Sunday, November 26, 2017

Chasing The Promo

This is the last of three parts. Part 1 is here, part 2 is here, and we pick up right where we left off....

Well the football game ended and I still was two stamps short of filling out the card.  And I was somehow down to about $60 in front of me.  At one time, I was up over $150, so it was really annoying that I was down so much.  I knew I was playing badly and I couldn't stop thinking of Kevin's story of losing over $700 chasing the promo.  I decided that wasn't going to be me.

So I committed not to rebuy or add on any chips.  If I couldn't fill out that promo card with just the $60 in front of me, so be it, my stop loss was going to be $200 for this night.  But two things caused me to reconsider—at least somewhat.  One, for some reason I had been thinking all night that the prize for filling out the card after the game but before midnight was only $100.  Suddenly that didn't sound right.  Maybe it was $200?  I went to check.  It was $200. OK, that made it seem a little more worthwhile to pursue.  The other thing was, I realized that ~$50 was enough to either play poker with or get the pots up to $40 (without just shoving every time I had a potential flush or boat and hoping to get a call).  Obviously I needed a little more money to have a fighting chance.  And I figured that for $200 it was worth it (don't tell me that the math proves me wrong). 

I reached for my money clip and was going to buy another $100.  But I happened to notice that I had three twenty dollar bills in there.  I decided topping off my stack with $60 was a decent compromise.  I wouldn't be abusing the stop loss much if I ended up down $260 for the night.  So I bought $60 more chips.  But I was absolutely not going to lose one penny more than that.  Nope.

With Ace-Queen off I opened to $10 and it was three-way.  The flop was Ace-high and I bet $20 and it was heads up.  I checked what I thought was a blank turn. The river was a bad card—I didn't record the board but I saw that there were 4 to a straight out there.  All he needed was an 8 for the straight.  So when the guy led out for $40, I went into the tank and then decided to fold.

With Ace-Queen again, I called $7 and it was heads up.The flop was Ace-high, I called $15. We checked a blank turn.  I called $15 on the river.  He had Ace-5 and I took it.

Very next hand I raised to $10 with Ace-King and it was four-ways.  I bet $20 on a King-4-4 flop and there was one call.  No betting on the turn.  I bet $30 on the river, an Ace, but he didn't call.

I limped in from the button behind a bunch of limpers with pocket deuces.  I flopped a set, it checked to me, I bet $6.  Only got one call.  I bet $10 on the turn and he called. I bet $20 on the river and didn't get the call.  Would have been nice if the board had paired so I could get my stamp for that but no dice.

An orbit or two later, back on the button, I limped in with 9-7 of diamonds behind a bunch of limpers.  The flop was 8-6-2—all diamonds.  Well there was my flush.  But in order to get a stamp for it I had to a) win the pot and b) get the pot over $40.  It was tricky for sure.  I mean, I might have already been losing to a bigger flush—certainly very possible with all those limpers. Another diamond could really kill me.  But I couldn't just bet big to get everyone out because the pot wouldn't be big enough (and because I might be getting it in bad).  And besides....is someone ever folding a naked Ace of diamonds there?  Not in the games I play in.

Of course, I had the open ended straight flush draw.  If I hit it, that would be a wild card and I could choose what stamp I wanted—assuming the pot was over $40.  Anyway, I bet $10 and got one call.  The turn was a blank and I bet $20, he called.  The river was not what I wanted, another 6 to pair the board.  Ugh.  And then....he donked out $40, his first aggressive action of the hand. Did he really fill up on the river?  Damn.

I tanked, but it didn't make a lot of sense for him to have a boat there.  Oh, I suppose if he flopped two pair or a set on a monotone board he might have been just calling to go for the boat—maybe. But with the possibility of my getting a stamp on the line, I went ahead and called.  Would I have called if the promo wasn't on the line?  I think so.

Anyway, he had Jack-8! He admitted he was just trying to steal it, thinking the paired 6 was a scare card for me.  I told him that it might have worked if I hadn't need the flush for the the parlay card. So I got the stamp for the flush....just one  stamp to go!

