River Rock Tournament

Well I managed to sneak in a tournament while I was in Vancouver for the weekend. I didn't know if I could get away but as soon as I got to Richmond (suburb of Vancouver) I grabbed a tournament schedule at the River Rock Casino and plotted which one I would somehow get to. I mean I could play cash games but every time I went into the old poker room there was always a huge wait (not different now).

I entered the Sunday noon 50.00 plus 10.00 buy in. 88 players max and it filled up. They only take registration an hour before the tournament begins. My thoughts on the new poker room. Very mixed. Its smaller than the other one which was upstairs. This one is across the street in its own venue. They do have drink service and food service now(which I guess is new). I mean they had both at the old one of course but originally when they opened this they didn't (thanks Shaubs)

This tournament you only get 2500 in chips and there are 8 tables of 11 to start. The blinds start at 25/25 and go up every 20 minutes. All those are negatives. I really hate 11 player tables and chip level and frequency of blind increase are too fast but it is what is so time to make the best of it.

The only hand I lost at showdown in this tournament was my last one. I won every hand that went to the river and if I was calling an all in I always had the best hand and the law of averages held up for me. Of course I also got bet off some hands.

My day started great. I felt confident at my table. I certainly was one of the oldest perhaps with the exception of an older Asian guy at the other end. Third hand in I got dealt pocket 3's. I limped (all limping soon ended) along with about 3 others I think. Flop comes A34 two hearts. Short Hair Lady (SHL) bet the other 2 limpers folded. I thought about just calling but with the texture of the board I decided to raise. SHL took a lot of time looked at me and folded. That's okay good start.

A few hands later I got dealt KJd. SHL (yes her again min raised). I decided to call. Flop comes 10d 9d 3c. Okay so I have a flush draw, gut shot straight flush draw and a straight draw. SHL throws out a bet (can't remember exactly how much) but I call. Just the two of us. Turn brings a Jack of spades. Okay so now I have top pair along with all those other outs. SHL bets (pretty big bet this time). I think it was about 600. Remember we only got 2500 to start although I have about around 4000 now if I remember right. I am trying to put her on a hand. AK maybe (Who knows). I thought for awhile and decide to call. River brings a Queen of hearts. I have the straight to the Queen. SHL checks and I pondered a bet and decided to just check in case she had AK and was going to check raise. She flips over pocket 9's for flopped trips and I turn over my hand. She goes wow the river killed me and then others pointed out that I had flush and straight draws from the flop. I don't think she liked my call on the turn but I did. Would you have made that call??

I was suddenly the chip leader at our table. A couple orbits later something strange happened. I got dealt pocket 9's UTG. I raised about 3.5 X the BB. I got one caller a young guy(YG). Then it came around to the SB and BB. SB folded and then something weird happened the dealer started the flop when she realized the BB hadn't acted. I saw the first card of the flop and it was a face card (not good for me). The dealer realized her mistake (before all 3 cards got exposed) BB says not to worry I was folding anyways. Dealer called the floor and the floor said reshuffle including the burn and reflop. Well then the flop comes 955. Yep I flop a boat. I check and YG who I think loved the original flop also checks (said later he had AK) and so do I.Turn check check. River I bet a tiny teezer bet and he folds. I show my boat and then someone said he saw 2 face cards in the original flop and YG looks pissed.

A few hands later our table got broken down and I proceeded to to go really card dead at the new table. I think we were down to 50 players at this point.
At the new table I had an older guy (OG) who had huge stack to my right (not great). he also smelled like he had been smoking weed all morning. Anyways a few hands after I joined the table the guy had lost some of his stack when he picked up pocket Aces. The board came 7557. When he decided to push. He got snap called by someone who had called his preflop raise with suited connectors 7,8. The river didn't help him and he stormed off not realizing or not caring that he still had chips. Aces bit him in the butt.

The table I was at was super aggressive. A couple times I raised preflop only to be reraised and I let go of my hand. Once I had AJ suited and a guy who just had JJ in the previous hand and lost this time pushed all in on me. I had him covered but it would have left me crippled if I called. Was he on tilt though?? I decided to fold. He turned over KK . Good fold.

A couple orbits later I get KK. I raised it up only to get reraised by a Young aggressive guy. I decided to push . He pondered for a couple and called. He had QQ. KK held up and a nice double up.

We got down to 3 tables and my chips were dwindling. Not a short stack but not huge either. A couple times I had raised preflop only to have people go over the top and push on me. Not liking my cards that much I folded.

