Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Blinds and Straddles

At casinos I like to keep my table lively, so I'll occasionally go into manic mode. At least once a night, I'll make a big deal about playing my blind cards blind, betting the flop blind, and looking on the turn when I get action, all the while yakking it up.

Last night at Gold Strike I did this once, asserting I had aces, and I called a small raise, and a bet on the flop blind. He bet into me on the turn and I looked, and I had AT, and there was an ace on the board, so I reraised. He was incredulous and called, and we both checked the river. Turned out he rivered two pair with his QJo, but I was indeed ahead when I called on the flop, and when I looked and reraised.

Last hand of the evening I'm UTG, and so I decide to straddle, and I make a big deal about what I've got, and at least 3 callers. and I make a quarter-pot bet and get only one caller. The flop is A23, and now I'm joking that I've changed my mind and I've got 45. He bets into me, and I look, and this time is AKo, and I reraise again. He calls, and I check the turn blind, and he checks two. The river was a king, and a pair of aces was good anyhow.

Usually this tactic doesn't produce immediate results like this. It usually just loosens the table, if I'm lucky, but a money-loser in the short term.