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The casino was very crowded. A dealer told that me it crowds up on Tuesdays as there is a good drawing. It was hard walking between machines and the VP banks were full except just around supper time.
The drawing is interesting because the TV screens in the poker room allow all of us to participate in that too. For us it is a great bonus because we play longer hours and will see more drawings. None of our rake goes to fund that drawing as far as I know. There is a bad beat and some awards for straight flushes.
The 2-4 list was longer than what would show on the screen, so I added my name to the 1-2 no limit figuring on moving later when I was called for the 2-4. Even that was a good wait.
Once I was on the no limit, I was content so I did not move. I seemed to be playing well. Pots were small, but people were pretty tight. No one bluffed or pushed. The entire time I played, I was the only one to make an all-in bet of any size.
My play was good except for the occasional temptation to chase. I caught two of those chases and that made me more than the small post when I had the winning. Both catches made the table mad. In one a fellow had the king high heart flush on the turn and bet $30. I had trip deuces and it would have been prudent to fold since any other set had me beat as did the hearts. I put the fellow on hearts figuring he would not be a set into three hearts with another yet to come. The river brought a jack and filled me up. The fellow bet and I went all in. He called as he was committed. That was the only all-in bet at that table in the four hours I played although I did see some bets that were very strong.
The loser got really annoyed. When the table gets mad at me, I know that I am doing something right. In fact, that fellow with the heart flush went on tilt after that hand and lost all his bankroll. Unfortunately, I did not have the cards to win it for the short while he was tilting.
On the other hand, I don't think I really played that way as a planned strategy to put my opponents off balance. I think I was just tempted to give it a try. In no limit a steady diet of that attitude is deadly.
Whatever, it worked to my great advantage here. I could have stolen more hands had I had the right cards for stealing and certainly I was a good deal less predictable. That is what annoys players. They try to keep their opponents predictable.
That fellow also tried to start a post hand discussion like this, " If I'd shown you the flush, would you have called that turn bet?"
I answered that I thought "if" questions were impossible to answer.
"Who knows what I might do? It depends on how I feel." That elicited the appropriate sneer. After a hand or two, for later such discussions, I got out my new card protecting fish, a carved bone fish I picked up here in Florida at an Indian Pow-Wow. The next time someone asked me why I played a certain way, I said that I merely listened to what the fish told me to do, that when "fishing" for cards, my fish would know what exactly was coming. That way I could avoid giving away any true information.
A second fishing play of mine was worse. I had an inside straight draw after the flop and called a woman betting a pair of aces. I caught. I checked the turn looking to trap and she checked her pair. I bet $20 on the river and she called me. Playing for an inside straight with one or two opponents is pretty lame.
I had some very lucky hands. I flopped some straights and had pocket kings and aces and ace king often, although no ace-king lasted very long at all. I started to tire around supper time and the players started to dwindle so I quit up about $140.
One guy got mad at me when I checked a flopped straight in early position and then raised his $5 bet and one call to $20 to force both players out. It only got me a small pot again, but I think it was a good play. This guy had moved his seat to one where he could see less in order to get to the left of me, so I suspect it was annoying when his plan backfired and I let him encourage the table to bet before I raised.
I don't really know how to play flopped straights. I think I over bet them often.
I walked around, waiting to see if my name was called on the promotional drawing. By swiping my card once I was in drawings every hour. The one drawn had just 3 minutes to claim the money prize which might be as much as $1000. I did not get called but some fellow named Herschel did win and two hours later his name was called a second time. He was not there to claim the second prize. Pretty tight odds to hit that twice in one day.
I had eaten at Fred's Buffet in Bartow for lunch so I wanted just a light supper. The food court had one station that offered a small bowl of mixed veggies for under $2. So that was my frugal supper. This trip I also brought with me an insulated coffee cup that held two casino cups. This was very helpful for coffee as at one point we had four dealers before we saw a waitress. It was also great at supper because I just filled it with water from the cooled water fountain.
I like the buffet at Tampa Hard Rock, but two buffets in the same day is too much for my diet. Fred's is a better choice, More veggies and less tempting bits.
