Grubby at PokerWorks

I’ve been bad.

While on a sudden downswing the night before my Vegas trip, I lost the remaining $700 that was in my Full Tilt account on 3/6 6max, 1/2 NL, and SnGs. My luck was so bad that in one NL hand, my KK all-in was called by K-10. I was feeling good when just a J flopped. Until he runnered a straight flush.

That didn’t set myself up for a promising Vegas visit, though I still had fun.

Vegas, as usual, was an expected loss, and I’ll finish writing about the trip this week.

I returned home to such empty accounts that when I double-clicked Poker Stars, a whiff of dust blew out.

So I thought I’d use that as an excuse to take a break from poker to see if it’s physically possible for me to not gamble in one form or another.

Working in the gambling business, you’d think that in itself might quench any thirst for throwing away my money (correction: my credit). Not only do I know firsthand how bad playing slot machines are compared with other games in the casino, I see the unwavering proof. As with all games in the casino, in the long run, the house will get your money.

And yet… what other game can you invest just $1 and win $1000?

I’m able to separate the two, in that playing slot machines for work doesn’t make me want to play them for real. It’s the casino environment that makes me want to play for real. It’s the free rooms, free food, and drunk women that make me want to play for real (as Jimmy Norton says, if you’re drunk, you’re halfway to where I need you to be).

And at home, it’s an idle computer, a messy apartment, and boredom that makes me want to play.

My break lasted all of two days.

Poker Stars allows deposits through Moneygram, but no office was convenient to me. Ironically enough, the closest location is near a weekly Gamblers Anonymous meeting. I wonder if Moneygram chose their sites intentionally.

I could have taken a bus to deposit via Moneygram, but I wanted to play immediately, so I transferred $500 by credit card to the Paytru Card, then used that to deposit.

Paytru charged $20.50 (4 percent plus $.50), but what I didn’t realize was the credit card transfer was considered a cash advance with an additional fee of $16.60 not to mention the instant cash advance APR.

I’m somehow willing to pay an almost 8 percent surcharge but won’t pay the extra few cents to super size a meal.

Over the next few days, the $500 deposit turned into $20 before I built it back to $433 in low-limit SnGs.

By this past Friday, this then capped out at $700 before falling into a horrible run, losing all but $14 of that on a string of 4th places in SnGs, losing AA to KK twice in NL games, and just my general incompetence in the 6max games. I used to do well in these things, but the landscape has changed and they’ve become extremely tough and taken over by hyper-aggressive players.

I should have stuck to the SnGs, but my patience runs out as quickly as my bankroll.

That’s not the bad part.

Went to Resorts East Chicago twice last week. “East Chicago” is technically Indiana, and the tollbooths prove the Illinois-to-Indiana crossing. If Resorts is able to advertise Chicago in their name, they should at least pay their players’ tolls.

On Tuesday, played the 40-person poker tourney for $175. Before then, played the Enchanted Unicorn quarter reel slots and hit for $500 on a $2.25 pull and then gave most of it back in the Big Ben, Money Honey, Geisha, and other slots.

The tournament was uneventful. I’d played it the week before and also busted early before hopping into a rowdy 5/10 limit game and losing $200. My KK was beaten by 68s. Worse, my suited connectors didn’t catch anything. A minimum of seven people would see every flop, and some would stay just to see what came on the turn. With that many people calling, they probably had odds if the turn would open a backdoor to a straight or flush draw.

The weekly Tuesday tournament is good, starting with T3500 chips and blinds beginning at T25/25. Players are mostly regulars and better than the average tourist game in Vegas.

Right before the first break, I busted with AK against QQ, which reminded me of all the times that situation was reversed and the coin flip went to the other guy.

Headed downstairs to blackjack and quickly won $60, putting me about even for the night.

On Friday, while waiting for a seat at the poker table, I played the new Red Hot Jackpot slots and hit the second-highest progressive at $259 (it resets at $200) plus the spin wins for a $300+ win. Getting the progressive required retriggering the eight bonus spins a whopping five times in order to collect the eight and then 20 required symbols. To win the highest progressive at $10,000, I would need to collect 50 symbols.

And if none of that makes sense, try playing the game and following all the confusing rules written out on the top box.

But not a bad score on a $2 spin. After hitting, the machine went cold and I cashed out $150 ahead.

With a $500 slot win on Tuesday and $300 on Friday, this little riverboat casino feels prime for my first W-2G.  If only they had a Diamond Lounge.

My 1/2 NL table was ready, and even for Vegas standards, it was pretty amazing (though California’s card barns still hold the title for best action poker anywhere). When I first sat down, I folded the first round and then raised the cutoff with AJ.

The SB and UTG called to a flop of 10-10-2.

They checked to me and I bet out.  Both called.

On the turn, SB checked and UTG bet into me.

