Poker with DrStrange in 2017 (1 Viewer)

[DrStrange]

One new year's resolution I made was to keep a running account of what games I hosted, what chips were in play and things like attendance and food we made. Here is January 2017.

Tuesday, Jan 10th I hosted a work night $0.25/$0.50 game, spread limit, mixed games with a fixed rotation. Seven players came for the three hour session. No food, just snacks and soft drinks. Garden city chips on the table.

Jan 14th I hosted a $0.25/$0.50 no limit Texas Holdem game. It was the first holdem game in over a month due to how the holiday fell and my vacation to Belize. We had fifteen players. Dinner was red beans and rice plus tamales from the Delicious Tamale Company in San Antonio. Garden city chips make their second appearance this month. Sets with a $0.25 chip get a lot more play in my game.

1,404 chips from the Garden City

• DrStrange
• Dec 9, 2015

Wednesday, January 18th I cohosted a $1/$2 no limit Texas Holdem game. I provide the cards, chips and bank, my co host provides the location, drinks and food. We end up with ten players and ran the game until 4:30 am. Dinner was BBQ chicken and ribs from the Salt Lick BBQ. Chips in play this night, Empress! I have added a couple more racks of $5s since this picture was taken. This ends up somewhat deep stacked due to liberal rebuy rules (match the biggest stack if desired.)

Empress Casino, 1633 chip set

• DrStrange
• Jul 31, 2015

Saturday, January 28th I hosted a $1/$1 no limit Texas Hold'em game. This was my birthday game, with some of my favorite dishes for dinner. Twelve layer lasagna, salad, garlic toast with German Chocolate Cake, grapes and oranges for desert. (several of the players have dietary concerns and have asked for some fruit to be added to the menu.) We end up with nine players this evening. The Double Down set is in play to celebrate adding two more racks of $5 chips. Picture below was for the old 800 chips set, but now it is at a cool thousand chips.

800 chips from the Double Down Saloon

• DrStrange
• Mar 16, 2016

A fine start to 2017 -=- DrStrange

 

[Psypher1000]

The Double Down set is in play to celebrate adding two more racks of $5 chips.

Congrats on the addition! The Double Down set is a bit unsung, IMO. I like the colors, the spots, the inlay design...fun set.

 

[Rhodeman77]

How I miss having a host that had a cash game running every week.

Once the casino opened it has been a struggle in both finding hosts (other than tournaments) and players that will show up on a regular basis.

Having a cash game running 24/7 has really lowered the "must play" attitude that was prevalent for so long.

I hope your players appreciate what they have in you!

 

[DrStrange]

I wrapped up February last night. It was a busy month, I got in five hosting session and two other games.

Tuesday, Feb 7th I hosted a work night $0.25/$0.50 game, spread limit, mixed games with a fixed rotation. Six players came for the three hour session. No food, just snacks and soft drinks. Outpost chips on the table.

Feb 11th I hosted a $0.25/$0.50 no limit Texas Holdem game. What a night - I had seven new players! That is more than the last year combined. Woo Hoo! Let's hope some of them stick around. Dinner was chicken and biscuit plus peach cobbler with peaches from the local orchards frozen fresh.

We ended up with sixteen players / two tables. One of the house rules is we move a player or two from each table every hour to allow more social interaction between people - especially important with so many new faces. The Outpost set is big enough to easily handle that many people.

1,995 Outpost chips

• DrStrange
• Dec 18, 2015

I hosted a second Tuesday game on Feb 21st. Down to five players this time, too many regulars unavailable and no irregulars showed up to play.

Wednesday, February 22nd I cohosted a $1/$2 no limit Texas Holdem game. I provide the cards, chips and bank, my co host provides the location, drinks and food. This game we have eight players, but two of them are action players. Any session with Crazy and Crazy Jr is going to be volatile. Dinner was home made enchiladas using wild game meats - a bit different and definitely spicy!

I ended up shaming the rest of the table into tossing money to the host for food. Last month they ate/drank a hundred-plus bucks worth of BBQ and booze, but no one but me pitched in to help cover the costs. This time I put my ten bucks in reaching across the table while everyone was watching and gave a typical "how grateful I am for the effort to make a dinner for us" speech. The host got $65 in tips which he gave to his wife. Big smile from her. She thinks maybe she might bake us a cake next month.

