Fishing with the wrong bait.....

...... well at least that is how I felt last night.
All around me the hooks were in the water and most of the fishermen were pulling in some very nice hauls. I only managed a few small minnows.

After spending the weekend in Cleveland I decided to partake in a little poker at a couple of the church festivals. Well the beer was flowing and plenty of chips were being splashed with the beer.

Way too many ESPN watchers play at the church festivals. Several times one player would make the call and then say "and I raise". Each time the dealer would try to explain that you couldn't do that. It was a string raise. And each time this would be followed by a declaration of "Beer guy!" The player was frustrated and stated how they have played for years that way. God I want invited to that home game.

The next player picked up alot of chirping chips from the "Beer guy, I raise" (BGIR)player. On several flops he would state "Oh yeah, that's what I was looking for. You can believe me or not, but that is what I wanted to see". He got the chips when BGIR player shoved ai on a gutshot draw on the flop and failed to hit. About a $145 all in into a $32 pot! Then the chirpy player proceeded to give back those and a few more chips to BGIR on an Ace high bluff when BGIR flopped a set.

Each of these two player proceeded to pass their stacks or good portions of them off to two other players. Both times on bluffs. Alas, I was unable to pick up either of their stacks. Wasn't really hitting alot. Was up a little so I decided to head out to the next festival.

At this festival I sit down into what I was told was a $5/10 LHE game. Turned out to be a $1/2 NL. Gotta luv a competent floor.
Anyways, I sit down and notice one or two players I have seen before. A few young players that actually look fairly seasoned by the way they handled themselves and their chips and of course the church festival beer drinkers there for fun.
One of the fun drinkers was to my left. He picked up a pot when he hit the river and another player made a comment and the fun drinker stated they should give him some slack based on how much he had spent in the game already. I took that as a good sign.
As we are sitting there I am watching him win pots with 10 3os and J2o. Ok, I can see why he has spent so much money in the game. Then later he complains about some of the bad luck he has had with the monsters he has had snapped off. Kinda funny since he is willing to play just about any two cards preflop and can't get away from almost any draw or pair. I try to sit patiently with my line in the water and only get a few nibbles. The fun drinker to my left was there with a friend down at the other end of the table. That player felted another player and then decided it was time to go. We already had a couple of empty seats and with this player leaving, his fun drinking friend decided to go too. The only remaining players were a couple of grinders and the young seasoned kids. Not a great game so I decided to pack it in. Another reason for this was a 10% uncapped rake! If the pot was $213.00, they got $21.00!! It shouldn't have been called the rake but the rape of the pot. Makes it very hard to beat a game unless you win all the monster pots.

Anyways, I didn't lose any money but I never got to land one of the bigger fish in the ponds. Guess that is the way it goes somedays. At least I didn't get pulled in myself!