South Beach Casino (Manitoba) report
It's October, which means it's time for my yearly trip to see my dad here. We always make a point to hit up a casino and, since he doesn't like going into the "big city" of Winnipeg, this means we go to a place in the middle of nowhere called "South Beach".
Last year, they just started offering holdem tables, but those didn't start til later in the night and we arrived early in the day, so we planned on heading a bit later this year so that I could hopefully play a bit.
We arrived again and the place was a tad dead and the poker room had no games, but a sign said you could put your name on a list by the main pit. The main pit is the area that has the entirety of the 8 table games in the place. I put my name on the list and got informed that they expect a game to start at 7pm, but it was only just around 6pm.
So, eager to avoid the blackjack tables as my dad plays so bad it tilts the table, (see below) we started with "Holdem Shootout". An odd game where you get four cards, choose 2 hole cards, the dealer does the same, then a flop, turn and river is dealt and the winner gets double the bet. There's also a special place to throw a super bet which scores based on type of hand that you get, up to 1000x time the better for 5 of a kind of the same suit (the shoe contains 6 decks)
Pretty dumb game, but it kept us ammused for a while and we ended almost even.
Dad then wanted to play Blackjack and I was dumb enough to follow. My dads "move of the night" was him staying on A6 with the dealer showing an 8... In the same hand, I had 83 and doubled down. A two got dealt to me (the card, my dad should have taken), a ten was the next card in the deck and the dealer showed 18. Sigh. Yeah... he also decided to hit on 15 with the dealer showing 6.... twice. Both time the card he got would have paid me off. I just don't learn my lessons. Last year, the dealer was trying to berate my dad so as to scare him off as the regulars were getting pissed and leaving the table.
So, after 20 minutes of this, I go on Blackjack tilt and end up $140 in the hole. I'm about to give up completely and leave, when they finally announce a 1/2 NL game starting up. Deal me in!!
The max buyin is $300 which is awesome, but I'm stuck a bit. Everyone else is seated and I notice that people are only buying in for $100 or less, so I get $140, so that I at least cover everyone.
The tables seem pretty cheap, with no drink holders, and there's one deck in use with no automatic shuffler. Hands are slow, but it's a rake, so I don't mind much, and there's a $500 jackpot for having the best hand of the month (currently a 9-high straight flush for October) Oh they also have a special "Wednesday Series of Poker". A $40, no-rake tourney with 800 in chips and wonderfully aggressive blinds.
Action starts at the table, and within a few hands, the table seems pretty good. Within 4 hands, this one old lady busts, and they call someone to take her place. This cocky looking young gun comes to the table, plops down $35 in chips and immediately asks, "Can I go on a dinner break now?" The table sighs, and the staff let him.
First hand of note: 35h in the SB. 5-6 people limp, I pay my $1, but the BB makes it 10 total, and everyone calls, so I do too, cause I'm that good (and last to act). The flop comes 6h2hTc, which is kinda a monster for my hand... sorta. I check, and UTG bets $25, it's called once in middle position, and then I check raise all-in having both players covered. Both players consider, mentioning that I must have a set, and it's too early to go broke, so they lay it down and I take a very nice pot. One guy said he even laid down QQ for me! What a nice guy!
A few hands later, dinner break guy comes back and posts his SB and BB on the button. A bunch of callers to him, and he pushses all-in, everyone folds. He announces he just won $12 bucks, then leaves the table again.
The table is annoyed, and the dealer says, "He was doing that all last night too". Sweet. I totally wanted to hear that!
Roughly 10 minutes later he comes back to the table. I get dealt AA. I'm seriously considering limping to see if I can induce him to do the same move, since "he was doing it all last night", but play it more straight forward and raise, getting one caller, making a small profit on the hand.
The very next hand, I limp in MP with ATc. We get a bunch of callers and, once again, with no other agression, he goes all in for his now $47 stack. It folds around to me, and I have one player left to act behind me.
I look over to the player behind and notice that the way he's holding his cards, he's all but mucked, so I don't have to worry about him, figure I'm ahead of dinner break guy more times than not, and call the all-in.
He turns over 74s and somehow I don't get sucked out. The table loved me after that, as the young gun's smile left his face, he scowled and bought in for $100, and was now content to remain at the table.
Aside from that, I won some small pots, lost some small pots and lost a small bunch when I flopped a double belly-buster that also became a flush draw on the turn, with 4 players calling down to the river. Neither draw made it.
Though I was having fun, dad was getting antsy to go, so I apologized for the hit and run, and cashed just over $100 ahead, which ate up most of the BJ loses.
Overall, the casino was kinda dead, and we'll have to go even later next time. The casinos in Winnipeg are undoubtable better, but if you're in the middle of nowhere, Manitoba and see a casino trying to be a 1950's beach resort, it's not an awful spot to drop in. Ending up on poker probably added to my positive feeling.