The game ran till 3:30 with average stacks around $750. The crazy guys almost insure that result every time they play. The poker Gods were fickle for me that night. I got Crazy Jr into five huge pots where he was 20% or less to win, yet he wins four out of five of them. That was +$1,500 to Crazy Jr and -$1,500 to DrStrange on four hands. This was my first losing session since November. Too bad it was the highest stakes game of them all.

We were playing with Aztar chips and Desjgn cards.

Last night hosting in February was the 25th. A $1/$1 holdem game. We end up with 18 players including four of the new players from the earlier session. I had some forwarning and switched back to a big set from the Aruba Americana set - the smallest set in the rotation. The Aztar set got a second night on the felt.

Dinner was chicken piccata, tossed green salad, garlic toast and a lemon/blueberry cake. We made extra, but the players still wiped out the food. The game ran till one in the morning.

This was the first time in five plus years I had two full tables for a higher stakes game. It was like a late Christmas present from Santa . . .

Santa delivers!

• DrStrange
• Feb 2, 2016

.

 

[DrStrange]

I have delayed getting March posted, hoping to get a couple of new pictures in. But that hasn't worked out as planned - I look a lighting strike a few weeks ago and am still finding new things wrong. So no new pictures.

Things didn't go as planned this month. I had scheduled chips from a relabel project from Gear, but he has had some equipment issues and the project is going to be delayed for a month or so. Perhaps they will get into the rotation in May.

The first game of the month was on Tuesday, March 7th. I hosted a work night $0.25/$0.50 game, spread limit, mixed games with a fixed rotation. Seven players came for the three hour session. No food, just snacks and soft drinks. The Outpost set gets to run a second month in a row.

Rack by Oz Woodworking

New configuration of Outpost rack

• DrStrange
• Feb 3, 2016

by Oz Woodworking

March 11th I hosted a $0.25/$0.50 no limit Texas Holdem game. Three of the seven new players are back for a total of twelve. The new folks are not quite as enthusiastic about how easy it is to win, but still having a good time. Dinner was take n bake pizza from Papa Murphy's. This works out surprisingly well. I bake pizza almost on demand, having hot crispy pizza until late in the night. Outpost in pay here too.

Tuesday March 22nd I hosted the second work night $0.25/$0.50 game, spread limit, mixed games with a fixed rotation. Seven players came for the three hour session. No food, just snacks and soft drinks. The Outpost set gets its last run for a while. { I hope! -=- go Gear go }

Wednesday March 23rd turns into a faux emergency game. One of our players has been working in Europe and is back for a visit, perhaps changing jobs. He writes a note asking us to host a special game for him - we accommodate him and set up a game with twelve hours notice. But then he decides he has something else to do leaving us with a special game missing the guest of honor. Even so, the game has eight players including both Crazy and Crazy Jr. We have eight players and run till four in the morning. This is a joint hosting game - I provide the poker chips, cards and bank. My co-host provides the food and venue. With no notice, he picks up BBQ tacos and snacks. I bring the Bahamia chips.

With both Crazy players in the game, I take out the $500 chips as "bait". Suggesting they could buy in and get one of those or perhaps chip up. In the end, we get three $500 chips in play and that creates a whole new dynamic as the players gun for the bait chip. Crazy indeed!

March 25th was my monthly $1/$1 holdem game. We end up with nine players - one of the regulars is on the war path trying to force changes to the game and or it's invite list. What a pain in the butt. Dinner is Chili(with rice and with Fritos or even both) and sausage queso / chips. The Aruba Americana set - the smallest set in the rotation - gets it time to shine

Aruba Americana

• DrStrange
• Jul 31, 2015

Aruba Americana CIC with Grove non-denominationals for ones

The picture I wanted to post is a royal flush hand where all the money goes in on the flop with top pair vs a monster draw. The river makes the royal flush and sends K3 off suit down in flames. Someday I'll get this picture sorted out.

The last game this month was a co-hosted $1/$2 game as regularly scheduled. We have thirteen players. The co host's wife goes all out, cooking tenderloin sandwiches w/ creamy horseradish and two huge cakes. How huge? The guys barely ate half the cake available. Again we played till four.

The empress chips are in play.

Singles from Empress Casino

• DrStrange
• Jul 31, 2015

Note the shaped inlays

 

[upNdown]

How big are your chairs?

