Report from first night at Foxwoods |
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Posted Thu Mar 23, 2006 1:33 am GMT by mackkie
First of all, the new poker room is awsome. As a first timer i didnt know exactly what to do, but the process was really easy.
The thing i was mostly surprised about was that i was much more nervous than anticipated (especailly since im a goalie for a college hockey team), i thought i would handle the pressure a little better 
Now, to my performance...
Started out w/ $70 playing 1/2 NL on a full table. After about 10 hands i finally got to play a few and I was really surprised that 1-2 guys would always call even if there was a crazy board. After getting a set of J's and a few other wins, I was up to about $130 after about 30 mins of play.
Now to where I started to play really dumb!
Dealt A  9 (right after i won with my set)
Raise to $10 pre flop, 3 players total
flop comes K 4 4 
- First guy bets $15 (real loose player)
- I call $15
- Last guys raises to $30
- Stupid me calls the extra $15
Dud comes on 4th street, I call $15
A  comes out on 5th street, Guy bets $30, i know im beat so i fold - he had a set of 4's, the guy who raised to $30 after the flop had a K
A few hands later i get JJ. I raise to $10, Player 1 raises to $20 (all-in), Player 2 raises to $50 and I call (prob shouldnt have called, but it was his first hand at our table and figured he might have Ax suited or something).
River comes K 8 5
- Player 2 puts me all in for my last $30
- I call (and would have went all in if he didnt bet)
He has pocket Queens
I have pocket Jacks
Small stack has pocket 5's
I was extremely patient throughout and winning some nice pots, but then when i got all those chips in front of me I started to play dumb and too aggressive (which is pointless because u mostly get a caller if u try to bluff).
In my first half hour i was really happy with my play and i was playing pretty solid, My last 15 minutes I was most disapointed...
Overall a great learning experience and i am def. gonna play at foxwoods when I play instead of online from now on. If anyone wants to comment on my play overall id love to hear some ideas that would be helpful for the future.
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Posted Thu Mar 23, 2006 2:29 am GMT by Phil14312
Being nervous is all a part of the whole playing live package. I still get nervous the first few hands and I've been playing in a casino for almost 3 years. Sounds like you played pretty well, cards just might not have gone your way, keep at it.
BTW who do you play for, I played some hockey in high school in NJ.
Posted Thu Mar 23, 2006 11:27 am GMT by mackkie
Yeah i really like playing at the casino rather than online. My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking for the first minute or so when i was counting my chips, but nothing outta control or enuff to notice, after that i because much more comfortable.
I cant wait to get back there, it was a great time, and i loved the auto card shufflers that shuffle while you are playing a hand. It was a great learning experience tho
Posted Fri Mar 24, 2006 1:07 pm GMT by BeerWench13
Sounds like you were playing solid poker, but had two things working against you. Firstly, you ignored your instincts when they told you to fold. We've all done this and it sucks when you know the right play, but can't bring yourself to make it. Secondly, rotten luck with the cards. They just didn't want to cooperate with you. Keep at it.
Nerves are normal. I get the shakes for the first 15-30 minutes that I sit at the table in a casino. I also get the shakes after I win a big pot. I usually have to go out and have a smoke during the next hand because I look like I have Parkinsons. I will say that it's a great false tell though and paid me handsomely once.
Now that you've gotten your first session out of the way, get back in there and do it again.
Posted Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:37 pm GMT by mackkie
Yeah, it was pretty bad luck when i have JJ against 55 and QQ in one hand and the guy w/ bottom pair gets his set. And you are right about foling the flush draw. After $25 of my chips in the pot i figured an extra $15 is worth it, especially if someone has a set and i hit the nut flush. So If there was $90 in the pot and i needed to call $15 in order to hit my flush, I thought it was worth it.
I cant wait to play again, much more of a rush when playing live instead of online and i really hope that the cards will treat me a little better next time.
Posted Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:46 pm GMT by kainARGH
typically in NL , you need a good reason to be going on a flush draw 
Other then that , nice first trip! Could have been alot worse , and best of all , you learned something.
Posted Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:37 pm GMT by xDiamond_CutteRx
| kainARGH wrote: | | typically in NL , you need a good reason to be going on a flush draw |
You just need to ask yourself a few questions.
1. What pot odds am I getting?
2. Are any cards but my flush cards likely to be live?
3. If I call on the flop, are my odds likely to be favorable on the turn, or will I get shut out?
4. If I connect on my flush, what sort of payout can I expect?
If you can come up with favorable answers to those questions, I'd say you have a good reason to continue a flush draw.
Posted Fri Mar 24, 2006 11:54 pm GMT by kainARGH
| xDiamond_CutteRx wrote: | | kainARGH wrote: | | typically in NL , you need a good reason to be going on a flush draw |
You just need to ask yourself a few questions.