Last year, they just started offering holdem tables, but those didn't start til later in the night and we arrived early in the day, so we planned on heading a bit later this year so that I could hopefully play a bit.
We arrived again and the place was a tad dead and the poker room had no games, but a sign said you could put your name on a list by the main pit. The main pit is the area that has the entirety of the 8 table games in the place. I put my name on the list and got informed that they expect a game to start at 7pm, but it was only just around 6pm.
So, eager to avoid the blackjack tables as my dad plays so bad it tilts the table, (see below) we started with "Holdem Shootout". An odd game where you get four cards, choose 2 hole cards, the dealer does the same, then a flop, turn and river is dealt and the winner gets double the bet. There's also a special place to throw a super bet which scores based on type of hand that you get, up to 1000x time the better for 5 of a kind of the same suit (the shoe contains 6 decks)
Pretty dumb game, but it kept us ammused for a while and we ended almost even.
Dad then wanted to play Blackjack and I was dumb enough to follow. My dads "move of the night" was him staying on A6 with the dealer showing an 8... In the same hand, I had 83 and doubled down. A two got dealt to me (the card, my dad should have taken), a ten was the next card in the deck and the dealer showed 18. Sigh. Yeah... he also decided to hit on 15 with the dealer showing 6.... twice. Both time the card he got would have paid me off. I just don't learn my lessons. Last year, the dealer was trying to berate my dad so as to scare him off as the regulars were getting pissed and leaving the table.
So, after 20 minutes of this, I go on Blackjack tilt and end up $140 in the hole. I'm about to give up completely and leave, when they finally announce a 1/2 NL game starting up. Deal me in!!
The max buyin is $300 which is awesome, but I'm stuck a bit. Everyone else is seated and I notice that people are only buying in for $100 or less, so I get $140, so that I at least cover everyone.
The tables seem pretty cheap, with no drink holders, and there's one deck in use with no automatic shuffler. Hands are slow, but it's a rake, so I don't mind much, and there's a $500 jackpot for having the best hand of the month (currently a 9-high straight flush for October) Oh they also have a special "Wednesday Series of Poker". A $40, no-rake tourney with 800 in chips and wonderfully aggressive blinds.
Action starts at the table, and within a few hands, the table seems pretty good. Within 4 hands, this one old lady busts, and they call someone to take her place. This cocky looking young gun comes to the table, plops down $35 in chips and immediately asks, "Can I go on a dinner break now?" The table sighs, and the staff let him.
First hand of note: 35h in the SB. 5-6 people limp, I pay my $1, but the BB makes it 10 total, and everyone calls, so I do too, cause I'm that good (and last to act). The flop comes 6h2hTc, which is kinda a monster for my hand... sorta. I check, and UTG bets $25, it's called once in middle position, and then I check raise all-in having both players covered. Both players consider, mentioning that I must have a set, and it's too early to go broke, so they lay it down and I take a very nice pot. One guy said he even laid down QQ for me! What a nice guy!
A few hands later, dinner break guy comes back and posts his SB and BB on the button. A bunch of callers to him, and he pushses all-in, everyone folds. He announces he just won $12 bucks, then leaves the table again.
The table is annoyed, and the dealer says, "He was doing that all last night too". Sweet. I totally wanted to hear that!
Roughly 10 minutes later he comes back to the table. I get dealt AA. I'm seriously considering limping to see if I can induce him to do the same move, since "he was doing it all last night", but play it more straight forward and raise, getting one caller, making a small profit on the hand.
The very next hand, I limp in MP with ATc. We get a bunch of callers and, once again, with no other agression, he goes all in for his now $47 stack. It folds around to me, and I have one player left to act behind me.
I look over to the player behind and notice that the way he's holding his cards, he's all but mucked, so I don't have to worry about him, figure I'm ahead of dinner break guy more times than not, and call the all-in.
He turns over 74s and somehow I don't get sucked out. The table loved me after that, as the young gun's smile left his face, he scowled and bought in for $100, and was now content to remain at the table.
Aside from that, I won some small pots, lost some small pots and lost a small bunch when I flopped a double belly-buster that also became a flush draw on the turn, with 4 players calling down to the river. Neither draw made it.
Though I was having fun, dad was getting antsy to go, so I apologized for the hit and run, and cashed just over $100 ahead, which ate up most of the BJ loses.
Overall, the casino was kinda dead, and we'll have to go even later next time. The casinos in Winnipeg are undoubtable better, but if you're in the middle of nowhere, Manitoba and see a casino trying to be a 1950's beach resort, it's not an awful spot to drop in. Ending up on poker probably added to my positive feeling.
Comments
Nice trip report though.. Good that you spend time with your dad... Was he born there, my mom was born in Erikson which is north of Brandon, and talks about good old Manitoba a lot..