Poker Road Trip Part IV -- Return of the Native

I left Minnesota and began my journey home. I had planned to drive to Detroit and play in the three rooms there: MGM, Motorcity, and Greektown. I failed in my efforts.

The problem was that I stopped at three rooms on the way and arrived too tired and too late to mmake another sojourn out into the poker world. My first stop was at about 10:30 AM in Hammond -- right over the border from Chicago -- in Indiana. What a nice room. It's the Hammond Horseshoe -- has about 18 tables I think (I'm doing this from memory so I may be wrong) four of which were going when I arrived. There were two $1/2 no limit tables and a couple of other tables -- one higher and one limit table I think. There were two regulars at my table who were conservative, tight, and somewhat timid. They tended to believe my raises meant strength and didn't want to risk looking me up. I stole a couple of pots, played for a total of about an hour, and then left for points east.

I arrived in early evening at the Four Winds Casino, right over the border in Michigan off route 94. It is a beautiful newish room in a spectacular casino. The room has recently gone from only having Poker Pro machines to actually having a few tables with cards, chips, and dealers. There was but one short-handed table when I arrived. The shift manager assured me that the tournaments, played on the Poker Pro machines, were well attended -- and that the live cash games were starting to catch on. I believed him and would have liked to have stayed for more than the hour or so that I did. But I had places to go.

I stopped 90 minutes later at the Firekeepers Casino in New Buffalo, I think -- about 100 miles east of Four Winds. It was also a great room -- with about 10 tables, a very accomodating shift manager who answered all my questions. The room also had the distinction of being the best illuminated poker room I had ever been in. Bright light made for easier card reading -- soemthing that these 50+ year old eyes truly enjoyed. The players were friendly, relaxed, and just about as passive and manipulatable (if that is a word) as I have ever seen. I feel certain that a skilled player could well beat the 10% $5 rake of the room. It's well worth a follow up visit.

I spent the night just west of Detroit, pigging out at a Middle Eastern restaurant nearby. I left early the next day, arriving at 4PM or so at Turning Stone Casino in Verona New York. I played a couple of hours -- but had one of those rare negative poker experience. I don't mean that I lost money -- I actually won a few bucks. But I found the room to be an awful place. First of all, they charge a $2 membership fee -- part of their compact with the state I gathered. The game itelf was ridiculously tight. A typical hand went: SB, BB, fold, fold, fold, fold, raise to $7, fold, fold, fold. I won a hand like that and the dealer raked $2. I asked him what he was doing and he said, politiely and firmly that he had to rake every pot, not matter how small. The minimum rake, he informed me, was $2. The game grew short handed and I eventually left. No fun at all.