Last Friday, I had the pleasure of attending a Court hearing in Binghamton, New York, a 3.5 hour drive from Manhattan, to resolve a case. After I was done, I began my drive back to New York City. The drive took me through Pennsylvania, as Binghamton is in the Western portion of New York State. And where there is Pennsylvania, there is poker!
I decided to stop at the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, mostly because it was on the way, about 1.5 hours from Binghamton and 2 hours from New York City.
I pulled into the parking lot, aided by my GPS. The lot was huge, with several sections, so I decided for what appeared to be the closest lot to the entrance and parked my rental car. I was still wearing my suit from the court appearance, but I had ditched my tie. I had brought a change of clothes with me, since I was weighing the possibility of an overnight stay, but opted to remain in my work attire, with some accoutrements. I added my ball cap and sun glasses, and grabbed my usual live poker items: two Buddha card caps and my ipod. I had $500 of my bankroll with me and entered the casino excited for the possibilities ahead.
As soon as I entered the casino, I headed to the restrooms, which were in a food court area called SkyCourt. The food court looked underwhelming, as far as selection, but the setup was nice, clean and professional. As I entered the restroom, I noticed an almost life-sized statue of Superman on my left. I snapped a quick photo and thought that the appearance of Supes was a good sign. I don’t believe in omens, but I also do not not believe in omens.
I then began my trek around the casino floor, following the signs to the poker room. The casino is set up in a circular shape, with the table games and slots in the center, with restaurants, shops, and specialty rooms lining the walls. There was a decent amount of restaurant selections, although they were not on my to-do list for this trip. There were also rooms for penny slots and high stakes games. I kept walking the circle’s perimeter until the poker signs stopped. I found a security guard who directed me to backtrack and look for a long hallway. Sure enough, I found the long hallway which led to an down escalator, which led to another hallway and finally a set of steps (down). By the time I got to the poker room, I had walked a decent distance. I had also parked at probably the worst location for easy access to the room.
The room itself was nice, although nothing special. A $60 tournament was running from noon. It would eventually end at 5pm, which blew my mind, considering there were only 40 players and common opinion at my table was that the blinds move fast. “If blinds move fast and there are only 40 players, then how are they still playing after 5 hours?” The dealer chimed in, “The final table was several hours already.” Others added, “The players in the tournament are like the cash game players around here. They are all super tight so no one busts.” I commented that a 5 hour tournament with such a low buy-in sounded like torture, and most of my table agreed. But at least they had tourneys and it seemed like it was a decent bang for a small buck.
I had no problem getting a seat in a 1/2 NLHE game. From what I could see, there were three 1/2 NLHE games going, and perhaps one 2/5 NLHE game. I think a limit game was running as well, and there was an interest list for PLO, O8, and some higher stakes games that didn’t start during my four hours at the casino.
I grabbed my 9 seat, and looked around the table. For the most part, it was an older group, probably mostly retirees or people who worked trades that allowed them to play on a late Friday afternoon. There was only one kid at the table, seated two seats to my left. He had on a grey hoody and sunglasses, and looked like the typical poster child for youth poker players.
My seat neighbors were friendly, and over the course of the session, I made friends with the 50 year old guys on my immediate left and right. The guy on my left was friendly and showed me his cards when I was out of a hand. He was willing to call pretty loose preflop and even post flop, but was far from a maniac. The guy on my right was friendly in conversation and harmless at poker. We didn’t get into many poker hands together, but he seemed like a reasonably decent player.
In fact, after the first 45 minutes or so, I became slightly worried that I was the donkey at the table, using the old adage, if you can’t find the donkey, it’s you. There was one player early who was donking off chips, but he had reached his limit by then and was replaced.
Overall it was a decent table for action, although not one where players were throwing a party (i.e., donking off chips recklessly and frequently). The players seemed to be generally knowledgeable, but I could tell that my early tightness, clothing, and demeanor had built an interesting image at the table.
On one hand, I was the responsible, professional, married working stiff, complete with suit, unbuttoned collar, and baseball cap. I was also a player who was somewhat prepared for poker, since I had my card cap and sunglasses. But overall, I suppose I looked exploitable. From an outsider’s perspective, I was tight for the first hour or so, bought in for only $200, and was willing to fold to the regulars’ bets.
I was down $20 or so from my $200 starting stack when I had my first major hand of the day, just short of an hour into play. An old, bald guy, known as “The Mayor” to the table, since he was the mayor of some nearby town with a 2,000 person population, raised preflop UTG blind to $5. He must have learned to play in a room that allows straddles and simply cannot break the habit, even though straddles are not allowed. Or maybe he was looking to build action. Whatever the case, after his blind raise out of position, he got two callers and the action got to me. I had already looked at my cards, AA, and I was deciding how to best get a caller or two without everyone jumping into the pot. Before this point, I don’t think I raised preflop yet.
