Dealers Choice Cash £200 Sit Down

Stanley Casino, Coventry

Its late Saturday afternoon and I’m ‘working’ in the IT centre for my final piece of coursework and to do some research on investing in some shares. Dave pops in and we end up talking for like 3 hours and do research on where to stay in Vegas, anyone know any good places near the Rio and on the strip. We email imperial palace, the golden nugget and somewhere else, can’t remember at the moment. I then realised I am not going get any work done and tell Dave to come with me to check out Stanley Casino in Coventry where they just started doing poker every Tuesday and Saturday, as I don’t have any online poker I need my fix somewhere!!

We head down get some food and put our names down for the Cash Game, Blinds are £1/£1 and all the games were pot limit, But it was dealer choice, normally I hear that and it’s a mix of Omaha and Holdem but this was very difficult! The Game available were Holdem, Omaha 4 Card 5 or 6, Irish 4 5 or 6, 5 card Draw Jacks or Better and 7 card stud, late late during the night someone asked for Pineapple!!

Ok I know how to pick up games quite quickly but I was not at all too optimistic and decided to sit back in the 1st few rounds of the game, me and Dave both sat with £200 in front of us. Most of the games picked were MAXIMUS! Better known as 6 card Omaha! A True gamblers game to the locals at the Casino, I was awful at the game and called off a lot of chips with draws and marginal hands, I lost about £50 just calling off my chips and never holding a strong hand, my plan was to play boards! Not jus flops but the turn and the rivers! Dave was contempt bumping it up pre flop, which I do not think is the ideal strategy in these games as preflop your edge is never more than 55% (I think!) Dave tangled in a few re raised pots, where I would fold almost anything! Didn’t want to gamble too much early on as I did not have cash to reload with. Dave was in an interesting hand in irish where he flopped the nuts with 42 on a 4 2 4 board, The local man bets and dave raises. The local has about £40 in front of him in chips and about £80 to £100 in cash, (cash does play!) He then says I call using his chips! But does not put the cash in. He then turns his hand over (after discarding his 2 cards, as you do in 4 Irish) Dave looks at me confused and there is not much you can do! The guy had Q4 and dave wins the pot but loses out on £100! This is typical of places where the locals run the game and the dealer is a local himself! There is not much you can do except ask what are you playing in front before you bet or raise, but asking that question gets them very very pissed off! Which can also help!!!

I played loads and loads of hands but its difficult to recap as I saw a lot of hands and flops. I worked out which players played what hands and I made a few moves even though I did not want to, I guess its just instinct to see weakness and exploit, I managed to get someone to lay down 3As which was nice when I had Q high! Started playing more tight (apart from the moves!) and got my stack up to £300 odd playing £50 - £60 pots!

Took a nice pot with AAxxxx on a A K 8 3 8 board, was a strange round of betting though. He bets into me, I raise, he called, he bets the turn I raise he calls, now the river was an 8 which meant if he had 88 he has quads (not that far off, saw a few quads that night) Also he could only have KK or 88 no other hand imo. He then bet the river when the 8 hit, I had a disguised look on my face and called, he showed KK full. Sweeeeeeeet!!!!!

I started understanding 6O a lot better which helped me limit my loses and maximise the wins. Then a huge pot came up. Had TTAJxx in 6O and the flop was T Q x with 2 clubs. The pot was limped pre and I bet the flop. Two callers. Turn was a K, now I have the nuts with AJ for the straight and the redraw to the house. I bet out pot, and then got raised, then a short stacked pushed with KKKs and Dave let go of AJ, I then re raised all in with AJ (which im not sure I do with out the redraw to the house) Then re raiser calls with the bare straight the main pot is about £150 and the side pot is about £350. The river is a Q , gives the short stack KKKQQ and me TTTQQ and the other guy AJ a no good straight. VERY NICE POT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The lady with the KKK also had a flush draw, which makes calling with just AJ a bad one I think, in this game there are so many dangerous cards and a straight on a flushing board is never that strong!

I then pick off a nice pot in holdem with Q6 on a 6 6 T board, but again a little trouble. The lady bets out, and I call, at this point I know she has JJ+. She is not sitting with much so I figured not to get too busy now and get it in on the turn. She bets the turn and I raise, she goes allin!!! I call, she has KKs but wait!!! She asks me do you have the 6 I say yep! (do not want to be excused of slow rolling). Then dealer moves her chips in and she says NO! I did not put them in, he has a 6!!! I looked a Dave confused and did not care too much was around £350 up and was not to bothered about £15-£20, but next time I know to only show my hands or comment once the pot is sorted! So maybe my fault I guess!!!

Again more happened but hard to remember I was about £420 up for the night and was very happy, also had a good time play these over games, even though I was supposed to have a –EV edge I felt I had a +ve EV! I think I can pick up games quickly and plus poker is poker!!! Dave was about £120 odd up after losing a £300 pot with AA77 to JJxx on a 7 J 4 board. He might blog in his blog about the game if you want another read of the game, check links on the right hand side.

Overall Great fun and good money!! Loving 4 Irish btw!!!