An easy fold for me, made easier by quickly glancing left and seeing that SB was going to call.

SB instead raised and UTG went all-in, which SB immediately called.

SB had 10-8. UTG had 10-2 and took down an enormous pot.

Which meant he limped UTG with the Doyle Brunson.

Later, everyone limped to a flop of A-4-4. Checked around, MP bets, LP calls, and BB calls.

Turn is a 4. Checked to MP, who bets $25. LP calls.

Now BB reraises to $75.

It was obvious to me that BB had the case 4. If I had an Ace, it would be easy to let go.

MP now raises all-in for about $320.

If I were LP, it’d be especially easy to let go of my Ace.

Instead, LP goes over the top.

BB, who covers both of them, sits there with a bemused look on his face and quickly says, “Okay, I call.”

BB shows his 94. MP shows A6 and storms off. This was the same guy who had $600 in front of him when I sat down.

LP didn’t show his hand, but tosses it to the dealer and leaves.

BB needs a shovel to stack the $1200+ pot.

$1200 in a 1/2 game.

And then the drunk guy sat down.

He came with a friend, and both called every hand even to a raise. If you checked to either, they would bet out. If the drunk guy connected at all to the flop, he was in to the river. Even if he just had an Ace, he was calling to the river.

I made sure to remember never to try to bluff either of them.

Preflop raises began higher and higher. First $20, then $30, and then $60 by one guy who kept getting his pocket pairs cracked by one of the two new guys.

He figured $60 preflop would be enough to protect his high pair and take down the limpers, but both guys called him. The drunk guy had 73 and beat his AA.

It was just a matter of time before both busted, and they did. The guy who kept getting beaten ended up with most of their money. Everyone at the table ended up with a portion of their money.

I was into the table for $400 and recovered that plus $150.

That’s still not the bad part. After all, it’s not bad if you win, eh?

On Saturday, after dropping to $14 in Stars, I felt completely defeated. I know it was mostly due to bad luck, but when I start feeling this way I have the urge to play blackjack to chase those losses.

I took out my credit cards and tried them on the casino site where my weekly offer is now a paltry deposit $75 and get $50, but my credit cards still don’t work.

I then tried UltimateBet and surprisingly — and unfortunately — the card went through.

Put in the maximum of $750 and received a 25 percent reload bonus, which was an inconsequential amount since I already have over $2000 in bonus dollars going to waste since I don’t play poker there.

A new blackjack software was at UB, with the multi-player blackjack gone. I wonder if this was from chat abuse, mainly me who kept warning everyone in chat how rigged it was. I don’t know for certain whether the game was rigged, but it sure seemed like it.

In the new blackjack, you can play three hands at once and you can’t observe other players’ hands. It’s clunkier than their old blackjack and you can’t play as fast, but you can bet up to $500.

In $25 bets, dropped to $600 then switched to $35 bets and ran it up to $1000.

Then tried out their new Roshambo and crushed the two guys I played. You just need to win two out of three, and I noticed whichever object they just lost with they used again. Played one guy six games and ended up just picking items at random.

It’s fun but set at low limits of $1 and under, with UB taking a rake. If they upped it to at least $10, I’d continue playing.

But really, if you’re going to have a gambling game of rock-paper-scissors, why not just have a game picking heads or tails? UB will have a difficult time proving there’s skill in this one.

Flush from my $4 victory in Roshambo, I returned to blackjack.

In this session, I did not hit a single blackjack, whereas the dealer hit eight.  I was barely even was dealt pat 20s.  Bet $25 and dropped to $650 before ramping it up to $50 and $100 bets and then busted out completely.

The hand history was conveniently not working and dumped me back to the main lobby whenever I clicked it. I have the same doubts that UB’s blackjack is legit, but I could have also just been unlucky. Like I have been all the other times I played their site and lost.

When a loser, it’s easier to put the blame on others.

Now in a crazed, sleepless stupor, I tried depositing again but $750 was my daily max. That could have saved me from tilting away my credit limit, which I’ve done in the past.

I went to sleep with the sun shining and dreamt of amputees and cutting my own leg off, a none-too-obvious metaphor.

I’m probably one of the few poker bloggers who’s secretly hoping the UIGEA cuts off online gambling completely. I wouldn’t mind a poker provision, but I repeatedly have no control and without thinking twice will clean out whatever’s in my pockets, checking account, and credit card.

Poker Stars and Full Tilt refused the same credit card that worked on UB. I’m now waiting until tomorrow to deposit to UB and will try to work off the $2900 in bonus dollars while trying to avoid blackjack.

In the long run, it’s probably cheaper just to pay the 8 percent fee at Stars.

Or not play at all.

 

This entry was posted on Monday, April 30th, 2007 at 12:04 am and is filed under Uncategorized.