Newbie Update (the Nightmare) - Aurora, IL

by MDL

This page is part of Ken's Poker Page

This is a followup to our hero's first adventure reported as First time at Casino Poker at Harrah's in East Chicago, IN by MDL - Mar. 26, 1999
On Tue, 29 Jun 1999 11:06:08 PDT, in rec.gambling.poker packerfn1@yahoo.com(MDL) wrote:

Newbie's Nine Hour Nightmare in Aurora.
Well, maybe nightmare is a little strong, but ending the day with half of my total bankroll after playing what I thought was solid low-limit poker didn't exactly make the 2+ hour drive home a very happy one. So I thought I would vent to all of you and you could tell me that you've all had days like that and it's just part of the game. (Or if you were at my table and I am oblivious to the fact that I suck just let me know that too.) And also to continue to share experiences with other newbies out there like me.
Sunday: The sunshine before the storm... actually the storm was more like a day long leak.
My job brings me down to Illinois about twice a month and in May I started heading over to Hollywood Casino in Aurora after my appointments. So I've had three four-hour sessions which I felt pretty good about (+20,+110,-50). My goal is to get 120+ hours of experience at 5-10 HE over the next 12 months and earn 2BB/hr over that period. So far in June I've only been down there one evening so I convinced my wife (what a great woman) to let me go for a day long session on Sunday, figuring to maybe catch a few more less skilled players on a weekend. So at 9 AM I'm off. At 11:30 I'm parking my car and practically jogging towards the poker room. No more boarding times in IL anymore, so get right on the boat, yes sir, a seat at a full 5-10 feeder game is waiting just for you...
The Ten Seat
As a strange coincidence, in my three sessions at Hollywood I've always ended up being seated in the same seat... at the same table... the 7 seat. Doesn't mean anything, because I'm a "real" poker player so I don't believe in superstitions of a "hot or cold" seat and the only reason I would ask to move would be to get to the immediate left of some maniac (foreshadowing). Well Sunday I get the ten seat. Fine for me, I thought, it's a non-smoking seat. Of course I didn't realize that Seat 9 is the "Chain smoker with bad smoke blowing aim" seat. For the next nine hours that seat was mine... I didn't get up to eat (what do you have to do to get comped there?) or take any extended breaks, I wasn't hungry... I was playing poker! Besides, I hate it when people leave the table for a half hour to eat, to me it's almost rude when people are waiting for a seat.
-- Advice for newbie's -- Learn from my mistake here: Take the occasional break to assess your game and mental state, grab a hot dog, relax, the game will still be there when you get back. And don't play for more than 6 hours... I was mentally drained (no comments necessary) after this nine hour session. (No, I don't think it affected my play.)
All day I refused to move to "luckier" seats and gave that seat a chance to get it's share of cards. And all day I stared at K4, 83s, A7, J2 etc... Now I don't mind this really, those don't cost me any money and I'm disciplined enough to wait for the starting hands that Lee Jones' book says I can play. But when I did get playable cards I always seemed to catch just enough of the flop to cost me a bunch of big bets and eventually lose or fill up just to take a bad beat. I think one thing killed me more than anything on Sunday.....
Ax suited or "Everyone gets flushes but me"
I'll start by saying I like AXs, a lot. This is the one instance where I have a tough time following Lee's advice of folding AXs in early position. BUT I still do fold early, sometimes, if I'm not confident of getting 5 or more callers on the flop without a raise, which I usually think I can.
Sunday I saw more single suited flops than I could believe. Especially spades. Flushes, even baby ones, won the hands all day long. Except, of course, the multiple times I had AXs. This scene played out more times than I can remember... AXs, family pot on the flop, flop has two of my suit, early position bet, 4-5 callers, I raise for the free card and for value, everybody calls, turn is a high card, new bettor, I call along with maybe 1-2 others, big pot, river is another rag and I muck... again and again and again. I never won with it.. not once.
Frustrating... tack on the fact that I had a top set of Jacks on the flop beaten by runner-runner quad nines AND I can't count how many times I would throw away crap like 83s and the flop would come 88x and the turn would be the 3. It got so bad that....