I called $7 from the button with Jack-10.  Four of us saw a flop of King-10-x.  I called $15.  There was no betting on a blank turn.  The river was a Jack and it checked around.  I was a little concerned about the straight so I didn't bet.  But my two pair was good.

For some reason my notes were incomplete on a hand I lost with pocket Queens.  I opened preflop to $10, and a guy called $15 when I bet the flop with an over pair.  I checked/called $25 on both the turn and the river, and the river card completed his gutshot—he had Jack-7.

In late position I limped in behind a bunch of limpers with King-10 off.  The flop was Queen-Jack-x, I called $10 and it was either heads up or three of us.  I'm pretty sure I called a bet on the turn but I didn't make a note of it and it couldn't have been too much.  The river was nice, a 9, giving me the nuts.  Lucky for me, the guy who had been betting put out $30.  I thought for a bit and made it $100. I only had about $50-$60 left after that and the $100 was just slightly less than his stack.  He suddenly was in great pain, agonizing over the decision.   "Oh god....King-10?  Oh man, I don't know....."  he went on like this for more than a little while but finally said, "OK, I call."  Sweet.  He had Queen-9.  That 9 really was a great card for me.  It was the biggest pot I won all night I believe.

This guy was with his buddy, who was sitting between us.  The buddy then went on and on to his friend about what a bad call that was, how he should have known I had the straight, and kind of beat up his pal verbally over the call. Sometimes it's easy to miss a straight like that, but he even said "King-10?" when I raised so he didn't miss it.  But as long as the guy is giving him lessons after the hand, I don't have a problem.  I do think that maybe he should have waited until they were away from the table to berate his friend.

Then I raised to $10 with Ace-King, it was heads up.  The flop was Queen-high and I bet $15 and he called.  The turn was a blank and it went check-check.  The river was another blank—I had Ace high.  But he checked again.  He was an older gentleman.  I decided to take a shot and bet $25.  He folded.  I suppose it was possible I was bluffing with the best hand.

To explain this next hand, I have to explain another promo MGM had going at this time (which I think is still going).  It is the Full House Pyramid.promo.  I think I've explained this before, but every week they randomly pick three pocket pairs and if you make a full house with one of those three pocket pairs you win a progressively bigger prize.  Once a certain full house is made, it is no longer eligible for the prize.  For this period, it was 10's, 5's and 3's.  But all the full houses with 3's had been made already (in other words, every conceivable 3's full hand was made and paid off already).  So there was just a few 10's full and 5's full hands left. Now in the brief time I had waiting for a table earlier, I had written down what hands were still available.  The next boat to hit was worth $599.

Got it? 


Well, I was dealt pocket 10's.  it was the first time all night I had been dealt a "pyramid" hand.  I immediately knew that if I could 10's full I had a chance of winning the promo and also completing my parlay card.  Very much a long shot of course.  Sadly, this was another hand that I made my notes about way later and forgot most of the details.  I think I called a small raise.  I didn't catch my set, but the flop was 8-8-2.  I quickly glanced at my notes and noted that 10's full of 8's was eligible for the pyramid promo. So if I hit a two-outer, I could score on both promos. I called a smallish bet with my overpair.  The turn was a blank, I can't remember if there was betting or not.  So I sat there praying for a miracle 10 on the river.  Nope, no 10.  However, it was another 8.  So I did have full house.  I would complete the parlay card if I won the hand.  I checked the rake it was at least $4 so I was covered there.  I remember thinking that the way the action had been it was extremely unlikely anyone had an 8.  And I'm pretty sure that 10's were still an overcard.  So I made a bet—but only $10.  I guess I was too distracted by the thought of completing my parlay card to reason out a better bet.  I got a call and he said, "I've got a boat," but he showed pocket 6's.  My 8's full of 10's were good, It qualified for the final stamp, and I had scored $200 for the football promo.

I was happy, but I couldn't help thinking how much nicer it would have been if the river was a 10.  I mean, realistically, there was just a good a chance as the river being one of the two remaining 10's as there were of it being one of the two remaining 8's, right? 

As soon as I got paid, I called it a night.  All told, I left up $305--$105 for the poker and $200 for the promo.  Turned out to be a pretty good night.  And a good decision to invest another $60 when I did.


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