Doughboy's Last Trip

Las Vegas

10/2008

I decided to take off to Vegas for a long weekend as a b-day gift to myself. I have not been to Vegas in about 3 years. I booked the Orleans Casino. I have always stayed there. I like it cause it is off the strip, less tourist and you its where the locals play. They also has just build a new poker room the last time I was there so it is my "casino of choice".

I got to the casino Saturday at 7pm, shower/change and was in the poker room at 8pm. To my surprise there was no list ? They only had about 10 tables (33 total in the room) running. There was no $2-$5 only $1-$2 NL so I sat down. The tables were 'dirty' to me and the chips were also dirty. Not at all like it was a few years ago. I bought in for $300 (the max) and started watching the players. There were 2 that seemed to be running things, very aggressive and playing any 2 cards no matter what the bet/raise was. I was card dead and didn't see a lot of flops but then finally had A-K on the button. There was a $15 preflop raise and 3 callers when it got to me so I just called. The flop came 4-8-K rainbow. It was checked around to the crazy one and he bet $50. I couldn't really put him on a hand but I wanted it heads up. After all I had flopped top pair with top kicker. I raised to $100, it was folded to him and he called. The turn was 9 and he bet $50 again. I pushed all in and he called. He turned over 4-8 ($15 preflop call with 4-8 off suite) for 2 pair and it held up. So after a couple hours play Im busted. I re-bought and never really got anything going. At 3am I cashed out -$400. This is a Saturday night in Vegas, I sat down at 7pm and at 3am there was still only <2> $1/$2 tables and no $2/$5 tables. This casino has really gone down hill

I was told there was a good tournament at the Venetian at noon so that is where I headed on Sunday. The buyin was $150, $7500 in chips, no rebuys and 20min rounds. There were 115 entries. I picked up AA early and doubled up then went card dead. The blinds were now at $500/$1000 with $50 anti and I had $7000. I looked down at A-J and pushed all in in middle position. I was called by the chip leader with A-4 off suite. I felt good but the board put 2 harts on the flop (he had A of harts) and the turn/river was also a hart so I got busted out 36th.

I headed back to the Orleans determined to beat that game. Sat down at 5:00 and still card dead. I finally cashed out at 4am +$97

The next day Monday was my last day in Vegas. I had to leave at 2am Tuesday morning so it wasn't going to be a long night. I went to the Venetian again for the $150 tournament. I lasted 20 min LOL. My first hand I picked up JJ. The blinds were $25/$50. It was raised to $300 and called by 3 players so I re-raised $3000 trying to pick up the pot right then. I was called by QQ. Luckily a K flopped and it didn't cost me much more after the flop. He bet out $500 and I folded. Two hands later I had K-Q spades it had been raised to $500 preflop and I called. The flop came J-A spades it was bet $1500, I only had about $3500 left so I pushed all in and of course it never came so I was out

I decided to play at the Venetian in there cash game. They have a real nice poker room and they treat you real good. I sat at the $2-$5 table and finally got cards. I also got some drinks and was playing any two cards. I had one player sitting beside me "Tony" and him and I were having a lot of fun. We would side bet that when the button hit a certain player either <I> or <him> would win that pot no matter what 2 cards we had. Well, I had been buying a lot of pots so far and showing my bluffs, again we were having fun. I had 2-3 off suite and a real tight player raised $30 preflop. I called determined to push him out no matter what flopped. He was very tight and I felt that I would be able to. The flop came K-4-9. He bet out $100 and I pushed all in. He thought and finally folded. I turned over my 2-3 and he picked up his chips and left LOL. Then I got my first of 2 quads !!!! I was dealt AA on the button. It was raised $50 preflop and I just called The flop came K-A-8. The pre-flop raiser bet out $50 and I raised to $150, he re-raised to $300 and I called. The turn was an Ace giving me quad A's. He pushed all in and I called. He had KK in the hole flopping trip K's and a boat on the turn. That pot was just over $2800. I was now up over $3300 at this point and about an hour later I picked up 99. I was under the gun so I raised $100 and was called by 2 players. Again by my playing 'crazy' they were all calling me at this time. The flop came 9-9-A. I had flopped quads this time !. I bet out $100 again and it was called then raised $300. I just called. The turn was a K making 4 clubs on the board. There was just over $900 in the pot at this time. I checked and he bet out $500. I called hoping he either had A-K or a flush draw. The river was a 3 of clubs. I bet out $300 and he pushed all in. He had $480 left. I called of course and he turned over A-K. I finished out that night up $4400

bottom line... Vegas is still a place where you just don't sleep lol. the Orleans I will not go back, it has really gone down hill. The Venetian is a very nice poker room and the action is very good. After expenses my trip was <+> $4100 so a nice b-day present

Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort

9/2008

I have heard talk about this casino before. It has not only a casino, 40+ table poker room but also a racetrack and golf course so I booked a trip. Its a 3.5/4hr drive from Bellefontaine so that isn't too bad. The hotel is nice but too expensive for the quality ($170/night).

I got there at 2pm on Friday and checked in (yes I stayed at the hotel lol). By 4:00 I was at the poker room. One complaint I have is the poker room is actually at the racetrack so you had to take a shuttle to get there or walk about 5 min (no I never walked). I signed up for a $1-$2 & $2-$5 table and got a seat at the 2-5 right away. The buyin was $500max and several players had over $1000 in front of them. There were only 2 $2-$5 tables running and it was a "must move" table. After 3 hands I was asked to move. I said "don't' you go from the <oldest> first to move? and I was told that no one wanted to move so I "had" to move. Well this put me on the main table and $500 was short stacked! I decided to play conservative until I got a stack built up but that didn't matter. The pre-flop raises were anywhere from $60-$200 and with callers. I had A-K clubs and called a $60 preflop raise, The flop came all rags and it was bet $100 with 2 callers so I folded. This was the way the whole night went. Raise pre-flop, and big bets on the flop. I went down $500 and re-bought, dropped another $300 and decided it was time to quit. I just wasn't hitting the flops or catching so I went back to the hotel room -$800

The next day I wanted to play in the $240 entry tournament. I went to the poker room at 10am to play some before the tournament started. I sat down at a $1-$2 table to kill time. Bought in for $200 and the very first hand I had KK, it the was limped in by 6 players so I raised to $20 and got called by 3. The flop came J-2-5, it was checked to me and I bet $50, I was raised to $100 by one player. Im thinking he is on A-J so I called. the turn came 7 so the board was not scary. I again bet into him $50 and he raised to $125. He had a lot of chips in his stack so I wasn't sure if he is "loose" or just how he played. I folded face up and he was nice enough to show me 2-2 giving him trip 2's on the flop, So my first hand Im down $150, I didn't rebuy but decided to play tight, I picked up AA with a preflop raise of $10 and 4 callers to me. I raised to $40 and everyone folded !!!. When it was time for the tournament I cashed out $60 or -$140

The tournament only had 44 players, the entry fee was $240 and $5 if you wanted another $1000 in chips so $245. One player had several people come up to her saying that they saw her on tv the night before. She was playing the WPT event at Balegio and plays a lot of the WPT events. I found out later that she had just cashed at the Legends of Poker at the Bicycle club in LA. Anyway, I was catching good cards and when it got down to 13 players I was 3rd in chips. 2nd in chips was at my table also. Only 5 got paid so I was not going to get crazy I told myself. I was dealt A-J harts and the blinds were $1500/$3000. I raised to $15,000 and John (2nd in chips) called me. The flop came J-3-8 with 2 harts. I bet $20,000 and John raised to $40,000 I had about $140,000 when the hand started so I called, the turn came a blank and I checked. John bet $40,000 and I thought I was still high with top pair top kicker and nut flush draw. I again called The river was another blank so again I checked . John pushed all in and after a while I folded. He turned over 3-3. He had flopped trip 3's. Now I was down on chips so I coasted to the final table. I went card dead and never had a hand. I finally pushed all in with 9-9 and was called by A-A and lost finishing 8th

