to most normal people it's sunday morning.
but compulsive gamblers aren't normal people and i'm driving around the ghetto of chester, pa at 3:00 on saturday night looking for that venerable harness racino now known as
harrah's philadelphia.
of course it's there.... right behind the prison
, and i grind out $20 of no limit profits and another caesar's quest for rewards badge in the process.
if only this was the first game (instead of the last) on my recent poker "vacation" then i could've died a happy man as a no-limit winner.
after a recent 1-2 win at penn national my no limit record for the last 37 months stood at 69-54 with only $11 of losses and with some time off from knish's truck i took off on tuesday night to spend the rest of the week in the place where the sand turns to gold: atlantic city!!
my goal was to win $12 to become a no limit winner and spend the rest of the week "relaxing" in low limit hold em.
with AQ i raise a couple limpers and see a queen high flop heads up.
i lose to a limped KK.
later we learn that the villain hates QQ because he "always loses with those bitches."
"uhh.... you are allowed to raise and three bet," i think to myself.
with
43 in the big blind i usually fold to a raise, but this raise is a small one that several people have already called and effective stacks are certainly deep enough that i decide to call.
on an 8 4 3 flop though i lose not to a set, but to that powerful suited three gap
84.
hours pass. i'm not winning any hands but when AK rivers trip aces i look to get (kinda, sorta) back in the game.
i lose to a set of 2s.
when the table breaks i finally get a break with a set of queens against a maniac. i can't get him to bite on a big turn raise but he's already put enough in that i now have a chance to get back in it and grind out my $12.
instead i go card dead and maniacs take over the game.
in one big hand two maniacs and another player are all all in on the turn with sets. yes.... three sets!!
maniac 2 takes it down with kkk but starts to give it back.
on a rebuy maniac 1 is all in preflop (hundreds) with AT off and maniac 2 calls!!
board: Q Q 9 6 2 (no flush)
ACE HIGH IS GOOD! maniac 1 takes it down!!
next maniac 2 is up against a woman and they go to showdown on a board of A K J A K.
the woman tables JT for a counterfeited bottom pair.
"playing the board" the dealer (erroneously) blurts out.
MANIAC 2 MUCKS HIS HAND!!!
another player looks to double up through maniac 2 when he flops a set of jacks on a board with two hearts. he shoves ALL IN for WAY over the pot.
maniac 2 calls with
92 and of course the board runs out heart, blank.
next he raises
T6 and felts another player when he turns a gutshot.
somehow i manage to lose $41.40 an hour over ten hours against this advanced competition in what i believe was my worst no limit result in the entire history of the proximity poker tour.
the next day i quickly lose with two sets and can never recover, losing $99 in another ten hour game.
friday i finally grind out a $4 win in 2-4-6 limit company before moving my tack over to the borgata.
i wonder what will happen there.....