Atlantic City didn’t go (anywhere near) as well as I hoped. But it went close to how I expected.

First, let me say that I loved the casino… There’s just something better about playing there. Anyway, I went, put my name on 1-2 NLHE list, got called after a while, and sat down with my $160 in chips(max buy-in was $300). Like the fourth or fifth hand I’m dealt is pocket queens, so I raise it up, get a caller, bet after the flop is all under cards, called again, bet after the turn, he folds and I’m to $200 or so. A couple of hands later I pick up pocket Kings, so I raise it again, get a caller. Flop comes something like J-2-2(I’m sure of the deuces and it was either a J or Q) and he checks. I bet $25 or so, he raises to $100. Thinking back, I wish I had either called or, more likely, shoved, but this was like my 10th hand so I was still a little timid. I folded, but now I’m thinking the guy probably had AJ or AQ, and then his actions make sense and I’d have been the favorite.

A little bit later I get pocket queens again, but this time I just limp in and have to fold to a bet after an Ace and King comes on the flop. A few hands after that I get pocket Kings… again. I make a pre-flop raise and the caller is the same guy who I folded to last time with Kings. Flop comes J-8-5 with two clubs(the J and 5 I believe). He checks, I bet something like $35 dollars, he says he’ll put me all-in(he has me covered by a lot) and I call. I show my King(including the King of clubs), he shows Q-9 of clubs. Plenty of outs for him. Turn is the 4 of spades, but then the river is a spade, I think the 6. Dagger.

Anyway, I was definitely not on my game at the table simply because it was a brand new experience and I was still getting used to it. Not to say I would’ve played that last hand differently, but I might’ve played the earlier hand with Kings differently, as well as a few others. I’m confident once I get back there I’ll be a lot more comfortable.

After grabbing something cheap and quick for dinner, I register for $85+$15 7 pm tournament. I felt a lot more comfortable at the table, owing to losing my casino virginity earlier in the afternoon and having more tournament experience. I wasn’t getting the pocket kings and queens this time, though, so I was mostly treading water while the blinds ate away at me. I moved all-in with pocket tens(by far the best hand I saw in the tournament) and got called by AQ. He hit an ace on the flop(J-A-7) but I hit the runner-runner 9 and 8 to give me a straight. That doubled me up but it was right back to folding away. The hand I got knocked on I played stupidly: I called a pre-flop raise in Ace-6 diamonds(yeah, exactly) and the flop came A-J-something(like a 3 or 4) with nary a diamond to be seen. Pre-flop raiser bet out, I pushed all-in, he showed his AJ for an easy win(he even made a full house on the turn). Just a bad hand overall from me, since I went in with nothing and bet with only top pair and a bad kicker. Doing stuff like that has been a problem for me online too, so I’ll have to work on it.

So in the end, our hero lost all his money. I had fun though, and I’m definitely hoping to get back down there in a few months, we’ll see how my money situation is. Like I said, it went about as I expected, being my first time in a casino and all. Next time I play there I’ll be a lot more at ease and able to play a better game.

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Sucks I couldn’t make pocket kings work either time. The Q9 hand I’m fine with, I think I made the right call and he caught one of his numerous outs. But the one with the J-2-2 flop is bugging me a little bit. Having no reads on the guy other than that his chip stack is like $400, being new to the table, what would you do there?

I believe you sometimes just have to “take a shot” but that time for you is not now. Maybe in the near future you can plan the trip as more of a social experiment gallop into the high”er”-stakes poker tourney just to get your feet wet. This way you can block the time accordingly and still play the way that you enjoy playing. I personally, try to get there early and sit a cash game to get over the initial adrenaline rush. Then, and only then, is it down to business.

Been a while, but good to see you are still blogging.

Regards,
MG

I think it’s a smart move. Distractions are always deadly at the poker table. Although I’m sad that we won’t be winning O-8 tourneys on opposite coasts around the same time, I’m glad that you have the self-awareness to do what’s right for your mindset.