Since my last post, I’ve embarked on my relocation trip to Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. My goal is to travel slowly, taking my time with no schedule, and playing poker at various poker rooms between north Texas and southern Nevada. You can read my blog and follow me on my trip at “1100 Miles to Vegas”.The first leg of my journey finds me in Norman, Oklahoma, home of the University of Oklahoma and Sooner pride. The Riverwind Casino is just to the south of downtown off Interstate 35 at Highway 9.
I walked inside the Riverwind and was immediately impressed. More spacious than the Winstar, I liked the seating area and food court similar to what you would find in a shopping mall. Burger King has a counter front, along with some other junkies like Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.
The poker room is a little disappointing. It’s smaller than the Winstar’s new room, and only offered a $3/$6 limit game (which had not formed yet at midday) and the customary no limit games beginning with $1/$2 and $2/$5. They had a few blackjack tables, one 3-card poker table, and one Ultimate Texas Hold’em table running. Of course it was Monday at noon, not the busiest time for a poker room, so I was eager to see if the room was more active later in the day.
I went back to the casino around 7:30 p.m. I took with me $100 into the poker room. My goal was to risk $60, no more. I signed up for a $3/$6 limit game, and the “interest list” had about six names on it, so I had to wait for a new table to open. Once the table began and I took my seat it was 8 p.m.
I played well and the cards were fine, plus the table had its share of weak players, so I doubled my buy-in of $80 within 90 minutes of sitting down. I was happy to leave while ahead of the game. I left with $89 in profits once I decided to call it a night. It was 9:30 p.m. or so. Since I had been in the car all day, I was ready for some sleep.
Leaving the poker room I was starving. I had not eaten much all day, just a Carl Jr.’s cheeseburger. After checking out the food court, Burger King seemed the most reasonable choice so I ordered a chicken sandwich, no fries. I consumed it like a man on a deserted island. Needless to say I ate the whole thing, tomatoes and all.
I walked by the Ultimate Texas Hold’em Table on my way out. There was an open seat, so I sat down and bought in for $100. I was not going to risk more than $50. If I lost that amount I figured I would still be up for the night. After about 20 minutes of play, 10 hands, and a couple of nice wins I was up $30. I knew I was leaving there with a profit, which is always my goal. I played a couple of hands more and finished ahead $15. While this doesn’t sound like much, I think of it in terms of an hourly wage. I made $15 in less than hour.
A player to my right, obviously a rich kid who was attending OU on his parent’s bankroll, was betting $30 or more on each hand and playing the “Trips” option, which I rarely play. (The “Trips” is where the house makes their money and the edge is clearly in their favor so I stay away from it, to the amusement of other players around me…but let them laugh…I’ll walk away a winner most of the time using my highly designed system for minimizing the house’s edge. I know some will argue with me at this point, but I don't care.) Anyway, this kid was clearly a gambler, and probably will end up broke before midnight. He was winning and losing hundreds and was on the short end when I left. I told the ladies next to me, “I’ll take my small profit and call it a night.”
So, after is was all said and done, after two hours I left the Riverwind with $104 in profits. Not a bad night for a small stakes amateur.
