So much for a Wheeling Feeling... : )

All things considered "my" trip to Wheeling wasn't so bad. Of course losing is never a good thing but playing from 6:30pm to 1:30am and being down only $27... well I suppose that's not so bad. Particularly if you consider the fact that at one point "early" on I was down just over $150. I was in the same seat ALL NIGHT. I got seated in relatively short order at a $1/$2 NLHE table when we got there, in the #3 seat and just never moved. There was a little turnover on the table, but for the most part the characters remained the same. Vince and I ended up at the same table, so that was kind of nice. We both had to shake our heads MANY times at some of the absolute garbage hands that we saw being played and some of the sick beats that were taking place. Not just to he and I but a few of the others at the table. The guy who was sandwiched between the two of us, was a gambler. He'd gamble anything... he didn't care, he wasn't a very good poker player in my estimation but he just had a knack for falling into hand after hand. He was calling $12-$15 preflop bets with absolutely nothing, and he said so just to see if he could suck out. Thinking back now, I don't think he folded any more than 10 hands the whole time preflop. Honest, I'm not makin' this shit up. Raised pots, unraised, all-in's you name it, he was in it...and oft times as evidenced by his stack he was coming up smelling like a rose. He wasn't the only one though. I've come to recognize an ever growing locals population inhabiting the poker room at Wheeling Island. All too many of them are regular weekend (if not daily) fixtures of the room. They know one another, the dealers, the floor managers, waitresses, hell even the guys picking up the trash. At times the degree of camaraderie among them and the staff is a bit un-nerving, but I'm not suggesting any impropriety, just that it tends to make me feel like bit of an outsider. But, the feeling passes and you insert yourself into the ebb and flow of the game.

One such fixture that some of you may recall was known to the entire room, I mean literally. "G" is the name. I referred to him in previous posts on my trips to Wheeling. Frank and I in particular took pictures of him the last time we were there. He was wearing so much bling that the he tended to "white" out the picture. You just saw this shiny spot in the center of the image. Like I said... EVERYONE in the joint knows this guy, goatie, bling, and hat cocked to one side and all. He tended to be in most pots as well, at least to start, then the tide turned and he dropped down into a tighter profile in the game. He ended up getting busted out with AKs when the guy in the #1 seat called his preflop bet and the subsequent all-in on the flop. Unfortunately for "G" the kid in seat 1 had hit two pair on the flop with his K3os. "G" launched his cards, which frisbeed off the table and onto the floor. The floor was called to retrieve them, harsh glances and a few parting comments from a tilted "G" yelling "nice fuckin' suck out" on his way toward the door. Dealers returned to dealing, players returned to playing, Diane (sp) the Poker Room Supervisor returned to her spot at the front desk, having assisted in averting yet another disaster in HER room. And yes, the place is HER ROOM, if you have any doubts about it. I watched her "escort" two idiots who tried to skip the waiting list and sneak in to an open seat. She showed 'em the door, quite unceremoniously. Hell, she even wagged a finger at me for texting a message at the table to JR, when I wasn't in the hand. Oops... busted. In all seriousness, your supervision of the place and care of the players and staff appears to be top notch. MY COMPLIMENTS to you!!! You're a credit to the Wheeling Island staff!

Two other notables for the room are two dealers, that make the game run smoothly and the place a great place to be! Debbie, your interaction with the players, dealing proficiency, and ballsy attitude is top notch. I love to see you tappin' out the current dealer, and joining the table. My other favorite dealer is Tera. You've got a smile that absolutely lights up the room, and you've got an incredibly kind spirit. As well you keep the table chugging along in the right direction. Don't know if any of you will ever read this blog to even see it, but hopefully others who trudge through the blogosphere and take note of all of these excellent staff members of Wheeling Island's poker room.

Okay, enough with the individual assessments and pats on the back, I made some notes during the evening of play to help me remember the more memorable hands in which I played a part, sometimes coming up on top, other times... eh... not so much. Here's my recollection of a number of hands based on the chicken-scrawls found in my shirt pocket:

1. This was I suppose a mistake for me. I'd been at the table for about one round without much in the way of a playable hand. I'm UTG and look down at AA! Now I have not seen a good hand so far... I have ALSO not seen a single unraised pot pre-flop thus far. Friggin' everyone raising it up, and despite $12-$15 preflop there were still typically 4-5 players seeing EVERY flop. So, I get inventive, and just "smooth" call. Of course the one time I try it, in hopes of getting a raise which I can shove in on and take a chunk right away, gets killed. 8 players to the FLOP! I'm still in the lead after the flop, and bet out $15, and get a few callers. The turn brings a possible straight draw on the board, but I'm still fairly happy with my Aces. River brings me a Set! Of course it also looms on the horizon as a possible straight completer. The button bets $35... I reluctantly make the call. Yeah his K-10os finally hit pay dirt and the straight. Cheer_dad mucks without having to show, sits back quietly and licks wounds. You might say, my mistake for not raising preflop, but I would argue that I would have been called down by some of them, and in particular I think the #1 seat would have called this in a heartbeat being on the button. I could have open shoved and take the $3 in blinds from my UTG spot, but I thought what I'd witness thus far at the table suggested otherwise. I've been wrong before.
2. The next stack killer hand I'll cover was A-Qos in late position. No real interest expressed in the hand when it gets to me, I pop it to $12 preflop. The #4 seat, pauses, looks at me and openly remarks, you never do that unless you've got a really good hand, and look at him straight and say, "yes, you are correct!" He calls, all others fold. I hit an Ace on the flop, and bet out $25, he calls, the turn brings a clone of the low card on deck (another 5) he checks to me, I shove with Aces and 5's, Q kicker. He shudders, shakes head and says sorry about your luck... he calls and tables his 5-8 (frackin' sooted) for the three of a kind 5's which hold through the River. CHECKS ON TABLE 8!!! Motherless fuck! is what I'm thinking, I grin, nod and say nice hand. Kept my cool and composure and rebought another $100. At my lowest point, I was down over $150, but I managed to climb back out from under it with a few of the hands that I'll cover now. (Gasp, that's right they weren't all bad!)
3. Here's a mild one, to warm up to that was a GREAT HAND that I could get paid on! I look down in late position to find KK, and pop it my customary $12 preflop, and get 2 callers. Flop comes KJJ. I get insta-wood of course, but get two checkers back to me, I pause and just decide to check cause I'm getting the eyeball. Turn and River fills in like 4 cards to a straight with even a possible flush out there, and I bet out a measly $15 and can't catch a single call! Both folders look and scoff, "yeah, nice buy!" I later confide to Vince that I indeed had a monster. Only the 4 of a kind to avoid. (Speaking of 4 of a kind I did see a monster pot that I wasn't involved in go to 4 of a kind 8's!!! against the #1 seat's boat.)
4. I was able to get away from pocket Nines once (only a little bit late) when a 10 came on the river, and I had a sense that I'd just been screwed. I dropped it and saw "G" drag back his all-in and the pot with a pair of 10's Ace kicker, while again the #4 seat who bet huge at me on the river and got me to fold as well had a 10 to invalidate my 9's, but he was holding a 10-2os, which I'm sure he plays 'cuz it's Doyle's hand. Yeah, impress me with your mastery of the poker lingo.
5. This hand turned things around for me. Again, late position I look down at the Hilton Sisters. (QQ) it is raised to $8 straight in front of me, I make it $25 to go, the original raiser all-ins it, I insta call, for actually a near equal stack (within $2 total) he proudly tables his 10's, I grin with my ladies. The ladies stand! I take it down, Checks on table 8 again... but NOT for our hero, cheer_dad. : )
6. Next hand, I get a guy all in after the flop with my pocket 10's which met their triplet on the flop. He called me down for all his stack with KQ, in dire need of a gut shot Jack, which never got there for him. I take stock after this, and laugh, Vince catches my eye, and say "I'm up by $1 for 3 1/2 hours play!" I rock out loud at this game now don't I!
7. Things dried up a little after that, and I started to dwindle, but regained enough ground to call it a night when I opted to play my least favorite ( i hate it) hand J-K off. I prefer to leave this one to the teen boys and a Victoria's Secret catalogue. Nonetheless, sorry to say, Jimmy Woods, I played that shit. As punishment, I flop an open-ended straight draw and say, you know, "what the fuck, it's my turn!" and throw out an uncharacteristic $30 after the flop. Insta callation by a short stack for all his marbles because his Q-6 connected with another little lady on the flop. But as lady luck saw fit... the suicide King fell on the turn, and well, she gave me a good seein' to! No more checks on table 8 this time, he takes the walk of shame. I decide it's nearing the "wow it's really late or early hour" and I grab the coat, turn off the iPod, cradle my chips and head to the cage.

Like I said, I'm down only $27 for the trip for all my poker playing efforts and all things considered I guess I made out okay, considering some of the things I ran in to. It was remarkable that I got away from some of the things that I did.

Anyway, hope at least some of you made it the whole way to the end of this post. Don't forget to tip your dealers and waitresses, they're working hard for the money.

Regards,

cheer_dad