Little bit about me:

I play mostly at Parx, Chester Harrah's, and sometimes down Atlantic City (mostly Borgata, but I like the daily's at the Wild West).

I play 1-2 NL, 1-3 NL, Limit Omaha Hi Low 10-20 and lower, Limit Holdem 10-20 and lower and will sometimes venture into 20-40 stud, if I see known spots.

I will also play any daily tournament, regardless of buy in. I have a good job and multi day tournaments are rough for me to commit to.

I love to gamble and average around $3 an hour across all my live poker play. This is over a number of years. I think that is pretty good for a rec! I come no where near 1 BB an hour, yet I hold my own and can beat rake at low limits.

My key to success? I rarely tilt at the table and usually stick to my standards.

How could this be?

Because, every time I take a bad beat, I run to video poker and have a few cigarettes to re focus my brain. Win or loss at video poker will typically not effect my play back at the poker table.

Also, every time I win, I put my winnings in a video poker machine as I leave. My typical go to is nickel Ultimate X, 10 lines, double double bonus. This equates to $5 a spin. This is effectively crack cocaine for video poker players.

Also, every time I lose at poker, before I leave, I chase my losses in a video poker machine. It has gotten so bad, I no longer go to a casino with more than $1,200 bucks on me. Dropping $4,000 in a video poker machine chases a $200 poker loss is among the worst feelings in the world! That usually happens when I get stuck $700 at Ultimate X, then go 5 line, $1 double double bonus. Dump a thousand there, and could quickly be at 3 line $5 double double bonus.

Don't get me wrong, sometimes I win and everything works out okay. But, my win loss statement across Casino's last year reflected -$28,000. Probably $26,000 from Video Poker and another $2,000 from carnival slot games (I liked original game of thrones machine for a $100 here and there). Granted, I play **** pay tables (PA Video POKER BLOWS!) and am running below expectation, but I am a total video poker degenerate!

Why the challenge? I figure being afraid of being laughed at by a bunch of strangers on an internet site, might be more motivational than my own self respect and love of money! I will often fold the small blind for a buck in a 2-4 Limit holdem game, yet consistently drop $500-$1,000 into a VP Machine on my way out the door!

So, the challenge is, can I spend 100 hours in a variety of Casino's not putting any money into a VP machine? I think I will still utilize my free play and offers (be stupid not to, right?)

I plan on posting results, hours and games played.

This challenge may go a little slow at first. I am away this weekend, however, I am away at Palm Beach, so trying to convince the people I'm with to hit the Kennel club that has no video poker. Be nice to get 5 hours under my belt! I am also away most of next week and next weekend, but might find a session on Monday.

Wish me luck defeating my greatest enemy, myself!

Your first mistake is playing super -EV video poker games. At Borgata they have a machine

Borgata
99.69% SDB: 25¢, 50¢, $1 - Super Double bonus??? It's the one where the Quad J+ are 600

You are losing 31 cents on average for every $100 you put in there and can easily make that back up with comps assuming you are playing perfect strategy which is pretty hard to do actually.

Parx has none - this is there best one
98.98% DDB: $5, $10 (that is super expensive)
98.85% JoB-S3P: $1 - that is most likely like 9/5 or 8/5 JOB

Chester has none
98.39% JoB: $1, $2



Those stupid Spin Video poker games you are playing are like 97% at best. So those are huge money sinks. Now granted these machines are over time. You could easily lose $4000 before you hit that royal flush. Sometimes even 10k if you run really bad.

I play video poker a lot and usually am down a small amount over the year - but make it back up with comps. I maybe run like $1000 through the machine before I quit and a lot of times I lose, but a few times I hit the Quad AAAA or better and it pays back everything you lose. Just keep track of your win loss. At the end of the year if you play enough you shouldn't be up or down much more than $4000 assuming you are playing correctly. And the comps you get should easily make up for the difference

TLR
Don't play Video poker at Parx or Chester and drive to Borgata to play it

If it makes you get a head start, you'll be happy to know that I laughed at the thread title. Nothing screams degen more than making a thread about not playing something that's massively -ev in the first place. However, I do wish you luck on your challenge. Stick to the profit at the poker table.

Got a session in at the Kennel Club tonight. Group I was with finished dinner at 8, and no one wanted to do anything, as we have an early tee time tomorrow.

