Live Poker...

I was supposed to write about my first live poker experience a while ago, but I just hadn't felt like blogging. So I guess I'll get to it tonight.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to visit this charity casino that I'd heard about online and from some tv commercials. It's an 18+ casino, so I figured this was the only opportunity I'd get to gain some live poker experience aside form rare poker game I host at my house.

So I decided I was going to play in a $100+20 Multi Table Tourney that started at 4:30. The drive there was quicker than I expected so I got there about an hour early. I registered for the tourney as soon as I got there and then just walked around getting a feel for the place. The place where the event was being held was pretty crummy looking, and the place smelled funky, but just the sound of chips being thrown around and cards being dealt was enough to get my blood pumping.

I railed the cash games for a while then I went to take a sit at my table for the tourney but no one was there yet so I didn't want to look like an idiot sitting there by myself so I walked around some more. Finally a couple of guys sat down at the table and so I went to take my seat as well. I gotta say I was a little nervous about the whole thing, because outside of playing with friends at school and at home, I'd never played live poker before. I wasn't sure how the dynamics of the whole thing might work. Shoot, when the dealer gave me my stack of chips I didn't even know what the denominations were, so I felt like a dumbass. I figured I should ask the dealer, but in my mind I was like thinking he was going to laugh his ass for asking such a dumb question. lol but I did end up asking him and he was really cool about it and explained it to me.

As my table started filling up it was becoming very obvious I was BY FAR the youngest at my table. To my left was a guy who was like 70 and to my right was a chick who was 28ish, and the rest of the table was 40ish or so. I didn't let this intimidate me though, as I figured, hey we're all starting with the same amount of chips.

So the tourney finally starts and right off the bat I get dealt pocket 3s. I limp in in early position, and after a couple of more limpers a guy in late position raises it up. I think for a little bit and fold, just because it was the first hand, and I was still a little nervous and wanted to observe the table for a bit before I got comfortable enough to play a hand. Sure, I was kicking myself when another 3 hit on the flop, but whatever. lol.

Anyway I proceeded to play a pretty tight game, again just trying to get a feel of the game and the table dynamics, plus I was getting dealt crap anyway. I finally won my first pot when I had AK and I made a small raise in late position. I got one caller and the flop came something like 7K2. I check and the other guy raises like 1,000. I think for a second then say All In. Then I hear the dealer announce that I call and he begins to burn the card to deal the turn when I say "Wait! I said all in!" and the dealer says "Oh I'm sorry I didn't hear you." The the other guy begins to get pissed off I guess thinking I was somehow angle shooting, until this guy acoss from me says to him that he heard me say all in. So the guy finally mucks his hand and I pick up my first pot =)

And from there I went card dead the rest of the way. I picked up a few small pots along the way but those were only enough to keep me around even. Then another key hand came up, and I'll try to retell it as best as I remember because again, this was a couple of weeks ago. So I'm in late position with KQ and about three guys have already limped so I make a standard raise and get one caller. Flop comes something like 725. The other guy checks, and here I think about checking for a minute, but I decide to fire a bet, just to see where I'm at. I was hoping to pick the pot here thinking he maybe had called my preflop raise with two over cards. So I wasn't too happy when he insta called. Turn is a a blank and it goes check check. The river is another blank as far as I'm concerned and the dude puts out a huge bet. I think about it for a while, and as I'm staring at the board I finally realize that there were two hearts on the flop and the way he played the hand I'm almost sure he caught the flush on the river with another heart. I finally muck and he says something to a couple of guys at the table about how I let him catch his flush with my check on the turn. Looking back at that hand, he was right, I played that horribly.

So that hand kinda crippled my stack, and I knew from the beginning that this tourney was going to be a crap shoot because of the tourney structure and sure enough the blinds started to get to me. I finally decided to push my last 2,000 or so with the blinds at 300/600. I open push with AcJc and it folds around to the Big Blind. This dude goes into the tank for like a minute, until finally he says "Alright, I'm only calling you because I'm suited" and he flips over 7d2d. Argh!!! The flop comes AJx and I'm like boom, ship it, until I realize there's 2 diamonds. So obv another diamond hits on the river and it's good game me.

The table seemed to get a kick out of this guy felting me with 72 and the dealer even cracks a joke about everyone at the table now owing the guy who busted me $500. Haha real funny. Anyway, I didn't feel as bad as you'd think I'd feel, because the whole experience was a blast. I though about sticking around for another tourney that was going to start at 7:30 but I decided to go home instead.

So that was basically it, and like I said, it was an all around awesome experience playing live poker for the first time. I'd actually planning a second trip sometime this week, but I'm not sure yet because I've got alot of stuff going on right now.

This blog entry is getting too long for my taste so that's going to be all for tonight. I'll probably do another update tomorrow at work. Adios!