Okay, so I've been the hours leader at one of the local casinos in my area for several months now and even though I'm clearly one of the best players in the game, people love to gamble with me and that game has been booming for quite some time. I'd still go to that casino's biggest competitor every once in a while though for a match play run or a tournament, but I pretty much never played live there anymore. The game was just so much better where I was hours leader.

However... every time I'd stop by the competition, the poker room manager would kind of needle me about getting a job there. Doing some propping, doing some dealing, etc. I want to gamble for a living and have harnessed my game enough that I can beat small stakes limit games and tournaments at a regular clip, so I really had no interest in doing any actual work there... and I was hesitant to prop there because a) the game never looked great, b) the dealers all give air to each other and other regulars, esp. when it gets heads up, and c) I didn't want to be in a juicy game and have to give up my seat. I just couldn't envision a scenario where it would be worth my while.

But dude kept on asking me about it and finally, when I needed to find another source of income, I made a deal with him. I'll do it... but I'd only play when I wanted to, I'm never giving air to anyone, and I refuse to give up my seat if there's a waiting list. I didn't think he'd go for it, but I guess he was more than happy to steal the hours leader from his direct competitor and he agreed to my conditions.

I've completely changed the game at this place because I'm propping there. Not only has taking me out of the other place basically killed that game, but my current place of employment has been booming. I think my style has actually helped the game out in a lot of ways. I'm someone that is always sitting in the game with at least $300 in front of me, never goes bust, never gives anyone any grief, never boasts about winning a hand, never whines about a suck out, plays long sessions, plays short-handed, doesn't miss blinds, creates big pots, gives off the aura of an action player... etc... and it seems a lot of the regulars--just like at the other place before it--really enjoy mixing it up with me. They just love to lock horns the young gun. It's awesome. Plus a lot of regulars from the other place have followed me to the new game... and I have two friends that like to play with me that put in a lot of hours and play a similar style. I'm the ideal employee.

However... not everyone is in love with me. I don't have the friendliest demeanor at the table (maybe a leak?) and I can be antisocial when I'm running bad and/or losing. It's pretty clear I'm there to make money and I've played ruthlessly hard against everyone. I've even pulled the delayed check-raise when I've deemed it appropriate. I think a lot of people would question my etiquette as a prop player, but I just can't stand giving air. I don't care if you're a regular, a dealer, or the poker room manager, if we're in a hand together, we're playing poker... and that's how I approach it.

Well... tonight, I limp in with Ac8c after two limps in front of me. Someone raises behind me and we go 5 ways to the flop and see a board of AT8 rainbow. BB leads out and I'm next to act and decide to smooth call because I feel like my aggressive opponent OTB will raise with hands as weak as a gutshot trying for a free card and I don't want to discourage him of doing so.. sure enough, he bumps it up and then the BB 3! Okay, well now I need to protect my hand and I feel the best way to do that is to call the 3! and wait til the turn to raise. So we go 4-ways to the turn and an A pops off. BB leads into me again and since there are two players behind me that I think are drawing, I just call this bet too. They both fold behind though and the river brings a 4. My opponent bets, I raise, and we wind up capping the river. I show A8. He shows TT and just goes LIVID. Dude is definitely one of the bigger jackasses in the area, so I expected a confrontation eventually, but man, he really lost it. He started out making a bunch of derogatory comments in my direction and I just ignored him completely... then he racked up his chips and said he'll never play there again as long as they are paying me to play and proceeded to call me a "dick." Meanwhile, I haven't said a word. This is one of their biggest regulars so I'm curious how this situation plays out. Also, I was informed by the floor tonight that a number of people have complained about me not giving up my seat when there's a wait. I have felt like my situation is almost too good to be true and I've been waiting for the rug to get pulled out from under me.... but I think I've made myself indispensable ATM.

Thoughts on what I'm doing? Should I adjust? Losing this job would hurt me significantly. I have a nice bankroll put together for the stakes I wish to play, but it would be in immediate jeopardy if I lost this consistent source of income... and I don't have a plan B.

i wouldn't worry about the guy with the TT. he'll eventually get over it and come back.

if you're worried about losing your job, do whatever it takes within reason to keep it. compromise and give up your seat from time to time. i don't think you should ever give air or engage in any kind of soft play, as i believe that is unethical. if this job is really that important to you, speak with your boss and negotiate terms that serve both you and your employer.

you're quite bad at Limit Hold Em, given that you somehow managed to screw up every street in the hand you posted.

what was your question again?