That night I went back to the poker room and sat down at a $2-$5 table again. Im now down almost $1200 at this point and decided that with everyone playing "crazy" Im going to play very tight. There were 5 players that all were very close friends and all regulars at the casino. 5 hands into the game they wanted to put a "must straddle" everyone agreed so I did also. then about 1 hour into the game we were asked to move 1 player. No one wanted to move and luckily I was not the "bottom man" so I said "no" also. Once the person was moved one player said "lets make our table $2-$5-$10" that way our table is different from the other table and they cant move us. Everyone agreed so I went along with it. I have been playing extremely tight only calling the crazy pre-flop raises (yes it was the same this day also) with quality hands. I would call with middle to high pair or a good Ace. I was up $300 then down $400 it was a roller coaster. I actually only saw 1 river in about 2 hours time. then I looked down at A-K. It was raised $75 preflop by one of the lose players ( a regular) I was down to just under $500 and called. The flop came A-7-5 with 2 harts. I checked to him and he bet $150. I thought a min and then I pushed all in wanting to pick up the pot right there. He stood up and thought and thought. He then asked me "are you on a hart draw", I held up 1 finger gesturing (wait one min) and I looked at my cards. I looked at him and said "yes", he then thought again and asked me "do you have the K of harts"... I again looked at my cards and said "yes" (which I did), he then asked me "do you have a ace" and I again looked at my cards and said "yes" trying to act cute and not give him any info. He then commented "your not giving me much information" to which I again said "yes" lol. He thought and thought then finally called my all in and turned over A-Q. My A-K held up and that pot was just over $1200. about an hour later I cashed out and left.

bottom line......

Casino..... just ok Hotel...just average Poker room...very nice but you need to be willing to gamble !!!!!

would I go back... yes. I want to play golf but it rained every day I was there. Also I know what and how it takes to beat the table :)

SOARING EAGLE CASINO MICHIGAN 7/2008

Since my trip to Florida was not so good as far as poker goes. I decided to take off for a trip up north to the Soaring Eagle Casino. I had been there a few years ago and always enjoyed their poker room. The trip takes 4 hours from Bellefontaine. I took off at 9:00 am on Saturday got to the hotel, took a shower and headed right to the casino. It was about 2:00 when I got there. The $1-$2 no limit table had a big list and the only $2-$5 table was a round-by-round. I had the lady start a $2-$5 NL list and I put my name on the $1-$2. In about 5 min they started a new $1-$2 table so I got to sit down right away. There was only about 14 tables going at this time. My table filled up quickly and 2 of the girls that sat down wanted the other player to "help" them. This was the first time they had played. The min buyin was $40 and that was exactly what they bought in for. One player pulled about $300 out of his pocket and I bought in for $400 (had to be chip leader lol) I really don't know what the max buyin was but they never said anything about my $400. I didn't play the first few hands cause I wanted to see what the table was like. What I did notice was... every one saw the flop even with $20 pre-flop bet. I picked up J-J and raised to $25 and got 3 callers, The flop came A-K-4. Early seat bet $25, it was called so I also called hoping that the turn would be good to me. The turn was a 5 and again this time the bet was $30 so I folded. The better had A-6. This was pretty much the norm for the table, If anyone hit any part of the flop they would see it to the river. I continued my aggressive play with raising $25 pre-flop if I had a good hand and after 2 hours of play I was down $200. I just wasn't hitting the flops. So I decided to change and just slow play everything, Heck if they were going to call everything preflop I would just limp. In a nut shell, this worked and I finished after 9 hours of play + $350

I had pocket jacks 4 times and lost with every one of them.... I never hit trips all night long, I never hit a flush all night long so I was happy with just picking up small pots. Heck I picked up one pot with A-J. I called a $10 pre-flop raise with 6 others, The flop came A-5-8, I bet out $30 and got called by one player. The turn was a 10, I bet another $30 and again he called. The river came a K and I felt he might have rivered a straight. I bet $30 again and he again called. I even said "I guess you rivered the straight on me" and turned over my A-J, he said no and turned over A-2. He had nothing but the ace and a 2 kicker.

The game is easy to beat !! 60% of the players at the table are college students buying in for $100 and busting then their buddies would sit down and do the same.

The poker room never did filled 100%, The only $2-$5 table was the round-by-round and most of those player bought in for $2000+ !!! Most of the tables were $1-$2

Bottom line.... only a 4 hr drive, Plenty of easy players to beat if you pick up hands. Well worth the drive

HOLLYWOOD FLORIDA 7/2008

Back in 2005 I went to the Hard Rock Casino for the WPT Boot Camp. At that time Florida was only allowed "tournament" poker and no cash games were allowed. I received an email from the casino at the end of June that the casino just opened a new 50 table poker room with live cash games 24/7 so I booked a trip. I flew in on Friday the 4th and was going to stay for 3 days.

July 4th, I get to Florida, check in the hotel and head right off to the Hard Rock Casino for poker. I got there at 6pm. The new poker room is outside the main casino and in the "entertainment area" with restaurants, clubs and shops. I put my name on the list for $1-$2 and $2-$5 table. I got taken to the $1/$2 table right away and before I got my chips I was moved to the $2/$5 table. I sat down and handed the dealer $500 for chips...... this is where the trip turned for the worst....... The dealer told me that buyin is $100min / $100max !!!! What ??? only a $100 buyin for a $2-$5 table. I was told the state of Florida made it a law that you can only buy in for $100/min/max no matter what table you play at or what casino you play at. Even at the $5/$10 table the buyin is $100 no matter what. This sucked because the whole table was a "all-in" fest. My first hand I looked down at A-10 harts. Early position raised $20 preflop, it was called by 3 others so I called. The flop came 10-2-6 with 2 spades. The preflop raiser bet $20 again it was called by seat 3 and raised "all in" by seat 4 for $52. Now there is already $152 in the pot, I have top pair, top kicker so I re-raised $80 to get it heads up. My thinking was at most all I can lose is $52 to the short stack. Well I was called by seat 1 also ! None of the players would turn their cards over either even though we were all in? The turn came J and the river came A so that gave me 2 pair. The "all in" guy threw his hand away and seat 1 turned over A-J. HE HAD NO PAIR AND ONLY THE ACE OF SPADES !. Well I re-bought and decided that if this is the way they will play then I will just slow play everything. I was down $400 at one point and was determined that there "is a way to beat this table". I played tight and finally got up to just over $600 and then a fight broke out on the $5/$10 table behind me so after it got quieted down I cashed out for $666 (yea what a number) So end of first night +$266

Next day I went to the Isle Casino at noon, got my player card and went up to the poker room to find out that it doesn't even open until 1pm. There is another law in Florida...... non-Indian casinos can only be open for 12 hours straight..... lol. So I hopped in the car and went to the Coconut Creek casino (another Indian casino). I sat at the $2/$5 table and after playing for about 4 hours a fight broke out on our table ! There was one old man (60+) who was raising $40 preflop on every hand, No matter what hit the flop he would push all in and/or call you to the river. Two younger kids (25-28yrs) kept making fun of the old man which was rude I thought. At this time the old man had gone through over $1700 with rebuy/rebuy/rebuy time and time again. The kid to my right was up about $700 and rivered the old man. The old man said "you are a lucky player" to the kid and the kid went off !! He said "if I'm so lucky then why do I have all your money" and called the old man a stupid player, The old man challenged the kid to a $5,000 buyin heads up and the kid said how he would kick the old mans ass heads up. This got louder and louder and the dealer just sat there !!! The kid finally said he would take the old man outside and kick his "$5000 ass" and this really heated up things. Security came and I cashed out down $21.

I went back to the hotel and got online looking for another place to play and found a "casino cruise ship with poker" so I headed over there. The cruise ship was very nice and the poker room was small (12 tables) but very nice also. You had to wait until the ship got 3 miles off shore before playing. The problem was there was only 7 players who played in the whole poker room. After 3 hours of play one by one they busted out and everyone left. So, this was the nicest poker room and very nice cruise ship but no poker !!! The ship didn't get back to port until 11:30 that night so I just went up to the lounge and drank lol. I did put $100 on <black> on the roulette wheel and of course it came <red>

My last day there (Sunday) I went to the Hard Rock Casino to play in a $350 buy in bounty tournament. 26 players entered and the payout was top 3 with $2300 going to first and $900+ going to 3rd. I played pretty good and was able to pick up a bounty which was $100/person you knocked out so I was doing ok. I had about $6,000 in chips and was getting short stacked with blinds $500/$1000, I looked down at A-5harts and called the blind. The flop came Kh,Qh,3c. One player bet $1000 and it was folded to me. He was playing aggressive and raising a lot of pots so I pushed all in. He called and I turned over Ad 5h. YES I had mis-read my hand. The river was indeed a Hart which would have made me "I thought" the nut flush. I simply made a mistake and cost me the tournament. I busted out 8th.