We were down to 19 players (6 at our table) when I dealt A,10h. Now A 10 is not a huge hand but 6 handed with 2 folds already I thought might be good enough and I was one off the dealer so I bumped it just over 3 X BB. I had thought about pushing but I wanted the ability to get away from it if need be. My bet was about 35-40% of my stack. The dealer folded as did the SB. BB shoved. Now the BB had been doing this a lot. If it had been the dealer who shoved I would have folded as he was a super tight older guy. The BB was another YAG. Lots in this tournament. Folding I would still have around 6000 chips but blinds were at 400/800. I took a long time and finally called. He had AK so I was basically drawing to a 10 or 3 hearts. I got a heart on the flop but the turn and river bricked and I was out. Really disappointed. I thought I played well except my last call. I had bet thinking I can get away from this and then didn't do that.

The tournament only paid top 8 with the first paying between 1500.00 and 1600.00. That would have been nice.

The Poker room at the River Rock was incredibly busy and certainly could be larger.

I just read that the Edgewater casino which is downtown Vancouver on the old Expo site just expanded their poker room which is a great thing. Next time over I may check it out. I had been in the old one upstairs and it was pretty small. Of course this in the casino that is going to be replaced by that new mega complex that I wrote about here

River Rock Casino Tournament

I managed to get away last night to enter the 100 dollar 7 PM tournament at the River Rock Casino in Richmond, B.C. This event is limited to 88 entrants which is a decent size. While the casino has about 18 tables the room is always busy. Anyways the tournament started with 8 tables of 11. Yep. I don't get that. Why not limit tables to 10. Well we all know that it comes down to the casino makes more money with less overhead as they need one less dealer. Anyways I started off well. I think third hand in I got dealt A7. 4 limpers and the flop comes 677. Liking this. Someone bet and I just called. Everyone else folded. Turn was a 2 of diamonds which also put 2 diamonds up. Hmm now I bet and got called again. River was a K clubs. No straight or flush possibilities so I bet again . Got called . Turns out he was chasing his diamond flush but got 2 pair on the river and my trips held up. Good pot.

It was a weird night. Twice I called all ins when I had pocket queens and pocket tens and both times they held up against AK. That got rid of a couple short stacks.
I lost a lot of chips when I overplayed AQd and got pushed off by someone who bet huge and I whiffed on the flop.

Getting short stacked as we were down to 30 players I got AA and pushed but everyone folded. I needed to double up and young guy who had pushed one hand earlier and got no callers pushed again and I figured he was just trying to steal so I called with KQd. He had pocket tens and they held up and I was out in 28th. Pretty disappointing as they only pay top 8. Top prize was 2700 dollars and I think 8th paid 395 dollars so not bad.

River Rock has a great designed poker room but in my opinion the room is poorly managed . Twice the time clock stopped at the level and no one did anything until one of the players reminded the floor. They didn't continually update the remaining players very often and it seemed like the tournaments are an after thought to the room. The dealers also were a bit inexperienced as one dealer twice didn't deal to someone who had left to go get a drink or something. In cash games you don't deal but in tournaments the hand is dealt and then folded. I noticed the first time but personally I wasn't going to say anything but someone else did the second time.

In fact I had planned to play 1-2 after getting knocked out but there was 23 people on the waiting list. That is terrible room management. You could open up 2 more tables and get players playing and make money for the room. Anyways still a fun night but certainly improvements could be made.

The River Rock is I believe the largest casino in B.C and of course is open 24 hours a day. It is also home to the B.C Poker Championships which last year Daniel Negraneau won.

One more night here but tomorrow is the wedding anniversary so its unlikely that anymore poker will be played. A nice dinner sounds in order.

Slowrolls, Second Place

So I was reading the All Vegas Poker site yesterday and some guy in there was talking about going to Vegas to play in the Main Event this year. He also went on to tell how he got there and some other poker stuff. He then said he was playing at the same table as his wife in a home tournament and she slow rolled him. (for you non poker players it means when you are called or obviously have the winning hand you don't show it right giving the other player false hope that he/she has won).

Anyways he said he lost it on her. HUH??? He got ticked at his wife because she didn't show her cards fast enough. Oh My. I was floored. I think its childish to get ticked at anybody because you think they might have slow rolled you but your wife. Wow. What happens if she cooks his steak too much, burns his toast or his eggs aren't over easy. Does he flip out?? Does he stamp his feet. Turn red in the face. Go into a pout.

