A Night at the Oaks

Staying in Emeryville overnight to catch Cal-Arizona tomorrow. After trolling around Berkeley, my young friends and I hit the Oaks card room. The 3 of them have never played in a casino. They had a $1-$2 game which was perfect for them. None of them won, but they got all the first time jitters out of the way and had fun. I sat down at a $15-$30 game briefly and won $125 in the two orbits before it broke. Sat in a $6-$12 game briefly waiting for the $30-$60. My name is called and I buy in for $1000.

I don't think I've every played $30-$60 before. Whatever. Its limit poker and the amounts don't really matter at all- its just the number of bets. I post $15 behind the button and get 56ss. I flop a flush draw, raise the flop for a free card, and hit on the river. This game is easy.

I claw my way up about $500. Its a very comfortable table. Rare 3-bets. Very ABC for the most part. Asian woman at the other end of the table raises my BB and I make a very soft call with A2. Flop 8-4-2 and I check-raise her. She 3 bets me. Hmmm. I think she's FOS and call. She check-calls both the turn and river and her AK is no good. She tilts a bit.

A few hands later she rasies pre-flop again and I call from the SB with A8hh. I flop the nut flush Q-T-7. I bet out, call, call and then she raises. I call. It gets raised again. She raises again. wow. I've got the nuts. I actually lose track of the betting for a moment and it looks silly when I try to reraise and they tell me its already capped. Meh. The turn bricks. I bet, get a caller and then she raises again. wow. I look again to make sure there is no straight flush out there. There isn't . I have the nuts. I reraise. This is the biggest pot of the night. Both players call. The river brings a miserable ten, pairing the board. Oh well, the poker gods didn't shine on me there. Check-check and then she bets of course. I wonder whether a fold is correct, but again, its limit hold em, the pot is ginormous, and, well, I call. She has QQ for the flopped set and winning boat. Meh. I believe we both played the hand correctly, as she had odds to call and I had value to bet/raise the whole way.

Crawled back a bit after this to end the night +$500 or so, but losing a $1200+ pot in the middle was not in the plan.