Trip Report:

Terminal and I drove down Friday night to Biloxi, MS. We went to the Grand first. They have not reopened a poker room since Katrina. Our next stop was the Hard Rock Casino, they had about 6 tables. We ended up playing for a few hours, Friday night, at the Beau Rivage. Saturday morning we made it to IP for a $120 tournament. I only made it to the final two tables (I think 20th) out of the 83 people playing.

In the tourney I had a decent stack, about 20k, and in one hand I had pocket 9s and raised, the flop came J J 3. The wildman at the end of the table bet 3k and I called (I call him wildman because he cracked Aces by risking his tournament life with 4 5 off suit pre-flop). The turn was a K. Wildman bet 3k and I called. The river was an 8. Wildman went all in with about 10k. I thought he doesn't have it, but to call I would be left with 4 times the big blind if he did. I fold. Wildman turns over 4 2 off suit. I was on tilt. A few hands later I had A Q and made two pair on the river. Another player who had limped all the way through raised all in. I called and his straight (on the river) did not leave me with enough chips to post the blinds in the next hand.

Saturday afternoon we headed to Boomtown, they had 3 poker tables with players and only 4/8 limit games. So we went to the Isle of Capri in search of a no-limit game. There only tournament was already in play so we settled on a ring game. I played for about 10 hours, breaking only for dinner. The table was good. However betting was tight when I hit my 6 boats. The biggest hand I saw was a pot of over $1,000 going to a guy with a straight who beat out a set of aces and a set of fours on the river. The guy hit straights like crazy, and the man with pocket aces said, "he has the straight, but I have to call". My best hand was As 5s. The flop was 2s 3s 4c. I checked and then called a ten dollar bet. The turn was 4s. I checked and then low stack shoved all in for $27 dollars. When the others folded we were heads up, so I said, "I call, sorry you can't win". Then I flipped over the straight flush. He showed A 7 off suit and left the table in disgust. With small pots, for the hands I was winning, I hovered around $100 the entire time. I left up by about $40, this was mainly from the blackjack tables I played while I was waiting on a seat for any ring game.

Sunday we went back to the Isle and left because there was only one table of 4/8 limit. We then went by the Hard Rock, no one was playing poker there. So we decided to go back to the IP and I am glad we did. There were 6 tables with people playing, and 2 seats open on the 1/2 no-limit table. We sat down and Terminal started tearing it up on his first hand. There were 4 or 5 players with over $1,000 dollars on the table and the play was loose-aggressive. Almost every hand started with a $20 pre-flop raise, where most everyone called. Several pots exceeded $1,000 dollars and were won by pairing Aces with the board. Some players lost $600 dollars in chips, only to reach in their wallets and pull out another $600. The largest hand I saw was over $2,500 dollars when an Ace high flush beat a King high flush.

I took one bad beat. I had Kh 3h and decided to call the loose action. The flop was K 3 4. I bet, and then went all in to a re-raise. One player called. The turn and river were 2, 2. I showed my K 3, he showed 4 2 off suit and won with his runner, runner full house. Not a problem on this table. I reached for my wallet, pulled out more cash and won back my money. After an hour and a half we decided to start the 7 hour drive home and begrudgingly left some of the best poker action I have been a part of.

By the Numbers:

The Grand - no poker room
Hard Rock - 6 tables, $119 dollar comped rooms for 8 hours of play
Beau Rivage - 15 tables, $6 rake per player every 30 minutes, $99 dollar rooms per 5 hours
Isle of Capri - 7 tables, 10% rake up to $3 each hand and $2 jackpot rake, free buffet comps
Boomtown - 6 tables
IP - 15 tables, $6 rake per player every 30 minutes

-TD

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sfustsh: I just assumed johnny's post were him getting busted by a shortstack...

