Hustler instead of Commerce

So yeah, I went gambling last night because I needed the money. But while that was the main reason I went, I have to admit that it wasn’t the only reason …

Normally, when I want to play serious poker to earn money, I go play $4-8 7-Card Stud at the Commerce. Historically, I have seen my biggest wins at those tables in terms of real dollars (rather than buy-ins) – including the night that I won a grand in a few hours. Also, I consider myself better at Limit 7-Card Stud than at No Limit Hold ‘Em. But all the back-and-forth with Billy lately about my most recent session at the Hustler kind of made me feel that I had some unfinished business there. I didn’t just want to win my $150 playing poker; I wanted to win that $150 plus interest back from the Hustler.

I had a score to settle.

Also, I was feeling a little competitive. From reading Jun's poker stories, it sounded like he's been doing pretty well. I mostly play Stud these days, and I admit that it comes easier to me than does Hold 'Em, but I'm still not quite ready to surrender the Hold 'Em crown to any of my friends. I consider myself a contender in that group, too. Besides, I can't have Billy thinking I'm a total donk just because I typically play loose. I wanted to show him (and myself) that I could win at Hold 'Em by playing tight-aggressive poker just like the next guy. So yes, I wanted to win money. But I felt like I had something to prove as well.

So down I drove to Gardena, a man on a mission. I made sure to turn right getting off the 110 instead of left towards Compton. :-) (On a side note, I heard last night that they opened a new casino called Crystal Park in Compton. But instead of having a Compton address, the Casino owners decided to create a new city called the Crystal Park inside of Compton. The boundaries of the city are just the casino grounds. They figured no one would show up if the cardroom was in Compton, so they are trying to fool people by claiming it’s in the city of Crystal Park. How crazy is that???)

Anyway, I got there and was happy to find that there was no wait. I sat right down in a game, and it was perfect. I had forgotten how sweet the tables can be at Hustler sometimes. I know I mentioned in another recent post that at most casinos these days it’s pretty difficult to find a lot of bad players at one table. But last night I hit the jackpot – not a lot of bad players but a lot of mediocre ones. There was only one player I would give credit for Level 3 play. There was also a Level 1 player (total fish), and the rest were all Level 2 players.

Nice.

[If you don’t know what I mean by Levels, consult my February 15 article.]

Though it may seem counterintuitive, in my opinion this is almost the ideal setup. You might think that it’s best to play at a table full of fish. I admit, those games can be extremely profitable, but you need to have two things – a lot of time and a pretty big bankroll. The reason is that you’re going to take more than your fair share of bad beats, due to the schooling phenomenon (many fish = school). You get a lot of players on most flops, and the players aren’t sophisticated enough to respond correctly to your subtleties. You’re just going to have to wait for the really great hands to come along, and even these will sometimes get cracked. The big advantage is that you get paid off well when you do connect.

For myself, however, I prefer to play with a bunch of Level 2 players. This is the best setup for a Level 3 player who’s on a limited bankroll (like 2-3 buy-ins). These players are more bluffable, because tend to think making big laydowns is a sign of great play. They also are more likely to fold to a raise preflop with marginal hands, so it’s easier to isolate opponents in pots. Finally, they are not as good at disguising their hand strength. A Level 3 player should be able to pick these players apart fairly easily, by pushing them when ahead and getting out when it’s obvious the player has a hand. Complete fish can actually be more difficult to read.

So I made the money I needed in about 90 minutes, just by playing good tight aggressive poker. I took on the weaker players and avoided the other Level 3 guy (who had been the chip leader until I arrived). I got lucky once or twice. And I played well. When you’re playing well and you're getting lucky – it’s a great combination.

About an hour into the session, I was rolling. I was making great reads, playing my position and sensing weakness in others. But I decided not to be greedy. Once I covered what I needed to pay the bills, I played conservatively for another 20 minutes and hit the road whistling. I’m not sure if that was the correct decision or not. The pros say not to leave a game as long are you’re playing well and the money’s flowing in the right direction. Maybe I sacrificed some potential profit. But as I mentioned in my last post, this was not just another session to me. So I decided to play it safe.