Figured a quick session where I had no temptation would be a good way to start! For those that don't know, Kennel club has no machines and a couple of three card poker tables. So, no way I could Degen some VP.

3 hours down, 97 hours to go!

Ran extremely well, winning $385.

3 hands of interest. No Limit Holdem is my weakest game (I am much more comfortable in limit games), so feed back is welcome!

First, kennel club is a bit odd. Max buy in is $200 at 1-2 and most people buy in for $100. Also, button must also post $2.

First hand. Limp in early position with A-2 of diamonds. Button makes it $12, 6 of us go to the flop.

Flop: J-6-3, two diamonds. Early position player leads for $25, I flat, one other guy flats. Turn is a 2, Early position player goes all in for $71. Guy behind me has about $60. Figure I have 14 outs (ace, 2 or diamond). Pot is laying me a little more than 3-1. Think math is a little bad for a call, as player behind will fold most of the time, but not much. Turn is King of spades. Guy won't show his hand. He's weak, but how weak? Finally, he turns over Q-8 of diamonds! WOOHOO! I didn't think a lower flush draw was in range. Was my turn or preflop call terrible?

Second hand: Big stack (young cocky kid with about $750 in front of him) straddles. I limp in early position with jacks hoping he will raise and I can three bet him. Plan goes array when a competent older lady makes it $15. She is pretty ABC. Her range is any pair 8's and better, A-K, A-Q, A-J, and maybe some random suited aces, but would be random. Two calls, I just call. Flop K-9-3, two clubs (I don't have one). Early position player leads for $25, we all fold. How bad did I screw this one up?

Third Hand: I have $400 and lady from previous hand also has about $400. She straddles. Couple of calls, I have two red kings on the button, make it $25. She flats. One other guy flats. He has $91. Flop is 2-3-6 two clubs. Lady leads for $50. Short stack flats. I tank. Pretty sure she has something good, but how good? If I flat, I think she will fire again and I will be in tough spot. I min raise to $100, she flats, shorttie goes all in, for less. Was hoping my flop bet would freeze her action. Turn comes a 4. Check check. River, is the beautiful ace of hearts, haha. Check check. She tables jacks, shortty mucks, I table kings.

Was flop a fold, a bigger raise, or a flat? Plus we have a shorty sticking around with something. He was new to the table, so his range was unlimited.

Feed back welcome!

3 Hours, + $385!

Be a few days before I go again. My flight gets in at 8 on Sunday night. If I get my clubs quick, I might head over to late reg the Chester 7PM. If not, probably play the Parx Daily Monday night.

Well you don't want to limp in hands - that's not how you win at poker.

Start buy raising 4x pre - maybe even 5x considering btn has to post? So it is 2-1-2??

If so open to $10 and don't open limp. You can over limp if someone else limps first

The ace 2 hand their was a limp in front of me. Figured a suited ace doesn't mind volume, and limps can often cause more limps. Your opinion that is still raise or fold?

And the Jacks hand, I was first to enter, but I was trying to lay a trap for the straddler. Probably, was a victim of being too cute syndrome with that one.

10 hours at Parx:

The results:

1-2 no limit: .5 hours -$10 (3 rounds, never had a hand better than the blinds. The extra buck was a tip for a soda).

6-12 OE 3 hours: -$190

Parx Green Chip Bounty: In for $120, finished 10th for $199, and three bounties, total profit, $154

Slot Free Play: + $200

Total Profit: $146

So, 13 hours in a casino, and no money put in a machine. However, my free play was good today. Parx gives me $45 every time I go. Got 4 aces with a kicker on two time line for $200. Was able to play that for a while, during tourney breaks and waiting for tournament. Ending up losing it all, but had another $50 in slot play. Hit 4 aces with a kicker on 3 times pay for $300. Donked a hundred back to blow off steam.

So, I always had a ticket on me. Every time I was bored on feeling tilted, I was able to go to the machines on their dime. I don't know if I would have tilted if I was not able to blow off steam on a machine.

BUt, the challenge is no new money in a machine and said the free play was okay.

13 hours, +531, + 331 in poker.

87 hours to go!

