Oklahoma is OK

I spent last evening in the WinStar Casino in Thackerville, OK. T’ville is just over the TX/OK line on Interstate 35, about an hour north of Dallas. This is a Chickasaw Nation casion. The main casino is under what looks like two big tents on the outside. The inside look like several other NA casinos with lots of slots, table games and old people walking slow avoiding striaght lines.

The poker room is brand new with lots of flat screens on the wall, self-serve soda fountains, and about 30 poker tables. Games start at $4-8 limit and $1-2 NL. They spread a $5-5-10 limit Omaha high game that the dealers hate due to the three blind structure.

I headed out after being released from my customer visit around 3:30, putting me at the WinStar about 4:45. I sit down at a $4-8 LHE table around 5 and play for an hour.

My first 4 hands see my $120 buy-in get cut in half and the next 4 hands get most of the loss back. I tread water for the rest of the first hour when I have to take a conference call. In case you couldn’t guess or didn’t care, it can be really difficult to find a quiet place to make a phone call in a card room or casino. Effective use of the mute feature on a cell phone is invaluable.

I get done with the con call and sit back down at around 6:30. I hit a couple of good hands and order dinner. One of the things I really enjoy about the WinStar is that they will serve food at the tables. A lot of casinos do this, but too many do not. I understand the reasons why (it can get messy, or should I say some players can be messy), but I still would rather eat without interrupting my play.

I had a big hand during this short session. I’m the big blind and the fellow on my left straddles. He has just been hit with a couple of bad beats and is steaming real bad, so his is now in serious tilt straddle mode. I look down at the first pocket pair of aces that I’ve seen in a year (it feels that way, anyway). We get about 3 callers. I call and the straddle raises. Everybody calls for a nice juicy pot. I get my third ace on the flop and I’m feeling great. I bet and get 2 callers, the guy to my left and a girl two to my right. She has only been at the table for about 30 minutes, but has yet to lose a pot and is a big reason for Mr. Straddle’s tilt condition. The turn and river don’t show anything of consequence. I bet at each round and the girl shows me down. I show and scoop the nice pot.

I get my dinner around 7 and then break to call the wife at 7:30. Since I have another call to take at 8:00, I pick up my chips and cash up $100. With my tight play, that is a real nice pop for that little bit of play. I move out to my car and chat with Mrs. K until time for con call #2. Take con call and then I’m free to concentrate on poker, finally. The time is now 8:45.

Upon my return to the poker room, I decide to try some $1-2 no limit. I figure that I’m up $100, I can play tight and maybe good things will happen. I sit down and pick up a nice pot in the first orbit and then tread water for the next hour. Then New Guy sits down on my right. On the very first hand with NG, I get AJo in the small blind and pop it for $12. I get a J on a raggedy flop I pop again on the flop and turn with NG calling at each round. The river puts a straight minus a 5 on the board. I pop for $15 more and new guy raises me $15. I don’t call because there is no reason in the world for that small a raise except as a value bet and I only have top pair AND I trying real hard not to make calls on the river. NG shows me his 5-7 off suit for the straight.

Three hands later I peak down at AcQc and pop it for $12 more. I’m now in early middle position and get 3 callers including NG. The board misses me with junk so I bet $15. NG calls. The turn puts a second 7 on the board and NG bets $50. I fold and he shows the hammer (72o).

I’m OK with all of this as I’m making the right decisions but I’m not enjoying the chip bleed. Then we get a big turning point. I’m in the big blind and my neighbor straddles for $4. Thinking back to the $4-8 game, I really like this straddle. I look down at KK. There is one caller, a raise of $5 to $7 and another caller before it gets back to me so I bump it $5 more just to build a pot. The flop is a rainbow of 59Q. I get the first bet and choose $20. NG calls. Turn is a 10. Check and I bet $20 more. NG calls. The river is a 7 and NG bets $80. I go in the tank for a bit worried that he may have an 8J or JK for the straight. I can cover the bet, but not by a ton. I decide that this guy has gotten me with junk twice and has seen me lay down twice to big bets and I think he is making a move. I call and he turns over 9J and I scoop a huge pot.

The rest of my play was good and I closed the night up $362 for my biggest night ever in a live casino and maybe my biggest take ever. I know my friends Falstaff, Pauley, Lane, and many other sneeze this much cash at the tables, but not me. For a low-limit rock like me, this was a terrific night. Oklahoma is OK by me.

Next week I'll be near Hartford, CT. Maybe I'll get to Foxwoods.