Commerce Casino Trip Report

Okay, time to have some fun. I have a conference this week in Palm Springs, CA. I decided (well, more like I was forced) to fly into LAX due to a) the lack of rental cars in PS and b)the fact that I have a business appointment with our very own DEEEEMON on Thurs at UCLA.

So I get up early Friday morning (5:30am) to catch my flight to LA. Catch about an hour nap on the plane, watch the original "Dirty Harry" from Netflix, and land safely at LAX.

Three minutes off the plane is my first celebrity sighting. It's Ron Jeremy, catching a flight to Salt Lake City. This could be a good sign or a bad sign. Guess I'll have to wait to find out.

So off to the rental car, and 30 mins later I'm at the Commerce. For those who haven't been there, the place is HUGE. They have 4 separate sign-up boards on the 4 sides of the pit, and then more tables outside the pit on the same floor that are spreading LO8. I decide to go on the 4/8 LHE list and want to know more about the LHE LAPC prelim event that starts in 4 hours (it is 11am). I go to talk to the concierge to find out how many people have entered (more than 100 makes it a 2-day event, and I can only play Friday). I'm less-than-thrilled with the customer service. When I ask his first reaction is "why do you want to know that?". Uh, because?

At that time they have enough on the 4/8 list that they open a new table. I hear my name called and say "forget it" to the concierge and go sit.

The good news when I sit with my $200 is that I have the biggest stack. The bad news is that I am the youngest at the table by at least 200 years. It is a Friday afternoon, so I guess I can't complain too much. The one bonus of the Commerce is that the food is good and cheap. I order a club sandwich with fries and a Diet Coke and the total is $5.25. SWEEET!!

So after an hour of fold, fold, raise, fold, and no action or cards I'm down $104. I decide to go look at the LO8 prospects. I get on the 3/6 and 4/8 lists in LO8 and in the meantime go sit at the "baby NLHE" game with a $100 max buy in and 1/3 blinds.

First hand is QQ. I am in the BB and 3 limp. I pop it to $12 and one calls. Flop is rags, 9-hi. I bet $20 and he mucks. Nice way to start. Unfortunately, that's my ONE winning hand at the table. I have a few more decent starters but all miss the flop, and I check/fold or bet and fold on the reraise for a bit. Finally get AsQs in EP and raise to $15. Folded to a guy who's a wannabe pro (he was wearing sunglasses and a visor and was very very serious) he flat calls from the BB.

Flop is 8 8 7. He bets $10. I call. Turn is 7. He bets $25. I think about it for a bit and decide he's either got a weak A (which we are not tying) or he has a low PP and hates that 7. I smooth call since I have position and I figure I'm getting half the pot. River is a Q. He goes all-in right away. I think for 2-3 mins and I just can't put him on an 8 or 7. I say "call" and 2 guys at the table both say "Nice call, he's got nothing". He turns over a 7 though, and now I'm down $204. I decide not to rebuy since I'm next on both the LO8 games. I'm feeling like Mr. Jeremy might be screwing with my karma, dammit. I need a fun game. The two tables so far have been full of rocks and wannabes.

As I walk towards the O8 area, they call my name. Nice timing. They have a seat for me at the 3/6 game. I take my seat and buy in for $116 (I had kept $16 in my pocket at the NLHE game as it had a capped $100 buy in). Right away this table is a lot more fun. There's quite a few asians playing that are talkative and a lot of fun. One guy kept raising my blind "for spite" and I knew I was going to have a good time, regardless of how I did.

About the 4th hand in, I have Kh2hAs7s and raise from MP. Three callers. The flop is 10 7 4 with 2 hearts. I have the 2nd nut hearts and nut low draw so I bet it again when it gets checked to me. All call. Turn is the 9h. I bet, 2 fold. Me and "Mr. Spite" are HU. River is Ac. I check. He checks and shows the A-high flush and 23 for the low. Dammit, I got scooped.

A few hands later I have Kh4h2h7s and call from the SB. Flop is three hearts, with a low draw (think it was 10 8 5). I bet, it gets raised, reraised, capped, back to me. I call thinking that the K *might* be good. I know this is a loose call, but I think that I have some good outs, especially if an A hits. Turn is a 3. I check, BB bets. One call (MR Spite again) back to me. I'm trying to figure out why there was so much action on the flop but it slowed down. I decide that Mr Spite might have the nut flush on my again and the BB has a low. I decide to call and take off one more as there's no one behindme to raise.

River is a thing of absolute beauty. It's the Ah. I now have the wheel and nut flush. I bet, and the BB mucks and starts muttering about the A killing his lo. Mr Spite calls and shows A2 for A23x for two pair and a now counterfieted lo. I scoop a decent pot and start the climb back out.

Only one other hand of note. I'm UTG and look down to see 8d9dAsKs. I'm going to leave after the hand and decide to take a flop. The flop is 6d7d10d. That's right boys and girls, I flop the str8 flush. The jackpot is at about $8k and I want it. I check it in hopes that people won't go nuts and someone will have a chance to catch up. Turn is Jd. I just improved to a bigger str8 flush. I check, hoping someone has a set and the board pairs the river. River is 3h. Boooo. I bet, one caller and I show the hand. I get 1/2 the pot as the caller had A4 for the low. Everyone, including Mr Spite all say that I played it well trying to let someone catch up for the jackpot. Such is life.

I stand up with $190 after 2 hours. $74 in 3/6 in an two hours isn't too bad. I scooped a few pots, but don't remember all the details. It's late saturday now, and I didn't write out any notes since I had to get in the car to drive the 100+ miles out to Palm Springs and I was tired as hell, so sue me :-P So overall at the Commerce I ended up down $130 in 4 hours.

And now I remember why I just like to visit LA instead of living out here. I left the Commerce at 3pm and was told I should be able to make PS in "about 2 hours". Well, people and the internet BOTH told me to go down to take 91 out. Problem is, I don't have one of those fast-pass thingys to get into the toll express lanes, and there was a wreck on 91. I sat in bumper-to-bumper for 1.5 hours to make it 4.5 miles past the wreck. Then there was construction on 60. Another 45 mins of wasted time. I finally rolled into my hotel in PS at 6:45, almost 4 hours after I left the Commerce. It took me almost as long to fly from Cincy to LA, as to drive from LA to PS. ICK.

More to come. I'll cya at the tables.