Trip Report from Australia (long)

[FirePhil]

I was too drunk to play poker most of the time I was in Melbourne but did make it down to the casino one night for a $100 (~£40) freezeout when I wasn't quite so drunk, but drunk none the less.

1750 starting chips (pretty random number), I think 30 minute levels starting at 25/25. Not sure of the number of players but probably somewhere around 220, I think it was 200 capacity and they were letting in alternates for the first level.

First orbit I raise to 200 pre-flop in the CO behind one limper in MP with KQo because I think it's 25/50, the BB and MP call. Flop comes Qxx, BB checks and MP bets 100, I raise to 300 and MP calls. I check behind on the turn and river (both blanks) and he shows AQ.

I fold for a while then on the 2nd level (25/50) I call an MP raise to 150 with AJs on the button and the BB calls too. Flop comes J 6 x, BB checks and MP leads out for 300, I decide to flat call and the BB calls too. The turn is another J, checked to me and I push for 650, BB calls and MP folds. BB has 66 and I'm out.

I then went and played a $1/$2 NL cash game. For some reason the max buyin was $60 which was pretty stupid IMO but I suppose it creates a bit more action early until there's more money on the table as people are a bit more reckless. Newly opened table so all but one player has $60 or less (the other bought in for $20).

First hand I limp with 77 in EP, 1 more limper then MP makes it $7. The CO, button, BB myself and the other limper all call and the pot is $36. The flop comes 5 6 8, checked to MP who bets $10 and I am the only caller. The turn is another 5 and we both check. The river is a 4, I bet $20 and he pushes for $43. I call and he has AA. I'm not sure he could have played it much worse post-flop. Nice double to $120.

A player sat down on my right who was just playing while waiting for a seat at $2/$5 NL. He pushed first hand and showed 96s, then pushed 2nd hand after 2 limpers and I have ATs in the CO - call or fold? 2 hands later he pushes and I have KQo - call or fold? I think the ATs I maybe should have called but I folded both. When I folded KQo the BB called with KQo and lost to A6o.

A couple of missed flops with AK and being card dead for about an hour put me back to ~$70.

About a million people limp and I call with 46 on the button, 8 to the flop which comes AAT. Checked to the CO who bets $10 and couldn't give away that it was a position steal any more if he tried, I call and 2 others call too. The turn is a blank and it gets checked around, river is the 7. Checked to me and I bet $20 and get one caller, I show the flush and he shows T8o. Up to ~$130.

Fairly tight player UTG makes it $7, 3 callers to me in the SB and I call with 33. Flop comes J 3 x with two hearts, I check and UTG leads for $20. Fish in LP calls and I push, UTG folds and the fish calls for ~$35 more with J7o. Up to $235.

A few smallish pots then they hit the money in the tournament, my mate Rob was still in but short so I left to go and watch him, leaving the table with $247.

Now, Rob is a borderline alcoholic who is pretty bad at poker and was drinking throughout the tournament. The whole time he was just playing incredibly tight which meant that whenever he played a hand it was usually pushing pre-flop, but because he was drunk no-one ever gave him credit for a hand so they kept doubling him up.

Down to about 14 players the blinds were getting too big to be playing as tight as he was so he was getting very short and had about 11k with blinds of 3k/6k, then folded his BB when 2 players were all-in before it got to him. On the SB he called blind after another short stack pushed and a big stack had come over the top. It didn't look good when he had 73o against the short stack's QTs and the big stack's AJo when the flop came J high, but a 7 on the turn and a 3 on the river quadrupled him up and gave him enough chips to squeeze through to the final table but very low on chips.

His luck continued when he drew the button for the final table, and someone had already busted before he found QQ and pushed UTG for about twice the BB. One of the bigger stacks UTG+1 pushed and shut everyone else out of the pot, when he showed K9o it was looking good with the dead money from the blinds in there too but his luck ran out when a king on the flop knocked him out in 9th for $495.

All in all a pretty good night poker wise, though having a 10% rake ($6 cap) as well as a $5 per hour table charge for the cash games was pretty steep.

On a side note, a crazy Australian guy I met at a party out there said that staring at a cat gives you ESP for a day.

[PokerWoody]

I haven't read it yet and i'm already jelous!!! DOH!!!

[PokerWoody]

But what about the limit poker!! I really wish I’d gone to Melboune now! I couldn’t find a NL game out there at all, just 5/10 and 10/20 limit…and I rule at limit btw!! 30bb’s is stupid and the rake w/ table charge is fully ghay.

ATs hand I’ll sometimes push that and sometimes not. If I’m closing the action I’m more likely to call but at the same time if there are some fishy peeps at the table with a deepish similar sized stack to me I’d be more inclined to fold. Same goes for KQ.

You are playing at the Vic in Melborne no? Where the Aussie millions is held?

Sounds like you’re having a great time. How long do you have left? Are you just staying in Melbourne or going anywhere else?

[FirePhil]

You are playing at the Vic in Melborne no? Where the Aussie millions is held?

Sounds like you’re having a great time. How long do you have left? Are you just staying in Melbourne or going anywhere else?

It was at the Crown, the poker room there is very nice. About 40-50 tables and a good spread of games and loads of big plasma screens so you could see the waiting lists from just about anywhere. $1/$2 - $5/$10 NL and $5/$10 - $50/$100 limit holdem were running I think. There was also a list for a $5/$5 PL mixed holdem/Omaha game but I'm not sure if it ever got going or not and there was at least one limit O8 table going, $10/$20 I think. You could basically tell them what you wanted to play if it wasn't running and they would open up a list of interest for you.

Unfortunately I'm back now, got home at 6pm last night and back to work already this morning which is shit, but my boss has said to go home if I start to feel jet lagged so I'm probably going home early. Was only out there for a couple of weeks and was in Mebourne for most of it, went on a bit of a road trip along the great ocean road andwent to Sydney for a few days though. Melbourne is a pretty cool place but beer is too expensive out there.