From there I went to the Isle Casino. This was the nicest poker room I had been in yet. there must have been 60 tables and all full. I sat at a $2-$5 table and about 5 hours later had just over $400 in front of me. Then a fight broke out at this table between seat 2 and seat 8 so at opposite ends of the table ! Seat 2 raised all in after the turn for $80 and seat 8 was counting his chips. Now this is a "race track" design table like the ones at Doughboy's so he was counting his chips in front of his cards. Seat 2 yelled at the dealer "that's a call" and turned his cards over ??? The dealer didn't say anything but seat 8 said "no I was just counting my chips" well this lead into a big argument and the security came over to quiet things down. I didn't want to leave cause (1) the casino closed in 2 hours and (2) I had a good table image and people were folding to me also I had $400 and profit. Well about an hour later the flop came J-9-3 with 2 spaded. There was $60 in the pot with a preflop raise of $15 and 4 callers including me. Seat 2 (the problem guy) pushed all in for $56, seat 8 (his friend lol) made the comment after the argument that he was calling "everything" so he thought and then called, Well I had the Doughboy (J-9) and didn't want to let the flush get there so I raised all in ($285). Seat 8 thought and what pissed me off was seat 2 got mouthy and said "you said you would call everything I bet !" so seat 8 called and of course he was on the flush draw and caught the spade on the turn costing me another $186. I was now down to just under $100 and couldn't rebuy with the "$100 max" crap so I decided just to wait for a good hand and double up. It never happened and at midnight the casino closed and I was down $72 for that night.

bottom line..... Florida has great beach, beautiful ladies, but if your going for just poker..... GO SOMEWHERE ELSE

TUNICA MS 7/2007

I took off for 5 days and headed to Tunica to play some poker. I had decided that this trip would be mainly tournament play. As most of you know, I don't play a lot of tournaments when I travel but mainly cash games. This trip I wanted to see how I would do with just tournaments. My flight arrived at 10:00 and I started planning out my trip

Grand Casino Friday 1:00 pm "No cards = No cash" This was the first one I found for Friday. It was a $50 entry. There were 42 players with the top 5 getting paid. The table was pretty loose and kind of like our $20 chas'em at Doughboy's. I decided that I would play tight and just catch people chasing. Well as the title said, I go not cards the whole time. We were down to 7 players and the blinds were $800/$1600. I was under the gun and had $2200 so getting no cards I was in trouble. I picked up K-J and pushed all in hoping to pick up the blinds. Everyone folded trying to "limp" into the money, well everyone but the big chip leader. He was calling everything and called me with J-4 suited. A 4 came on the flop and that was the end. So, 0-1 finishing 7th out of 42 with 5 getting paid

Things got really wild !!!

After getting something to eat I broke my "plan" and sat down at a cash game. The only no-limit cash game at the Grand was $1/$3. I bought in for the max $300 and picked up some good hands real quick. I was raising preflop and betting $75+ picking up some quick money. After about 45min I hear someone yell out "Hey Doughboy!!" Naturally this shocked the hell out of me and when I turned around it was Paul Williams !!! He was in town training a group to head over to Kosovo. So, out of all the casinos in Tunica, the 2 cash games at the Grand and that time of night... here was Paul ! To say the least we started harassing each other and before long the whole table knew the both of us very well to say the least LOL. Heck we even named the players at the table... "there is Jesse, Phil, DQ, Dave, Doug...." lol Paul cashed out plus about 3/4am and I finally hit my low at 5:15am. I had about $1200 in front of me and picked up KK. I raised preflop $60 and got one caller. The flop came Q-9-3 rainbow and with $124 in the middle I bet $200. I was raised by one of the drunk kids all in ?? He had about $800 in front of him and I called. He turned over A-Q and of course a Q came on the turn costing me the pot. So after play good all night and running $300 up to $1200 I ended up cashing out down $140. Paul said that Ham was also there and we were supposed to meet at 8:00pm Saturday night so I figured I could get it back then.

Sam's Town Casino Saturday 11:00. "So close yet no money" This was a tournament the players were talking about being real good. It was a $130 entry with no rebuys. Now I'll be honest, after partying with Paul until almost 6am I wasn't in a good state of mind to play. There were 138 players in the tournament and the top 18 would get paid. I played tight and what I thought was good poker the whole time. It got down to 21 players and I looked down at 33. I had about $78000 in chips and the blinds were $500/$1000. I only needed to pick up the blinds/ante and felt I could coast in the money for sure. I raised it to $3000 preflop and was re-raised all in by a player with $8000 in chips. I called and he turned over Jc 8h so I felt real good. The flop came J-3-9 and gave me trips to his pair. But the turn and river was a club and gave him a runner-runner flush putting me out 21st with 18 getting paid. This was the fist bad beat I took all day and I was not happy. I went to the lounge and had a few drinks. About an hour sitting there having a drink and listening to the band I started up a conversation with a cute little Philippine lady :) Well, you all know me and the Philippine's ...... to make a long story short. I never met up with Paul and Ham that night

Horseshoe Casino Sunday 11:00. This was the tournament I was looking forward to playing all week. The entry fee was $250 with no rebuys. I got there and just as my luck has been going (except for Yen ;) ) I was told that the tournament was cancelled for a invitation only tournament. So I grabbed the book and saw that the Gold Strike was having one at 1:00 so I headed over there

Gold Strike Casino 1:00 Sunday. "blame it on Absolute" This was another cheap tournament with $55 entry and no rebuys. I made my mind up that I was going to win this damn thing. So I started playing tight. However after a couple drinks from Theresa (no she was not Asian, she was American but very cute ass) and yes it is only 1:00 in the afternoon and I'm drinking absolute, but in casino time it doesn't matter. Anyway after a couple drinks she came around again and asked "anyone want anything" and I said "yes, I want a back rub" She started talking about how good that would feel and how she would have paid $100 last night for a foot massage when she got off work. Well after a few more rounds I pushed all in with J-9 (suited !! ) lol and got busted out 68 out of 125 players. The rest of the story is kind of like "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" lol

Hollywood Casino Monday 9:00am This was my last day here and my flight was leaving at 5am Tuesday morning so I wasn't going to play much. This tournament was $55 entry with no rebuys and had 31 players. I sitting in good shape and players were folding to me because of my aggressive play. This allowed me to pick up some small pots by bluffing. The blinds were $150/$300 and I had about $4000 in front of me. I was second at the table and there were 17 players left. The top 6 got paid. Seat 4 raised $1000 and I pushed all in with A-K. He turned over QQ and it held up so once again I was out.

I went back to the hotel and packed. It was only 1:00 and I heard that there was a $2-$5 NL cash game at the Horseshoe so I headed over there. I figured my tournament record was 0-5 so that ideal wasn't working lol. I went to the cage and bought $500 in chips. When I sat down I noticed that 8/10 players had over $3000 in front of them ! I asked what the max buy in was and was told "there was no max" That this game is normally a $5/$10 no-limit and they were waiting to change it. Let me first sum up this table as saying it was like playing with 8 DQ's with $3000 in front of them. I decided right away that I would just sit back and not get involved with anything less then the nuts. The only problem with this is that I was picking up good card preflop (A-Q suited, JJ) and others. I tried to limp but every pot was raised to $20+ preflop and if there was a draw it was run to the river no matter what the bet. Hell there was one pot raised preflop to $75 and 3 callers. Each round was a bet and call with over $600 in the pot. At the end Ace high with Queen kicker won the pot !! Not even a pair !. One had Ace high and the other were on flush draws. I was down under $200 when they all decided to change it to $5/$10 blinds No-Limit. I'm down for my trip as a whole so what the heck is another few dollars and I also said "yes" . I went to the cage and bought another $500. Then I finally picked up AA. I was on the button. Under the gun raised preflop to $50, seat 7 re-raised to $100 and I re-re-raised to $400. Seat 7 with the most in front of him (about $9000) said "all in" and I quickly called. Seat 7 showed KK and my Ace's held up. Now I'm up to $1300 and can play some. I called a few preflop and never hit the flop. I was down to just under $1000 Then my second good hand came. It was raised to $45 preflop with 6 callers and I had 7-8. I called and the flop came 5-6-9. I had flopped the nuts. The first few checked and then it was bet $100. I raised to $200 and got called. The turn was a Ace and he bet all in. Now he had over $5000 in front of him but I couldn't fold. I called and he turned over A-9 top 2 pair. My straight held up. One other hand I flopped the straight and again got all my money in by the river. Bottom line I cashed out for just over $2200 plus and really only won 3 hands the whole time

Bottom line....... hell with tournament play for Doughboy !!!!

