who I announce is my body guard sits next to me and watches. I pick up 77 on my 3rd hand and calls $2 to see a beautiful flop of AT7. Fish bets out 15 with his A9o and accidently slur / spill 35 into the pot, he asked me how much I have left and I say I'm too drunk to tell but I think it's 59, He says I put you all in...CALL in clear english. I just have a set SIR, It's good......
10 hands later I raise in mid with 86 suited and tight guy calls the flop comes queen high, I slurringly say is that a queen.. he says yes, I say I bet 50, he folds, I say I'm sure you had 8 high beat. I give Mike his 100 and we leave me up 10$.

The rest of the day is a blur, I am dead tired and suddenly 350 is not such a bad idea for a hotel room. We see the movie Break Up (Which is hilarious, but has a terrible ending) and I manage to wolf down a bag of reeses and a bag of ice cream skittles, not a good idea for a guy who has had 40 french vanillas to stay up.

i go to the hotel and ask how much is the room, she writes on a peice of paper 199, im like sweet why did you write it, she says because that is YOUR special.... ok... no arguements here.

I overflow the toilet, after disposing of my coffee and candy, some guy cleans it up. Lock money in safe fall asleep. Plan to get up at 4 it's 8 but that doesn't work out. So I open my eyes at 10 feeling like a new man.

TIME TO PLAY

Arrive at Foxwoods to find it PACKED for a Sunday morning, jump on a 25 list and see one of the ppl that was at my 1/2 table when I Was "drunk". My table is ok, there is a guy who is obviously a dealer by the way he cuts chips, and I tell him this and he is shocked I know. He is also a fish as most dealers are. ACTUALLY A BIG FISH. He has 2000 and sadly I get none of it. I do however manage to stagger into a few pots flop the nuts and chop on the turn. So I request a table transfer after emptying out a smaller fish at the end of the table to end up breaking even.

I opt to not post my BB on my new table and wait for the BB because as I announce to the table I am cheap. My BB finally comes and low and behold I have AA. SWEET. Time to double up. There is a raise in mid position which of course makes me lick my chops. everyone else folds to me and infact there is only one other guy who has limped infront of the raise. SOOOOOOOOOOOO I decide to smooth call. Limper calls the 25 and we see a flop. Before the flop comes out I announce in haste that I "check in the dark" check check to the K53 flop, not what I wanted to see. I immediately fire 100 on the Q on the turn, not believing someone checked KQ. Limper folds thinking I am crazy and the other guy thinks about it and throws in his hundred. Sir how much do you have left, ok that's the bet in the dark. The river is a 5 which makes me happy because KQ is now dead. He of course calls and I announce "just have aces". In disgust he says they are good. The rock next to me points out it was a dangerous check in the dark with aces, I ignore him and request a seat change.

I proceed to dominate, and when I attempt a bluff after folding 25 hands or so with 56suited on the button, the flop comes down K75, great a pair and a runner runner straight draw. he checks, a smart tight player so I check behind him and LOW and behold a 5 on the turn I fire 50 he calls and I check behind him on a dangerous river and win the pot. All in all a great session turning around 800 or so.

Next weekend is AC and maybe Denver the weekend after, I have heard there is action at the Fortune.