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Not sure why but I still love this fries dude

Great Trip Report (in the forum) from Clayshooter
http://clayshooter222.blogspot.com/
he shoots at flying spheres of clay and wins Poker Tourneys then writes about it. Check out his fine bloggage!


Hiya all,

Been shooting in Atlanta for a week and then a business conference in Puerto Rico. I know, life is rough.

I'll update my website about the shooting, I took 9th in the World event in Atlanta. I was third high American. I was in second place after my Thursday-Friday which I thought was good as I was only 4 targets behind 14 time world champion, 133/150 and top 6 went to a shootoff in the stadium. Other shooters could shoot Sat-Sun, so I was not assured of a shootoff berth. We had cold and rainy weather and so my showing was paticularily good. Fate would deal a cruel blow as the weather was perfect Sat-Sun and 5 brits advanced above me to the shootoff. Weather was the main difference as I missed the shootoff by two targets.

Shooting was fun but I have to tell you about the poker, I mean what good is this post in a poker forum without some kind of report, right?

The Conquistidor Hotel in Puerto Rice is a five star hotel and with my broker dealer picking up the tab...I'm living the high life this week. The hotel has a casino and the casino has ONE poker table. Yes, only one. The game starts at 9pm and breaks at 3am. It is a 5/10 limit game, $100 buyin minimum and full of people who make $500K a year so $100 means very lttle to most at this table.

I should start by saying that I have played about 6 times at casinos and stuck to 2/4 and 3/6. I know I can play with most anyone but I specialize in tourney play so both the fact that it is a limit game and it is above my comfort level were concerning. I thought I'd buyin the fisrt night and see how it goes.

My first table was a mix of playboys who thought they needed to show every hand...and so did everyone else. They were trying to get a read on what hole cards people were playing. I start off most tourneies playing loose and showing losers to expand the range of cards opponents will put me on later. This seemed to work as every pot was 4-5 handed. Play was loose and people were going to showdown with third and fourth pair but I just wasn't catching cards. After an three hours I had played three hands lost all and bought in for a total of $200. I had about $60 left and thought I should buyin again in case I get a big hand and want chips to get max value. I bought in for the third $100, swearing it was the last $100 for the night.

Long story short, I had a run where three mid PP in a row caught the flop making a set and two boats winners and I was counting $400 in chips after three hands. One hand alone was a $250 pot as my pocket 8's hit the 578 flop and I drew a boat on the turn. Good thing as the guy that fed my pot flopped a straight and didn't seem to mind capping the bets after the boat was poss.

I cashed out that night +$600. at 2:45am I made all the other progress when the table was short handed from 1:30 on. As the game was comming to an end people were playing crazy and I was catching cards, what a wonderful combination.

Day two saw a signup list with me at 14 and so I didn't get on until about 11:30pm. While I missed the first hour and a half, I sat down with a good feel for who could play as there were 6 new faces at the table. I watched the action from a nearby Roulette table where I kept myself amused and played even for the 1 1/2 hour wait. One of the new guys had his WSOP hat that he spent $10,000 for last year. He continually complimented me on my play and would avoid any pot with me, so I got table cred from the one guy who actually knew how to play!! sweet. Table of fish, pockets of gold. +$500

I'll update ya on the third night after I play tonight...

I can't thank my new friends here enough for the confidence and practice to play at the higher levels. I knew the money was more than I felt comfortable with but I knew that no one had my experience playing with a group as tough and cut-throught as the shark army. I know that if I can win here, I can win anywhere.

You can too. Thanks Shark!!

Beer, Chippie, NRG, TXDan, Sweetness, Born, Reel, Shark, Taj, Stewart, Carey Bear, and all my friends at the Shark Army....

I'm having a Bahama Mamma on you all!!

Later that trip......

Great to know everybody was reading my drivil...

OK, you have to hear this....

I'm at this conference I told ya about...living the high life wining on the $5/10 game enough to double my BR the first night. Then I follow that up with another $500+ winner the next night...it couldn't get any better, could it?

The sea, the rum, the string bikinis...oh my!

BUT... None of it compared to my third night.

I have to tell you the long version. If you have ADD - skip to the highlighted part at the end. There's no way you don't come back to here and read the whole thing.

I was kind frustrated that I couldn't get on the top of the list on my second night. The Casino director told me the list to play poker started at 7pm and he had 13 names on the list at 6:55, so i was slightly pissed. I did take comfort in cashing $520 the second night so I wasn't too pissed but I did want to be at the table when the game opened Sat night.

