Belterra Casino...

My family was away from home last night, and I was able to go with a buddy to Belterra Casino about an hour and 30 minutes north just across the Ohio river in Indiana. I had been there a few times, but only on Mondays when the room was very slow. It was crowded with 10-12 tables playing 1/2 NL and 2/4 limit. WE put our names on the NL list and went to the casino floor and played craps for 30 minutes or so. We both won about $50 as I had the dice for 20 minutes, scoring 5-6 points. I think there were 4-5 different shooters in our time at the table and I was was the only person to score. Beginners luck, as I have little experience playing craps.

FInally our names are called and they sit us at different tables across the room from each other. n the first 2 orbits I am dealt, KK twice and QQ once, winning at showdown twice for $150 profit or so. The other hand I 3-bet Pre-flop with KK from the button, and took down a small pot.

So I get into my first big confrontation with about $420 in front of me. Most of the table was sitting with less than $200 in front of them except for an older man who had just busted a younger lady with the A high flush toher K high flush. He had a little over $900 from what I could count.

Two players limped from early position, older man limps and a young kid raised to $12 from the hijack (only had $75 behind) and make the call with A8 hearts from the button knowing most everyone else will join the pot getting good odds to call. So we go 5-handed to flop of 8,9,10 with two hearts giving me a huge draw. Everyone checks to me and I bet $45 expecting to take down the pot...I didn't pay attention to the action behind me, I just watched the original raiser, who eventually folded after a taking a few minutes to make a decision. When I play live, I always cap my cards with a dollar chip to use as a tip if I win the hand, and I push my cards to the dealer with the $1 chip on them as his tip. He looks at me and says, "what's this?"

Me: "your tip...I won the pot."

Dealer: "so you are not mucking your cards?"

Me: "No, didn't I win the pot?"

Dealer: "No, this gentleman raised to $145, which makes it $100 for you to stay,"

Me: "OK, hang on second, I am not out!"

Here is where the fireworks start. The older gentleman with the big stack had made it $145 and was now majorly PO'd that the dealer had not mucked my cards. He makes about a 2 minute scene with the dealer and then wants the floor to come over and make an official decision. With him making this big of a scene, there is no way he has QJ for the nut straight. I immediately decide he has 10,9 for top two pair. Its possible he has 10,8 or maybe 6,7 for the ignorant end of a straight, but I commit myself to think he specifically has 10,9.

The floor comes over, listening to the dealer explanation and both of our explanations, eventually ruling that my hand is still live. Within 10 seconds of his decision, I shipped all my chips to the middle for $361...forcing the older gentleman to call another another $261. If he has 10,9...I am about a 51/49 underdog...which means if players only occasionally make a fold here...this a very profitable play.

For me, him to make a call against my raise is extremely unprofitable as the only hand he is ahead of is my hand at 51/49... I could easily have a set or a straight and he would be a major underdog to either of those situations...about 82/17 underdog to that range of hands. He is actually dead if I have 10,10.

While trying to decide whether to make his call, he pointed fingers and yells at the dealer and floorman for not making the proper decision...making me more certain he has 10,9 and It seemed like he was going to fold. He started stacking chips and asked for the 2-3 time for the total to call. Politely the dealer said $261.

He made the call after about 10 minutes of explaining, arguing, pointing, and accusing the staff of not taking care of good customers...lol. He flipped over 10,9 spades and the dealer rolled the Q of hearts on the turn...I tabled my A8 hearts as the river bricked and the old man says..."You did all that with a pair of 8's?"

Me: "Yeah...thats all I had...Nice call!"

Starting with a $300 stack...I cashed in $1221 for a nice 4 hours of play!

Eventually my buddy moved to our table and he wins a $300+ pot on our last hand vs the old man. My buddy won about $150 after losing AA vs QQ for a $300+ pot all-in PF when the Q hit the river.