We leave right after work, and arrive about 11:00 PM local time. I had heard the grand had a nice poker room. Obviously my info was old as we were informed they used to , but that was before Katrina. They now have no poker room at all. We then went to the Hard rock, it was a small poker room and only had one table going of no-limit. So we decide to check out the Beau Rivage, which is right next door. They have a nice poker room with about 14 or 15 tables. Auto shufflers in all tables and a computerized system for the players card. The dealer swipes it and he then has your name on a screen in front of him. I lost my ass here. I left down a little over $300.00. I don't remember a lot of hands. I got several small pocket pairs in which someone always raised and there would be two or three callers so I would call hoping for the set which never came. I got one big PP with QQ. There were a couple of limpers to me I raise to $20.00 and the guy to my right calls. The flop is AKx, he checks to me and I hope he has something stupid since he limped, and I Cbet but he calls. We then check it down as I don't think he is going anywhere. He has AJ. As TD mentioned they rake $6.00 from every player every 30 minutes. Not sure I like that, but it was still a nice poker room.

We go to the IP and play in a $120.00 $10,000 guaranteed tourney. It has about 82 people in it. They also let you buy an addition 1000 chips for $10.00 before the tourney starts. I believe it started with 2500 plus the additional 1000, so started a total of 3500. The blinds increased every 20 minutes. The thing I didn't like was they start antes on the third level. The tourney is ran very professionally. They have a display which tells you the blind structure and a large countdown clock for when the blinds will increase again.

Pretty standard play for the most part. I got a bit of a boost right as the 2nd break started. I was in late position and they had just announced that the break would start when this hand ended. I have JTs. I decide that since most people seem to be throwing their cards in quick and headed out for break, that maybe I can steal some blinds. It works until it hits the short stack in the BB. He pushes all-in, I really don't want to call but with his stack size I am getting a little over 2:1, so I finally decide to call, he flips over K6o. Well there is an A on the flop a Q on the turn and then he hits his K on the river. The dealer starts to push the pot to him, when I point out that I have a straight. After break I go card dead. If I get a hand that might be worth raising someone always seemed to raise ahead of me and usually with a caller. I finally decide I have to do something or I am going to be blinded out. It's folded to me in the BB and I have 69s. So I push all-in and the BB starts in on how I am just trying to steal his blind and he finally calls with A5o. I flop two pair and double up. The very next hand I get A5s it is again folded to me. I figure with my newly acquired chips it might be hard for someone to call me and I push all-in again. Well the same guy in the SB this time calls me again, this time he has JJ. I don't catch an A and I am out in about 17th.

The IP also has a nice big poker room, more on it later We decide, however, to go over to the Isle of Capri to check out it's room. They have one table of 1/2 NL. I take the only available seat and TD goes and plays blackjack I think. The another seat opens in about 20 minutes and TD joins us. We play till about 6 and then decide to take a dinner break. Again I don't really remember a lot of hands, but when I leave I am up about $6.00. They gave us a ticket for a free buffet, but the line was really long, so we decide to wait and use it on Sunday and just go down to the snack area where they have a pizza hut express and get a personal pan pizza. We then decide to go back and try again. I had asked one of the dealers before dinner about the rake and she said they were only raking a max of $3.00/ hand the lowest in Biloxi. That was not entirely true they were actually taking $5.00/hand but $2.00 was going to the bad beat jackpot. When I asked her I was in seat 10 and could see she was only putting $3.00 in the rake chute, but I couldn't see on the other side that she was taking an additional $2.00. When we cam back from dinner I was in seat 7 and could clearly see what the dealers were doing. At any rate this was more what I was used to, as that is basically what they take in the FL poker rooms I have been to. When we come back from dinner I buy in for $150.00 and I end up losing almost all of it. I had to pull out another $100.00 for a total of $250.00. The big hand I lose on was with QTs on the button. A guy in early position, makes it about $10.00 to go, I call as does the old lady in the small blind. The flop is Jxx, and it's checked around, then a K on the turn. The original raiser now pushes all-in. I have a Q high flush draw and a OESD, I have the original raiser covered so I push all-in to isolate, but then the old lady in the small blind calls as well. I have her barely covered. The river is a brick and I am down to about $20.00. It turned out I did not have as many outs as I had hoped as the old lady had AQs the for the nut flush draw and the small stack had AK. So the small stack wins the main pot and the old lady wins the side pot. I pull out another $100.00 and start all over again. I win a big pot with a donkey play, but I was tired of having to fold as it seemed I had not got any cards in an hour or so. I raise to $10.00 with JQs in middle position. The BB re-raises to $50.00, and I call. The flop is Qxx. I have top pair with a decent kicker. The BB bets $20.00 and I call, another brick on the turn and the BB checks. There is now a possible flush draw so I push all-in for about $50.00 more. The BB is the same guy I lost to in the hand above and he is a real whiner, but kind of funny. Anyway he calls me with AKs, he has the nut flush draw. It doesn't hit and I double up, and get most of my money back. I decide at about 2:00am that I have had enough. I am up about $60.00 so for about 10 hours of play I make about $66.00. TD plays a little longer and I go down and play some slots and video poker. I lose about $20.00. TD comes down in about 30 minutes and we leave. We had stopped by Boomtown earlier in the day and signed up for a players card on the way up to the poker room. They gave us a coupon that said after midnight we could come by and they would give us $10.00 to play slot machines. So we decide to go back over and get our free slot money. There was no one at the desk and the sign said be back in thirty minutes it was about 3:00 am at this point so we don't want to wait. We check out the poker room no one is there and we decide to call it a night.