 

[DrStrange]

My chairs are mixed. Most are armless dining room table chairs. Some are hard, some padded and a few squishy soft. There are a few folding chairs for emergency use ( or for people wanting a sit lower at the table) The main table is oversized and seats twelve uncomfortably. The second table is normally sized and seats ten.

 

[upNdown]

That was an attempt at a joke. You guys eat so well, I thought you might need bigger chairs. My games foods are more of the pringles and combos variety. Very jealous.

 

[bonesnjnts]

I have delayed getting March posted, hoping to get a couple of new pictures in. But that hasn't worked out as planned - I look a lighting strike a few weeks ago and am still finding new things wrong. So no new pictures.

Things didn't go as planned this month. I had scheduled chips from a relabel project from Gear, but he has had some equipment issues and the project is going to be delayed for a month or so. Perhaps they will get into the rotation in May.

The first game of the month was on Tuesday, March 7th. I hosted a work night $0.25/$0.50 game, spread limit, mixed games with a fixed rotation. Seven players came for the three hour session. No food, just snacks and soft drinks. The Outpost set gets to run a second month in a row.

Rack by Oz Woodworking

New configuration of Outpost rack

• DrStrange
• Feb 3, 2016

by Oz Woodworking

March 11th I hosted a $0.25/$0.50 no limit Texas Holdem game. Three of the seven new players are back for a total of twelve. The new folks are not quite as enthusiastic about how easy it is to win, but still having a good time. Dinner was take n bake pizza from Papa Murphy's. This works out surprisingly well. I bake pizza almost on demand, having hot crispy pizza until late in the night. Outpost in pay here too.

Tuesday March 22nd I hosted the second work night $0.25/$0.50 game, spread limit, mixed games with a fixed rotation. Seven players came for the three hour session. No food, just snacks and soft drinks. The Outpost set gets its last run for a while. { I hope! -=- go Gear go }

Wednesday March 23rd turns into a faux emergency game. One of our players has been working in Europe and is back for a visit, perhaps changing jobs. He writes a note asking us to host a special game for him - we accommodate him and set up a game with twelve hours notice. But then he decides he has something else to do leaving us with a special game missing the guest of honor. Even so, the game has eight players including both Crazy and Crazy Jr. We have eight players and run till four in the morning. This is a joint hosting game - I provide the poker chips, cards and bank. My co-host provides the food and venue. With no notice, he picks up BBQ tacos and snacks. I bring the Bahamia chips.

With both Crazy players in the game, I take out the $500 chips as "bait". Suggesting they could buy in and get one of those or perhaps chip up. In the end, we get three $500 chips in play and that creates a whole new dynamic as the players gun for the bait chip. Crazy indeed!

March 25th was my monthly $1/$1 holdem game. We end up with nine players - one of the regulars is on the war path trying to force changes to the game and or it's invite list. What a pain in the butt. Dinner is Chili(with rice and with Fritos or even both) and sausage queso / chips. The Aruba Americana set - the smallest set in the rotation - gets it time to shine

Aruba Americana

• DrStrange
• Jul 31, 2015

Aruba Americana CIC with Grove non-denominationals for ones

The picture I wanted to post is a royal flush hand where all the money goes in on the flop with top pair vs a monster draw. The river makes the royal flush and sends K3 off suit down in flames. Someday I'll get this picture sorted out.

The last game this month was a co-hosted $1/$2 game as regularly scheduled. We have thirteen players. The co host's wife goes all out, cooking tenderloin sandwiches w/ creamy horseradish and two huge cakes. How huge? The guys barely ate half the cake available. Again we played till four.

The empress chips are in play.

Singles from Empress Casino

• DrStrange
• Jul 31, 2015

Note the shaped inlays

[/QUOT

Doc--how are rubbing this year?

 

[bonesnjnts]

[/QUOTE

Uh ...running

 

[DrStrange]

Oh what a month! April could easily be one of the best months of the year. I got to host six times, with one failure.

The first game of the month was on Tuesday, April 4th. I hosted a work night $0.25/$0.50 game, spread limit, mixed games with a fixed rotation. Seven players came for the three hour session. No food, just snacks and soft drinks. The Garden City chips return to the felt.