I got back at suppertime and signed up for a 2-4 table as I was too tired for no limit. I did very well, doubling my buy in until two good players joined, one sitting two seats to my left and killing me with raises. My hardest loss was when this fellows trip jacks with ace kicker went full on the river and beat my sixes full of jacks that had ruled until then. The rest of players were too loose and would pay me if they had a pair.
I doubled my sixty dollar buy in and then lost it all back as well as over 40 more to the good guys and my loose play. I went to the bathroom, had a long talk with myself, bought in for another $20 and was able to grind back to a profit in large part because I was playing tight but my table image was of a loose player so even the good guys paid me off.
Long shot wins here was 3-4 that went to two pair and an Ace of Diamonds that saw a river bring 4 diamonds. I was paid for the diamonds by a kid who had none. The poor play was very poor and I was constantly surprised to win when I expected to lose. Check raising was a great tool also.
At the end of the day I was up $179 for the day even after losing $5 on a Howling Wolf slot and $5 on low pay table video poker, played while waiting for a poker seat. I was one card short of a royal once in my play. I played a double double bonus with an 8-5 pay table. Terrible, but better than the slots here as all I saw required huge max bets to be eligible for the big win. Playing short coin must be a bad bet in those. I just did that as a lark. Normally, I just won't play the bad machines at all figuring over the course of my life I'll lose more than I win.
Compared to playing at the Tampa Downs this place is more crowded and more noisy with longer waits for tables. The food choices are better. Ocala poker rooms are even quieter still. Those were the most layed back and relaxed rooms I have ever played. I'll probably play again there this trip. The players were about the same as the Downs for the no limit but worse for the limit. Of course, the Downs can also mean players are distracted by betting horses, especially at the 2-4. I did not play no limit at Ocala. There the 2-4 players were as serious and skilled as players at a good $4-$8 other places.
For frugal players Ocala also has a 1-2 limit game. None of these games are left in Vegas.
My winning breaks a long series of losses, a tough losing streak over the past few months with few wins in between and nothing as large as this. I hope it means better luck ahead or better play or whatever brings the score in my favor.
Saturday I'll be back a the Tampa Downs as I pick up a buddy at the airport.
The drawing is interesting because the TV screens in the poker room allow all of us to participate in that too. For us it is a great bonus because we play longer hours and will see more drawings. None of our rake goes to fund that drawing as far as I know. There is a bad beat and some awards for straight flushes.
The 2-4 list was longer than what would show on the screen, so I added my name to the 1-2 no limit figuring on moving later when I was called for the 2-4. Even that was a good wait.
Once I was on the no limit, I was content so I did not move. I seemed to be playing well. Pots were small, but people were pretty tight. No one bluffed or pushed. The entire time I played, I was the only one to make an all-in bet of any size.
My play was good except for the occasional temptation to chase. I caught two of those chases and that made me more than the small post when I had the winning. Both catches made the table mad. In one a fellow had the king high heart flush on the turn and bet $30. I had trip deuces and it would have been prudent to fold since any other set had me beat as did the hearts. I put the fellow on hearts figuring he would not be a set into three hearts with another yet to come. The river brought a jack and filled me up. The fellow bet and I went all in. He called as he was committed. That was the only all-in bet at that table in the four hours I played although I did see some bets that were very strong.
The loser got really annoyed. When the table gets mad at me, I know that I am doing something right. In fact, that fellow with the heart flush went on tilt after that hand and lost all his bankroll. Unfortunately, I did not have the cards to win it for the short while he was tilting.
On the other hand, I don't think I really played that way as a planned strategy to put my opponents off balance. I think I was just tempted to give it a try. In no limit a steady diet of that attitude is deadly.
Whatever, it worked to my great advantage here. I could have stolen more hands had I had the right cards for stealing and certainly I was a good deal less predictable. That is what annoys players. They try to keep their opponents predictable.
That fellow also tried to start a post hand discussion like this, " If I'd shown you the flush, would you have called that turn bet?"
I answered that I thought "if" questions were impossible to answer.