So we start the day by going back to Boomtown to get our free $10.00 and it takes about 15 minutes to lose it. We check out the poker room but no one is there. So we decide go by and check out the Hardrock as they are supposed to be having a SNG madness promotion. But there is no one there either. A couple of dealers are sitting at the tables. We wonder now if we can find a game before we leave. Since the IP had such a big poker room we decide to try there next. When we arrive they tell us they have one table going of 1/2 NL and there are two seats available. What a great table. My very first hand I have to put my entire $200.00 buy-in up. As we sit down the guy that is about to put me all-in is visibly upset about whatever has just happened in the hand that is finishing as we arrive. The same guy is first to act on our first hand and he raises to $20.00. I have AQo and call as does the Asian guy in the BB. The flop is Q33. The raiser, Amos is his name, checks. I bet $20.00 and the Asian calls. Amos then goes all in for about $300.00. I just think the guy is on tilt, and I decide I have to call. I couldn't put him on a three, why would he try and push me out if he had a three? So I call and Amos starts saying he doesn't have anything and that I won. The Asian guy folds and Amos and I both have AQ. So we split.

This table was full of gamblers. The older Asian guy to my left has about $700 in front of him, Amos has about $400.00, there is a Indian/Pakistani fellow with about $800 and a black guy with about $300.00. Almost every pot was at least $150.00. Very few friendly pots. I sit back and watch two or three hands and realize this is going to be fun. So 5 or 6 hands in I get A5s. Somebody raises $12.00 or so and myself along with about three others call. The flop is an A and a couple low cards. There is a bet of about $15.00 and 4 go to turn then another A comes off. Somebody bets $20.00 there is a caller and then I raise to about $50.00 to see is I have it. I must have because everyone folded. I was catching some good cards and I won almost every pot I entered. I get KK a few hands later and Amos raises to $20.00, the Indian guy calls and then I re-raise to $60.00. The Indian calls. The flop is all bricks I bet $100.00 and the Indian guy folds. I also missed a chance to make some more money. I am in the BB with 79s. I call a $15.00 raise. 3 to the flop, myself, Amos and the Indian. Flop is 773. I check Amos bets $15.00, and the Indian calls. I should have just called but I raise $30.00, figuring at least one of them would call, but they both fold. At one point in a hand between the Asian guy and Amos, after Amos was all in. Amos pulls out a wad of bills as big as my fist and says he will put this in the pot too. He, of coarse could not, these guys were having a good time losing money. We play for about an hour and a half and I walk away with a little over $600.00 profit. So I actually ended up making a little for the weekend. It was fun and I look forward to going back.

great Trip Report, been looking forward to a Biloxi TR - but

"I took one bad beat. I had Kh 3h and decided to call the loose action"

these two sentences do not belong together.

Nice reports!

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"I'm disappointed in you, Scotty" -- Michael DeMichele at the 2008 WSOP HORSE Final Table
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