Steel Wheel? Monte Carlo bonus denied.

Playing in the Red Dragon 4/8 Omaha game this week, an old gent turned over the holy grail of Omaha, the "Steel wheel", A/2/3/4/5 of spades to evidently scoop the pot.  But wait, he is playing 5 cards!  The floor is called, rules a misdeal, all money is refunded to all players in the pot, which also requires the retrieval of the rake.  Took a few minutes to sort it out.  I have only seen a few steel wheels, and never had one, even in thousands of online games.  My royal flush results much better, usually one or 2 every year.  I don't really understand why, as normally any suited cards 5 and under are usually playable, with of course A/2 and A/3 nearly always played.

Had two high hands on the board which pay $75, but both knocked off with minutes to go.  It would have changed a slight loss to a break even or win day if they held up.  As it was, turned around a 3.5x buy in loss day to just a 3/4 buy in loss.  I can live with it.  Still adjusting to the new venue and players.  A reasonable game, sometimes wild but generally not.  

Catching Up

So, long time no posts.  What gives?  After my go-to casino closed it's poker room I quit playing until Pendleton.  It was a good trip for me, with a couple of winning cash sessions, a turbo win, and 25th out of 370 in the seniors.  Not super profitable but o.k. 

Back in the Omaha high low saddle trying Fortune poker room in Renton with one good win, one small loss and one medium loss,  overall a break even.  The drive is long, around 40 minutes each way down the dreaded 405, so may not be back soon.  Tried the Red Dragon, much closer and had a great day, about $300 profit in 4 hours.  Will probably call that home.

Wanted to reflect on yesterday's bad game for a moment.  A super loose and aggressive player raised every hand.  He caused a lot of variance and naturally left stuck $500 or so.  These players a.k.a. maniacs are tough.   They create giant protected pots in limit games (this one was 4/8 Full kill, so often it was 8/16).  If you call the initial raise with multiple players the pot becomes so huge you cannot fold draws or marginal made hands like 2nd nut low, 2 pair, weak flushes, sucker straights,etc.  Very expensive when you miss but big payoff when you hit.  I won a  big pot with ace high when we got heads up one time!!! Despite my reasonably tight play couldn't catch a break often even with super premium hands.  Some days are like that.  When faced with a maniac best to tighten up and ramp up your own aggression, re-raising to hopefully isolate.

Sometimes you should hold your nose and pay them off

After a great winning session on Sunday, hitting three high hands in a row (quad 8's, quad 10's, aces full), worth $150 each, I played Tuesday and frankly played horrible.  Getting there late was on the 2nd table and it was pretty miserable.  A gambler raised and straddled every pot, creating some big ones, but couldn't win many.  I kind of pride myself on good big laydowns as when I flopped quads and folded (correctly) on the river.  That, unfortunately came back to bite me when a similar situation happened.  It was in a big preflop pot playing K/K.  Flop came down J/4/K with 2 clubs.  It was bet and called in several spots.  Turn was another 4.  With the nut full house, when it was bet, I raised, and 2 people called, including my quad nemesis, 90 year old Dick.  The river was another 4.  First action checked, i checked, Dick bet, 1st player called, I folded saying, "did it to me again, Dick" .  He surprisingly turns over 10/10 for 4's full of 10's.  The other player turns over A/A for the win with the bigger underfull.  If that wasn't bad enough, my hand would have taken the $100 high hand as well.

So, by folding on the river in a big pot, I leave myself vulnerable to bluffs as well as donk bets.  Failing to pay $8 cost me over $200.  Sometimes you just have to make a bad call.  I could cite other poorly played hands but overall a $100 loss and lesson learned.

The poker room closes forever today at Tulalip.  I will miss it but expect to run into a few of the other players at various locations.   One of the guys wants to open a poker room up North but even if it happens not sure I would want to play there.  

Last Tulalip Tournament

As the poker room prepares to close forever I used my $20 free play to enter one last tournament.   I added on $5 to get the extra chips and sat down at seat 8 table 12 to play.  A lady at the table began talking about a bounty on one of the regulars but I didn't really listen closely.  He is a wild man and started winning immediately, showing one huge bluff and winning with random unsuited or unconnected cards.  He got hit hard by the guy next to me then I got him all in with his KQ vs my AK.  A few minutes later I am passed $10 by the lady.  I had to ask what it was for.  Probably would have returned it but she got sticky with A9 vs my K10 on a K/9/x flop.  The turn was a 10 giving me 2 pair and she called my large bet.  River? Ace of course.  I went from 2nd chip leader to starting stack. 

