Good Start in Biloxi...

This is not my first time to Biloxi, but it is my first time playing poker at the Gulf Coast casinos. After an arduous trans-Atlantic trip I decided to take my first shot at the Casinos. After reading some posts on 2 + 2 I choose the Beau Rivage as my first casino. I gave myself a 300 "allowance" for the week and went with the intentions of playing the $100 tournament (that I read about on the BB). However, when I got there they were running bigger tournaments to compete with the IPs tournaments (IP Classic). The buy-in was $300 + 40. I was ready to play a tournament so I figured I might as well blow my load and take a shot at the $15K guaranteed payout. With good play and some luck I was able to win the tourney-- well kind of. The game was supposed to pay 9, but we all agreed to give 10th place their money back. When it got to 8 a chop, based on chip count, was proposed. I was the chip leader at the time and we all agreed. I took in $3200. I was sitting at 51K in chips with 2 shorts stacks (under 6K), 2 others sitting at about 25-30K and the rest somewhere in between. The deal proposed probably wasn't the best deal for me--but I accepted it for 2 big reasons. First, I was wiped out. 30 hours of travel yesterday and 7 hours of grinding it out had me looking forward to getting back to the room and crash (after posting). Second, first place paid a little over 6K... but, if you win over 5K you must fill out a tax form and give uncle sam his "share". Realistically I would have finished no worse than 6th (of course I thought I'd win). The chop would have put my pay out a little higher than the 3rd place spot. With these two factors I went along--with factor one being the more important factor. Possibly a mistake... I probably should have waited it out a few minutes to see what happened to the two guys on life support--it could have made me a bit more--but I was happy to walk a way with 10 times my investment.

Three very interesting hands I want to talk about. The first hand was significant, and it crippled me in a big way. I was BB and was dealt 88. Starting chip count 4K, Single blind of 25 chips. Four guys limped in and I raised to 200 and got one caller. Since I didn't get re-raised I felt comfortable that I had the best starting hand, but I still wanted a favorable flop--and boy did I get it! Flop fell J-9-8 rainbow. Of course I was a little worried about a Q-T but didn't think it was likely. I noticed that the guy was watching me when the flop rolled out so I guessed that he felt confident on his ability to read people. I intentionally overbet the pot... throwing in 700. Then I put on a little acting job. I stared dead at him and held my breath. I noticed he read my "bluff" tells and made the call... I was expecting that he would raise after carefully watching me. However he only called... I was putting him on A-9 or T-J. The turn brought another 9. Obviously I was thrilled!!! I felt the best course of action was to put out an intentionally mediocre bet of 1.4K and gave the same stare down/breath holding hoping he would go over the top. He watched me and was thinking hard, now I was convinced he had A-9 and was hoping he was also on a flush draw. Unfortunately (I thought at the time) he only called. The river was devistating. Another J, one of the 3 cards I feared. I new I was screwed and checked. He bet a scared 700. I had 1700 and considered pushing on the now bluff. It was to early to know if he'd lay it down so I didn't. I was also too stubborn to pass (probably a mistake), I called... sure enough, he filled up his A-9 on the river. I was feeling pretty down, but before the first break I clawed back to 2900 and was feeling a lot better. I played well and soon got back in healthy chip-count zone.

The next hand I want to talk about was my "lucky" hand. I have heard it said that you have to get lucky in a big tournament to win, and this was no exception. Blinds were 300/600 and a 25 or 50 ante. I was small blind with K-J of diamonds. Everyone folded to the button, one of the big stacks and a guy who had regularly been stealing blinds, he raised to 1800. I called and was left with around 3500. The BB also called and he was left with about 4500. The flop came J-7-3 all unsuited but no diamond. I pushed All-in (a move which I believe was correct). The BB thought for about 30 seconds and called, button folded. I said to the BB "you have an ace kicker don't you". He said yes and flipped of the A-J off. I stood up and was gathering my stuff... then a King fell on the river. Of course I was ecstatic, but I felt somewhat bad (since I am usually on the other end of that luck). I said "you had the best hand, I got lucky". The guy was steaming! At first he just nodded, but about 5 minutes later he called me a donkey. I chuckled and said that he could call it what he wanted but I still had almost all of his chips. He later came up and said he was sorry--he was just upset. I told him "that's too bad, I'd rather have you steaming". With my suck out I was in a lot more comfortable position and could relax a bit.

The next important hand came with 11 players left. I was on the button and the extremely aggressive, fairly loose Asian guy raised the pot. He and I were real close in chip count, I had him by a couple hundred chips (2 or 4 I can't remember). I was the chip leader at the table (6 person) and was holding AJ off. Blinds were something like 600/1200 with a 100 ante. As I said he raised from middle position and made it 3500 to go. I re-raised to 7K and he called. Flop came A-Q-8 rainbow. He was first to act and shoved all his chips in, around 20K. I had seem him play a lot of A-rag and knew that was a strong possibility. I felt AK or AQ was EXTREMELY unlikely, but I did fear A8 or a set of 8s. It was definitely a huge over bet, and we were on the bubble so I decided the non-paired A rag was more likely. I called and was relieved to see A3 suited. The turn was no help for him and killed his flush draw. The river was a blank and I was in great position and sailed into the money.

All in all, I was surprised at what I saw here. I expected generally poor play, but the game was much better than I expected. Of course there were a few bad players, but all in all it was a quality field. I don't know if it was normal for this area or not. A bunch of guys were stopping by Biloxi on their way back, or in conjunction with a trip to Tunica for the WSOP and WTP circuits and were not locals. We'll see next weekend!