"Who knows what I might do? It depends on how I feel." That elicited the appropriate sneer. After a hand or two, for later such discussions, I got out my new card protecting fish, a carved bone fish I picked up here in Florida at an Indian Pow-Wow. The next time someone asked me why I played a certain way, I said that I merely listened to what the fish told me to do, that when "fishing" for cards, my fish would know what exactly was coming. That way I could avoid giving away any true information.
A second fishing play of mine was worse. I had an inside straight draw after the flop and called a woman betting a pair of aces. I caught. I checked the turn looking to trap and she checked her pair. I bet $20 on the river and she called me. Playing for an inside straight with one or two opponents is pretty lame.
I had some very lucky hands. I flopped some straights and had pocket kings and aces and ace king often, although no ace-king lasted very long at all. I started to tire around supper time and the players started to dwindle so I quit up about $140.
One guy got mad at me when I checked a flopped straight in early position and then raised his $5 bet and one call to $20 to force both players out. It only got me a small pot again, but I think it was a good play. This guy had moved his seat to one where he could see less in order to get to the left of me, so I suspect it was annoying when his plan backfired and I let him encourage the table to bet before I raised.
I don't really know how to play flopped straights. I think I over bet them often.
I walked around, waiting to see if my name was called on the promotional drawing. By swiping my card once I was in drawings every hour. The one drawn had just 3 minutes to claim the money prize which might be as much as $1000. I did not get called but some fellow named Herschel did win and two hours later his name was called a second time. He was not there to claim the second prize. Pretty tight odds to hit that twice in one day.
I had eaten at Fred's Buffet in Bartow for lunch so I wanted just a light supper. The food court had one station that offered a small bowl of mixed veggies for under $2. So that was my frugal supper. This trip I also brought with me an insulated coffee cup that held two casino cups. This was very helpful for coffee as at one point we had four dealers before we saw a waitress. It was also great at supper because I just filled it with water from the cooled water fountain.
I like the buffet at Tampa Hard Rock, but two buffets in the same day is too much for my diet. Fred's is a better choice, More veggies and less tempting bits.
I got back at suppertime and signed up for a 2-4 table as I was too tired for no limit. I did very well, doubling my buy in until two good players joined, one sitting two seats to my left and killing me with raises. My hardest loss was when this fellows trip jacks with ace kicker went full on the river and beat my sixes full of jacks that had ruled until then. The rest of players were too loose and would pay me if they had a pair.
I doubled my sixty dollar buy in and then lost it all back as well as over 40 more to the good guys and my loose play. I went to the bathroom, had a long talk with myself, bought in for another $20 and was able to grind back to a profit in large part because I was playing tight but my table image was of a loose player so even the good guys paid me off.
Long shot wins here was 3-4 that went to two pair and an Ace of Diamonds that saw a river bring 4 diamonds. I was paid for the diamonds by a kid who had none. The poor play was very poor and I was constantly surprised to win when I expected to lose. Check raising was a great tool also.
At the end of the day I was up $179 for the day even after losing $5 on a Howling Wolf slot and $5 on low pay table video poker, played while waiting for a poker seat. I was one card short of a royal once in my play. I played a double double bonus with an 8-5 pay table. Terrible, but better than the slots here as all I saw required huge max bets to be eligible for the big win. Playing short coin must be a bad bet in those. I just did that as a lark. Normally, I just won't play the bad machines at all figuring over the course of my life I'll lose more than I win.
Compared to playing at the Tampa Downs this place is more crowded and more noisy with longer waits for tables. The food choices are better. Ocala poker rooms are even quieter still. Those were the most layed back and relaxed rooms I have ever played. I'll probably play again there this trip. The players were about the same as the Downs for the no limit but worse for the limit. Of course, the Downs can also mean players are distracted by betting horses, especially at the 2-4. I did not play no limit at Ocala. There the 2-4 players were as serious and skilled as players at a good $4-$8 other places.
For frugal players Ocala also has a 1-2 limit game. None of these games are left in Vegas.
My winning breaks a long series of losses, a tough losing streak over the past few months with few wins in between and nothing as large as this. I hope it means better luck ahead or better play or whatever brings the score in my favor.
Saturday I'll be back a the Tampa Downs as I pick up a buddy at the airport.