Individual examples from the Garden City Card Room

• DrStrange
• Dec 9, 2015

Wednesday morning brings an unwelcome surprise. The water well is out - the good news is I get a service call that day and they get the water back on. The bad news is the pump is drawing way more current than it should meaning its days are numbered. Thursday we find out the number of days left on the pump was one day - the water is out again and will be until a new pump comes in and gets replaced. Given the pump is 500 feet below ground, this isn't a trivial job. So with a heavy heart, I cancel poker for the 8th.

Things did work out far better than expected. The pump got replaced late in the day on Saturday AND the pump still had three weeks left on its warrantee. That turned a $4,000 job into a $1,000 job. Woo Hoo!

Boo Hoo! I find that the problem is a lightning strike that fried the power distribution in the pump house, my ancient work computer & printer but didn't fry my gaming computer. So that is $500 for an electrician, a dead computer that was essentially worthless (but had a thousand bucks of software that needs to be replaced) and a printer + ink for a couple of hundred more.

On Saturday, April 15th I cohost a surprise game. One of the occasional players has completed his poker emporium after a decade of work. Man - o - man this is a nice place. Start with a 10,000 square foot barn (still working on the house after ten years, I think all the kids will be grown before that gets done.) Build out a man cave in the loft of the barn. The owner builds custom woodwork and framing, so the whole place is massive cedar beams, a mesquite bar and a sweet deck (with no rail, so don't fall off.) There must have been $5,000+ in whiskey in the bar. I was shocked that we didn't have nice tables - just folding "bar room" tables and chairs. No chips either. I helped with that - we had 14 players and the Empress set is back in play.

Just before game time

• DrStrange
• Aug 14, 2015

Empress set headed to the felt

Tuesday, April 18. I hosted a work night $0.25/$0.50 game, spread limit, mixed games with a fixed rotation. Eight players came for the three hour session. No food, just snacks and soft drinks. Garden City chips in play!

Wednesday, April 19th I co-host a 1-2 game like I often do. My co-host provided two types of stacked enchiladas - chicken and wild boar - plus a huge cheese cake. Yum YUM! I provided chips. If I hadn't been lazy, I would have switched out the Empress set. But I was on my third night hosting in five days and pooped out.

Crazy wins an early pot!

Raking in his big pot

• DrStrange
• Aug 14, 2015

On Saturday the 22nd I host my normal $1/$1 game. Dinner is zesty lime chicken, white rice, black beans plus side dishes. I end up with ten players and we get the PCA set in play. I find that I haven't taken many pictures of this set. . . . Yet another thing to clean up.

Trying to curse the big stack

• DrStrange
• Jul 18, 2016

Last game of the month is on Saturday, April 29th. I normally host a $1 - $4 spread limit dealers choice game on the 5th Saturday but this time we play $0.25/$0.50 spread limit pickle and Omaha high / low to help train a new player considering joining the Tuesday Night game. Dinner tonight is BBQ Brisket and sausage from Hays County BBQ, slow cooked pinto beans and jalapeno creamed corn. Yum YUM! (yes it is better BBQ than the Salt Lick. Salt Lick BBQ rates third place among the local BBQ shops) Chips in play = Outpost

individual close up - Outpost Casino

• DrStrange
• Dec 18, 2015

That is it for the month. A teaser for next month - - - I got a shipping notice from Gear and hope to have a new set suitable for $0.25 / $0.50 play ready for a May 13th game.

 

[Rhodeman77]

Which of your sets is your favorite @DrStrange?

 

[DrStrange]

Favorite? Which of my fingers do I like best? I guess I could find a preference if I had to cut one off, but it wouldn't be a happy choice.

I'll answer it a different way, which chips do I like best:

The Outpost quarter

Outpost Quarter

• DrStrange
• Sep 5, 2015

The Bahamia dollar

017

• DrStrange
• Jul 15, 2015

Bahamia $1 close up view

Close call between the PCA secondary $5 or the Empress yellow/green $5. I pick the Empress chip barely.

Cleaned vs Casino dirty

• DrStrange
• Jul 31, 2015

Higher value chips from the Outpost Casino

• DrStrange
• Dec 18, 2015

I can't say which $25 chip I like best < wink >

The $100 chip from PCA is the bomb. The Double Down $100 is second place
No picture of the PCA $100 is in my albums < boo! >

Close ups for the four types of Double Down Saloon chips in the set

• DrStrange
• Mar 16, 2016

And for larger chips, I prefer the $500 from the Bahamia.