It's late, tomorrow I was post 3 hands. One quesitonalbe Omaha hand, one funky tournament hand, and of course, a hand where Smudger owned a soul!

The break out for poker:

1-2 No limit: 3.5 hours $375
6-12 OE 3 hours -190
Daily Tournament: 6.5 hours: +146

First of 3 hands:

6/12 oe kill is ont to 10/20.

I am UTG +2 with ah-jh-7-3. UTG +1 is a solid player and the kill. He raises to $20. I make a pretty loose call. A-2 is a strong part of his range to raise his own kill. 6 of us see the flop. Kh-Qh-7s. WOW! Pretty good. Big blind bets, original raiser calls. If I was before the original raiser, I auto raise. Reason being I am putting pressure on likely ace deuce hands to increase my chances for a backdoor low. I think that is standard move, but would be curious to hear other peoples thoughts. 5 to the turn. Anyway, Deuce of spades on the turn! That is a big turn card for my hand. I get a gaurenteed piece of the pot with 7 hearts (two board pairs could result in boats), two additional 10's (spade may not be good) and any 4-5-6-8. remaining 7's might be okay as well. But, there are 25 cards that I am guaranteed a piece of the pot (57%). I am ready to raise! Big blind bets, original raiser raises! Now, I have to believe he also has high and low potential. Maybe wrap with a-3? I just call. Should I have 3 bet with 25 good cards? Some I believe now quarter me. River was the annoying 9 of diamonds, but that is unimportant.

Two questions: 1) Did I play flop too passively? I think the likely ace deuce already called, and I would just be bloating the pot without backdoor low possibility. 2) Turn was so big for me, should I have 3 bet, suspecting I might get quartered on a bunch of my lwo possiblities? The kill raiser told me he has A-2-3 and turned nut spade draw, so basically same hand as mine mutliway.

Funky Tournament hand:

I ran good early last night First few levels ran 20K up to 48k. Table chip leader. Then this hand comes up. 150-300 blinds. UTG+ 1, make it 700 to go with K-Q of hearts. 6, yes, you heard that right, 6 of us go to the flop at 700 a piece. Flop comes 9-6-4 with two hearst. I think that is a pretty big flop and check. Next player with about 12K total bets 3 thousand into the $4,200 chip pot. Folds to the small blind who ships it in for $35,000! He is second big chip leader at the table. He is the same player who was the kill in the O.E. hand. Competent player, but what the hell is that bet? I tank and muck. First raiser calls with a-6 (middle pair) and all in bet was 2-3 of hearts. Flush draw and gutter ball. King would have turned and I would have won huge pot.
Questions:
1) Should I have just led the flop? Thought I flopped pretty big and felt I was pseudo trapping.
2) Does anything other than a two way draw from the small blind make sense? Would he do that with a set? Just baffled at the spewtard $35K all in for a $7,200 pot. I mean, I did underep may hand my checking flop. I suppose it would be weird for me to show up with that hand after raising pre and checking flop.

Last hand, Smudger owns a soul.

Blinds are $1,000-$2,000. UTG (new player to the table) makes is $6k. Next player (calling station flats), I flat the C.O. with A-10 of clubs. Big blind flats. All of us start the hand with about $50k
Flop comes 4-4-5, 2hearts, one diamond. Checks around. Turn comes the 6 of clubs. Checks around. River comes the third 4. Don't think flush is possible. final board, 4-4-5-6-4. All of a sudden the big blind leads for $16k! Next two players fold. I think about it. It didn't make sense to me. If he had a pair, or piece of the board he probably would have bet turn. He was solid player. There are some bluffs that bet me, A-J, 2-2, but it didn't make sense, and there is a lot of air in his range. I call. He turns over 3-8 of hears. Not sure why he defended his blind in the first place, but ace high is good. Another soul collected by SMUDGER!

Played today. Last time I can go for a week or so.

1 hour NL +$200
5 hours 10-20 Big O -$400

6 hours -$200

1-2, there was a jerky guy who got made at everyone who beat him. He just rebought. I'm down to $135 from my $200 starting stack. He makes it $15 (he bet out a lot and was a it tilty). I 3 bet to $45 with A-Q. Flop 8-6-4, two spades. He checks. I ship $90. he thinks, and calls. Queen on river. He tells me I should tip $9, cause I'm lucky. I tip $2. Next hand, he makes it $15, I make it $45 with A-K. Flop J-4-2. He checks, I check back. Turn king, he leads $30, I ship, he tank calls. King is obviously good. Tells me how lucky I am. Then tells me that since I don't have a wedding ring, I have no family to feed, and cause I hit cards on the turn and river I should tip more. Was kind of bizare. He leaves without his money. Haha.