I looked up with a confused look at my face and glanced around the table. “What’s the action?” I asked. Someone offered, “It’s $5 to you.” I added, “Who raised?” Since the raise was $5, it was a legitimate question, since The Mayor could’ve limped with a $5 chip. In reality, I knew what was what, but I wanted it to be clear for the entire table that I knew that the UTG raise was blind.
I did my best to look like the fox in the hen house, as I raised to $25. I wanted it to look like a steal, as though an amazing opportunity presented itself and I was going to flex some muscles to finally get some momentum. I was concerned that without the play-acting, it would appear that I simply had a major hand and everyone would fold. After all, I was fairly tight before this hand.
After my raise, the 1 seat re-raised me to $75. It read to me as one of those plays one makes when he has a hand like AK or AQ, or even TT, and would be happy to win it all preflop. I couldn’t see it as an out-and-out bluff, since there were too many players left to act. Everyone folded back to me, and I cut out $50 from my stack. I had $107 left, and finally pushed it all in, looking mildly upset, as I announced, “If I call $50, I might as well just go all-in.” He called and the dealer dealt out: Q22Q6. At showdown, I immediately tabled my Aces and he mucked. I was up to about $380.
Twenty minutes later, and I misplayed a hand with AKo. Preflop, UTG, I decided to limp, since there was a lot of preflop raising. Not this hand, though. There were 7 to the flop, which came down KT9. I checked again, and it checked around. The turn was a Jack. I checked, since someone in this group had to have a Queen. A LP player bet out and was called before I folded. Of course, they both had the Queen. Whoops! I should’ve raised preflop or bet on the flop, but at least this was a cheap mistake.
About 90 minutes into my session, I began to get hungry. I was contemplating a hot dog, but when my neighbor ordered one, it came out looking pale and sickly. Instead, I took a short break and returned to the Sky Court, where the options failed to impress. I ended up sitting at the counter at Johnny Rockets and rocketed down my chicken philly cheessteak before returning to the game about 20 minutes later. The table was short, with the Mayor having moved to another table, the kid having left before my dinner break, and other players calling it an early night. Other players were simply not in their seats. We played 7 handed for a while, before the table began to fill up again. Amongst the newbies was a fat guy two seats to my right who joined me and my neighbors in the friendly conversations we were having. Across the table, an Asian guy in his mid 20s joined us. His age and, yes, race, was enough for me to assume he knew what he was doing. Over the course of the night, his stack fluctuated before growing to over $800. I remembered looking at his bloated stack with admiration. Meanwhile, another new player joined the table, a tough looking, older bald guy, likely from the construction trade, who knew the Asian kid because his son went to college with him. It’s a small world in Pennsylvania.
About 20 minutes after returning, I was dealt TT in the SB. The Asian kid raised in EP to $12. There was one caller before it got to me. Out of position, I opted to raise to $35, which would hopefully be enough to push my opponents off of their likely-middling cards. However, both of the other players called, and we saw a flop with a bloated $105+ pot. The flop was JJ6, which was mostly good for me. However, since I was out of position, I decided to check to see how my opponents would act. They both checked as well. The turn was another low card, and I was confident that neither opponent had a Jack or an overpair to my Tens, so I bet out $50. It was enough to take down the pot and confirmed my suspicions about the Asian kid.
About 10 minutes later, I had a rush of middling cards that I was able to make into winners. I was dealt 55 and raised preflop to $10. The Asian and one other player called. The flop was 447, so I c-bet $15 and the Asian called. The turn was a low card, so I bet $20. I was trying to appear as though I wanted the calls. I thought I was ahead, since I could see the Asian calling me with two over cards in position, but when he called the turn bet, I was a bit less sure. Even so, I opted to bet $25 on the river, a suspiciously sized bet that hopefully looked like a bet for value. He folded and I took down the pot.
On the very next hand, I was dealt 55 again and opted to raise to $10 again. I got two callers, including the Asian, for the second time in a row. The flop, however, was ugly, KQ4. I c-bet $20 and only the Asian called. The turn was a beautiful 5, and I figured that after the last hand, my opponent would be willing to look me up a bit lighter, so I bet $40, hoping that it either looked uncharacteristic (like a bluff) or that my opponent held something like KQ and was springing a trap. Alas, he folded and I took down my second hand in a row with 55.
On the very next hand, I was dealt AQd. I raised preflop to $10, following the example I set in the two preceding hands. This time, I get two callers, the guys on my immediate left and right. The Asian had apparently had enough of me. The flop was AQ6 with two hearts. I decided to continue betting, since by now, I had played three hands in a row fast, without any showdown. I continuation bet $25 and got a call from teh player on my left. The turn was a 2h, which would’ve filled a flush draw. I bet $35, and when he called, I knew he didn’t have the flush. The river was a blank and I bet $50. He called and showed KK. Too bad for him.
I was taking notes on my iTouch when the guy on my left asked me whether I was texting someone. I answered no, but then realized that this brought the next logical question: What are you doing? I couldn’t admit to taking notes or being a blogger, as both things are supposedly ghey. So instead, I stammered, “I’m trying to get some work done,” which inevitably led to, “What type of work do you do?” And hence, I had to admit I was a lawyer.