I still have at least three sets not used yet this year. Grand Vics, planned for May 27, PJ Pocket ceramic white chip set, scheduled July 29th and a set not yet disclosed planned for May 13th if the post office delivers in time.

 

[12thMan]

I normally am a giant inlay basher but that bahamia 1, wow, I really like that and have never paid it much attention before. There is something beautiful about it, it flows together perfectly in all aspects. Love those double downs as well.

Edit: After looking at it again I reaalllyy want to play a small limit game with piles and piles of those chips.

 

[DrStrange]

Bahamia $1 chips are rare and expensive. The casino intended for the $25s and $5s to be the workhorse chip, so they bought a small number of ones. If you can find them at all, you expect to pay $350 - $500 per rack.

 

[12thMan]

Wow, interesting,thabks for the info. Beautiful chips sir.

 

[DrStrange]

I delayed getting the next post done thinking I would have some nice pictures of the Tropicana set but technical issues are proving difficult. Meaning that I'll likely need to restage the set pictures and lost all the game pictures. . . .

Here is how May went at the Dr's game

May second is the bi-weekly Tuesday night game - 7 till 10, mixed games played as a low stakes spread limit game. No meal is offered, just snacks. We have eight people for the game, the outpost chips are in play

quarters, one and two dollar Outpost chips

• DrStrange
• Dec 18, 2015

Later that week I get a package from @Gear. It is three racks of relabeled chips - solid yellow Paulson chips repurposed to be $0.25 chips from the Tropicana matching the 1972-1978 edition.

These get into play on May 13th when I host a low stakes NLHE game. We have eight players for the $0.25/$0.50 game. My wife is touring Canada this weekend, so I take an easier path for dinner - chicken strips from Raising Cane, sausage queso and baked beans.

Special rule for this game - - - - THE ROCK is in play. The rock is a gift from the host that is worth a dollar and must be used as a blind straddle anytime the player with the rock sits UTG. This lets all sorts of players get a chance to straddle, adds a little extra action and just a touch of spice to a normal game night.

The Tropicana set stays in play for a few more sessions. Next up is May 16th, another Tuesday night game. Seven players come to try their luck. Some of them were quite lucky, I wasn't one of them.

May 21st I co-host a $1/$2 game. Almost all the wild bunch comes to play, both Crazy and Crazy Jr., the Alpha male, Cougar and the rest of the crew. We end up with eleven players. So how degenerate are some of these guys? We see Crazy driving up the road so we call him with a proposition - Why not buy in for $60 and go all-in blind? He thinks this is a super duper good plan. So, Hero is in the big blind with Crazy (who is still isn't in the room) buying in for $60 UTG and is all-in. Two other players go all-in for roughly $60. Hero looks down at and ponders if this is a call or not. Hero eventually decides it might be marginally profitable and reasonable for his image. Crazy ends up with AQ vs KQs vs QJ vs 66. Hero makes a club flush and takes down the biggest pot of the ten minute old night. Woo Hoo!!

This doesn't last long. Shortly there after Hero gets into a hand with one of the LAGs who shows that KK > AQ so long as no aces hit the board. Boo Hoo!!! $500 dusted off.

Dinner tonight is pulled pork sandwiches and three different types of pie. Yum Yum! The Tropicana chips are in play.

May 27th we host the end of the month $1/$1 game. Dinner tonight is a taco bar plus a tres leches cake.

The Grand Vic chips are in play with nine people playing. This session proves that poker doesn't always even out in the short run. Hero gets into a hand with a calling station who proves that AQ > KK when an ace hits on the river. It is the exact situation from last week except the big pair loses at the end. Another $500 vaporized. I will end up marginally profitable for the month but I really think I got screwed out of $500 . . .

May 30th is the last game of the month. It is a Tuesday night game - three hours - no meal - low stakes, mixed games, spread limit. One of the players brings a fistful of scratch-off tickets which we again prove aren't hardly worth the paper they are printed upon. $20 in scratchers yields $7 in prizes. I don't think I have ever seen the scratch-off tickets even cover their face value in a decade plus worth of sessions. It is fun though, even if no one ever wins. (my new strategy is to buy lotto tickets as pot sweeteners. No one wins those either, but at least the top prize is something to dream about.)

The month turns into another six session month. A good time was had by all.

DrStrange

PS Missing pictures someday, I promise