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My first B&M experience - 2/5 at Rama
Just came back from my first B&M session at Casino Rama. I had been wanting to try it out for a while, just never had the time. Drove up from London and picked up a friend in Toronto, then headed to Rama at 7. We drove past the exit for 20 minutes and had to stop and get directions at a gas station. Supposedly there was a big sign that we missed but I refuse to believe that for the sake of my ego.
Drove up at about 8:30 pm and was immediately impressed by the size and esthetics of the building. About 30 ppl on the waiting list at the time so we grabbed dinner at the Chinese buffet. Went back 45 minutes later and our names were already called which was surprising as I was expecting at least a 2 hr wait from what i've heard. Oh well, put our names down again and finally sat down at 10:30 pm.
first hand, dealt K8o. King flopped, bet thru and had one caller all the way with K2o (not blinds) so I took down the very first hand I was in which helped. Initially, I was kinda nervous regarding the rules and general table etiquette and whatnot. I was pretty quiet and just trying to observe everything at first. But it didn't take long to get comfortable. After a little bit, I was more relaxed and more talkative. By the middle of the night when we got down to just a few tables I was feeling like a regular, lol. The game really differs depending on the table, some of them were really aggressive full of maniacs caping it with any 2 suits to passive with people just calling with big slick etc. I only played 2-5 but some of the people who played higher limits would join the 2-5 game while waiting for seats or because they ran out of money. The play is pretty atrocious in general.
Some memorable hands:
My friend had aces cracked by a runner runner straight flush, he had the ace high flush. He went on tilt after that and lost quite a bit of what he had won. lol, poor guy.
I folded what would've have been a straight flush. 56h in the blind, raised on the button. I called, UTG reraises, button caps it. I fold to the extra 4 bucks. 7h8h on the flop, Ad on the turn and of course the 4h on the river. Action's capped on flop and turn and then the button folds to a single bet on the river, wtf??? UTG turns over QJh for the flush. I probably should've called due to pot odds but oh well, whatever.
We played from 10:30 pm Sat to 11:30 am Sunday. Up 60 bucks for the session and I probably spent another 40 bucks on water and coffee alone. I swear I was going through 3 bottles of water an hour. So wasn't a big night moneywise but entertaintment wise, definetely a great time. Just wish it wasn't so damn far away. The 4 hour drive home after a 13 hour session is definetely not a great idea.
Oh yeah, as we were leaving we watched an old guy lose 3000 in 2 rolls of the die. he put down 20 $100 dollar bills on one bet and lost and then another 10 bills on another bet. After he lost that, he nonchantly grabbed his cane and just walked away. That probably happens all the time at casinos but we were both blown away.
Drove up at about 8:30 pm and was immediately impressed by the size and esthetics of the building. About 30 ppl on the waiting list at the time so we grabbed dinner at the Chinese buffet. Went back 45 minutes later and our names were already called which was surprising as I was expecting at least a 2 hr wait from what i've heard. Oh well, put our names down again and finally sat down at 10:30 pm.
first hand, dealt K8o. King flopped, bet thru and had one caller all the way with K2o (not blinds) so I took down the very first hand I was in which helped. Initially, I was kinda nervous regarding the rules and general table etiquette and whatnot. I was pretty quiet and just trying to observe everything at first. But it didn't take long to get comfortable. After a little bit, I was more relaxed and more talkative. By the middle of the night when we got down to just a few tables I was feeling like a regular, lol. The game really differs depending on the table, some of them were really aggressive full of maniacs caping it with any 2 suits to passive with people just calling with big slick etc. I only played 2-5 but some of the people who played higher limits would join the 2-5 game while waiting for seats or because they ran out of money. The play is pretty atrocious in general.
Some memorable hands:
My friend had aces cracked by a runner runner straight flush, he had the ace high flush. He went on tilt after that and lost quite a bit of what he had won. lol, poor guy.
I folded what would've have been a straight flush. 56h in the blind, raised on the button. I called, UTG reraises, button caps it. I fold to the extra 4 bucks. 7h8h on the flop, Ad on the turn and of course the 4h on the river. Action's capped on flop and turn and then the button folds to a single bet on the river, wtf??? UTG turns over QJh for the flush. I probably should've called due to pot odds but oh well, whatever.