The big guy who took over the seat of the sunglasses kid was in on our conversation, as was the guy on my immediate right. The big guy lifted his shirt to show me some horrific scars for an accident he had suffered. Even without the scars, his bare stomach would’ve been pretty gross. The other players joined in on the conversation as we discussed their various prior lawsuits and experiences with the law.
After my three hand rush, I didn’t have a major hand for another hour or so, when I was dealt AA again in middle position. I bet $15, as I had been tight for an hour and wanted some action. I got more than I wanted, though, when 4 players called, creating a bloated pot. To my delight, the flop was AJ2, giving me top set. It folded to me and I bet $25, which was a rather oddly small bet, but hopefully made sense, given that I was last to act and it may appear like a weak c-bet. My other c-bets from earlier were of similar size as well.
I only got one caller, a newer player, pudgy, Hispanic, with a goatee and dark tight-cropped hair. He was affable enough at the table, and we hadn’t been in any hands against each other yet. I got the sense that he wasn’t the sharpest player. It is worth noting that he was not at the table for my first AA hand.
When the turn came down with a J (AJ2J board), I decided to check after my opponent checked to me. I was hoping he had an Ace or Jack; in either case, he’d think that he was ahead to perhaps 99-KK, or even an Ace, if he had the Jack. The river was a blank. He was out of position and bet out $35. I eyed his stack, which had around $240 more behind. I knew if I put him all-in for his full stack, he very well may have the intelligence to fold, but if I bet a lesser sum, particularly after asking to see his stack, I could potentially get a call from weaker holdings. I took my time before pulling out a stack of reds and the one $1 chip I had left. I then pulled out another $35 and announced, “Raise to $136. $101 more.” He contemplated briefly before calling. I tabled my full house, Aces fully of Jacks, and he mucked.
The very next hand, I was dealt AKs. I raised to $15 and got two callers, including the same Hispanic guy. The flop was A25 with two spades, another thing of beauty. I bet $25 and the Hispanic guy called. The turn was a bank, and I bet $100, which was essentially the rest of his stack. He was able to fold, and I took down the pot.
Prior to these last two hands, I had mentally told myself that this was my last orbit. After those hands, though, I had to reconsider. I was sitting up $700 or so, and felt like leaving immediately after those big scores would be bad etiquette. Now, that doesn’t mean that I won’t leave if I felt the need or if I felt like table conditions were such that I could lose a lot by sticking around. But given how things were going, I decided to tough it out a big longer before calling it a night.
About 15 minutes later, the guy on my left who asked me about the texts had left and was replaced with the big guy with the stomach scars two seats to my right. I could tell he was moving to the uncomfortable 10 seat because he wanted position on me, as I now had the biggest stack at the table, well over the stack of the Asian kid I envied earlier in the session. The big guy and I were friendly, but it was clear he played to win.
I quietly announced to my neighbors, including the big guy, that it was my last orbit, to force myself to actually leave. Of course, in my last orbit, I am dealt QQ in the CO and opt to raise to $12. The big guy and three others call, and we saw a Jack-high flop with two hearts. I bet $35 and the big guy raised to $100 from the button. It folded to me and I took some time trying to figure it out whether I possibly walked into a set. I considered what to do and decided to look at my opponent and ask, “Do you have a set here?” It was the only hand that could reasonably beat me. He had a smile on his face as he looked at me from behind sunglasses. He didn’t say a word. I opted to call.
The turn and river were blanks and we both checked it down. It had sunk in that he had a big Jack. I assumed AJ, but it turned out that he had KJ at showdown. I think I misplayed this hand. My conversation obviously tipped him off as to my strength. But then again, I probably wouldn’t have called if not for his reaction to my question. It was definitely a Blink moment, so I can’t say what it was that specifically told me that I was probably ahead. I just never felt confident enough that I was ahead to make a value bet.
A bit over ten minutes later and I had finally had enough. I had $1,014 in front of me, a $814 profit. It has put me in the black for the year, which is both sad (that I was in the red) and happy (that I am no longer in the red). It was also a bit of a confidence boost. It felt good to get some solid cards, and I avoided making too many mistakes with the weaker hands.
I’d say that I liked this room a lot better than the Bethlehem Sands, but that’s probably due in part to the fact that I won $814 in the Mohegan Sun and lost $300 at the Sands. The casino itself lacks a hotel and therefore suffers from some of the convenience problems I had with the Sands. But on the other hand, the room was quieter, less smokey, and generally had a better vibe to it than the open exposed poker area at the Sands. Distance, though, is still a factor, and the Sands is probably 30 minutes closer to NYC.
So, I’m down for the Mohegan Sun at the Pocono Downs, or maybe I should say I am up for the Downs. Either way, its nice getting paid.
Until next time, make mine live poker!
