Commerce - Los Angeles

Played the $5/10 NL tables at the famous Commerce Casino in Los Angeles tonight. It was super loose. $50 raises pre-flop would get 4-5 callers routinely, which sucked. I lost with AA early in the night, raising to $90 from the button after 5 limpers and subsequently 2 callers of my $90 bet, both from middle position. Flop came T4T. It checked around to me. Had bought in for $400, leaving me $300 behind and a $300 pot. I had no option, and went all-in getting called by JT. Such a crappy situation.

After re-buying for $600 more, it was all up from there. Played relatively loose pre-flop and tight post-flop. The table just wouldn't fold pre-flop, with plenty of loose steal/weak post-flop play. Made it up to $1200 profit ($2200 in chips) when the following hand happened:

Crazy Asian guy raises it to $40 in mid position, 2 callers, and I'm on the button. I call with Jh9h, expecting I can either catch a flop of steal from position. Flop comes 9c6s4s. Crazy Asian guy continuation bets $100 into the $170 pot. Fold, Fold, and I decide to raise to $350, thinking he missed or is on the flush draw. He thought for 10-15 seconds, and calls saying in barely understandable broken English, something like "I'll pay for one more card". He hadn't lied all night, and was relatively an ABC poker player without particular care for money (he was down about -$2k already). Turn comes 4h, no flush which I didn't see as a big threat. He checked to me, and I figured his flush or straight draw missed. So, I put him in for his last $400 into a pot of $870. He agonizes and calls, and I am closing my eyes, hoping a spade doesn't hit. When I see the 9s hit the river, I'm actually happy to see the spade, which made my full house. He flips over AA and is completely dejected to see I hit my 2-outter on the river, beating his Aces-up, two pair. SICK. Took down the $1700 pot on a miracle card and having mis-read my opponent completely. Sometimes luck comes your way, making up for the countless bad-beats that I have been experiencing lately. So, I'm sitting at the table with nearly $4,000, barley able to reach over my tower of $5 chips.

Took down a few more pots with strong bluffs, riding the rush and the table fearing me. Cashed-out +$3,300 profit. I can see how a tight player could make a living at the Commerce, but the swings would be WILD. There were no less than 20-30 instances of All-Ins and calls with both players drawing to a 35% chance or less of making a straight or flush. If I had it to do over again, I'd just wait for primo spots and milk it since people were committing chips to pots with weak hands ALL NIGHT.

Fun times.