Casino Arizona - short trip report
 

Had an enjoyable day yesterday at Casino Arizona at 101 & Indian bend, despite a losing day.

11:15 NLHE tourney $40 + 20 (yuck) 1500 starting stack, but if you're at a table before the tourney, you get your entry stamped. Once 1/2 hour prior, once about 2 hours prior. 2 stamps gets you 1000 extra, 1 gets you 300 extra. I, of course, learn this after the fact.

I didn't last long. Screwed myself in level II (50/100). I have about 2500 in chips. In the BB with K:c: Q:c: One limper, short stack goes all-in. Now I have asked the dealer to tell me how much a raise was to me in 2 prior hands. This time, I look at the chips, see a stack of 2 black, 2 stacks of 4 green and a green on top. Or so I think. I decide with the limper, I'll call and toss in 325 more without saying a word. Dealer says, "the bet is 825". I look over and the raiser moves the top black chip and I see the bottom is a purple. I reach out to take the extra chips back (thinking the 325 I threw out is less than half the raise, so maybe its OK, but I'm told that I can fold if I want, but the chips stay in the pot. Ugh. My fault for not asking and the rules are the rules, but now there's 1400 in the pot and I can fold KQs or call 400 more, so I call. The limper calls, and the raiser's TT holds up against the limper's 66.

I'm down to 1675, and the blinds then go up to 100/200, I take JJ against the big stack;s AK and he spikes a K and I'm gone. Truthfully, even if I don't screw up the first hand, I probably go broke on the JJ hand anyway, especiall after seeing people call all-ins with 66 and A7o.

I play 4-8 limit the rest of the day. End up stuck $120, but its your classic loose passive table with occaisional straddle-based wildness. Fun place to play. The tourneys have real tournament clocks on the wall, you can eat at the table (the food looks decent) and the locals were a friendly bunch.

Interesting rule differences.

1. You don't have to post when you enter the game behind the button.
2. They take $1 in rake before they deal the hand (they pull it from the SB)
3. The game is a full kill, 2 pots in excess of 5 big bets (I think). Unlike Foxwoods, the killer does not act in turn, but last no matter his position.