My cards ran hot with aces and kings, also folding several hands that would have eliminated multiple players.  As it was I stacked at least 4.   Like I say running good until a table change and the dealer who dealt me quads only to lose to bigger quads.  I joked with Mark, who really is a good guy and a friend and said I should sit out during his deal.  If only I had.  A few hands into it, I get A/A.  With several limpers I raised the 600 big blind to 2,000.  One caller.  Flop comes K/9/x with 2 diamonds, I have the ace of diamonds.  He bets enough to put me all in, I call.  He has pocket 9's for a set, thanks again Mark, I go out in 16th place.

So, I end up with a $5 profit and head to the lunch buffet to use some comp money.  

Card Protectors

I want to share with you my favorite card protectors.  While I usually don't use these, preferring to just throw a chip on my cards, I have used all of these and have a story behind each of them.

This was one of my first ones.  I like it for the message, energized! Plus it can move on its own, entertaining!!!!

This is Ganesh, the Hindu god of removing obstacles and deva of intellect and wisdom, something's needed in your poker game. I bought this from a roadside vendor in India 8 years ago, probably overpaid.

This is my sentimental favorite.  It is actually the second one given to me by my poker buddy and most loyal blog follower, Lynne (seven dewey).  She gave me the first a few weeks after I checked my straight to her on the turn then she bet into me heads up on the river when she improved.  Bad girl, lol.  It has 2 queens on it, my particular problem hand, more on that later.

So, this is the reverse side of the coin, which I see is hard to read.  It says, "To Dr Phil Do Not Lose This From 7Dewey ".  I lost the first one in Vegas and had to admit that when she asked why I wasn't using it.  The first time I used the new one, I added it to my cards after they had been dealt as an afterthought.  When I looked at them, unbelievably it was pocket queens.  As if that wasn't enough,  made quads on the hand.  Wow!  Thanks again Dewey.

This is a recent one from the soon to be closed Tulalip poker room.  It is a spinner and got it for hitting a royal flush.

Sorry about the photo angles, but this one is from a poker friend's birthday party.  Scott's sister had a bunch of these poker chips made as favors at the party/poker tournament at the Tsunami Restaurant in Wheeler, Oregon.  I was overserved before the game at the open bar and went all in without looking at my cards but lost to pocket  kings that got stubborn.  I then suggested we allow rebuys which was agreed to.  Ended up cashing, sweet.  Was a great theme party.

I picked up this one at the first World Series I attended, well, really just visited.  Was in Vegas with my old friend Bob Pischel who had scored some free nights at Caesars Palace.  I could see the Rio from our room so decided to walk there in 110 degree heat, nearly passing out.  Scored the protector from a vendor table.

This is from my most recent trip to Vegas.   It is a foil covered chocolate candy given to me by my 7 year old granddaughter.  She saw this box of them and talked her mom into buying them.  I passed out most of them at the poker games I played.

I have many more, sort of a collection.  Would like to say some are lucky, but have not found that to be the case.  We are all a little superstitious so maybe they can bring luck but at least prevent accidental mucking.

Mini Heater

On somewhat of a heater in omaha8.  Also small, $100, win in 3-300 game.  4 winning sessions in a row, including a couple of high hand bonuses.  Sadly, my favorite poker room is closing at end of month.   They are spicing up Monte Carlos to give away all the player supported jackpot money .  There is a 250 hot seat every half hour on sunday and Tuesday.   Managed to luck out on one.  Will miss Tulalip games and people there but some will transition to Red Dragon which i m not that happy to play at.

Looking at schedule for Pendleton next month.  Gotta commit soon.  Lots of Oregon poker buddies going plus get to see tri city friends as well.

No Love

Continuing my tournament cold streak today was seated at a particularly bad table.  Small turnout, around 30 players with 3 empty seats on my table.  I was dismayed to see a late arrival of a guy who I particularly dislike.  He is a very good tournament player who has won the Wildhorse main event fairly recently, maybe 2018.  He knocked me out of a tournament last year after I failed to call his big bluff (which he showed), losing a bunch of chips, but then losing the rest of them to a real hand.  Also played omaha8 tournament and cash games where be is unpredictable, aggressive.  Two other aggressive young guns were seated to my left, and another to my right.  Yikes.  If I limped small blind, they raised , if I raised in position on button or cutoff, they called then bet big after the flop.  I was definitely between a rock and a hard place and relieved when I got sent to another table with a short stack.  The other table was better, and I got it in bad with A/K suited and called by a shorter stack with K/K.  It is true that they are ace magnets as I hit one to almost double up.  Down to 11 players on the final table bubble I shoved 4 big blinds with K/6 suited on the button.  Called from big blind by A/9 off, I hit a king on the flop.  However an ace on the turn sent me home empty handed.

Lesson learned? I dunno,  maybe I need to be either more or less patient.  In a turbo, there is little reward for waiting and more benefit from aggression.  Also I need to listen to my gut sometimes as I folded 2 hands that I wanted to play hard but folded.  Would have tripled up on both.  Sometimes that instinct is vital.