I decided to go the casino early, about noon, and talk to the manager. The Casino manager told me the lists starts when they open, AND they already had 14 names on the list for that nights game!! MOTHER F#@ker!!

I was pissed. I put myself down at 15 and prayed 5 of the guys above me would suffer from heat stroke on the golf course that afternoon, lol.

I was kinda bored and decided to play a little roulette and after running through $100 I had a win to get me to +$25. Note to self: $5 bet on 31 Black pays $175 when the little white marble does its job ;o).

I figured I ran through my luck there and so I watched some people play carribean stud poker. I'd never played and it took about 20 hands of watching before I jumped in to try my luck. About $100 later I figured it was not my game but I tried one last $25 bet and hit a flush that paid $150. Maybe this could be my new game..hmmmm.

I showed up at the poker table at 7pm hoping to get lucky and get a seat. I wasn't. Not only did I not get on the table but I was 4th on the waiting list and there was little hope I'd get on before midnight.

I was kinda pissed but figured it would be worth the wait so I drowned my sorrows on the roulette table. $100 in chips was quickly turned into $250 and I thought it best to quit ahead and try another game. I wondered over to the carribean stud game.

I waited about 30 minutes before a seat opened up. As a nice asian guy tried to politely sit down in front of me I tried to nicely point out that I had been waiting longer...when ...not again...there was a freakn list for this table too! He sits, I wait. Luckily no one else knew about the list and with a little help from the prettiest girl in the casino who I was chatting with, playing in the 6 seat, her dark black hair and flower tied amidts her long curly hair. The lowest cut black dress and .... Wait, Poker; yeah right - Poker. Whew, good thing we were both married...but I digress, she acknowldged I had waited the longest. So, I was first on the list and next in line when a seat opened.

About ten minutes later the seat next my new girl friend opened up when the guy next to her proclaimed, "gotta leave when yer ahead!" and I was happy to see him go. I sat down.

Now a few things you should know about this game; first, you have the option of paying the house $1 in the off chance that you get a flush or better and collect part of the jackpot. Second, you only get 5 cards. No community cards. You are basically playing against the dealer. The dealer basically folds with anything under AK, but plays AK and all hands better. If the dealer folds you get your bet matched, if you fold you lose your bet...you always act first. If you stay and the dealer "qualifies" you go to showdown but must bet twice your primary bet and so you stand to lose 3XB or win multiples of your bet based on hands you make. Royal is 100-1, one pair is 1-1; everthing between has a scheduled payout that is based on the probability you can make that hand.

After about ten hands I'm behind and not drawing anything. I double my bets hoping to hit something good. Then I pull this hand, I flip over my 5 cards and see a straight 2-6. No jackpot but still good. All cards are red, wait... a closer look reveals they are all diamonds. HOLY SHIT I calmly lay it down, placing my bet on the table. Now I'm praying the dealer qualifies as my hand pays 50-1 and I have $30 on the table. Cmon dealer. Dealer turns over her cards to reveal no qualifier...Damn, $1500 down the drain. BUT, I still have a piece of the jackpot. I know it, but nobody else does because I haven't let on yet. They know I have something cause I'm begging the dealer to qualify. I bump my girlfriend on the arm and interrupt her discussion with a player waiting to get in; I say "watch this" and point to my cards. She keeps talking. I again bump her, obviously interupting. " yer gonna want to watch this," I tell her.

The dealer turns over the 6, then the 5, then the 4. By now everybody is aware they are suited. Next she turns the 2. I left them out of order because you have to belive if someone hit it they would line the hand up...hehe. She says..."NO WAY" as the dealer spreads the cards to find the 3 on the bottom. I don't know who was happier, me or the people at my table. They just went nuts. A straight flush paid 10% of the jackpot which stood at $123,632.70; I'm sitting here admiring my check reciept fo $12,363.27!!
How about them apples?

I did play poker that night. I had this funny chip marker that looked like a check for $12,363, lol. I dropped $200 playing so loose I'd make the working girls in vegas look like nuns and I was loving every minute of it.

I think I'll see you all back on the table mid week. I'm sure I'll get a chance to tell this story a couple more times as I try to come down from my poker high this week. No one better then my shark army buds to keep me in line.

Clayshooter