I Love Mohegan Sun

Did I mention how much I like the new Poker Room at Mohegan Sun? Probably not since my posting (and playing) has been somewhat erratic as of late.

Life is good. I am finally coming to terms with my post deployment woes. I no longer drive down the street and worry that the side of the road will explode. Aggressive drivers no longer make me look to my gunner for defense. Loud noises (such as fireworks) still set me off, but fortunately the 4th of July is 9 months away. It sucks that my favorite holiday is difficult to endure.

During my first few weeks in Iraq I rarely slept. The concussion of an incoming mortar or rocket attack will keep any normal person awake for hours. After a while you get used to it, and unless it is close, you can practically sleep through it. I can remember my first combat patrol thinking what the fuck did I get myself into? The city streets look like you took the town dump and spread it around. Small fires of burning trash are everywhere. People are going on with their lives.

When most people think of Abu Ghraib the prison is the first thing that comes to mind. For me it is the surrounding area, a western suburb of Baghdad that I covered. After a few weeks, you get used to it, and re-program to deal with daily events in a combat zone. You begin to learn where the worst areas are and take measures to mitigate. You establish rapport with the local populace and begin to become effective. You can read your mens minds and they can read yours. Then it becomes an everlasting groundhog day. Drive around, talk to the Iraqis and then come back and prepare to do it again. Sometimes it is weeks without any action, then suddenly there is more than you could want.

Finally after a year in country and 19 months on active duty I get home safe. All my fingers and toes. I party like a rock star. The simple things that we take for granted in America mean so much more after a tour at war. It has been over a year now and I still feel out of touch. Poker is my adrenaline rush.

Not sure why all that came out, but it is all typed up so I might as well post it. Back to the topic...

Yesterday I made the trip to the newly opened Mohegan Sun Poker Room. This was probably my 6th or 7th trip since it opened. The room is nice, with easy access to the valet entrance. They have comfortable adjustable chairs which remind me of the Venetian. The tables are poorly designed, no drink holders and a very small chip well. The staff says the wrong tables were delivered and new ones have been ordered. I hope they have the extra-large cup holder like the Venetian. There are plenty of television monitors to watch the game. Go Sox!

Many of the dealers are still new and inexperienced, but in time they will be fine. The dealers keep their own tips and the good ones seemed to have bigger piggy banks than the bad ones. The 1/2 tables are raked which is a nice change from the $5 per half hour time charge. I don't see a noticible difference in play between Foxwoods and Mohegan games.

I bought in for $200 about 6pm and stayed until the table broke at 2am. I sat in the 9-hole between two friends who were nice enough to school me on who could play and who couldnt. We had a good time taking pretty much everyones money for several hours. A nice little old lady dropped $1200 in $200 increments, paying off every flush and straight with marginal hands like KJ and second pair. A woman in the 1 seat had come to the table with a rack full a white chips. This is 1/2 NL, why not use the dollar chips? She called everything and caught building up to nearly $1k. Any bare Ace, Face or piece of the flop and she was in it until the end. All sick runs must come to an end, and eventually she gave it all away one pot at a time. The kid to my right went from $73 to about $800 mostly from the little old lady. The kid to my left doubled up three times in a row to build up to $650 or so. They rack up together about $1500 and new blood comes to the table.

I played my normal game, suited connectors and small pairs raising in position. Limping out of position and making bleeding calls when 8 players test the waters. I slow played a couple big pairs KK and QQ, once for a nice win and once for a sizeable loss. My over pair vs top pair vs bottom pair vs flush draw. Bottom pair boated and I saved my stack by getting out.

I ran several nice bluffs against a guy who was identifed early on as easily out-playable. To his credit he got away from vulnerable hands vs my check raises and scare card bluffs. Most of the other players would have called me down not knowing where they were in the hand.

New Right-guy and I have been friendly and staying out of each others way for the most part. The problem is he was on my right and taking my plays away before I had a chance to make them. He was culling the low hanging fruit before I was able to harvest it. He did show me some serious respect laying down pocket Kings when I raised on a double-gutter. He showed his KK so I showed him my 45 on an A37 board. He said that was a ballsy raise with nothing and I tell him if you can't raise on a draw then poker is not the game for you.

My biggest pot of the night came near the end of my session. I raise with QQ from mid position dropping 4 reds and saying I only meant to bet $15 but the extra $5 should stay in the pot. Four players come along for the ride. The flop is Q67 with 2 hearts. Check to me and I bet out $40 hoping someone has a Queen. Player on my left calls (he has a flush draw), one player drops and the player on my right check raises another $100 on top. There is $320 in the pot at this point.

Right-guy goes out of his way to tell me that he is strong, thinking he is doing me a favor and he is ahead. I announce raise, toss 4 greens in to cover his raise and count out my remaining $280. He says he thought we were being friendly and I say we were until you check raised me. I slide my stack across the line and he begins to tank. $700 in the pot now. The flush draw guy on my left wants to come along but changes his mind even though he has less than $100 remaining. Right guy has about $1100 behind and decides to call with Q6, top and bottom pair.

The turn pairs the 6 giving him Sixes full of Queens and me Queens full of Sixes. The river is the 4h, flushdraw guy would have got there and lost. A $1000 pot on a 1/2 table. I Love Mohegan Sun.