We played from 10:30 pm Sat to 11:30 am Sunday. Up 60 bucks for the session and I probably spent another 40 bucks on water and coffee alone. I swear I was going through 3 bottles of water an hour. So wasn't a big night moneywise but entertaintment wise, definetely a great time. Just wish it wasn't so damn far away. The 4 hour drive home after a 13 hour session is definetely not a great idea.
Oh yeah, as we were leaving we watched an old guy lose 3000 in 2 rolls of the die. he put down 20 $100 dollar bills on one bet and lost and then another 10 bills on another bet. After he lost that, he nonchantly grabbed his cane and just walked away. That probably happens all the time at casinos but we were both blown away.
Comments
I've taken 4 of my friends, individually, to play live texas hold'em for their first time over the years. One to the Ex, one to Rama, one to Port Perry, and one to a private club. Interestingly enough--although maybe not that surprising--the one I took to the club had the easiest time adjusting.
It sounds like your first trip was a success, so good for you. Like you said, it doesn't take long to figure it all out so you can concentrate on playing some solid poker. But... the first few hands are always a bit unnerving.
While this is very likely a good fold due to the fact that it was only three-handed, I'm a sucker for these types of hands. I freakin' love them. I would have called, and made a flush, but not a straight flush, so I would have lost to a higher flush. Hands like 5h6h can take a big chunk of someone's stack if you hit big, and if they're incapable of folding pocket aces, which many people are.
Last night I was in a multi at Stars. First level, one limper, MP raises to 60 (merely 3 times the BB) and I call on the button with 9d10d. The flop came 8 J Q with one diamond. MP had pocket kings and could not lay them down, despite the fact that I bet big on the flop, bet big on the turn, and then moved all-in for about 1K on the river. The river was an ace, and it was also the third running diamond on the board, so I had a flush. He called off his whole stack. How can he call on the river? The Ad is probably his WORST card, and he's facing a 1K bet? Whether or not he can release the kings before the river is debatable, but there is no question that he can't call the river.
Sorry... I went on a bit of a tangent there. My point was that I love suited connectors, especially at the right price. You were getting the wrong price, so it was a good fold.
Is that all?
I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know here, but Brantford would be much closer to London than Rama. Why did you choose Rama?
Congrats on a successful first B&M experience.
Regards,
all_aces
ps: Lose the next pokerforum tournament, please.
Well, I was visiting my friend in Toronto so the drive would've been all around an hour. And he wanted to play the lowest limit possible. We're already planning our next trip, maybe to Brantford this weekend.
Rivered, losing all the way, what's the difference, right?
Keith
I'll bet he meant 89.
I guess it wasn't bad enough that he was just telling another bad beat story in the first place. It had to be one with a typo too.
Now what was that quote again? Ah yes...
"Though I could not possibly care less about your bad beats -- yawn! -- for some reason, I'm totally convinced that you are fascinated by mine."
ScottyZ
If you come to Brantford this weekend, let me know what day and time. I'm likely going on Saturday, unsure of the time yet though. Bring Vinh too. 8)
where? what game? how old was the guy?
$100,000 yikes :shock:
I'm about due for another trip to Rama. I might try out Seneca instead to see how it compares, but I haven't decided yet.
He hit a blackjack versus a dealer Ace and, after a couple of minutes in the tank (although this guy's particular version of "the tank" seemed to be a somewhat drunken and boisterous extrospection), did not take insurance (i.e. did not take "even money") to the dismay of some of the railbirds who has gathered. However, this is the optimal decision as long as you are not risk averse, except for extremely rare card counts which heavily favour tens. (And you had better not start taking insurance based on card count if you actually are counting cards. That would be pretty much a dead giveaway that you're counting.)
He won the hand.
ScottyZ
But... do you have that much credit?
;-)
Keith
Another good hand was JTo in the BB and somone in MP raised, so I decided to call. Flop was KQ6 (rainbow), and I check and call 1 bet, turn is a 9, and I didn't want to represent that I made my straight, so I checked and call (I guess it was a good decision) because a 4 hit later and I bet out, got called and reraised by the button (YES), so I reraised him, he reraises me (CAP) so I call. He shows KK (slowplayed it from the beginning). He said that he thought I had 44, so I took a nice pot there. Also took a couple (2 actually) pots with Pair A.
Could have also made a lot of money with T8o (folded to a raised in MP, I was really considering calling, flop was 88T). Also folded 98o in MP, flop was 889, DARN!