Poker, poker, everywhere, and not a box to click. Over the last few months, my live poker play has made a bit of a resurgence, with trips to Montreal, Bethlehem, the Bay Area in California and Lake Tahoe. It’s been fun, but not necessarily profitable. Boy, how I miss the days when I could just join an online poker tournament and play with my virtual friends.
Montreal was interesting. I had a couple of major hands early in my session. I busted a guy with pocket Rs (that’s Kings, in French). I then lost the very next hand after getting all-in preflop with pocket Rs against pocket As (those are Aces, in French or English). It was weird playing with French cards in a room where most players spoke exclusively in French while at the table, but it was also an immensely fun experience. The casino in Montreal is in a huge building, but the interior is broken up into small rooms, to the extent that it felt like a maze. In fact, an older American couple and I had to buddy up to find our way out of the poker area after my session ended.
Bethlehem was great. I had a free day and a rental car for another event the next day, so I decided to make the quick trip. The drive is super easy (around 90 minutes from where I was in Newark, NJ), and the action is good, with lots of tables going. If I had a car or lived closer, I would even likely become a regular. Alas, the bus service from NYC does not seem secure enough for my tastes (too few buses running), so AC will remain my go to when I have to rely on public transportation.
The two poker rooms I went to in the Bay Area were interesting. The first was the Lucky Chances casino in Colma, CA, a city most known for being full of cemeteries. Not surprisingly, the room was heavily Asian. In fact, I was the only non-Asian at my table for most of my session.
The same day, I returned to the Bay 101 Casino in San Jose, where I essentially gave up most of my profit from Lucky Chances. Still, I had fun, and there was one other Caucasian at the table hanging with me and the rest of the Asian player pool.
Finally, the action in Lake Tahoe was interesting. There is really only one poker room worth playing in town (Stateline, NV), the Harvey’s poker room (a Caesar’s property). I didn’t have much time to play, but there were clearly a lot of regulars for a room that didn’t have more than 5 tables going at a time midweek. Still, I had fun, hanging with some of the locals. I had a good session, followed by a bad one, likely because I was a bit tipsy from a night drinking with wifey Kim over dinner. So much for playing poker with Paddy power.
Next trip? I have no idea. The December WPBT is looking unlikely, but who knows.
Until next time, make mine poker!
September 4th, 2012 - 3:58 pm
In Montreal, were the jacks listed as Jack on the cards, or were they Knicks? I played somewhere and the Kn looked like kings to me.
September 4th, 2012 - 4:54 pm
The Jacks were “V” and the Queens were “D”. I assumed Jacks were the french equivalent of “Viceroy” and Queens were the french equivalent of “Dames”. It was really weird when working out straights and whatnot, but interesting nonetheless.
September 4th, 2012 - 5:54 pm
My last three poker trips have been to either Montreal (last weekend) or Bethlehem. Montreal was kind of weird. A little too much French at the table for me to be completely comfortable (for some reason, my brain unhelpfully switched to Spanish mode).
This summer, I really focused on PA over AC. No room offers in AC, and as long as I’m doing day trips, I get an extra two hours of play given how close Bethlehem is (or Parx for that matter). The addition of the shopping area has really lightened up the room, and I agree the action is good. The proximity of cigarette smoking is probably the only thing keeping me from going more than once a month. It seems like there is a point in every session at which my eyes start to water (the smoking bar and slot machines are a little too close for my taster).
September 5th, 2012 - 11:21 am
Alceste, what are you playing there? 1/2 or 2/5?
September 7th, 2012 - 1:05 pm
I go between both games. There are a fair number of crazy players at 2/5, so the swings for me have been big (and net, I’m probably down a little bit). 1/2, on the other hand, always has a lot of games going and has been consistently profitable. For whatever reason (likely to do with 1-800-Gambler), I just do not find the 1/2 as fun to play.