It's been about a month since I've been back to a casino. I was a little disappointed with my play in Vegas and I decided to take a break from the action.
Last Saturday I was at Ocean's Eleven in Oceanside. Generally I find a lot of good players here. I had a improv remote in Carlsbad, so here I am.
I'm struck with the fact that there is no interest in a $2/$4 limit game. No takers all day. I take a seat at the $1/$1 no limit table. Normally I don't like to play no-limit because you're basically playing your entire bankroll in each hand. After about 3 hours of play, I was right.
The minimum buy-in is $40. When I approach a no limit table, I like to play super tight and try to figure out the playing style of everyone else. Once I know everyone's playing style, I then play tight.
I sit down and after about a few hand (fortunately I was being dealt junk, so I didn't play until my blinds hit), I had a good idea where I stood. We're playing 9 handed and I'm in seat 7.
Seat 1 - Tight player.
Seat 2 - Gambler on a winning streak. When he has a hand, he goes all in to prevent any bad beats.
Seat 3 - Gambler, likes races.
Seat 4 - ATM. This guy was a walking money machine. If he had a hand or thought you were bluffing, he was in until the end. Which usually meant his buy-in was in someone else's stack. I saw him constantly pulling in $40 and then go to the ATM twice. I feel sorry for these guys.
Seat 5 - Super agressive. Goes all-in whenever he senses weakness. Even he doesn't have the best hand.
Seat 6 - Tight player
Seat 7 - Me
Seat 8 - Tight player
Seat 9 - Semi-loose agressive player.
The tight players were basically guys who were sometimes in a pot but usually got chased out and they just saw their stack dwindle over time.
The rest of the players, especially the all-in guys, were loose players who always overplayed their hands.
My strategy was to play tight and not get involved in drawing hands that may cost me my stack. I'm basically looking for premium hands. I'm also looking to see a cheap flop with drawing hands. Finally, don't lose everything on a draw.
Although the blinds were $1/$1 the big blind might as well have been $5-$7. These aggressive players liked action. They are easy to trap.
Here are a few highlights.
The first hand I play, I have pocket Aces and I'm against the tight player to my right in seat 6. I play this hand aggressively and bet preflop to $8. Everyone folds except seat 6 and he calls. A king flops and seat 6 bets and I call. The turn is a rag and he bets again, I reraise all-in and he calls. He has a pair of Kings and I double up.
Later...
I have $57.
I'm dealt pocket Aces and I'm next to Under the Gun (UTG). I raise to $5. Everyone folds and the big blind (Seat 5) calls. I sort of expected this. I figure he's looking for a opportunity to trap me. So I play this cautiously. The flop come Jack-Jack-3. Seat 5 checks and I bet $9 just to see what he does and he smooth calls me. I'm worried right now. I raise preflop and he calls my raise. He has to have a Jack or he's bluffing. The turn comes an 8, but now I notice that there are 3 hearts on the board. I don't want to look at my cards to see if one of my aces is a heart. Seat 5 checks. I think a little and I check. He's giving me a free card to the flush. Low and behold the river is a heart and the big blind immediately goes all in for about 75% of my remaining stack.
I immediately look at my hand to see if I have the ace of heart and I do. I wish it wasn't a heart so I can fold it. I know 100% he has a Jack. I just don't know if he has a full house. He's been playing super agressive so I think he's capable of overplaying his trips. "Damn it" I yell. I think for another 10 second and say "I have to call you." He says "You have the flush don't you." "I have the nut flush." He flips over his trips. Everyone at the table said I made a gutsy call. I was probably 60% sure he didn't hit is boat.
I'm now at around $90.
Last hand. I just won 3 pots in the last 7 hands with Kings, Ace-King Suited and Pocket Aces.
I'm in middle position and I'm dealt pocket Aces again. Crap, I want to be tricky but I can't. Seat 4 (the ATM) raises Under the Gun. It folds to me and I quickly reraise. Everyone else at the table say, "you better fold, He has a great hand." It finally gets to the ATM and he says, "You can get a great hand all the time" and he calls me. I flop a Ace-rag-rag rainbow for trip aces. I raise to half the pot. I'm not being tricky here. Everyone knows I have this one. The ATM says, "You can't be this lucky." He thinks and calls.
The turn comes another rag. Look the board has all four suits out, no flush possibility. The cards are spread out so there's no straight possibility. I have the nuts. I have to make a decision, do I chip away at his stack or put him all-in. I honestly believe he'll call my all-in. So I go all-in. He thinks for almost a minue, muttering, I can't have a great hand all of the time. He calls my all-in and I flip over trip Aces. Everyone is stunned.
It's pretty tense, I just won some pretty huge hands. I immediately scream "I'M ON A ROLL" and the entire table busts out laughing. The ATM says what reaction was just worth it. I wait a few hands and then I'm gone.
What's the key? Patience and play the players.
Alan Ng