HARRAH'S CASINO ST. LOUIS, MO 3/2007

In the March edition of Poker Pro magazine there was a 3 page write up about the 1.3 million they just added to the poker room upgrade. The magazine also wrote about their "2007 World Series" tournament which they would give out a seat and spending money. Harrah's was also celebrating their 10th anniversary in March so I booked a trip.

There are several hotels just 10 min from the casino and I recommend staying there. I book a room at Comfort for $79 / night where the casino rate was $169.

The casino was nice. It was on dry land and very big. There were actually 2 "themed" casinos inside. One was the Mardi Gra casino and the other was the Island, where the poker room was. Also several shops and restaurants were inside the casino. To compare I would say it was bigger then Caesars' in Indiana for those of you that have been there before. A lot of construction was going on inside the casino so that took away from the "looks" in my opinion.

The poker room had 21 tables and was very roomy. The tables were spaced out real nice so you never bumped into the other people which was nice. One GREAT thing about the poker room was that it was surrounded by sound proof glass !! The slot machines were just outside the glass walls and you couldn't hear a thing from them. Also as many are now a days, the poker room was non-smoking.

I got to the poker room on Thursday at 10:00 and there was already a waiting list for the $2 / $5 no limit tables. There were 8 on the $1/$2 list. I waited until 11:30 before I got a table at the $2/$5. The $1/$2 was moving pretty good but I wanted the $2/$5.

They were running a "must move" at the $2/$5 which meant that you started at one table and when someone got busted out of the main table you "had" to move to the main table. I bought in for $500 and worked it up to about $700 when I got the "move" to the main table. 5 of the players that were playing here were the same people that I was watching when I first walked into the casino. They all had over $2000 in front of them and "Mike" had over $4000. Now there is a max buy in of $500 so you know they were all playing for a while.

I didn't get many cards at first so I was able to just watch the action. At the "first" table if the pre-flop raise was below $25 then you would get 3-4 callers, above $25 and it would get down to maybe 1-2 callers. Well this table $50 preflop was getting 5 callers! Heck they were raising preflop $100+ and getting callers so the action was very aggressive. You didn't try to "limp" because 7 out of 10 times there was a raise preflop.

The first hand I got deep involved with I had A-K two away from the button. It had been raised to $15 and there were already 4 callers so I re-raised it to $75 and got 3 of them to call me. The flop was rag's (9-3-10) and it was checked to me. I bet $100 ($262 in pot already) and got called by one player. He was sitting with about $2000 in chips and from watching him when I first got into the casino I noticed that he would play just about any 2 cards. The turn was a blank 4 which made a board of (9-3-4-10 two clubs) There was $462 in the pot and if he had top pair then I would still have some outs. He checked to me and I bet $300 and he called. The river was a 2, he checked to me and I also checked. Hell if he could call my $75, $100, and $300 he must have something. Well he turned over A-2 off suite !! He had absolutely no pair, no draw and only Ace high with a <2> kicker clear to the river!! Checking and calling my bets the whole way! Well he hit his pair of 2's on the river and I turned over my hand to show him and the table that I had a legit hand. I told him "nice catch" and he just smiled. "Ricco" the guy sitting beside me told me that that guy will call you to the river no matter what he has if he has already called the flop. The rest of the day went pretty much like that hand and I cashed out for -$180

Friday I got to the casino at 10:00 again and the same 5 players were already playing at the main table. Once again there was a waiting list for the $2/$5 so about 11:30 I finally got a seat. At 3:00 I was moved to the main table with about $400 in chips. I picked up a couple pocket pairs and due to what happened to me yesterday I raised $100 preflop each time. I was up to about $800 when this hand came. I had A-J suited and was in mid position. I knew I would get callers so I just raised to $50 preflop. Sure enough there were 5 of us to the flop. The flop came (10-K-Q rainbow !! I) had flopped the nuts. There was a bet to me of $75 from early position (mike) and he was one of the 5 that had plenty of chips and would bet anything. I raised it to $150 trying to get him and I heads up. Well one other player behind me also called so three of us were in the pot ($700). The turn was a rag 4. Mike checked to me so I bet out $300 and Mike said "all in". I quickly called ($600 left) and he turned over 10-10 giving him trip 10's. I was feeling real good. I was actually surprised he only had trips. I felt he also flopped the nuts and we would be splitting the pot. Well.... the only card in the deck, the last 10 came on the river giving him quad 10's and I was busted. I re-bought and ran into another hand later on that day that cost me again over $1000 pot.

I quit to play in a $160 buy-in 70 player max tournament at 7:00. I needed a break from the cash game. My table was playing pretty loose so I only played good starting cards and was up about $4500 in chips (3000 starting) when this hand came. I was first to act and had A-A. The blinds were $100/$200 and I raised to $400, the chip leader re-raised to $800 and there were 2 other callers. It got back to me and I decided to pick up the pot right there. I pushed all in.... the chip also said "all in" and to my surprise the other two players also went all in. I turned over A-A, the chip leader turned over A-K off suite, small blind had Q-Q (second chip leader at our table) and big blind had 7-7 (short stacked) . Well the river was a Q and I was busted out. So that tournament lasted just over an hour lol.

The World Series tournament structure was not just a "single tournament" like I thought it was. What happened was... it was a $200 buy in, single table tournament. If you won your table then you won $200 and got to come back Saturday night to play in the final single table where <1> seat was given out. I thought the finals would be Saturday morning so I never go to play the tournament

All in All..... the casino was real nice. Poker room is well worth the trip but I just had one of those weeks ending up about $3000 down for the trip

2007 Midwest Regional Poker Championship

Caesars Indiana

I decided to play Event #1 $340 buy in tournament on Thursday. My "plan" was to arrive on Wed. play $2-$5nl cash game and win $350 to pay for my entry into the tournament. Play cash Thursday night, win around $300 and pay for my hotel at Argosy on Friday......... Well, here is how it went !

I arrived on Wed. and went to the hotel desk to check in. Keep in mind that I booked my hotel 2 weeks in advance so there shouldn't be any problems right ? Wrong !1 When I checked in they had a room but it was for <2> double beds. I showed the girl behind the desk that I had a reservation for <1> king non smoking room and had already paid for it. She advised me that their online reservations will "guarantee a room" but what room you get is "first come first serve" when you check in ! I told her that I had just driven 4 hours so "just give me the room". So my day wasn't starting off very good. This was the first time I have actually stayed at the casino so I was expecting "good rooms" ...again Wrong ! Your room is not like any other "casino hotel" it's more like a "days inn" Keep in mind, I have stayed at several hotels all over and this room was pretty "plain" No microwave, no refrigerator or nothing. Not even a in room safe. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now.

Day 1. cold, no comp points and No-Fold'em Hold'em

I get to the poker room and get a seat right away. I buy in for $500 which is normally the 'max' at most $2/$5 tables and I sit down. I look around and I'm short stacked already. I find out that the max buy in is $1000 here. Once again not going so well. ..... It is also cold as hell in the poker room. Most players are wearing jackets and some even winter jackets. After playing for a while I ask if "it is always this cold" and they tell me "yes" and also that the table I'm sitting at is located right under the vent. So, so far... my room is screwed up, I'm short stacked, and it's cold as hell.

Then the "poker" starts LOL. The whole table is playing what seems to be "no fold'em hold'em" and there are 4-7 players seeing every flop, then they check-check afterwards because non of their cards hit. Also, $50 preflop raise is getting 3-4 callers. There is this one guy that has already bought back in <3> times ($3000) in the short time I have been playing. He is calling $200 bets clear to the river with only Ace high. I have decided that "he" is my target !

