Running with the Devil - CNE Report
Let me start off by repeating that LIMIT is the devil!
Well I decided to head down to the CNE last Thursday to try my luck at 5/10 limit. I have only played limit once before on a cruise ship (4/ 8) and this was a couple of years ago. I made it down to the CNE casino around 5pm and tried to track down one of my Friday night poker buddies, hoping to avoid the waiting list thing (lists are for chumps
). I was waiting about 15 minutes and who shows up but The_Game. By then the list for 5/10 is about 25 deep. Still not that long a wait as they seem to be calling out names every couple minutes. My buddy comes off his break and he proceeds to show me to a table. I tell The_Game to take my name on the list and he gets seated in about 15 minutes.
Don’t forget to register at the VIP desk once you are seated. After three hours, you can pick up your free admission and parking pass for the entire EX.
Well on my first rotation I get dealt AA in the BB. I get five callers for $5 and I raise to $10 and of course they all call. The flop comes K high with two clubs and I am first to bet. First thought that comes to mind, “great, one of these characters has a flush draw”. Why even bet? So I bet $5, because this is limit, and of course they all call (no raising). The turn brings another club so I decided that my aces must be behind now and I get one player making it $10. It is folded around to me so I decide, why not, its only $10. If he has it already, he deserves my $10. The river brings another club and I check again. The other player bets $10 and I foolishly call because who folds aces for $10? He turns over 8Qc and he hit his flush on the turn. One good thing, it only cost me $35 to get my aces cracked. If it was NL, might have cost me a lot more.
I go card dead for a while and get dealt 57d in middle position. I decide to call for fun as I am getting really bored and hot at this point. Flop comes 558, bingo, hit trips. It is checked to me and so I bet my hand for $5. I get two callers and the turn is a K. Again it is checked to me and I bet $10 and get one caller. The river is a 9 and it is checked to me. I bet $10 and the other player raises to $20. I have a feeling what is coming so I just call the $10 and he flips over 67off for the straight. Someone put me out of my misery!
The table starts to quite down after a few new players join the table. I get dealt 55 in EP and call for $5. The flop comes 567 with two hearts and I bet out for $5. I get a few callers, very passive table as not much re-raising, and the turn brings an 8. I’m thinking, great. I lead out again for $10, followed by two raises. Now I know I am behind and am likely facing a cap at $40. I decide to call and hope to hit one of my ten outs and the one player behind me left to act just calls. The river brings another 8 for my boat. I decide to bet as this table is very paranoid, so hoping for a bet which will give me an opportunity to re-raise is very unlikely. They both just call showing me a Q high flush and a 4 high flush. I show my boat, and take down a nice pot. Probably could have made an extra $20 with the check raise.
I play a few more hands where I flop a king high flush draw and an open ended straight. I keep raising it to the river, to build the pot, and of course never improve. Although I don’t get much action (no re-raising). Even though I have won a few pots, I have slowly been bleeding chips with AK, AQ, etc. that I have been dealt a few times that went unimproved on the flop.
I decide its time for a table change, hoping it might wake me up a bit. No ipods allowed in this place either which I always find helpful when I am getting bored or tired. First hand at the new table I get 66 in the BB and raise to $10. I get a couple callers and hit my set on the flop. Again I bet it all the way to the river with no re-raising and take down a nice pot. Nice timing for a table change.
The rest of the session is pretty uneventful. The heat in the place is starting to really get to me (they really need to crank up the aircon) plus the bordom so I start to play a lot more suited connectors, hoping to hit a good flop. With the tables being so passive, I get to see a lot of flops for $5 with hardly anyone raising pre-flop. After four hours at two different tables, I have not seen any capping of the betting on any street.
Last hand of the night I get dealt KQs on the button; I raise it to $10 and only have about $60 behind. I tell these guys that no matter what, these chips are going in the middle as I got a train to catch. The flop comes Q high. Checked to me and I bet $5 and both the other players call. The turn brings a lower card with two hearts now on the board. One player bets $10 and it is folded to me so I make it $20 ; the other player just calls. The river brings a third heart (here we go) and we bet back and worth until my remaining stack is in the middle. The other player turns over the runner, runner heart flush with no pair. Well, I hit a decent flop, and got our drawn by a player that chased a runner, runner flush. Such is the game of limit.
5/10 is definitely not my game. If I do return to the EX, I will likely take a stab at 10/20 as I am obviously an action junkie and the snail pace of 5/10 just does not do it for me. BTW, the food is not too bad but the drinks are way over priced. $3.50 for a bottle of water and I think they want $7 for a beer.
Editorial Note - the CNE poker room is definite in need of some hot massage therapists. This is a business opportunity screaming to be filled. Not sure who runs the poker room, but with the room packed 18 hours per day and 20+ tables going all the time, probably could make some decent cash if you can find a couple hot RMTs looking to make some easy money. I think they charge $1/minute typically.
