Cherokee Casino and More

I was really impressed the first time I walked into this poker room. 30 tables: 4/8, 6/12, 10/20, and 20/40 limit Hold'em games; 2/5 and 5/10 NL hold'em; daily tournaments; Tuesday night Hold'em tournament (my dart night again!); and on weekends 1-5 Seven card stud, 10/20 Omaha H/L, and 10/25 NL hold'em. They are trying to do this thing right. They have been bringing in poker pros to promote the room and plan to have a major tournament in the near future (possibly this fall). This is by far my favorite room to play in.
The skill level around here is not the greatest and you can usually make some decent coin at just about any of the area casinos playing against the locals and the few tourists who happen in. The quality of play at the Cherokee seems to be better (higher stakes=better players) and presents more of a challenge to me than hitting the local 2/4 game just up the road from my house. It's nice to win money, but shooting fish in a barrel can get boring. When you win at the higher stake games at the Cherokee you feel better about yourself than taking a couple hundred away from your neighbor who just started playing last week.
The Cherokee Casino and Resort is located just East of Tulsa on Interstate 44 in Catoosa and has all of the amenities of a Vegas casino except the hookers. The hotel has luxurious rooms. The dining and clubs are top-notch. And, if you play golf, the golf course was originally designed by Perry Maxwell and recently renovated to make it one of the best in the area. If your in the Tulsa area visiting or on business, it is definitely worth stopping by and checking out.
I will be playing tomorrow night at the Creek Nation-Okmulgee casino. This is the closest poker room to me (less than 15 miles) and I will be in Okmulgee for an auction anyway. I have always done well there whether playing blackjack or poker. I have taken a couple of bad beats on pots recently.
About a month ago I was playing the 1/2 NL game there and had pocket AcAs, which I promptly raised and had 5 callers. The flop came Ad,9s,4h. TRIPS! The hand was checked to me and I laid out a sizable bet and was immeadiately called by the guy next to me, while the rest of the table folded. The turn showed the Jh. I bet and was again immeadiately called. I figured the guy had AK, A9, or Pocket 9's. The river brought the 7h. I bet and was immeadiately raised and I called. The guy next to me had been calling with Ah3h and had rivered the flush! I was pissed! I got even by taking three other sizable pots from him later in the night and he left the table with no chips.
Two weeks ago I was playing the 2/4 limit table, the only table going when I arrived, and had AKd in the hole. The flop comes Kh,Kc,7d. TRIPS WITH TOP KICKER! There are 8 people that see the flop. It's checked to me and I bet and get 3 callers and a raiser which I promptly re-raise and everyone calls. The turn card comes 5d. FLUSH DRAW, TOO!!! The action is to me and I bet, two call and the last guy raises again. I re-raise, the two callers finally decide to fold and the raiser re-raises again and I call. I guess maybe he has K-7 and the boat or pocket AA, but I can't lay this hand down, because most of these guys will raise on a chase. With some of these guys they might have A-x, a small pair, or any two other diamonds. The river card is 6s. No help to me and seemingly a harmless card, so I bet, he raises, and I call on the chance that he made a full-house. HE TURNS OVER 8-9s! HE RIVERED A RUNNER-RUNNER GUT-SHOT STRAIGHT! With that, I left only about $20 dollars up but had had enough of the low limit table for that night!
All-in-all my trips have been profitable there, but those low-limits make it hard to run anyone off their cards. There are so many people that play "no fold'em" that it's hard to tell what you are up agains at times. I will write about my next trip on Sunday.
GW out!