WOW......
but u shoulda raised turn

Some casino, $x/$2x Limit Hold'em Cash, some stakes where 300$ apparently is a lot of money?, 9 Players?
Reads, BTN is aggressive and raises any draw (as weak as gutters) on the flop

Preflop: Hero is MP with A 8
UTG calls, UTG+1/2 calls, Hero calls, BTN raises, SB folds, BB calls, UTG calls, UTG+1 calls, Hero calls

Flop: (10 SB): AT8(5 players)
BB bets, UTG calls, 1 fold, Hero calls, BTN raises, BB raises, UTG calls, Hero calls, BTN calls

Somewhere here, UTG miraculously changes seat to behind hero, let's say CO...

Turn: (16 BB): A (4 players)
BB bets, Hero calls, 2 folds

River: (18 BB): 4 (2 players)
BB bets, Hero raises, BB raises,Hero raises

... at this point it becomes dicey. Usually in live play heads-up there is not cap on the river, so the casino now becomes an online room and there is a 3 raise cap...

BB calls.

AAA88 > TTTAA and Hero wins 26BB.

Best quotes:

I never understood how having one prop could make a game "boom?"

Washington state. There's a four bet cap. I'm not sure if it's the only state with one.

Ah cool, thanks, I have not played there in years and even then it was only at Tulalip or whatever it's called.

Wait, what two rooms are we talking about? PM if you want.

I was just saying in that the rules in Washington are different for limit hold'em versus other states (e.g., California); wasn't specifically referring to a room.

My advice: go to school, get a job, and let's quit talking about this playing-4/8-or-8/16-for-a-living nonsense.

foxwoods also

Graduated, no thanks, you must be running bad

He probably can't live on the $8 to $20 an hr average of 8/16, with months of zero winnings.

OP: how much do you plan to take home a month, on average, from your prop pay plus poker winnings? What stakes are you playing?

I must have become jaded over the years. If OP is having a good time + playing bills, more power to him. It isn't like he's considering quitting a solid/good job to play poker, he's already playing poker. OP, as long as you aren't getting into debt doing this, good luck.

As to the hand, it wasn't a mortal insult. People don't like getting sucked out on. I think a little humor could have diffused the situation. Since there is no need to be a stone-cold slayer in a 4/8 or 8/16 game, you might consider your table demeanor. In the hand if you laughed at yourself for being a donkey and getting there, who knows. You basically c/c to the end and then raised a FH twice on the river. How offensive is that?

Ty to Bellatrix for the hand conversion. Wish more live hands looked like that.

I actually apologize to people when I win a big pot off of them. I'm not even being sarcastic.

...are you propping in Silverdale, by chance? Seems too likely to be a coincidence...

Is it really that bad? I mean, I raise the turn here as the drawers (namely flush and open-enders) are likely calling no matter what, but I don't disagree entirely with the flop play. By raising he takes the initiative and will turn a likely bettor (the BB) into a checker.

Perhaps the pot *is* too small to justify sacrificing some flop value to potentially save the whole pot by chasing out gutterballs on the turn. But his line of thinking isn't terrible.

The guy is a known prick. He starts drinking and berates anyone that beats him in a hand, no matter what happened. I barely even acknowledge his presence, let alone apologize for a suck out.

I didn't even consider the fact that I didn't flop the best hand. The only hand I'm concerned about is AT. Like the last poster said, the last thing I wanted to do was take the betting initiative away from the BB on the turn when I can face everyone behind me with 2BB cold if I still only have aces up--when I make aces full I want those calls behind me and I don't expect the remaining players to continue drawing against me on the turn for 2 bets cold on that board. When the flop gets 3 bet, IMO, I think it's worth sacrificing some flop value to go for protection on the turn. And if I don't improve and I wind up getting 3 bet on the turn, I have a pretty easy lay down against these opponents... but I suck at limit hold em, so don't listen to me.

Not running bad, but really don't see how my running well, average, or poorly really even matters. OTOH, how YOU are running matters.

Lol m2 and it just tilts them more!

+1

And I actually aspirated some coffee when I read that.

I'm not sure what this means, but I'm glad the wife doesn't feel this way.

this tells me the whole room knows hes an ass so if ur worried about ur prop possition its because of something else....
give up ur seat now and again