I'm on the button, there has been a $40 preflop raise and so far 5 callers, I look down at A-A. I think for a min and re-raise it to $150. I'll be happy picking up the $200 in the middle. Well the one guy I told you about was the only one that called me. So there is $500 in the middle already. The flop comes 9-5-K rainbow. He checks into me I bet $200 and he quickly calls. I'm guessing that he has hit the K. Maybe A-K or something like that. The next card is a K and he quickly pushes all in for over $1500. I fold my hand face up showing him the pocket Aces and he shows me K-7 harts !! So he called the preflop raise of $190 with K-7 harts and hits trip K's on the turn costing me $350

A few hands I get Q-Q under the gun and raise to $50, I get 2 callers. The flop comes 5-6-9 with 2 spades. I bet out $100 and get raised to $200, then the other person after him re-raises $500. I fold and never see the river as the other person also folds. Another $150 down the drain.

At this point I'm down just over $300 and still very cold so I decide to quit. I leave the poker room and head to the gift shop to pick up a jacket. The only one they had in XL was one you might find at Wal-Mart for $20 but of course since it had this "Caesars" emblem on it ... it cost me $50 !! lol but at least I won't be cold Thursday during the tournament.

Oh... one more thing.... when I first got my seat I took my "players card" to the front desk to have it "swiped" to get comp points... well they told me that during the Midwest tournament they will not be keeping track of the comp points ! It was too hard since they had so much going on.

Day 2. Thursday the tournament..... " K-8 " is NOT a beautiful thing !!!

I wake up and head to the buffet for breakfast. I have told myself that I'm not going to have a "bad attitude" due to last nights happening. Well I'm not going to get into the buffet much except to say that the main thing they were missing was a microwave so you could warm up your food !!! Yes... even the "carving" station food was Luke warm !

I get seated and someone comes over and tells me that "I'm in his seat" I look at my entry card and "no" it says table 23 seat 8. He shows me his entry card and it also shows table 23 seat 8 !. Then while we are calling over the floor, another person comes over and is also doubled up on seats. It ends up that they had a "computer" problem and several seats got doubled up on. They tell me to go to another table where all the "double" seats are now sitting.

I play at this table for about 15 min and pick up some blinds. Everyone is playing tight and checking after the flop so I bet out and they were folding. Then I get moved to another table. When I sit down I see that 3 players have already doubled up on chips. They tell me that they have already had 3 people bust out! I sit there for a few hands and watch to see what the players were playing like. Seat 2 is playing very aggressive and he is one of the chip leaders. He is under the gun and raises it to $300. At this point the blinds are $25/$50. It gets folded to me and I look down at AA. Knowing that he is aggressive and will probably bet the flop no matter what, I just call him. The big blind, who only had $700 left (we started with $1500) raises all in. Seat 2 calls and I re-raises all in. Seat 2 quickly calls my all in ! I turn over AA..... seat 2 also turns over AA and big blind turns over K-8 suited. Well I'm sure you already know... the turn came a K and the river came a 8. So I don't get doubled up and instead I lose over 2/3 of my chips.

A few hands later... seat 10 is one of those people that is just having fun, telling jokes and having a good time. He tells a joke to the dealer and the punch line was something like "fuck it". The dealer laughs !! and then tells the guy that even though he was telling a joke.. he still said the "f" word and is getting a 10 min penalty !!!!. He calls the floor over and the floor makes him leave his seat for 10 min. I thought this was pretty shitty for the dealer to "laugh" then call the floor over on him

Well the rest of the tournament I never had over 10 times the big blind but was able to pick up some hands every once in while but was playing short stacked since the loss of AA hand. Somehow I was still around when it got down to 32 players. We started with 258 players and the top 27 got paid. Blinds were now at $600/$1200 with $25 ante. I had only $4000 left and was trying my best to just hold on for 5 more players and make the money. We just lost a player so our table was down to 7. We called the floor over because there was 2 tables with 9 and 2 tables with only 7 players. We asked if they were going to "move" players and make it 8-8-8-8. The floor said "no" that they were going to wait until it got down to 27 people before they would move anyone around. Well this didn't sit well with me. Hell, I'm short stacked and the blinds are going around fast with only 7 people at our table. So my next hand I look down at 7-2 off suit and I sit..... and sit.... and sit... the dealer tells me "it's up to me" and I tell her "I know". I then look at one of the other short stacks and tell him that "from now on you can call the clock" cause I'm taking all day. He laughed and to my surprise.. one of the chip leaders also laughed and agreed with me. Since they wouldn't combine the tables he would also "wait the clock out"

A few hands later the other table with only 7 players lost 2 on the same hand and the floor had to combine it to 3 tables of 10. .... a few hands later 3 others busted out and I made it to the money !!!!

27th place until 19th place paid the same so it was time for me to "get chips" or "get home". I was on the small blind and it was down to just me and the big blind. He was also short stacked with $7000 and I had just over $3000. I looked down at A-2 clubs and just limped in. He raised all in and I called. He had 4-4 and it held up. So I walked out with 27th place and $435 prize money

I went back to the room and it was about 5:30. I had been playing since noon so I was hungry and ordered room service. To my surprise I get a "message" that "room service doesn't open until 6:00pm" LOL I should have figured !!! I ordered a pizza and said the hell with the night. I did go back to the poker room later on that night and after a couple bad beats and getting drawn out on again I cashed out down $335.

The next day "Friday" I had a hotel already at the Argosy. I got there about 2:00 and played for 4 hours winning $155.

Bottom line...... the $2-$5 cash game at Caesars is crazy... the poker room is very cold and based upon the other casino's I have played at.. not very well run. Also the hotel itself is very sub-par for a Casino hotel. I don't see myself going back to Caesars anytime soon

Argosy & Dayton Convention Center

1-20-07

I started Saturday off by going to the poker room at Argosy Casino in Ind. I have heard that the poker room was nice and I was playing in the Dayton tournament on Sunday so I figured I would make a weekend out of it. Well, I got to the parking lot at 3:00 Saturday and 20 min later I found a parking space lol (I was told to get there early and I didn't listen, imagine that) I got to the poker room, which had 17 tables at 3:30 and signed up for the $2-$5 nl. At 6:30 !! I was finally seated! (if you ever go... get there early) Anyway the players were mostly locals and all knew each other. There was only (2) 2/5nl tables. The one up front was the "main" table and the average chip stack was around $1000 and up. You had to play on the "back" table and then <in turn> you would be moved up to the "main" table. Well the first hour wasn't all that bad, I didn't get many hands and was up about $100. Then the "beat(s)" from hell !! I was on the big blind and had JJ. Seat 1 raised $25 preflop and when it got to me there wee 5 callers. I decided to just call. The flop came 8c Jc 2h. I hit my trips. Seat 1 bet $25 and was called by 3 players when it got to me. With $250 in the pot and 2 clubs I decided to raise all in which was about $580. Seat 1 called all in ($230) and seat 5 also pushed all in ($280). Seat 1 turned over AA... seat 5 turned over A6. The turn card was an "Ace" giving seat 1 trip aces and catching the case ace !! and losing a pot for over $1000 ! I had about $250 left and the very next hand I looked down at QQ, I was now on the small blind. The pot was raised early to $50 and seat 4 pushed all in for $310, I pushed all in and everyone folded to us. He turned over 3-3 and on the flop came a 3 ! losing another pot for over $560. .... If my 2 hands had held up I would have picked up $1500+ but now Im busted and am re-buying for another $500. Well after a few hours I picked up KK on the button... it was raised $25 preflop and again 5 callers so I just called. the flop came A-K-K giving me quad K's !! seat 2 bet $100 and it was folded to me, I just called, the turn was a diamond making 3 diamonds on the board, Seat 2 bet $200, I raised all in and he called. I picked up about a $1000 pot, I played a few pots and never hit so I was down about $300....then I looked down at 9-9 and limped in. the flop came A-4-9 rainbow. Seat 2 (he was very aggressive) bet $100, I called and again it was him and I heads up. The turn card was a 9 making me quads again!! He checked, I bet $100 and he pushed all in for $700. I called and picked up another hand for about $1500. I got moved to the main table shortly after this and it was now 11:30pm. I played 2 rounds and never saw any cards so I just left. I ended up the evening 5 hours with profit of $490.