Big O game? Just a nightmare. Never scooped a pot and my nut low got bricked on river 3 times. Was amazing I lost so little.

19 hours, +331.

Heading to the Borgata this weekend.

Planning on playing Friday daily, both Saturday daily's and Sunday daily.

Think I will play 10-20 Holdem as the Omaha game is tough and they always argue. Maybe hop into 10-20 Omaha late at night.

Also, think I am going to break my rule and budget $1,000 for video poker as pay tables are good at Borgata and I need the points.

Does anyone know, if I lose Gold (which I got cause of Diamond), will they give it to me the next year with updated diamond card?

1 Yes
2 Yes

But fold that hand pre flop - it's not good

Challenge failed.

Internet strangers, mock away!

I blew through my $1,000 video poker budget first night at Borgata. Half at nickel Ultimate X, half at quarters. Real fast. I gave myself the budget as a I need the points and Borgata has good pay tables.

Anyway, I also lose $500 in Omaha Hi Low and bust the tournament early.

Fast forward to Saturday. Get stuck another $250 in Omaha Hi Low, getting really frustrated. Ivan, who is real nice guy that I am friendly with tells me to sit in 2-2 PLO, they have open seats.

I don't play a lot of PLO, but I am getting my butt crushed in Hi Low. So, I sit with $275, work it up to $525 in an hour an a half. Things are going good.

Then, a new player sits down with $500. I pot to 8 with aa109. He re pots. I repot. He flats. Flop comes Q 10 8. He checks, I shove for like $275, he calls. turn, I forget, river is a 6. He had Q-6-6-2. No flush draw or back door flush. Q-6-6-2. Set of sixes on the river. What the hell was he thinking at anypoint in the hand!

I am so tilted, I go to the video poker machine. I almost just want to go home and call the trip short. 3 hands in, 4 aces with a kicker for $1,500! I would have rather won the $1,000 poker pot, but hey, yeah baby!

Things are looking up, but I am a tilt monkey failure that could not go 100 hours in a casino without putting money in a machine.

That night, I win the daily and a bunch of bounties. We chopped 6 ways. I didn't really want to chop, but there was a guy with his wife who both final tabled and I am friendly with them. He really wanted to chop, so hey, fine.

$600 profit, plus I got another $225 in bounties. Tip 2 bounties (I know, big tip, but thought the dealers did pretty good, and I am not concerned about ROI).

I am happy! Walk around the poker room to see if 10-20 Omaha seat is available. Nope, full game.

Sit in 10-20 holdem with my bounties, ($175) and am a total card wreck. Must have got aces 3 times, once flopped a set in 5 way action pot that was 3 bet.

Called with 2-5 suited in the bind, hit a deuce, rivered a 5. Two hours of play and $750 bucks richer.

All in all a pretty good trip, but the tilt monkey that I am does not have enough discipline to go 100 hours in a casino without putting money in a machine.

Laugh at the loser!

Also, requesting a ruling. In the end, the other player didn't want the floor to come, so he took his $10 back. If the floor comes, what is ruling?

10-20 Omaha Hi low, multi way pot, I bet flop. One call, go to turn, I bet, get raised, call.

At this point, the dealer and player inform me I am missing $10 (heads up in Omaha they leave the bets in front of you), as he raised the flop. Another player says he 100% raised the flop. I didn't hear him. He was on other end of table and I didn't see the raise.

The dealer dealt the turn without making sure the money was right.

I am not putting the money in. The way it was, if he raised the flop, I would have 100% checked the turn and the dealer made an error by dealing the next card before I called.

The action 100% changes on the turn. My contention, if the floor was called, they would have made me call the $10, put the turn card back in the deck, reshuffle and deal a new turn card. Am I right?

As it was, the guy didn't want the floor to come, so he just took his $10 back, but was grumpy about it.

What is the actual ruling here?