Tunica Turmoil

My trip to Tunica has been met with modest success. I am not losing, but I am also not winning either. It seems that the cards are being brutal again, and on top of that, my play has been less then stellar. I am 0-3 in tournaments which include the Freeroll Tuesday. I will talk more about that a little later in the blog, but first I wanted to write about these 2 guys I met from North Alabama that are playing for a living.

I met Jonny and Sam while playing in the 1-3 NL game at Sam's Town Casino as that is where I stayed this week. Sam's Town is not the best of digs in Tunica, but it will do. It has a Bed, 19" TV that catches 14 channels and a hot shower...everything a growing poker player needs. The TV is a big change from my Plasma though. I started to chat with these guys and they seemed pretty cool, and I nicknamed one of the guys "Jonny Shades" because he wore some Rayban's from "Topgun". What they told me was kind of interesting. They both have a modest Bankroll in between $8000 and $10,000, and they live in the Casino. They play in other Casino's, but they claim to the Management that Sam's Town is their "Exclusive" Casino and the Room rate is $21.00 a night. Lets see...lets put a little pen to Paper and we get a monthly cost of $630.00 a month. That is not a bad deal as they have also negotiated that they stay during all the holidays.
Clean sheets every night, room cleaned every day and free food...and oh yea...you will never have to buy shampoo ever again.

Back to Poker...lets see...where to start...Oh Yea...The Freeroll. It was an interesting experience, and when you have so many people who play poker seriously , as the 2 knuckleheads above, you get one good...fast paced...tournament. I decided to play tight and see what happens. The first hand I thought of playing was pocket 10's. I was in the SB and when i looked down, I decided to jam here. I changed my mind after there were 3 all-ins before me...I pitched it...and would have lost. Ok I think...I should have busted out there so I am thinking "cool...I am on a freeroll now"...wait a minute...I AM ON A FREROLL ;-).

Next, I took some blinds and antes 3 times with modest hands like A-10 and A-J, but could not get action. I get my stack to about $1500 when the blinds/antes start to bleed me dry. 2 minutes before the first break and the blinds are $75-$150/$300 and I am UTG with about $550 left when I get pocket 9's...I figure this is by best shot. I jam...get called by A-J, and an Ace in the window...see ya. It was a good experience though. The TD announced that they will be having lots more of these. I hung out till the break as i wanted to walk around and check out the stacks...sure enough...there were some nice sized stacks still in it. They started with I think 234 and they were down to 86 by the first break, and someone that was at the final table in the last one they had said it will be over by 7:30pm

From there I went to the 2-5nl game at the Goldstrike, got in with $500.00 and played for 3 hours when I had to take out $300.00 more. I am now $800.00 deep in the game and got on a rush. Cashed out with $600.00 for a $200.00 loser. No hands jump out at me, but I played some hands bad. I let a guy draw out twice to get there, and then paid him on the river bet...brutal. It sucked that the cards would give my opponents "runner-runner"...but sucked even more that I felt that I played the hands bad.

I call my wife on the ride from the Goldstrike to Sam's, and she gets the "Same ole song and Dance" about "why me"..."The poker gods suck" ..."what did I do to deserve this"...etc. She jumps my ass about "You know better than this"..."You are a good player, but you have to learn that losing comes with the game"..."Reminds me that you have the ups and downs" and basically gives me a pep talk to get me back going...I got in the 1-3nl game at Sam's Town and won the $200.00 back plus another $285.00. Damn I love that women

I must say it is nice to be at work and have to actually sit around and choose what tournament I want to play in tonight. "Lets see...do I play in the Grand Casino $60.00 freeze-out at 1:00pm...or wait for the $125.00 Freeze at the Gold strike with $5000.00 guaranteed at 6:00pm...Nah...I will take the $105 .00 bounty at the Horseshoe". Pretty sweet. They actually have 4am tourneys here also.
Being able to listen my ipod is also pretty sweet.

Last night I played in the $60.00 bounty freeze-out with $500.00 added at Sam's Town. Had 68 players and we got down to 2 tables with 14 people. One table had 8 the other 6. I limped from the BB with Qh9h along with 4 others to make the pot 5 way action. Flop comes out KcQs9c. Every checks around to me and I jam trying to take down the pot there. The old gentleman I call "Buddha" because he has a little buddha card protector goes in the tank. He counts out his chips and he has $75.00 dollars more than me. He says "If I call and hit then I will definitely get in the money"...and I say "Yea...I fell the same way...if you call and I can fade your clubs, I will be in the cheese so theres a flip side to that coin"...he says "Ok...lets get the coin out a see what happens...I call". He tables Ac2c, and I get out a quarter jokingly acting like I am about to flip it, "Heads or Tails"...we all laugh and the As came on the turn...and the Kh hits the river...and I am counterfeited out the tournament.

I played in the 1-3nl game afterwards. I bought in with $350.00 and proceeded to build my stack steadily to about $600.00 when the donkfish side of my bi-polarness comes out. I call a $35.00 pre-flop raise with AhQc from the BB along with 2 other people to make it 4 of us seeing the flop with over $100.00 in there. Flop comes out Ad5c6s rainbowed. I go in the tank for a second knowing I should jam and snap it off here, but I am a little concerned about what he may have. I decide to try to keep the pot small and I knuckled. Raiser bets out $60.00 and everyone fold around to me...I smooth call. Turn brings 2s and I again knuckle...he goes in the tank and cuts out another $60.00. Damn...now I think I am in trouble as he may be value betting...or he is on a draw and he is trying to keep the pot small also. I smooth call. River comes the Js. I again check and he slides out a hundo out of this cash stash. I now say "Ok I call" in the Eddie Murphy voice he used on "Shrek" and he tables QsJs and says "I hit my flush"...WTF?

so I give all my winnings back in one hand and leave the table in a daze with the $350.00 that I sat down with. Everyone kind of got out of my way as I passed them by as they could see I was zombiefied by what had just transpired...it is amazing sometimes how bad I play...and still not lose.

Neteller money has arrived also so at least I got something added to my bankroll this trip. I am heading back tonight to fire another bullet at a tournament, and hopefully play like I know I can, and not give it all away before I leave the table.

"Well, I have a bit of a confession to make. Donkeys don't have layers. We wear our fear right there on our sleeves" Eddie Murphey's Character Donkey in "Shrek"