1. What pot odds am I getting?
2. Are any cards but my flush cards likely to be live?
3. If I call on the flop, are my odds likely to be favorable on the turn, or will I get shut out?
4. If I connect on my flush, what sort of payout can I expect?
If you can come up with favorable answers to those questions, I'd say you have a good reason to continue a flush draw. |
1. Yup , never go on just a flush draw heads up , with no intentions of takeing away the pot later down the line. Lots of callers , giving you at least half decent pot odds , is GREAT in no limit because the potentiol after you hit your flush to get payed out big time is always there. Someone hitting a smaller flush , or if you can manipulate your table image into getting some action , the list goes on of wonderful things that can happen when getting pot odds at NL and actually hitting you flush
2. Yupyup , more outs is always a good thing , or if you feel your opponent is weak , maybe 2nd or third pair , or they themselves are on a draw , orrr..... well , haveing mire outs is nice.
3. MUST examine why your calling on your flush draw. If there was alot of action preflop , maybe your hand is dominated ? or don't chase a flush if you feel someone floped trips or a set , as your outs are now far limited. Also , if the board comes 8910 2 of your suite , and you hold AQ of your 4flush , theres a few cards you don't want to see Always pay attention to the action.
4. Sort of pot odds here i think , in other words if theres a 5$ pot , everyone limped , and someone bets 5$ , even with 2-3 callers , you may get ZERO action if your flush connects.
so xDiamond_CutteRx , how'd i do
Posted Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:42 am GMT by mackkie
Well i didnt mention to you guys that a few hands before BOTH of the callers were in a hand heads up against each other and they have proven themselves callers of pretty much anything. One hand early on the board was 5 8 K K 8 and there was $10-$15 bets/calls throughout the hand and they both flipped over a 5 when it was over, which I made a mental note of.
A few hands i beat one of the same guys heads up when i got my set, he was calling $10-15 bets the whole way. I had AJ and the board was 8 J 5 J 3...he was def calling anything.
So when it came time for me chasing my flush w/ A 9 (which i def. shouldnt have done), and the K K 4 came out, i called, the turn was nothing good, and the river was an A, I folded when the guy bet $15 because i thought he had a 4. What im trying to say here is i had the feeling the whole time he had his set, but i was chasing my flush because i KNEW he would call with his set for sure and i could have doubled up to about $260 or so. Big mistake on my part, because i ended up throwing away $55 in chips.
Like most people have said, I played pretty good for my first casino trip and i also made a couple mistakes, but most importantly i learned a lot and ill be better prepared for my next trip.
Posted Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:54 am GMT by kainARGH
I would say your first mistake was calling the flop raise out of posistion , and with a dud on the turn and calling again just puts you in a bad spot unless you have a good read. On the turn you should have been happily folding ( IMO )
Posted Sat Mar 25, 2006 1:05 am GMT by mackkie
Agreed
Also w/ about $80 in chips after that loss I got my pocket J's
I raised $10 preflop in early position - other guy raises to $20 and is all in and i knew i had him beat because he was making stupid plays all nite. Last guy raises to $50 (Keep in mind this is the FIRST had he saw -- he just sat down at the table). w/ only $10 of my chips in, I should have folded and just see what the new player did and get some info out of him. Next time I wont get myself involved with hands like poket J's with a $50 raise at a $100 NL table unless I am playing against a totally loose player
Posted Sat Mar 25, 2006 1:59 am GMT by kainARGH
honestly , you really didnt do much wrong with your jacks , and in fact you played it really well imo. With zero read on the guy , you didnt even put him on that king ( i hope ) and you made the good flop call.
At best , you could consider him haveing 2 overs to you , and you should decide if you want to gamble the rest of your chips away like that , as with 80$ left , its all in or fold preflop imo. 9 times out of 10 if you've got 30$ left , it wont be checked down , you'll most likly get all in , and they are very much most likly not folding to your remaining 30. It was all in or fold , not that your call was a bad idea and in fact you made a good call on the flop. It is VERY VERY tough to put someone on queens to your jacks , kings and aces tend to be a little more obvious when getting a read. I've found all but the most amatuer of players can typically hide queens well.
Posted Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:15 am GMT by mackkie
Yea, right after i walked away from the talbe i said to myself why didnt i just go all in there? I was going to call or bet my remaining $30 no matter what the flop was. I think it was due to me getting involved in my first big betting hand and i was pretty nervous and wasnt thinking clearly about how many chips i had. You are 100% right though, either all in or fold preflop are the only plays i should have made, even though i knew i was going to put all my chips in during this hand.
As far as his hand, i thought he was trying to make a statement with his first hand and he go anything from A 10 to A K suited
Posted Sat Mar 25, 2006 4:54 pm GMT by kainARGH
Well , the call would be a more cautious play , if you felt you had a good read on him. JJ is strongly ahead VS what some people like to re-raise big with ( AJ KJ A10s maybe ) and you might have a good chance at them missing there flop.
In other words by just calling , if the flop is blank , you can throw the rest of your chips in there happily , if the flop comes down with an Ace King or Queen , and you got a read on him , you've left yourself the option to fold.
*edit*
Also sometimes if another player has gone all in and i feel i have him , i may re-raise really big as protection to make sure its me VS him. So he could also have easily been re-raiseing with 77-1010 or big suited connectors 10Js-KQs in an attempt to isolate the pot between him and all in.
Posted Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:44 pm GMT by mackkie
Yeah i didnt even think about him trying to isolate him and the guy all-in. But even if i did i would have called anyway if i thought that was the case. I guess its just one of those bad luck things and not too much i can do about it until i hit the casino again
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