You see it all the time at the poker tables. People flipping out. Throwing their cards or whatever because they don't like how someone plays. To react like that to your wife is just wrong in so many ways. It would be interesting to see if they are still married in a couple years.

Last night at my regular Monday night game we had somewhere between 40-50 players and I got seated at a very aggressive but good table. Very few hands were going to showdown. I won a pot early when I had pocket 6's and I bet everyone off after the flop. Then I got semi card dead for awhile and when down to about 1800 chips and looking A9h I figured push now and hope to maybe get one caller and double up. Well I got 3 all ins behind me. Wow. Figured I was dead. Hands were flipped over, one had KK, one had 10,10 and the other had A7c. Not sure about that last one why he would do that but anyways as he was the last to act. I got the lovely ACE on the flop plus 2 hearts and my A9 held up but didn't get the flush. So I quadrupled up and I was back.

Next hand I got dealt A7d and got my flush on the turn and managed to win another decent pot when I slow played it until the river and some lady called me. I then had a decent stack and managed to win some pots with hands like KK and also AQ.The AQ I bluffed off this younger guy after the flop when I whiffed. He thought I had a higher pocket pair than him after I called his preflop raise. I asked him what he had and he said a middle pocket pair. I said good fold... Okay a tiny lie... Ha Ha

Anyways I made it to the final table got a little card dead and finally pushed with K9 suited got one caller and doubled up. Next hand same lady who was now short stacked pushed and I had K9 again off suit this time. I was last to act and I thought okay worked once why not again. She had A10d. I lucked out got my king and she was out.

When we got down to 3 players all fairly even stacked at this point I had 77 so I raised and both guys called. Flop came KK6 two diamonds........ Hmmmmmmm Decision time. Unless someone had a King or an over pair I thought I might be good and the pot was huge so I pushed hoping to win it right there. They both went all in right behind me. Yikes. Well it turned out I had the best hand. One guy had AJd and the other had 2 diamonds too (very surprising that this guy pushed too as he was last to act). Unfortunately the first guy hit his Ace on the turn and the river didn't help me. We were both eliminated as he had us both covered by a bit but because I had more chips than the third guy I got second. I think I made the right push he just got lucky and hit his Ace. Still a good night.

Looks like the River Rock Casino has a 7 PM 100 dollar tournament tomorrow night. When I was checking yesterday I must have missed in in the listings. Anyways I am going to try and get there for that and if not I will be sitting at the cash games. I haven't played there in awhile so really looking forward to it.

Swine Flu

By now most of us have heard of the latest flu bug to hit North America. This one is called of all names the swine flu. Does this mean I shouldn't eat pork?? It seems there are 6 confirmed cases in Canada, 2 here in B.C and 4 back in Nova Scotia. The ones that are confirmed in B. C. are both healthy males under the age of 30 and both were mild cases. All had travelled to Mexico. I think there are a few more cases that haven't been confirmed as they had a lady on the news who has been sick since coming back from Mexico and are waiting on test results to come back. Now I have to admit I am a bit of a germaphobe. Maybe not to the extent of someone like Howie Mandel (who won't shake hands with people) but I am still pretty paranoid at times. If you are sick don't come near me. I joke with my wife and kids (actually I am semi serious) that if you get a cold or flu we should have an isolation room.

I will probably never travel to Mexico again and I know this flu could have started anywhere but I still question the hygienic standards of that country. I love the Mexican people but they really need to get their act together or its going to hurt the average person. Already I am hearing of people not wanting to travel there and any decrease in tourism will hurt the little guy. Some countries have already issued travel advisories. Be interesting to see how this plays out.

Speaking of germs I was playing in a tournament three months ago and there was at least a half dozen people coughing and blowing their nose which of course made me paranoid that I was going to get something. You see all these people were handling the same cards I was. Of course a couple days later yours truly was sick.

I finally caught the televised final table of the B.C. Poker Championship which was played last fall at the River Rock Casino in Richmond, B.C.. This is 2700 dollar buy in event which stretched over 4 days. The structure is excellent and attracted Daniel Negraneau and Dennis Phillips and a few other pros. The final 3 were Daniel and 2 young guys, one from Washington State and one from Delta (a suburb of Vancouver). Even though I knew the final result it was still interesting watching Daniel control the final table as when it started he wasn't the chip leader but in the end he won it all. The 2 young guys made a couple errors but overall played really well but looked a bit in awe of playing against Negraneau. Daniel collected over 200,000 for his win and praised the tournament. I am sure with proper promoting this event will grow in size this year.