TR SNIPPET LAUGHLIN HARRAH'S POKER

I waited 45 minutes one afternoon for a seat. Then I was put on a “must move” table. I liked that because I had watched the main game and was the first to move into it.

The game could raise to high stakes because it had a full kill. $12 is a lot for me to bet. That seems a bit silly because it is just an opening bet on any no limit table, however, it is huge on a limit game.

I don't really know why I got creamed each session. There were tight players and there were good players, but there were also the usual poor players. No maniacs. Rarely was there a preflop raise and rarer still a reraise.

I lost.

Still, for the most part I liked the game.

I flopped the wheel straight once in first position. I check raised, (pocket jacks bet to my left) and everyone stayed with me.

Too bad that round was not a kill game. My straight held up and I still had callers on the flop.

My worst hand was holding A-K when A-A-6 flopped and my final opponent held pocket sixes. He raised me on the turn, and the river did not help me with A-K or another pair.

The people were tourists, but in general not bad players. One fellow was pretty bad. He kept talking about his strategy and about playing on line. Once when I caught the Broadway nut straight in first position, I checked the river hoping to check raise.

No one bet.

Afterward that online poker playing fellow sort of lectured me that I should have bet because I might have gotten some callers. He asked me why I had not bet and I said, “Oh, I don't know,” and it never dawned on him that I was trying to trap.

My worst played hand was 10-4 of spades. I just felt like it. It flopped two pair and then a 4 on the river gave me a full house. I bet it all the way, but I did not get called on the river.

I tossed cards for most of the time, and only remember one hand that would have won, and that one was on the river which I would never have paid to see.

It is hard to have these bad card streaks. When I toss away hand after hand, and even the cards I toss would not have won, would not have made it past the river, then I know that luck is really against me.

This was that sort of trip.