Well I decided to head down to the CNE last Thursday to try my luck at 5/10 limit. I have only played limit once before on a cruise ship (4/ 8) and this was a couple of years ago. I made it down to the CNE casino around 5pm and tried to track down one of my Friday night poker buddies, hoping to avoid the waiting list thing (lists are for chumps
). I was waiting about 15 minutes and who shows up but The_Game. By then the list for 5/10 is about 25 deep. Still not that long a wait as they seem to be calling out names every couple minutes. My buddy comes off his break and he proceeds to show me to a table. I tell The_Game to take my name on the list and he gets seated in about 15 minutes.Don’t forget to register at the VIP desk once you are seated. After three hours, you can pick up your free admission and parking pass for the entire EX.
Well on my first rotation I get dealt AA in the BB. I get five callers for $5 and I raise to $10 and of course they all call. The flop comes K high with two clubs and I am first to bet. First thought that comes to mind, “great, one of these characters has a flush draw”. Why even bet? So I bet $5, because this is limit, and of course they all call (no raising). The turn brings another club so I decided that my aces must be behind now and I get one player making it $10. It is folded around to me so I decide, why not, its only $10. If he has it already, he deserves my $10. The river brings another club and I check again. The other player bets $10 and I foolishly call because who folds aces for $10? He turns over 8Qc and he hit his flush on the turn. One good thing, it only cost me $35 to get my aces cracked. If it was NL, might have cost me a lot more.
I go card dead for a while and get dealt 57d in middle position. I decide to call for fun as I am getting really bored and hot at this point. Flop comes 558, bingo, hit trips. It is checked to me and so I bet my hand for $5. I get two callers and the turn is a K. Again it is checked to me and I bet $10 and get one caller. The river is a 9 and it is checked to me. I bet $10 and the other player raises to $20. I have a feeling what is coming so I just call the $10 and he flips over 67off for the straight. Someone put me out of my misery!
The table starts to quite down after a few new players join the table. I get dealt 55 in EP and call for $5. The flop comes 567 with two hearts and I bet out for $5. I get a few callers, very passive table as not much re-raising, and the turn brings an 8. I’m thinking, great. I lead out again for $10, followed by two raises. Now I know I am behind and am likely facing a cap at $40. I decide to call and hope to hit one of my ten outs and the one player behind me left to act just calls. The river brings another 8 for my boat. I decide to bet as this table is very paranoid, so hoping for a bet which will give me an opportunity to re-raise is very unlikely. They both just call showing me a Q high flush and a 4 high flush. I show my boat, and take down a nice pot. Probably could have made an extra $20 with the check raise.
I play a few more hands where I flop a king high flush draw and an open ended straight. I keep raising it to the river, to build the pot, and of course never improve. Although I don’t get much action (no re-raising). Even though I have won a few pots, I have slowly been bleeding chips with AK, AQ, etc. that I have been dealt a few times that went unimproved on the flop.
I decide its time for a table change, hoping it might wake me up a bit. No ipods allowed in this place either which I always find helpful when I am getting bored or tired. First hand at the new table I get 66 in the BB and raise to $10. I get a couple callers and hit my set on the flop. Again I bet it all the way to the river with no re-raising and take down a nice pot. Nice timing for a table change.
The rest of the session is pretty uneventful. The heat in the place is starting to really get to me (they really need to crank up the aircon) plus the bordom so I start to play a lot more suited connectors, hoping to hit a good flop. With the tables being so passive, I get to see a lot of flops for $5 with hardly anyone raising pre-flop. After four hours at two different tables, I have not seen any capping of the betting on any street.
Last hand of the night I get dealt KQs on the button; I raise it to $10 and only have about $60 behind. I tell these guys that no matter what, these chips are going in the middle as I got a train to catch. The flop comes Q high. Checked to me and I bet $5 and both the other players call. The turn brings a lower card with two hearts now on the board. One player bets $10 and it is folded to me so I make it $20 ; the other player just calls. The river brings a third heart (here we go) and we bet back and worth until my remaining stack is in the middle. The other player turns over the runner, runner heart flush with no pair. Well, I hit a decent flop, and got our drawn by a player that chased a runner, runner flush. Such is the game of limit.
5/10 is definitely not my game. If I do return to the EX, I will likely take a stab at 10/20 as I am obviously an action junkie and the snail pace of 5/10 just does not do it for me. BTW, the food is not too bad but the drinks are way over priced. $3.50 for a bottle of water and I think they want $7 for a beer.
Editorial Note - the CNE poker room is definite in need of some hot massage therapists. This is a business opportunity screaming to be filled. Not sure who runs the poker room, but with the room packed 18 hours per day and 20+ tables going all the time, probably could make some decent cash if you can find a couple hot RMTs looking to make some easy money. I think they charge $1/minute typically.
Comments
Had moderate success yesterday playing 15/30 at the Bellagio..... Today was a small win playing 1/3 NL at the Wynn. Last night was a hoot as I played drunken 2/4 limit for 3 hours broke even and drank a ton.
Limit is not the devil until you realize it's a drawing game and you can't deny your opponent the odds to draw once the pot gets so big.