Sunday I was planning on play the Reeces tournament at the Dayton Convention Center. $8,000 first place. I looked at the gps unit Saturday night and it said it would take me 1 hour to get there so I figured I would leave at 10:00 and get there at 11:00 and play cash for an hour. Well Sunday I looked out and saw 3 inches of snow on the truck so I left early. It took me 2 1/2 hours to get there. Now those of you that haven't' played the tournament before. You have several "qualifiers" where the top 30 players get enter into the finals. I played the last <noon> qualifier and there was 28 players due to the weather so all of us made it to the finals automatically. However they also paid $300, $200, $100 for the top 3 places in the qualifiers. After about 2 hours of play it was down to 4 of us. The chip leader had about 3 times more then 2-3-4 did but short stack was all in with just the blinds. I folded K-Q and he was called by the chip leader and he won with 7-4 hitting a 4 on the turn. This put me on the blinds and I had K-J suited and pushed all in. I got called by the chip leader with 6-9 off suite and he hit a 6 on the river making me "bubble boy" ! I then went to the $2-$5 nl game and had about 1.5 hours before the finals. I played tight and picked up AA and was able to get one player to push me all in. I ended up winning $409 in the cash game before the finals. The finals had 330 entries. I was doing ok. at first break I had $19,000 chips and the blinds were going to be $500-$1000 after break. At the dinner break I had pushed that up to $130,000. Right after the break I picked up KK and 10-10 back to back and got up to $210,000. The blinds were up to $10,000-$20,000 and there were 27 players left. Only the top 20 got cash and I was 3rd chip leader on our table so I decided to coast. I made it to 20th and was down to $55,000 after a couple cards never hit. The blinds were up to $20,000-$40,000 and I was 3 away from the blinds. It was now down to 17 players. First two players called the $40,000 and I called all in for $55,000.... chip leader raised to $120,000, seat 3 called all in for $72,000... seat 4 pushed all in for $95,000 so there were <5> of us in there and 3 all in's. The first player turned over A-5... the second player turned over A-5 clubs, I had A-K harts and the chip leader turned over Q-10 so I was in real good shape, The flop came 3 rag's but also 2 clubs and it ended up hitting a club on the river so second player picked up the flush and I was out 17th place. If the club didn't come on the river then I would have picked up over $200,000 and would have been sitting good. Instead I go out 17th and picked up $390

So all in all it was a good weekend... Argosy +$490.... Dayton +$409 & +$390 = $1289 profit

Foxwoods Casino & Resort

Dec 2006

hey they're not the best pictures but you can get an ideal of what 127 tables looks like

I flew out to Foxwoods for my second time on Dec 30 - Jan 3rd. My last trip was back in May and I came out with a profit of just over $1800. So I wanted to go back and do it again over New Years.

Sat Dec 30th . " the drunks "

My plane got in at 10:30 and by the time I got the hotel all set and got to Foxwoods it was 2:00. The place was packed so I put my name on the list for both the $1-$2 and $2-$5 no limit games. At 3:30 I finally got called to a 1-2 table. I already had my mind set that I was going to play tight the first couple hours and get a "table" image and it worked. I played only a few hands and by the 3rd hour I was able to pick up some blinds. However this was a Saturday and all the college kids were here also. You see, at Foxwoods the drinks are "free" and that includes shots, top shelf and everything else. We had 2 players at the table that were only there to get drunk. Now I will admit that they were "fun" drunks and really livened up the table !! They were drinking shots and getting loud and having fun. So this was "not" a serious table but a fun one. Unfortunately they both got a little too loud and the waitress called the floor and both of them were cut off and not allowed to have any more drinks. This made things worse because now they were pissed and getting rude to the dealer and things. ......... Back to poker.... I played tight most of the time and there were really no "big" or "wild" hands to speak of. After a 5.5 hr session I ended up with a profit of $233 so that wasn't too bad. During that session I had AA(2) KK(3) QQ(0) JJ(0) 10-10(0) times. The table rake was $5 1/2hr so take away the rake and my net profit was $178

Sun Dec 31st " my lucky suck out "

I got to Foxwoods at 10:30 and put my name on both the 1-2 and 2-5 list. At noon I was seated at a 1-2 table. Again I was going to get a "tight" table image and not play many hands at first. This day had several "wild" and "crazy" hands.

One time I was dealt A-2 and called the blind as did 6 others. The flop came 2,2,4. I bet out $25 and had one person raise me to $75. He was playing all kinds of crap so I figured him for any 2 over cards. I simply called his $75. The turn card was another 4 making the board 2,2,4,4 He quickly pushed all in for $325 and I had to fold. I put him on the 4 and said to him "I don't think you have shit but I'll fold anyway" he smiled and turned over A-4. So this was a good lay down for me.

I picked up A-5 and the flop was raised to $25 preflop. I was on the button and there were 5 callers to the $25 so I called also. The flop came 2-3-4 with 2 diamonds. The early raiser bet $50, it was called by 3 players and I raised it to $150. I got just him to call and then the turn came a 9 of diamonds. He checked and I bet $100, he folded

(my luck hand) I looked down at KK and raised preflop to $50 getting only one caller. The flop came 9-3-K all spades. He checked and I also checked. He was an older man who knew everybody so I was cautious of him. The turn brought a 8h, he checked and I thought he might be on a draw so I pushed all in for $300+, he immediately called me and he turned over the nut flush. I started counting my chips and then river was another 9 making me a full house. This was a very luck suck out and he played me perfect getting me to push my chips in.

After a 6 hour session I came out ahead $382, take out the rake and my net profit was $352

Monday Jan 1st " the bad day "

Have you ever had one of those days where things just seemed "bad" ? Well this was how my New Year started out. I woke up and thought I would try the "buffet" at the hotel for breakfast. Well I went and stood by the sign that said "please wait to be seated".... the place was empty with only 4 tables filled. I could see the waitress (2 of them) sitting at one table rolling up the silverware into napkins. After the 10 min one of them looked up at me and said "you can sit anywhere you want" !! This make me mad but I blew it off and sat down. Neither one of them came to my table but just sat there and they continued rolling the silverware. After a few min I finally made eye contact with the manager and he called one of waitress over to him. She then came to my table and told me "this is a buffet... help yourself" Well, now I was really pissed so I asked her "what about drinks, juice or water" .. she said "you can get that at the buffet" and walked away. Well the buffet only had a few items so I just walked out the door and left. < I should have known this was going to be a bad day >

I got to Foxwoods and again it was busy at 11:30am. I put my name on the list and the 1-2 table came up first at 12:30. I sat down and the table seemed pretty wild and loose. The preflop was getting raised most all the time and it was getting called by 5-6 players each time. I thought I would loosen up some and play more hands.

I looked down at A-10spades and after a raise of $30 and 3 callers I also called. The flop came A-10-7 with 2 spades. I was on the button so I was feeling pretty good about it. Small blind bet out $50 and was called by one other player. I also just called wanting to see if a "spade" came off on the turn. The turn was a 4 of harts. The small blind now bet out $100 and was quickly called by the old man, I thought maybe a "big Ace" for the small blind and a "flush draw" for the old man. I wanted to pick the pot up right now and I raised $200, small blind folded and the old man called. Then as "luck" would have it a 9 of spades came on the river and the old man quickly pushed all in for just over $400. I only had $150 left in front of me and I even said out loud.. " I can't see you chasing for the flush..." and I called. He turned over K-2 of spades making the nut flush.

