The Big Game...and Wheeling too

Special thanks to JR for hosting "The Big Game" on Saturday evening. And congratulations to Bob for besting the 10 of us. I think everyone had a good time who played, including me and the rest of the losers who just donated our $100 to the cause. But following that little adventure, the subject of Wheeling came up, as it does all so often among our little group. The idea soon took on a life of its own. Around 9:30-ish a group departed, heading northward, with your very own cheer_dad at the helm. Chris, Laura, JR, Teresa and I in our vehicle were joined by Vince and "his" Theresa in their truck. A cooler of beer was hoisted in for a little beverage consumption for the long trip. : ) No as the D.D. I abstained, instead stealing one of my daughter's Monster energy drinks. The drive up was great, lots of talk and laughter, and just us being us. We are after all a fun bunch!

When we got there, I wanted to head upstairs and at least "see" the table games of Wheeling Island's casino. I mean I've been there since they opened up, but I never left the poker room, to go check it out. That's what a lot of alcohol and a desire to win more chips will do. Anywho... Big Red, Laura and I headed upstairs. There was a live band attempting to belt out a Led Zeppelin song as we got off the escalator. I swear I say a senior citizen in the crowd wearing a Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon t-shirt. I remember thinking how bizarre, and surreal that it seemed.

On to the tables. WOW! They were packed. Teresa and Laura finally found their way to a 3-card-poker table with a MIN $15 bet. They opted for that when they couldn't get an open seat at a $10 Let it Ride table. I opted instead to pass on the tables, because of the crowd and the wait, and headed back down to the poker room. No wait necessary this time, and I was quickly seated at a $1/$2 NLHE table. I began first playing on my belly, since recall I was already down the $100 from back at JR's game. So, I didn't want to make the evening a complete disaster. The first hand I played was AKos, before the button made a full lap around the table. I got it from late position, and popped the bet to $12 preflop. I picked up only the blinds and 3 other callers. Grinned, dragged my dinky pot and tipped the dealer anyway. Good, my image was set. I would later try the same bet from the same position later and was able to grab a couple others as well, but I never really did it with trash, because on a number of occasions there were those who were ALWAYS suspicious. Post flop bets were effective, in most cases. What seemed to work best on this night however was a slightly more passive approach. Allowing the competition the ability to hang themselves. I screwed up on one hand only in the fact that I should have made more on it than I did. But it was early on and I was feeling the bunch out at the table. I could have VERY easily been spanked and sent to the rail on this hand. As it was, however, I dragged a decent sized pot, and let my opponent do the betting. The effect it had on others at the table probably was more better for me than a few extra bucks in the pot. The hand was pocket cowboys and I was in the small blind. It gets popped to $7 by the button... I pause, and repop to $15 to thin the herd, which works. The flop comes A-10-A. True I'd rather not have seen an ace, but I wasn't surprised. I bet out a small $15 after the flop, to make it seem a little suspicious. The button, slowly calls. The turn is a blank... and I check this time, and the button agrees. The River, is a wondrous King! The button reaches for chips, a little too quick when it hits, and I think/hope briefly he has made a straight. So I check to him. He bets out $25, and then it hits me that it's quite possible that he's been sitting on an Ace, and has just made a bigger boat than me with perhaps Big Slick. So, caution... being one of my stronger tendencies (translate I'm a puss) I just called it down. He proudly tabled his pocket Jacks, which I couldn't help but snicker at when I unveiled my Kings full of Aces!

Other hands of note, on the evening I hit a set and took down a decent pot. The most profitable hand of the evening was when I found A-Jos from the button, and just smooth called the BB, since it was nearing the family pot state. I flop an Ace and a Jack. Same opponent as before bets out $20, which I just call, in hopes of making a little more later on. I know it's greedy. I hit a miracle Jack on the Turn, so I'm in the driver's seat, still check it. My opponent drops another $20 bet out. I stare, don't speak (don't want to give the speech) and then I pop it to $60. And I get a call. I get it all in on the River and drag it in. That one felt good ladies and gentlemen. Okay I've got their attention. They know I've stolen a few hands, but every time they've seen me showdown, I'm kickin' ass. I did get involved in one hand with the drunk donkey from Ironton, OH, who at last call tried to order a 12-pack, to go along with the 15 cups he had stacked beside him. He'd been there since 10am. Preflop I look down at pocket Q's from early position and I pop it to $15 not wanting any real action on it. Ironton Drunk calls it. I've decided regardless of the flop I'm betting again. The flop comes 9-4-9... I bet out immediately $25. He counts, ponders, bullshits, and then pops it to $50. I pause... and then he starts giving me the office and trying to coax me into a call. Tells me he's only got a 9-2, which the little voice in my head tells me he's only telling a half lie. I drop... and don't give him any further sour grapes or pleasure. I read his lips later to his buddy at the other end of the table as he confided that he had A-9. Better to lose a little, than a lot more. Perhaps the $25 after the flop was a mistake when the board paired. But I found out where I was, right?!

I managed to make back what I lost on that hand with a few smaller less impressive hands, so no harm, no foul. Anyway... I finally cashed out when I realized my heart and mind were no longer in it. I found myself more concerned with what Ironton was going to do. He was donkin' it up, and mouthing off a lot to the table including the dealers and waitresses. He was out of it, and the table was becoming a little more hostile. He sent 2 or 3 players to the rail, and the table began to break apart. Two newbies joined, and I opted to leave. When I tallied up, I had doubled my $100 buyin. I was back even for the "entire" night of poker and that was fine by me.

I went upstairs to check on the little lady. She was fine and still at the 3-card-poker table. I hung out and watched for a while, and then headed back downstairs. I found the table I'd been at to be completely empty now. Also noteworthy was a large gathering of Security Staff members, EMT's, and Wheeling Police Department. And oh yeah an older guy bleeding profusely at the front of the poker room. Chris filled me in on the goings on, telling me that some drunk had just cold cocked the bleeder in the lobby as he walked by. My question "what drunk," came with a reply of the guy that was sitting right over there, with a hand gesture. The gesture pointed to my previously occupied table and you guessed it the guy from Ironton. I found a good vantage point to watch it all move forward. I finally spotted "Ironton" coming out of the bathroom and sitting down at a table at the bar, with his significant other. The police were talking to him and the to the victim as well. Then remarkably I saw Ironton get up and in his sloppy drunkenness try to hug the officer, who shoved him back and then Ironton and his lady walk toward the exit?!? WTF! I'm told by one of the dealers that someone has to press charges since it's on private property. But from what I could "overhear" from the victim and his son, they were definitely pressing. They were trying to get access to video. I'm not sure I agree, that the idiot shouldn't have been shown the steel bracelets right then and there. He was drunk, disorderly, and had just assaulted some innocent by-stander. The casino should share in the responsibility since they'd continued to serve the guy since 10am. I don't have all the facts obviously... but the whole thing other than the care given to the bleeder seemed a little lackluster. Maybe the occurrence is just too frequent.

This gave plenty of additional discussion for the drive home. On the way home, we stopped again at Denny's for breakfast. I drove halfway home and handed the helm to Teresa when we stopped for a bathroom break. It was the right move... I was tired. We finally got back home at 7:00am, and took a big nap, and basically lounged our way through the rest of the day.

I hope everyone had as good a time as we did, and we'll see you all real soon.

Regards,

cheer_dad