True SpainR Dominates in Canada

Just got back from a successful trip at the River Rock Casino in Vancouver, Canada. A great alternative to Vegas. I know it is not "Vegas" but the poker room is big, 30-35 tables, usually up to 6 1-2NL games going, nice waitress service, decent food and drinks and a wild crowd in the evenings.

Here are some of the more interesting hands, none of which would take place with the relatively sane TNP crowd. If you think Yuri and I are aggressive, we are timid weak players compared with some of the pure gamblers at River Rock.

First big hand for me are pocket Kings on the button. No limpers, one raiser to 10 preflop, I reraise to 30, small blind goes all in for about $120, big blind thinks for a second then says I want to gamble and goes all in for about $100, original raiser folds, and I go all in having them both covered with about $155 in chips. Flop is 7,8,9, 2 hearts, big blind starts jumping for joy, turn and river are both hearts, and big blind says his J-10 is counterfeighted, I scoop the pot of over $300.00 with K of hearts. Small blind mucks unknown hand.

This is the start of a series of all in preflops that I participate in over the next couple days. Many tables typically has a micro stack of between $30-$60, that will either go all in or fold. This only happens about 1 out of 20 hands and only at certain tables, so it is not as bad as it sounds but prevents you from limping in early position with junk, something I am prone to do.

I ended up in about 6 all in hands preflop over 3 days. KK, AK, and 10-10 held up, 5-5 did not, can't remember the others. 5-5 was a min raise from the microstack that put me all in so damage was minimal.

The aggression of all in preflop pales in comparison to the next hand. Really drunk and jovial red wine drinker joins the table in the evening of night 1. He tips the dealer about $10 each time he wins a hand, is super loose, and the table really enjoys having him. Picks up a decent size stack when he calls an all in with pocket 4's that hold up against AK. Shortly thereafter, micro stack goes all in for $36 preflop. Two callers, plus really drunk red wine guy. Flop is J,J, 4. Both callers check, and really drunk red wine guy bets $100, with about $200 behind. Both callers fold, and red wine guy announces I have nothing, I am here to protect the short stacks. He flips over 6,2 os. Short stack flips over two paint cards which hold up on the turn and river.

Day 2 evening. Under the gun player, an experienced solid player, raises to $6UTG. Couple callers, I fold. Flop is 6.9,J I believe, rainbow. Some action with original raiser and another player, everyone else folds. Next card is a 10 of spades, putting two spades on the board. Action heats up with both players all in for a pot of near $400. Final card is the third spade and original raiser flips over the true SpainR for a Jack high flush. Crushes the other player who was all in with the made straight, KQ. I comment to the UTG player that this is a favorite hand at our home game.

A few hands later I pick up the true SpainR on the button. Raise to $10. I win the pot when the river puts out the 3rd spade again, about $100. 00. Day 3 I look over at MB's table to see J-8 of diamonds scooping the pot. The SpainR appears undefeated.

In 3 days of cash games, I was very lucky and only felted once. Brand new table, about 5th hand, UTG player limps, I raise to $15 with KK from seat next to UTG, 2 callers plus original limper. Flop is Q high rainbow, no straight draws. Limper bets $75, I ship for about $165, everyone else folds. River is a Q giving him trip Q's with QJ. Can't fault my play here, just unlucky.

Really only faced with 2 difficult decisions over the 3 days. Playing a suited J-9 in diamonds, I raise from the cutoff and am called by the blind, a player prone to making mistakes who has accumulated a big stack when super aggressive young guy bluffed into him when big blind had a full house. Flop comes out with two diamonds. He checks, and I continuation bet for about $25, putting about $55 in the pot. Next card is a diamond, he bets $20, I call. Suspicious bet, so small it is either a scared bet or I have a monster bet. River card comes, straightening the board. He checks, I think my Jack high flush is good and bet $40 and he check raises me to $100.00 Hmm. Not a big check raise so if he is a good player he must have a higher flush. But I have seen him donk off chips with trips against obvious flushes. So maybe he has nothing. I call he announces straight and I scoop with J-9 suited, a hand with unknown luck relative to the SpainR.

Evening of night 2 I am playing with a player on tilt against me as I have won most pots against him. Playing KQ os, flop is K,10, 8 with 2 hearts. He bets $10 into a pot of about $40, I raise to $30. He calls. Next card is an Ace. He bets $20 I call, Next card is a heart, he bets $40. Obvious straight and flush possibilities, but I believe he has nothing and is still tilting against me. I call. He announces straight and flips over 10,9 for one pair. The dealer chastises him for deceptive announcement saying it may cause me to muck. I don't and win the pot. Tip the dealer and the player who played the SpainR UTG complements me for a tough call. Definitely, one of the highlights of the night.

Since I only had 2 really tough decisions for big pots, I can't say I played brilliantly over the 12 or so hours of play. I got ridiculously good cards. Pocket Aces 5 times, once two hands in a row, 4 or 5 pocket Kings. They all either held up or were not called preflop except for the pocket KK I mentioned before. I had the nut flush against the second nut flush against a really good player who gave me about half of his stack. I had zero second best hands for monster pots, just one unlucky river on all all in.

Total tally just shy of $650 in winnings in cash games. Not a Jeh Chow effort, but not bad. $100 loss in the tourney. Many thanks to Ryan for showing me the virtues of the true SpainR, which held up. Small thanks to Joe Sola. Raised from the button with 4,6os after showing down AA and KK. Big blind calls. Flop has an Ace, paint and a 9 so I continuation bet and big blind folds. All of the favorite hands of the TNP crowd seem to hold up.

Will definitely head back for visit 3 in the future. Definitely recommend the River Rock.