I bought back in for $300 and not 20 min later I again was sucked out when I flopped the straight and was sucked out on for another flush losing another $200+ pot

This pissed me off and I went to the sign up desk and said I wanted back on the 2-5 table. I left the 1-2 table and about 30 min later I was seated at the 2-5 table. I bought in for the max $500 and the table was playing much tighter and only 2-3 people seeing the flop. A much better game I felt. I played for a couple hours and was going up and down about $100 or so when I got a good ( I thought ) hand. I had about $700 in front of me by now and was comfortable with the table. I was on the button and looked down at J-Q diamonds. The pot had been raised $50 preflop as was being down most of the time. There were 2 callers so I called also. The flop came 9-10-4 with 2 harts. The first better put $50 out and was called by the other player as well, I raised it to $250 and the first better folded. The other guy called. The turn was an 8 giving me the nut straight. It was checked to me and I bet out $300 which he called. Then just like the rest of the day was going... a hart came on the river and he quickly pushed all in for over $500, I just kind of laughed and folded. He did turn over his cards and indeed ... he was on the nut flush draw. My last $100 wasn't going to do much and with the "luck" I was having that day I decided to just leave the table

this put me down $861 for the day so I got up and left. After playing good and getting profit on my first 2 days, now I was down overall for the trip

Monday Jan 2nd " the rollercoaster "

today was my last day to play so I already decided that I was only going to play the 2-5 table. I sat down about noon and things were going good. my first hour I was up $36, next hour I was up $128, next hour was up $382 then the next 4 hours things changed and the cards went dead. I went (+210, +90, -$16, -190, -245) for the next 5 hours of play. No matter what I tried it simply didn't work. I had several mid pocket pairs and the flop would come all face cards, get bet big and I would have to fold. I had A-K suited one time and after raising $50 preflop and getting called by 5 players the flop came all small cards. It was bet and called into me and I had to fold. That hand was won by 7-9 off suite. My last hand I had 10-10 and raised $75 preflop getting called by one player. The flop came 10-J-Q. Not a good flop for me but I wanted to see where he stood. I bet out $150 and he called. The turn came a Ace. I checked and he did also... the river was a 5 and I bet out $75 and he called. He turned over QQ meaning that he also flopped a set of Q's to my set of 10's. Luckily the board was scary to both of us or I would have lost a lot more but he couldn't bet either so I saved money. Bottom line for this day was -$137

so... I did enjoy my trip again to Foxwoods. I think it is a great place to play. However my trip after taking the table rake into effect came out $-595 over all. Two sessions I came out with profit and 2 sessions came out with a loss.

OH WELL....... That's poker lol

CASINO FILIPINO

Manila Philippines

7/2/2006

I decided to try something new and fly to Philippines to play some cards. I found the casino online and always thought Philippines was a beautiful place that I always wanted to visit so I said "what the heck"

I took the Bellefontaine examiner with me to get my picture in the paper also (and to promote Doughboys ) Pictured with me is Weng my hostess from the Philippines. She agree to show me around the Philippines while I was there. If you enlarge the picture you can read the rules that were at the entrance. As you can see I blew it ! "no hats" "no shorts" So I had to go back to the hotel and change. When I got back and passed through the security, yes they had a metal detector and security guard there you had to pass. Anyway I get into the casino and found that they had closed the Poker room over a year ago !!!

Once inside the casino and learning that there was no poker I decided to check out the place. There were 4 floors with stairs leading up and down. On ever floor there was about 15 people and that was all !! The casino was nice but empty compared to our casinos !!

Weng had never been inside a casino so I showed her how to play slots. I found a poker slot machine and 20 min. and $500 later we decided (I decided) to quit the slots. I passed a roulette wheel and put down $500 on black. It hit so I felt better. We went to the bar and there we found "video roulette" Now this was actually a full size roulette wheel with a camera on the wheel. You had a screen in front of you and that is where you placed your bets. I asked for a drink and of course there was no alcohol served :( We sat there and blew another $1000.

So, after blowing $1000 and finding no poker we decided to leave. Now all of you that know the Doughboy know that I'm not happy !! Here I am in the Philippines, there is no poker anywhere, I still have money left and I have a hostess for the next 4 days. So, what did I do ???? Use your imagination ;)

The next day we woke up and I said that I wanted to go to a cock fight ! I had read before coming here that they were allowed in the Philippines. We hired a driver and off we went!

At first this was kind of a scary place to enter to be honest. However it was a blast.

this was the actual betting process.

this was an actual fight. I lost this one

This was cool. Before betting on your cock they would pull the head of the cock back and let the other one bite at the throat of the other 4-5 times. Then the other cock would get his turn. You would watch the aggressiveness of the cock's to figure out which one you wanted to bet on

The betting period was crazy. You simply gave your money to one of the "ring bookies" and told him which bird you wanted. He then would yell to the crowd to see if anyone wanted to take your bet

They would fight until one bird would stop moving

The first fight I lost $500, then second fight I won $500 and gave my "bookie" $20, They then had 3 fights that were called "no fight" which meant that during the "pre-fight" where they would <bite> at each other. One of the birds wouldn't respond so they called the fight off. We only had 4 fights that night. So on the last fight of the night I bet $1000 and lost :( so I dropped $1020 total but it was still fun. After that we went back to the hotel and Weng made me feel better

The rest of the trip was spent sight seeing which if your interested you can click here <Philippine>

Mohegan Sun / Foxwoods Casino

Day by day

Thursday 5-25 10:15am , Mohegan Sun Casino and Resort

The goal for today was to first visit the Mohegan Sun. Even though I read that they closed their poker room in January of this year, it was advertised as the 2nd largest casino so I wanted to see it.

click on picture to make it larger

Now either I read the article wrong or they are counting their parking garage as part of the casino. It wasn't bigger than many of the casino's in Vegas. I will say that the inside is very nice. It is decorated with Indian artifacts and is very nice and interesting to just walk around and see. So, I went in, got my players card and a shot glass for my collection and headed off to Foxwoods.

Thursday 5-25 10:30am, Foxwoods Casino and Resort

click on picture to make it larger

Now this is one BIG CASINO !! The first <5> pictures are of the Whole Casino. I couldn't get the whole place in one picture so it spans over <5> pictures. The picture on the right shows the expansion that is going on to make it even BIGGER !! The first picture on the bottom row was taken over a mile away from the casino and you can see how it towers over the trees.

Ok, now for some gambling. I went to the poker room and found that it was New. They had just moved it down to the basement floor and added more tables. There were 114 Tables !!! and not a slow machine in sight !!. Very nice room and at 10:30 on a Thursday morning it was full !! They had 2 no-limit tables running. A $1/2 and a $2/5 table. What I also noticed was that there was no <rake> but instead at the $1/$2 table they took $5.00 every 1/2 hour and on the $2/$5 table they took $6.00 every 1/2 hour !! I wanted to watch for a few min first before deciding which to play. Now keep in mind, my plane left Columbus at 6:00am so I hadn't been to sleep and was really tired and not interested in playing long. Anyway I watched the $1/2 table and the 4 hands I watched I noticed that there were 5-7 players "limping" into the pot preflop every time. I decided that I didn't want this table and took the $2/$5 table. Well this was a lot different. The average preflop was raised to $25 and only 3 players went in.

The min. buy in for the table was $300 and the max was $500 so I bought in for $500.

The first hand I got involved in was with Q-8 off from the button. The first player raised to $20, 3 others called so I also called. ($100 in the pot) The flop came Qc 8c 2h. The first player checked, #2 bet $25, it was folded to me and I re-raised to $75, player #2 called ($250 in the pot) The turn came 8d, it was checked to me and I bet out $100, player #2 called ? ($450 in the pot) The river came Jd, player #2 bet $100, I thought he hit his straight so I raised all in for another $180, he called and I won $810. This was to be the only hand I won during my 4 hour session. I HONESTLY had no pairs over 9, I ended up at the end of the session +$101.00 I was Happy. It wasn't a lot of money but if you count in the $48 I paid for the table time I really won $149.00. Also I was playing with players at 10:00 am on a Thursday, they all knew each other so I was obvious the they played every day.

Day 2, Friday 10:30 am

My goal for today was to play tight and not play crazy, There was a tournament at 2:00 with a $200 buy in. I wanted to win $200 and pay for my buy in for the tournament.

Again I bought in for $500, I was playing tight and not seeing any hands. I was down about $50 when I got 10-10 on the button. This table was playing a lot different. There were a lot of players just "limping" into the pot and not really raising pre-flop like I found yesterday. Well <6> players limped in before me so I raised to $50. Only one player called, an old man that was a "calling station" He saw almost ever flop no matter if it was raised or not and he would call to the river on ANY DRAW. ($150 in the pot) The flop came Jc 2c 2h A scary flop for my 10's. He checked into me so I wanted to see what he had. I bet $100 and he quickly called. In my mind Im thinking that he doesn't have the "J" cause he would have bet, and he might not have the <2> either cause he would have bet so I put him on the flush draw. ($350 in the pot) The turn was a 7d, he checked and I was sure he was on the flush draw this time so I pushed all in for my last $300 and AGAIN HE CALLED WITHOUT THINKING !! I told him "nice hand" and turned over my 10's , (at foxwoods the dealer doesn't make them turn over their hands even when it is heads up so he wouldn't turn his over) the river was a 9d and he mucked his hand !! Obviously he was on the flush draw and called $300 for it !! so I won that hand and was sitting with $900

I went on the catch QQ in my hand 2 times, raised to $75 both times, got called and lost both of them !!

