A Poor Ending To A Pleasant Day

Good evening.

I just made it home after another trip to Oklahoma's Winstar Casino, where I played another session of poker resulting in a win. I've been extremely lucky to have numerous winning sessions that are keeping my wife and I afloat financially. For the past month I have made about two trips a week to Winstar in order to make a little extra money to help things out at home. I didn't expect to win enough times in a row to actually make this sort of thing a real option, but it has been going very well.

After tonight's winnings of $265, I have won more than $1,600 in about five weeks of poker playing (including a game outside of Winstar in Weatherford). Since my buddy James wanted to get a little insight into my play each time I go to Oklahoma, I am doing my part and putting down into words my experience.

Like I said in the previous paragraph, tonight I won $265 after playing for seven hours. That equates to a little more than $37.75 an hour of work. Not bad.

I don't have a ton of stories about specific hands except for my final hand for the night. But before we get to that, I doubled up early in the session when my pocket eights hit an eight on the flop. The pre-flop raiser (who didn't see two cards he never liked) bet the flop and the turn, which led to us getting all the money in on the turn. He held kings and I won the pot.

I later lost about $60 of my stack when I had 8-6 and hit a six on the turn after it was checked around on the flop. I called a bet of $10 and it was heads-up going to the final card. The river was an eight and the original bettor (one of the blinds) put out $25. I raised the minimum with my two pair and was called by a higher two pair (J-6, he checked with a jack on the flop).

Won that money back a little later (and some more) with pocket threes when I flopped another set. A few hours later won a nice pot when I turned a flush with A-4 of clubs. The board was 10-J-Q-K. A kid who couldn't have been more than 19 called my turn bet of $10. The river put an ace on the board for a straight. I bet $30 hoping he would think I was just trying to get him off the straight that was out on the board. He called and I showed my flush.

I won a few more medium size pots with trip jacks and two pair. At the end of the night I was sitting at exactly $600 (and I had bought in for $200 resulting in a $400 profit for you math wizards). I went to get a rack so I could go home after a long day and told the table the hand being dealt would be my last. Well, since we know I only took away $265 in profit, the ending is already known. So here is the rest of the story.

My final hand became my next to final hand. I got A-6 of diamonds and called the two dollars. It was raised by the guy on my left who had $500 in front of him. He made it $16 pre-flop and I decided if I could hit something good (like diamonds or sixes) then I would make some good money. I missed the flop and folded as he reached for money.

Then I started to finish stacking my chips up when the dealer dealt me in for one more hand. I said, "Sure, why not. One more hand everyone." I looked down as I was racking my money to see two black kings. Crap! I raised it to $10 and was called by two people (one being the young kid I had beat earlier in the night with the flush when the straight was on the board, who had about $30 after the pre-flop call). The flop was 9-4-3 with two diamonds and one heart. I bet $15 and was called by both people. I didn't like being called by both, but felt I was still sitting okay with my two kings. The turn was the seven of hearts, presenting a board of 9-4-3-7 with two diamonds and two hearts. I quickly bet $50 knowing the kid could only call for a little less than $20 and hoping my aggressiveness would push the second guy out of the pot. I regretted the bet as soon as I made it and had I been thinking clearly probably would have bet less so I could get away from the hand if I was raised. I was met with a call by the kid and then a push for all in by the second guy. It was another $45 to call from me. So that put $235 in the pot and it was $45 to call. I kind of knew I was beat by one of them but was hoping it was the kid who had me beat and I could salvage some of this from the side pot by the second guy if he was on a flush draw.

Sadly, it was the kid on the flush draw and the second guy who had flopped a set of threes. The river was another nine and I didn't catch up. Sad day, but I still had money and it was still a good day.

That was about it for today. Tomorrow I will list my wins and losses for the past month to give you an idea of how I am doing at this little dream come true. Until then.