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After spending a long and tiring Thanksgiving day with my family (cue the dozens of screaming ten-year-olds) and with the girlfriend out of town, it was given that I would spend a good amount of the rest of my holiday weekend at a place that is truly dear to my heart; a place to lean back, have a few drinks with some friends and blow off some steam.

Foxwoods.

While thousands of Americans were waking up early to take advantage of Black Friday sales that mark the official beginning of the Christmas season, I got up early and made my way to eastern Connecticut in the hope of turning a couple hundred dollars into a more significant profit. Since my girlfriend’s birthday happens to be ON Christmas, I could certainly use the money as that promises to put a big dent in the bankroll.
With that said I had high hopes. In previous visits, the low stakes $1/$2 No-Limit game proved to feature a lot of inexperienced players, and I have done well against them. For this trip, however, since I was more focused on making significant profit and willing to accept higher risk and greater challenge, I was planning to play the $2/$5.
However, entering the poker room I learned the maximum buy-in for the $1/$2 game had increased from $100 to $300.

Thus, the opportunity to play with weaker players holding more money than usual was too good to pass up.

It was an extremely busy day at the casino, but after an hour on the waiting board, my friend, JC, and I were placed at the same table. I surveyed the game and saw most of the stacks were around $300, (the maximum buy-in) and one guy had accumulated about $700.

I paid my $5 time fee (At Foxwoods there is no rake you pay $5 every half hour) and bought-in for $300. I was dealt K-8 of hearts in the big blind first hand. Someone in an early position raises $6. This is a normal 3x big blind raise in most games, but it’s a weak one at Foxwoods where opening raises are generally $10-$15. Three people call, and I do as well making the pot about $32. The flop comes K-Q-8 rainbow. The small blind led out with a $20 bet. Instead of trying to slow play my 2 pair, I doubled his bet and made it $40 to try and eliminate any potential draws (J-10). Everyone else folded and the small blind called. A 6 came on the turn, and the small blind checked. Still confident that I had the best hand I bet out $40. He thought for a bit and called. His smooth call worried me a little bit, as I was brand new to the table and really didn’t know much about this player.

I did have two pair, but I started to think he might be slow playing a monster. The river was a 2 and the small blind checked yet again. At this point, I’m really not sure if I’m good or not. Checking a big hand, especially in a cash game, seemed weird to me, but I had been playing my hand fairly aggressively on every street, so he may have just decided to let me do the betting and then raise me. I decided to check, and much to my dismay he turned over K-Q.

One hand, down $93.

For the next 20 minutes I wasn’t dealt much, so I mainly observed my opponents. The big stack was very aggressive and seemed to be a weak player just trying to bully opponents around. The player to my left, who I got involved with in the K8 hand, seemed to be pretty good and I was able to pick up on how he was playing.

While I was card dead and passively observing, JC got involved in a pretty big hand. He limped in and another player made it $12. Two other players called and JC stayed in. The flop came A-2-3 rainbow. The original aggressor led out for $25. One player folded, and JC doubled his bet and made it $50. The player to my right re-raised and made it $100. The original bettor re-raised all-in, and JC announced he was all-in for over $200

The original re-raiser contemplated.

I started to go over what each of them could possibly have. Knowing the way JC plays, I knew he had a monster. He limped in then called the raise and with the betting on this flop, so I either put him on a set or the straight.

I was thinking JC had a hand that probably wasn’t good enough to raise with pre-flop, but he wanted to see it fairly cheaply. Suited connectors or a low pair definitely fit the bill. I put the original bettor on a big ace, overplaying his hand a little bit given the amount of action already in the hand, and I really wasn’t quite sure about the man to my right. He had been playing solid poker and for him to re-raise a raise I thought he must have something pretty good.

After a couple minutes of deliberation he folded A-Q face-up. The original bettor showed A-K and was virtually drawing dead when JC flipped up his 4-5 of spades.

I had chip envy, but I wouldn’t have to wait long for my turn. As I said, the big stack was playing very loose and aggressive, and I was waiting my time, hoping to get involved in a showdown with him. I was on the small blind and looked down at two red aces. I waited for action and much to my delight the big stack raised to $15. One other person called and the action was to me.

Now, from watching previous hands I noticed this guy never folded to re-raise, so I decided that I didn’t want to slow play it and that I wanted the other caller out of the hand. I re-raised and made it $40. As predicted, the big stack called and the other guy folded. Here was my chance. The flop came three junk cards. I tried to look irritated with the cards that fell and checked. He, just like I wanted him to, bet out $80. I immediately went all-in for my remaining $40 or so and he, feeling like he was committed called. I turned my hand over and after the turn and river came he just mucked, never showing, and I was back in business.

Things were slow for a little while after that, up until near the end of my day when I encountered the (former) big stack yet again. Ever since the aces, he was steaming, losing not only the $700 he had on the table when I arrived but had also re-bought twice at the max.

I was in the big blind and looked down to see J-8 of clubs. The former big stack opened up for $15 as he was doing much of the day. His raises had stopped being intimidating though, and 4 people called. With about $75 in the pot and it only being $15 for me to call I decided to gamble and see if I could hit the right flop.

I hit a jackpot when the flop came 8-8-J giving me a flopped full house. I checked, as did the player to my immediate left. The original bettor then threw out a $50 bet. The man next to him doubled it. A couple people folded and the action was to me. I tried to think of how I could get the most money out of this hand. I didn’t put either of them on pocket jacks and had a feeling that the person that raised was just trying to steal the pot because the original bettor was on tilt, but he also could have had an 8 himself. I decided to double his raise making it $200 total. The player next to me folded and the original bettor started talking to himself. I could tell he really had a hand and was thinking about this. He thought for a good 5 minutes and asked me for a chip count. I told him I had about 200 left and tried my best to act nervous. Acting nervous is harder than one would think. I tried to make my hands shake and basically do anything I could to induce a call. He said something along the lines of “If I can get away from this it would be an incredible laydown.” After someone called the clock on him he pushed all-in, the first raiser folded and I instantly called showing my full house. He turned over his pocket aces. The turn and river were no help to him and I was a happy man.

I thought that the guy should have been able to get away from aces based on the betting. Reviewing the hand in my head I maybe should have flat called instead of raised to try and induce more action from the other player.

All things considered, I had had a pretty good day at the tables. And while I won’t say how much I won, my girlfriend is going to be getting a pretty nice Christmas present — courtesy of the fine (and not so fine) poker players at Foxwoods Resort & Casino.