Dueces never loses.
I dislike small pairs. I'm not really confident in playing anything less than 77 regardless if I'm on the button and there's nine callers. (Yes, I always will play Presto... if I ever get it.) So, after a couple of hours I'm in middle position and look down at 2d2s. Two callers and I muck without hesitation. Of course a duece flops and a pair of Ks wins a good size pot eventually (sigh). After about 4 hours of watching my stack dwindle I look down at black dueces one off the button. The usual 5-7 callers so I call. Button raises (darnit, shoulda folded) and everybody's calls. Flop: Yeah, a Duece! ... now if there's nothing higher than a duece on the flop I'm happy, but of course there was a K and a 9 there too. Bet and a few callers to me, I raise, button calls both bets cold (AK, KK?) and original bettor calls. Turn is a rag. Check to me, I bet, both call (well, no KK, I think), River another rag, I bet, both call with Kings and I rake in a good size pot with the black ducks.
New Experiences: Aaaiiiya!
I now have a whole 25 hours of low-limit experience and have seen some interesting things. Here's one from Sunday..
After I've been playing for about 4 hours when a young Oriental or Vietnamese? (I think) guy (YOG) takes the two seat. True to the apparent stereotypes, this guy sits down and proceeds to try to run over this passive 5-10 table with extrememly agressive raising and re-raising with hands like 62off (twice in a row). On top of that, he's really a jerk, and he's winning and all of the other "friendly" players begin to steam... then it happens. Flop comes with two diamonds. By his betting and his outright comments I figure him for AXd. Solid player (SP) bets, clueless older newbie (CON) calls and YOG raises, SP re-raises, CON cold calls and YOG calls. Turn is a miss, SP Bets, both call. River is a diamond. YOG jumps up all happy. SP makes a good fold, CON checks and YOG bets. CON calls to keep him honest, bless his heart.
YOG jumps up again and does an Aaaiiiyyyaa! chop with his cards at the table. Well the cards turned a little in the air and bounced on their side --- right into the lap of the lady in the 5 seat. The whole table just looks as the lady holds up A6d for the nut flush. "Cards left the table, FLOOR!" the wise dealer yells (CON would have never said anything). The dealer explains to the Floor what happened and the Floor calls YOG's hand dead for leaving the table. Well YOG just goes ballistic on the floorman while the CON says "Oh, so I get this (HUGE) pot?". I now know some good words if anyone ever cuts me off on a Vietnamese expressway. Great action and firm decision by the dealer and the floorman, I give them both credit.
Quality of play at Hollywood's 5-10 HE tables.
I'd like some feedback on how everyone feels the general quality of play is at the low limit tables at Aurora. I guess my initial feeling is that many of these players are stronger than you would usually find at the lowest limit available and I have seen only a couple of very weak players. I seem to see many of the same faces each time I'm there and most will gladly get up to join the 10-20 tables at any time, which I guess worries me. Any Comments?
More unrequested newbie advice.
One of the most important things I did was establish a set bankroll for these next twelve months with my wife. If I lost it, fine, I'm done for the year (which now of course I'm halfway through). Well, in just 4 sessions I can easily spot a person playing with "scared money" and if it's not me it's someone else that will push you off of a pot that you should have won. One example I can remember vividly was a young couple who come over from the feeder game. One of his first hands he's in late position and the whole table sees the flop come up AAx, gets checked around. someone bets the rag turn and him and 2 others call. River is a harmless five and he calls a bet by the original bettor and turns over A5! He's afraid to put money into the pot! About a half hour later he basically says that out loud! Later that session I pushed this guy heads up off of a nice pot by raising absolutely nothing on turn and betting the river. Get a bankroll. Or don't :)
Hero's story to be continued over the coming months....
Hope everyone enjoys my newbie ramblings and thanks for letting me vent. I feel better all ready.
Michael
Published with the permission of the author.
Reproduction without the author's permission prohibited.

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