Pre-Trip Trip Report
Off to Niagara Falls for a poker weekend, so I thought I’d write up a Pre-Trip Trip Report. Now that it’s here, I’m looking forward to it more and more. Still unsure what I’m going to play. I lost a lot of money playing live poker over the last year or so, so I’m leaning to just playing some 2/4 Limit and enjoying being away for the weekend playing poker. I’ll probably end up starting off at the NL tables Friday night and if something bad happens (whether it’s my fault or not), switching to Limit. Here’s a list of various things…
What I’m looking forward to:
- Fried Chicken Wrap at the deli in the casino.
- Staying at a hotel (always nice to get away every once in a while).
- Free breakfast at the Hampton Inn (good spread…really).
- Seeing what my Prius does on the ‘open’ road (currently getting 47 MPG in everyday traffic).
- Catching up on podcasts during the drive.
- Handling cards and chips.
- Sitting in seats 2,3,8, or 9…my favorite seats because you can see just about everybody.
- Massage girl in the poker room. Wonder if she’s still there.
- Butterflies in the stomach as I approach the poker room.
- Free alcohol.
- Winning monies.
What I’m not looking forward to:
- Not playing how I know I can and should (this is a problem for me live).
- People driving too slow in the first level of the parking garage hoping to find a spot close to the door. The garage is four levels. Believe me, there are TONS of spots right next to the door if you just drive right to the third level and don’t even bother with the first two levels. They have these things called elevators (if you don’t or can’t walk the small flight of steps)…they work well. This also goes for the person who spots someone leaving and sits there blocking everybody behind them because they’re too stupid to realize there are about 38,283 free spaces beyond that ONE car that someone is taking their sweet ass time getting into. (Sorry…got a little carried away there.)
- Getting stuck in seats 1 or 10, right next to the dealer.
- People not flipping their hands up at the end of the hand. “what do you have?” “What do YOU have?” “Can you beat 2 pair?” Oh for God’s sake…flip up your fucking hands so we can get on with it. This isn’t the WSOP…we’re not going to suddenly be able to read your soul because you showed a hand when you didn’t have to.
- Missing two important Pens games on TV…both of which could have a huge impact on the standings.
- Straddles.
- Losing monies.
What I expect to see:
- At least one drunk guy at each table I’m at (except for early afternoon sessions).
- The donk who can’t miss. He’ll build a huge stack, only to lose it all and I will get none of it.
- At least one person who constantly changes seats, hoping to ‘change his luck’.
- Someone who claims it’s their first time playing.
- At least 2 people fail horribly at putting me on a hand. I don’t know if this is because they generally suck at putting people on hands or it’s because how can they figure out what I’m doing when even I don’t know what I’m doing?
- At least one argument which will result in the floor being called. This is usually over a bet, whether someone feels it was a string bet, the dealer didn’t hear someone, etc.
- At least 3 people ordering vodka and Red Bull. On a related note, 3 people (not neccesarily the same people) will complain the waitress is not coming by often enough.
- If I play Limit, at least 2 people who are used to playing NL and will complain that “you can’t force anybody out”.
- If I play Limit, at least 2 people who claim they never win with aces. Never.
- If I play Limit, someone who can’t remember it’s $2 bets in the first two rounds, and $4 on the last two rounds.
- If I play NL, someone questioning someone else on “how could you make that call?”
- If I play NL, a young kid with an iPod who won’t speak one word the whole time I’m there.
- If I decide to take notes, at least 2 people will ask what I’m writing. At least one of these people won’t be able to see the value in writing hands down and reviewing them later.
Should be fun. I’ll try to post trip report(s) when I get back. Wish me skill!