Commerce Observations

Commerce was, of course, a dream. Over one hundred tables of poker looseness under one roof.

There are many things I hate about Commerce, but most of them have to do with the tournament situation, not cash games. While the players at cash games can be nasty (both physically and personally), I have always been around dirty, stinky, sewer reeking players, so that is nothing new. In fact, although I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, I actually petitioned to keep some poker rooms smoking, due to the reek of smoke being preferable to the reek of some players (gangrene Joyce, Korean KK). I have never retched smelling smoke, but I have retched smelling those two smells.

Soooo, now that I have completed my happy little segue, lol...

Commerce games were fantastic. I had underestimated the Stud game. I thought I remembered just how loose and juicy it was, but I was wrong. It was even juicier than I'd recalled, although not during the day as much as in the evenings.

I was hoping that my recent study and limited practice at Bellagio would bode well for me. Had the cards broken even, I'm sure I'd have a different outcome to report, but it was not meant to be this time. When I had aces, someone was rolled up. At times I was outplayed, at times I was outdrawn. Just the luck of the draw, no "bad beat" stories to report, tons of variance and standard deviation will do ;)

When I realized that I was not properly funded for four full days of 20/40 and 30/60 Stud, I moved to a lesser variance game, Omaha 8. The 30/60 third kill was a rock garden during the day (I later heard that the 75/150 players slum at 30/60 during the daytime hours until they can get a 75/150 game going). I played only one rotation, seeing two or three players take a flop, and usually no showdown, or a HU showdown, and got the heck out of dodge.

I asked Glenn how the lower limit O8 games were going, and he smacked his lips lavaciously like a testosterone driven late teen finding internet porn for the first time.

Commerce has a weird habit of not spreading transition games. It's like they don't understand the concept of moving up gradually. So players have these huge jumps in limits, with no "in between" games. O8 was spread in 3/6 kill, 4/8 kill and 6/12 kill (unless I indicate otherwise, kill means full kill). Then the next limit is 30/60 third kill! Huh? Oh, well. I love slumming, if I'm making money! And money I did make!

While schooling hindered my progress in the Stud games, schooling simply added to my wins in O8. I love Commerce O8, and I think that is what I will stick to when I visit again. After all, a nutpeddler like me has to love the effect that schooling has at a card barn which has a reputation of calling four bets cold before every flop!

I scooped some monstrous pots. I'm talking like $500 pots in low limits! One night after some long grinding, I was up almost 3.5 racks, lol. Yes, this is from rock-of-ages over here, Ms. "I don't play a hand unless I'm a favorite" Boulder City. Lovely. Had I gotten in a few more days, I think I could have recouped all of my Stud losses, even at stakes 1/3 to 1/4th the stakes I played at Stud.

Speaking of "Studs," lol, I got to embarrass my poor friend Ted Forrest again this year.

While he was playing Chinese for $100 a point (oy, vey), we had a conversation about things that had been going on in my life since the last time we'd talking during the 2005 Series. (Yes, Ted will only talk about the "other" guy, he never wants to talk about himself.)

Anyway, I got to tell him about the fan club. And watch him turn shades of red. I even further embarrassed him by saying that the president of his "fan club" was happily married, so he wasn't going to have any luck in that regard. Poor Ted.

So there ya have it.

I'll continue to write more about our four days at Commerce when I get a mo' and can think of some stories for you. Until then, here you have the first installment of "Felicia Rants."

If you have nothing to say, and you aren't a good writer (90% of you), don't post. Your blog is boring and unoriginal. No one wants to read it. Wait until you have something real to report, if you lack the skills necessary to be an interesting writer. With public high schools regularly graduating illiterates these days, most of you cannot even type up a proper sentence, much less whip up something that is interesting to the general population. Please spare us!

Felicia :)