(no subject)
I found a local poker game last night. It was at a favorite bar, so I figured it was worth checking out. The idea behind bar poker is that everybody makes money. The bar pays the poker league to bring in people, the league pays a dealer to come into the bar, the people who come to play pay for it all through their food and drinks, and in many cases the winner gets gift certificates to keep them coming back (with a $30 certificate my mom will bring us to dinner and only spend about $50 of it by the end of the night).
This bar does things completely differently. In Phoenix, I usually play with at least five tables of eight, here it was one table of ten. The waitress came around and got drink orders and only charged for alcohol. By the time the game started, there were free chips and salsa set up on the sign up table. So if we drink free soda and eat free chips and salsa, where does the bar make money for sponsoring the game? I'm not seeing it.
I went out third out of ten. Went all in with a straight and a flush draw and was taken out by a higher straight. This bar didn't start with as many chips, only 1500. One good pot I won was where I kept raising my bets after flop, turn, river. I had put out 500 and the guy across from me sits there for about two minutes staring me down. I had bet just enough that I figured pot odds would keep people in, but they all folded.
I was thinking of checking out the one down the street, another favorite bar, tonight. I only want to do poker one night a week, especially with Nathan coming back this weekend, so I might check out what they have going on and decide on a favorite. Since I think this one starts later (after his bedtime), I will likely make this my usual. The other one was fun, but no excitement really. It was more fun just because it was poker. Some players were easy to read, others not so much, which you will find anywhere, but I wasn't in a good position to really watch those who were easy to read. Next time, if I go, I'll sit across the table from them instead of right next to them.
This bar does things completely differently. In Phoenix, I usually play with at least five tables of eight, here it was one table of ten. The waitress came around and got drink orders and only charged for alcohol. By the time the game started, there were free chips and salsa set up on the sign up table. So if we drink free soda and eat free chips and salsa, where does the bar make money for sponsoring the game? I'm not seeing it.
I went out third out of ten. Went all in with a straight and a flush draw and was taken out by a higher straight. This bar didn't start with as many chips, only 1500. One good pot I won was where I kept raising my bets after flop, turn, river. I had put out 500 and the guy across from me sits there for about two minutes staring me down. I had bet just enough that I figured pot odds would keep people in, but they all folded.
I was thinking of checking out the one down the street, another favorite bar, tonight. I only want to do poker one night a week, especially with Nathan coming back this weekend, so I might check out what they have going on and decide on a favorite. Since I think this one starts later (after his bedtime), I will likely make this my usual. The other one was fun, but no excitement really. It was more fun just because it was poker. Some players were easy to read, others not so much, which you will find anywhere, but I wasn't in a good position to really watch those who were easy to read. Next time, if I go, I'll sit across the table from them instead of right next to them.