I caught AK suited and raised preflop to $75, got 2 callers this time. The flop came A-10-10 rainbow, it was checked to me and I bet $200, one player called making the pot now ($640), the turn was a 7. Player checked into me and I checked it this time, I felt he might have the 10 and was trapping me. The river was a 3 and again he checked to me. Again this player was semi tight and was an older man who knew everyone so I also checked. He turned over A-Q and I won that pot

The old man from the first hand and I got involved another time. I had J-J in the big blind. There were 3 limper in to the button who raised to $25, I re-raised to $100 and got called by the "chaser" again. ($215) in the pot. The flop came 9d 4c 6c (again a flush draw), I knew he would chase so I wanted to push him out right now!! I bet out $250 into a ($215) pot. He called, The turn was a 2s so I pushed all in with $760 !! This time he folded and showed A-10 clubs.

I played 6 house this day and ended up cashing out +$865 (actually it was $937 if you take in the table time)

Day 3 Saturday 10:30am

So far Im having a pretty good trip, Im ahead $966 actual but with the table time paid (which came out of my profit it is actually ahead $1086. My goal for today is to play smart and not give it all back. I had been playing very tight/aggressive and it was working so I wasn't going to change. I also had not taken a drink on any day of playing. I know its hard to believe but its true !!!!

I had been warned by the gentlemen I played with on Thursday and Friday that the college kids come in on Saturday and the whole game is a lot different !! BOY THEY WERE RIGHT !

The room is filled and there is a waiting list this time. This is the first time I have had to wait for a seat. I finally get seated down at 11:30 with my $500 buy in. I got seated at what Im calling the ZOO TABLE . At my table there is one person older then me and the rest is all kids. One player has about $2,000 in chips in front of him and the rest are about $3-$500. You can only buy in for $500 max so I knew he was killing the table. I got seated in the 1 seat and immediately asked for a <seat change> button. I wanted the seat to the <left> of the chip leader in case he was just playing loose. About 10 min into the game I got to change seats when the "leader" busted out a player with 6-10off and flopped a set of 10's. Well I made a mistake !!! The 2 players to my left were DRUNK and it was only 11:30am !! They were obviously here for the free drinks !! The one to my left was singing and wanted to chat to me and I was getting pissed !!! He was one of those that kept taking a long time to act (I later found out that there is no <clock> rule, you have to call the floor over, he will "warn" the player but the players themselves are not allowed to call clock on another player) and would always say "I know I have you beat now but I'm going to lay it down" He would show his cards to the player on his left all the time when the other guy folded, he even turned over his cards face up when it was head up one time... it was his turn to act and he just turned over his cards... .kept them and then called the bet. The dealer didn't say a word !!!! and let his hand play!! One player rivered four 7's and at showdown time he threw his cards into the board, they not only got mixed up with the "board" cards but the dealere picked one of them out of the "muck" cards and pushed the pot over to him!!! One player got "sucked" out on and actually threw his cards and his chips after losing his all in bet from one end of the table to the other !! The dealer nor the table said anything !!! As I said I was getting pissed off so I went out the car and got my (not gun) lol but my mp3 players and head phones, I also called the waitress for a drink. Now in my mind I'm telling my self that I should just leave and not play this pissed off. But I didn't. I did pick up Ad-10d on one hand and won $300+ off the idiot to my left when I rivered the flush. I also won with 4-6 off suite from the button when I flopped 2 pair. So I was drinking, chasing and playing stupid just like the others instead of just leaving like I knew I should have.

To make a long story short, I played for 6 hours, got 'tipsy' and ended up cashing out $1.00 ahead ($72 in table time so really $73 ahead). I had enough and just left

Last day, Sunday 11:00am

My plane leaves at 6:00pm so I can only play until 3:00, get something to eat, return the rental car and head to the airport.

Im ahead actual +$967 ($1159 actual profit before table time)

My goal today is to win $33 so I can come home $1,000 ahead lol and don't play like I did yesterday at the ZOO TABLE

This was a good table, no kids around. I figured they were all hung over and not playing this early in the morning!! The only player that stuck out to me at this table was the guy to my left. He had about $3000 in chips and was calling everything and betting all the time. <3> times I limped, he raised, I called. Then the flop came, I checked into him, and he would bet no matter what hit the flop. In my mind I was thinking... "good" I can trap him for sure if I can just pick up a good hand against him.

some of the action was....

I picked up 4-4 on the button with 6 players limping in ($35 in the pot) The flop came 9-4-Q rainbow, The guy I'll call "bully" bet out $25, 3 players called and I raised in to $100, Bully folded but one other player called me ($300 in the pot) The turn was a J, player 3 bet $50 and I raised to $100 and he called. There was a straight out there now so I didn't want to go broke ($500 in the pot) the river was an Ace, he checked and I also checked. He turned over Q-10 and I won $500

I finaly picked up A-A after playing 4 days. I was 2 from the button and I decided to slow play it. There were 4 players limping in so I just raised to $15 and I got 6 callers. The flop came 10h 8h 4c. Not the flop I wanted, position 1 bet $50, number 3 called and I figured that one of them was on a flush draw and the other on a straight draw. there was already $190 in the pot and my hand was in trouble against 2 draws. I bet $700 and everyone folded. I still feel that was the best play, to win the $190 then instead of taking a chance of losing a much bigger amount.

Then the hand finally came, I caught Q-Q. There were 2 players that limped into me and I also just limped, "bully" raised to $50 and everyone folded except for me, I just called. ($110 in the pot). The flop came Q-9-2, I checked and he bet out $75, I just called. ($260 in the pot) The river was a Ace, I checked into him and he bet $100, I thought for a min and I raised him to $200, he quickly re-raised me "all in" and I called. He turned over A-4 off suite and I doubled up. I knew I would catch him sooner or later. I ended up cashing out for $638 ($48 in time so +686)

Bottom line, my 4 day total was honestly $1845 profit, I paid $240 in table time for 20 hours of play, net results +$1605

Foxwoods in general... I would never play there again. There are truly NO RULES !! Examples

No one said raise, they just threw in there money. I actually got pissed off one time, I had a stack of red chips ($5) but I threw in a green chip ($25) to raise it to $25, the dealer told me that was just a call cause I didn't say anything ??? I told him that the others were doing it but he said "no thats just a call"

You were able to show just <1> card at showdown and muck the other one

You were able to show "both" of your cards anytime it was your turn to bet and it was heads up !! Or if you were heads up and you bet... your waiting for the other player to make up his mind.... they would "show" both of their cards to make the other player fold instead of drawing out on them !!!! Your cards weren't dead !! you could show and then still make your decision

One time the dealer... put the <3> flop cards on the table, K-5-9 then he turned up the next card <the burn card> and said "Im sorry, that should be the burn card." It was another (King) he did this "while player #3 was thinking of weather to call or not" There were 3 players in the pot and the pot was well over $500. The dealer told the players "Im sorry," I exposed the next burn card, It will < still be the burn card > so a King will be burned. Well the guy holding K-Q pushed all in and won the hand right there. I told the dealer that the card needed to be put in the deck, shuffled and re-burn. He said... "Ive never done it that way" lol

I also think that $6.00 every 1/2 hour is pretty steep

So, the poker room was very nice, however there were no comps to speak of. If you wanted to take a dinner break you would be taken off the table and put at the front of the list. Most places will give you a dinner break and let you keep your seat.

All in all..... I enjoyed myself, played tight and made a little money so the trip was good.

Doughboy

WPT Boot Camp 2005

I went to Hollywood Fla. in March for the WPT Boot Camp and really enjoyed it. The class size was only 50 people which was nice. However there were 2 millionaires there, 2 touring professional players, one of which took first place in the big tournament, one online player that cashes out $20,000 + every month. So the class or players was unbelievable

Clonie was not only sexy as hell but was extremely personable and a lot of fun. The other person with her is Alex. He is the one that selects the hands that get played on TV. After every WPT event he is the one that goes through all the hands and selects which ones get televised. He was fantastic as far as knowledge, odds, strategy and such.