Building my Poker Table: Day after 3++

The main portion for today was to finish the rail. I thought stapling the rail would be a pain, but I had no idea how labor intensive this portion of the project would be. HOLY CRAP, the rail is a lot of work and a major pain!! I bought a Craftsman staple gun and it was definitely up to task... but the stapling wasn't the hard part--it was the vinyl pulling and the foam compressing that was the hard work. This was, by far, the most strenous portion of the project so far (not the hardest from a skill standpoint, but definitely the most work). The first picture for today is a picture of the rail with the foam glued down. The foam was cut in 6 pieces, so I was worried about the seam. To remedy this I placed a very thin black piece of foam over top of the thick foam (not pictured). It must have worked because you can not feel the seam in the final product. The next few pics are attaching the vinyl to the rail. I used Whisper vinyl (its pleather like) and I HIGHLY recemend springing the extra bucks on this vinyl. After completing the rail I couldn't help myself and had to lay the felt on top and place the cup holders to get an idea of how the final product would look... and I took a picture (and played a few hands too!). The last picture is the first coat of stain on the rail. Hopefully, if the bigger felt comes in, I will have it finished in time for Thursday nights game!!!

Building my Poker Table: Day 3++

Well, I haven't posted pictures in a while, but we have been working on the table a little. However, we ran into a few snags. First problem, holiday season and free time was limited. On the days I was able to work on the table the shop was closed! The next problem we ran into was creating the holes for the cup holders. I purchased a large hole bit for the drill that would have worked perfect, but the hole was a shade to big. I wanted a very tight fit for the cup holders, and the hole bit produced a fit that was just too loose. Next we tried using a jigsaw. This worked, but the hole was ugly (in retrospect it would have been fine, and I wasted too much time trying to get "nice" holes), if we had a blade with more TPI the jigsaw would have been fine. Finally we settled on a plunge router to get the job done. The plunge router worked fine, but it was a major pain. For the base we borrowed a roto-zip. I didn't think that the tiny bit would cut through 3/4" plywood, but it did! Plus it had a circle jig that made the process really easy. Bottom-line, I recommend picking up a roto-zip for a project like this. After cutting the holes we drilled the holes in the table-top and base to sink the t-nut and bolt the base to the top. Then we brought the project to my house to "upholster" the table. Here we ran into another problem. The suited felt I ordered was too small (width wise). New felt has been ordered and is on the way. Today we will pad the rail and start staining the racetrack. If the felt gets here by Wed then we can finish the table and hold a cash game on Thurs (then I'm off to Mississippi for a month). Below are pictures of the race track, base and playing surface.

Building my Poker Table: Day 2

First order of business today was to cut out the lip for the rail. We cut an inch and a half off the racetrack/felt level. That will give the rail a perfect snug fit when placed over the racetrack. Pictured is the rail and the lip before being glued.

The lip glued and screwed to the underside of the rail.


Then clamped so the glue can dry.
Next was the most important cut, separating the racetrack from the felt. This is important because it will be the only visible cut (that isn't covered by something). Yesterday was pretty much the first time I'd used a jigsaw so I was a bit nervous. However, the cut came out almost perfect... I was psych'ed!!!
Tested to make sure the rail fit over the race track.

Had to put all the pieces together to see if they fit. The center will be the felt, the middle the stained wood racetrack and the outside the padded vinyl covered rail.

All that is left (for the shop) is cutting the base and attaching the legs. Also, I need to put the cup holders in the racetrack (which will be a pain). I might skip the cup holders. I bought the jumbo size holders, they are 4.25" wide, but only require a hole 3.5" in diameter (there is a lip). The racetrack is only 5" (exposed), so I am concerned they may be too much. I'll have to decide tomorrow! After tomorrow I should be able to move the project home for the foaming, felting, staining, padding, vinyling, etc...

Building my Poker Table: Day 1

Well, construction has begun... and thus far I am very satisfied with both the progress and quality. So far we have cut out the rail completely and have cut down the racetrack/felt level. It doesn't look like much, but it is most of the major cuts. Tomorrow we should have most, if not all of the major cuts complete. Pictured below is will be the rail.

Established in Italy!

Since arriving in Italy I've played in a few home games. All have been fun, but none have been close to the game in Japan. The game was, and assume still is, a pretty remarkable game. The level of play exceeds the level of play that is found in most middle stakes casino games. The professionalism of the game is also phenomenal! Needless to say, I really miss the game. I've considered flying back to Japan twice a month for the game, but I'd have to win every tournament and take every chip in the cash game to break even... and that isn't realistic for anyone. So, my other option is to try to recreate Ryan's game here in Italy. In fact, this blog site is pretty much a copy of Ryan's.

So, step one is to build a table (if you build it they will come). I've ordered and received all the supplies needed. Today I am heading up to the hobby shop to begin construction, and I will post updates and pics of the table. I decided to go with the suited cloth, even though I prefer the feel of velveteen or poker felt.

Step two is to get a good set of chips. Well, lucky for me my wife handled that for me. For Christmas she gave me a home poker player's dream--1,430 Paulson National Poker Series chips and 10 plaques!! Also on the way, 4 decks of Kem!

Step three, build a player pool. Already well on it's way. With the arrival of one of the "Japanese" players--J. Herring--I have one guy who knows were the game can go. I also have a lot of guys I work with that like to play, and more from the people I've met at other home games. The only problem, every tourney around here seems to be a $20 freeze-out and cash games are virtually non-existent. The first tourney I run will have to be a $20 re-buy, with a cash game to follow. I think once people learn the beauty of a ring game they will be willing to welcome it into their regular poker schedule.

On a closing note, I would like to say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Although a few of us were around since the beginning of the Japan game, it was/is essentially Ryan's game. So I'd like to use Ryan's game as the standard and hopefully this game will measure up to the game in Japan. Kudos to Ryan for setting up a great game!!!!!

Stay tuned for more info.