Playing poker in Bally's casino, Las Vegas style...
LOOSE ON THE STRIP The following notes from my diary may give you some insights you’ll find useful in your own poker play. After fifteen hours of our Poker crawl through the Vegas strip we ended up at the Bally’s Casino. My initial bankroll had dwindled from $2,000 to $400 and a big win was very much required. Harry and Ben, my two compatriots, all signed our names down for 2/4 no limit. Coincidentally we all get called to play on the same table. Our happy trio sit down with $400 in chips in front of us. There are seven other players at the table. First hand: Harry is sitting under the gun. Ben is in late position and I’m on the button. Harry limps into the pot for $2 and everyone calls up to Ben. Ben is holding pocket Kings and makes a $20 raise. I look down and see Ace-Queen and I call. The small and big blind fold over to Harry who calls. We now have three-way action. The flop comes three-Queen-eight. First to act after the flop is Harry. He makes a $30 (approximately half the pot) bet. Ben, who is holding top pair Kings, re-raises the pot making it $75 to go. I look down at my Ace-Queen. The flop looks good. I go all-in. Harry stares me down muttering, “Do you have trips? If so…better than mine?”
THE L-O-N-G-E-S-T FOLD After a long deliberation, Harry folds but asks the dealer to set his cards to one side so he can show us what he had when the time comes. Now I get the stare down from Ben. I visibly grow old while he ponders for an Ice Age and eventually calls. He flips over Kings. I’m well beat. The turn throws up an eight and the river (wait for it) washes up a Queen! Harry turns over his cards to show us the pair of threes which would’ve given him a Full House along side my still born Queens over eights. A good fold and a good play by Harry. His $30 bet being raised and then re-raised gave him a good indication that his hand was behind. What he didn’t realise at the time was that he was holding the highest cards at that point in the game. However, given the strong possibility that hands would emerge to beat him down the road he made the right move and in my book comes out the best player despite losing!
A WINNER’S PROBLEM A friend of mine has been playing poker for a few years now and has just had a very substantial win. Unlike me and everyone else I know, he’s not a materialist and is not about to buy a Ferrari or an apartment in the sun. He asked me what he should do. I’ve asked him round for a champagne dinner. I’m going to get him drunk, play some no limit Hold’em late into the night and see how much I can reduce his new financial burden. I mean, what are friends for?
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ALL THE ACES poker column: Saturday, April 22, 2006: Las Vegas Poker Diary
