Fallsview follies

Fallsview’s Poker Room is firing on all cylinders now, that’s for sure. After a rocky start to the weekend yesterday, the Poker Room staff righted all its wrongs, and the room is crackling with every table filled to the brim, and the familiar clicking sound of hundreds of chips working through the knuckles of wannabe poker gods.

Downstairs in the Grand Ballroom, the $1,000 tournament is down to around 15 players or so, after starting with 300. From initial stack sizes of only $5,000, the remaining players are coping with antes of $500, and blinds of $3,000 and $6,000.

If I could change one thing, I would schedule the satellites to be played right inside the tournament area – among several benefits this would free up a couple of much needed poker tables and dealers for the main poker room.

This morning I staked a placed at a $5/$5 table, and as the casino filled up I realized to leave the table was to spell the end of my day’s poker – since the waiting lists for a seat are so long. So I played many hands against many different players over the course of seven hours or so.

Four of us were constants, with the remaining seats filled up by weekend warriors who brought their few hundred and a hope to the table, and left either after booking a small win, or more likely with their tail between their legs.

Not that I played so great – but I do have staying power!

In the early moments of our game, I played way too loose and paid off a couple of big pots to guys who never met a large bet they couldn’t call.

After that I played better it seemed, though always room for improvement. I think my post flop play could have been better and more sophisticated – but I wanted to keep my game more in a tourney mode – where you don’t always have that luxury, as there survival, chip retention, and of course chip accumulation are the names of the game.

A popular young guy in a Montreal Canadians Hockey Shirt was doing well in seat 4. He picked up pocket cowboys (KK) sitting in the hijack seat. (To the right of the dealer button)

Sitting in third position, a dapper dude with a red beard opened for $25. Loose Lee in Seat 1 called, and Montreal re-raised to $80. Dapper dude (duh that’s me of course) called as did Loose Lee.

The flop was 6H 4S 5H.

Dapper dude checked, Loose Lee checked and Montreal bet out $210. The dude folded with some reluctance, and Loose Lee went into the tank.

Some banter ensued, whereby Montreal determined that Lee was sitting on a pair. It was clearly not Aces, so Montreal knew he had Lee dominated. In an effort to extract some value from his cowboys, he offered to Lee “ If you call I will check it down”.

Lee agreed readily, and they both flipped over their cards. Indeed, Montreal’s KK dominated Lee’s QQ.

The turn was the 2 of clubs, but the river was the Queen of hearts !

Loose Lee scooped the $470 pot, and Montreal was in a mild state of shock.

Immediately the other players began to razz Montreal about what he had done. Had he kept quiet, he would either have taken the pot down then and there, or he could have shoved his whole stack in after the turn, and there is a pretty good chance Lee would have folded.

To his credit, Montreal did not tilt after that – took his beating, and played on with a smile and a winning attitude. (Later, we introduced ourselves to each other. 'Montreal' is Shane Ross, from Sherbrooke)

Queens caused a lot of excitement at my table today. Glen to my immediate right was a solid player who built up his initial $500 to well over $1,000 with smart play. While I was on a lunch break, he lost $800 of it to Loose Lee when Glen also had kings over Lee’s queens.

The board showed a king on the turn and all the money went in the middle, but Lee ended up with a Broadway Straight, and Glen ended up with major stack damage. (It doesn’t sound like much of a game - $5/$5, but the pots here can get quite substantial when the stars align well.)

Across from me in Seat 6 was Farmer Joe, a jovial chap who entered 60% of all the pots it seemed. And he liked to see each hand to the end.

I was in mid position (seat 10) with AK offsuit, and I raised to $30. There were two callers, including the Farmer, in the Big Blind.

The flop was 8 5 8 rainbow.

No one even sniffed at it, and the betting was checked all around.

The next card was another 5, no flush draws evident.

I took a stab at the pot with a $65 bet.

Seat one folded, and the Farmer looked down at his KQ unsuited, and was still as in love with these cards as the moment he first picked them up.

He called, of course (or there would be no story, not because it was a logical act)

The river was a queen.

At least he had the sense/decency to check the river, as did I.

My hand was two pairs (showing on the board) with an Ace kicker.

I ws pretty sure this would be a split pot – Farmer Joe must have an Ace too.

But no, to the amusement and astonishment of all at the table, he turned over his beloved KQ, and scooped the $230 pot.

His only chance with his call was a rivered queen – three outs basically. So we all realized if he will call my $65 bet, he will call almost anything.

I am on a break. I put my name on a new list; checked out the tournament (visualizing and thinking positively for my turn tomorrow); had an early dinner and nap, and now I head down to continue the battle. It's all good !