Jamestown Saloon Poker

Last Saturday I journeyed up to Arlington to try the new poker room which had opened the day before.  Started by James, a fellow omaha devotee from the Tulalip game, he had worked for 3 months to get it going.  Unimpressive from the outside, it looked like a biker bar so i entered with some trepidation.   It was attractive inside with cowboy decorations and i was treated to a quick tour by James.  You entered the separate poker room through swinging saloon doors and it was as nice as any i have seen, with new tables and comfortable office type chairs.  I was warmly greeted by the familiar faces of the old Tulalip dealers.  An Omaha game started quickly afterwards, and by the time I left 3 hours later, 3 games were going. 

It was the usual suspects in my game.  I had forgotten how bad some of them played.  There were the people who never met a hand they didn't like, the donk bettors who bet their straights on flush boards, called with small flushes, chased lows with only one low on flop, etc.  I left with only $7 in sugar but several were down $200 or so.  The rake is so hard to beat in this game, with also a player supported jackpot, so $7 was leaving almost every hand.

You win with your crap

Yesterday was a monumentally bad poker day.  Sitting next to Tom, a friendly regular we commiserated that we had to lose a rack just to warm up.  We were both quickly rebuying.  Things got much worse as i got involved in big pots only to lose to long shots on the river.  Twice i flopped top set (aces) but lost to straights.  Got a big pot going with set over set, he had jacks, vs. my queens.  Aces hung in to the river where he hit his two outer.

Two memorable losses were a flop of 5/5/A, me playing A/2/4/5 which incidentally is one of the very best starting hands in OH8.  With 3 of us in the hand, the turn brought an 8, giving me the flopped boat full house plus 2nd nut low.  Betting was capped.  River didnt change anything and i lost both high and low.  One player had A/A for the Big full house, while the other had 2/3 nut low.  Unbelievable, but not as much as another big pot where I have A/A/2/x, and 4 way action with capped streets, I fully expect a possible "quartering" where I split the low with improbably another hand of A/2, but did not expect this showdown.  One player with A/2/2, another with The case ace and case 2!!!!  WTF!!!!  We chop low 3 ways, losing big to the high hand.  I have only seen this once before.

So, back to the title of this blog.  Brett, a very savvy player who has become a new poker buddy told me from across the table, " I see how you roll, Phil, you lose with your great hands and win with your crap".  Guess I should have played more crap as my premium hands cost me dearly.  Problem is, I usually only play good starting hands.

Take one off dammit!

Playing Omaha Monday I was in a hand with K/J of clubs.  The flop was not connected, one club, the ace, a 9 and maybe a 3.  I had no low draw so I folded to a bet.  The turn was the queen of clubs, then the river 10 of clubs.  Oh no, I folded a royal flush during the Monte Carlo time.  It paid $499.  What was crazier was a royal earlier during $50 High hands, and a queen high straight flush next to me worth $100.  Big hands.

On a sad note, a 95 year old regular had a stroke at our game the day before.  No information on his condition.  I wish him well but don't think we will see him again.

A new poker room will be opening this month, Jamestown Saloon.  It was started by one of the regulars in my old Tulalip game after they closed.  It is located just off I-5 in Arlington, about a 40 minute drive for me.  I don't anticipate playing there much, but will definitely try it out and reconnect with some of the guys.  If you are around here, check it out.  www.Jamestownsaloon.com.

Subbing

When my wife substitute teaches it is poker time for me.  So, with 2 subs lined up this week, game on.  Except felt lousy Monday so no go.  Tuesday played for 3 hours with an $85. win.  Great.  Then another sub called for Wednesday.  Awesome.  But granddaughter sick, I am the caregiver.  Oh well.  So as a make up I play today.  Good luck prevails, I crush the game and win $274 in 4 hours, wisely leaving at the end of my heater.

I enjoyed sitting next to a guy that I have been next to several times before.  We talk some poker, share hands that the other isn't in and commiserate on the many bad beats.  Trust me, there are many in Omaha.  I won a big pot today where he claimed 30 outs with 2 flush draws,  straight draws and nut low draw.  Probably caught the only card in the deck that wouldn't help him.  But that is the nature of the beast.

My most frustrating hand came on Tuesday when the button on my immediate right uncharacteristically for him raised preflop.  He is a super tight regular who always shows the nuts on the river, so I immediately knew he had AA23, probably double suited.  I threw away my small blind of Q986 double suited, a hand I will always complete with for $2.  The half hour high hand was in play for $50, and with 2 callers the flop came out QQQ.  Check to raiser, bet, folds, high hand QQQAA.  Double shit.  As luck would have it, didn't hold up, but my quads sure would have.

A quick observation.  It is weird how 2nd nut flushes and 2nd nut lows often lose, while bad flushes and ragged lows win fairly often.  I make a real effort to only chase the nuts but sometimes you get sucked in by sheer pot odds.  My experience tells me that it is usually better to pay off a river bet and lose $8 rather than forfeit an entire pot.  The key is correctly guessing whether the bettor is going high or low, even then it his pot luck and you can often be tricked by the player betting draws.