The 52nd Thursday of 2007

10:53 PM. I arrive at the Bellagio.

11:08 PM. Waiting for a seat. The guy in front of me on the list is already on absolute tilt. He can't wait to lose his money. Literally. I hope to end up at his table.

11:14 PM. I'm seated and fold ace 7 my first hand to a raise.

11:22 PM. Chop pot with ace king. I was free rolling with a flush draw when all the money went in on the turn. Up 22.

11:34 PM. Minus 55 with straight flush draw.

12:43 AM. Not too much action worth reporting. However I did just witness what I consider to be a dirty move by an otherwise kind looking older gentleman. Older gentleman raises preflop from the button and then bets out of turn on the flop. (His opponent was thinking of betting but the old guy stuck out a 100 stack first.)

So the dealer tells him it's not his turn. The first player to act decides to check.
It's now the old man's turn to act. He yells some nonsense about "How many times are you going to tell me to bet?" (As if the mistake was somehow the dealer's error) and then he CHECKS!!!!!!

Doing this kind of move to get the free card is not what I consider gentlemanly poker. Sure you can reach for your chips. Yes you can play with them. But don't stick your chips out into the middle over the line as if you're betting when it's not your turn with the intent of checking behind. I really wish the dealer had forced the bet to stand. Maybe it would have if the floor was called over? I have no idea. But that's not how I play the game.

12:52 AM. I win a nice size pot to get up 186. Queen, 9 suited comes through again. The strange part about this hand was there was a bet and raise on the flop but then the betting died on the turn and both dudes folded to my river bet. Maybe we were all on draws?

12:58 AM. This has to be the weakest table I've ever witnessed at the Bellagio. I just raised to 15 preflop after a guy had made it 10 in early position. The action gets back to him and he folds for the additional 5 dollars!

It's not like I'm playing tight tonight. Talk about respect. He was one of the guys from that previous queen 9 hand and I don't think he wants to play with me.

1:04 AM. I'm working hard tonight playing alot of pots and taking them down with small bets. It's not usually my game but at this table I have no other choice. I can't limp when that's all that the other 9 players are doing.

1:17 AM. Action has arrived. A new dude to my right raises his first 4 hands at the table. I even caught him reaching for chips to bet on the 5th hand, but he folds after the player to his right bets first.

1:31 AM. I'm trying hard to play a hand against this guy to my right but just not finding any good spots. It's hard being to his left. As I've written previously, at no limit I often prefer to be to the right of aggressive players. (Left is fine for limit.)

1:41 AM. This loose aggressive guy is completely running over the table. And whenever he gets looks up (3x so far) he's hit his draw. When a loose aggressive player starts hitting their hands they're impossible to play against.

1:44 AM. Well I took a stand. Sort of. It just didn't work out for me. Aggressive guy straddles. I limp in for 10 with jack, 8 suited. One player calls. Aggressive guy raises to 30. We both call.

Flop is 10, jack, king with two diamonds. I have no flush draw. Just a pair of jacks. Aggressive guy checks and I bet 100. I'm more than willing to play a pot with aggressive guy here. But what screws up my strategy is the 3rd guy in the hand calls my 100 bet behind me. Damn. I can't put him on a hand.

Action gets back to the aggressive guy and he raises all in. I put aggressive guy on draw. Which is why he check raised. If he had a king he would have led out.

I am prepared to call with my middle pair and race against the aggressive guy, however I have no clue at all where I stand with the guy behind me. So I fold.

The guy behind calls and they both turn over their cards. Aggressive guy has an ace high flush draw. Guy behind me has queen, 10. A pair of tens with open ended straight draw. The 3rd diamond came on the turn.

I was saved money by the guy behind me when I shouldn't even have been playing this hand to begin with.

1:55 AM. The loose aggressive guy takes his chips over to 5/10. Our table has dwindled down to 3 players. What a blast it is to play live shorthanded no limit!

2:01 AM. I'm now playing heads up! What a treat! This never happens live.

2:06 AM. Bellagio poker room manager is trying to get me and this other fellow to switch to a table with 8 or 9 players at it. We both decline.

2:08 AM. Bellagio poker room manager tells me they're going to take full rake from our game even though we're two handed since there are other tables we can go sit at. I say "no thanks" to moving tables and tell him that I'm fine with paying full rake.

2:10 AM. Bellagio poker room manager finally shuts us down. Says he can't keep the table open for 2 players. I'm not sure why since the dealer wants to deal (and be tipped rather than sit on the sidelines) and we want to play. But that's life. He tells me I have to switch to another table. He forgets that I have another option.

It's a place called home.