Empire Debut

A number of people have recommended I give the Empire cash game a spin, so I finally made it down there last night with the Baron for a quick £1/£2 cash session.

The game didn’t seem particularly weak to me, although I gather there are more profitable times to play than 6pm on a weeknight, and Tom also observed that we were on the worst table and there were some juicy looking tables around. Our table was VERY nitty with no really weak spots (exact perhaps myself of course as I managed to donk off £400!). Players were a little passive at times (lots of check-calling going on) and were also happy to go broke with top pair, but apart from that knew what they were doing. I guess I don’t yet have a big enough sample to comment really.

One key point though, was that the table company was pleasant, which is important in a cash game. No-one seemed to be taking things too seriously and there was some decent banter amongst the players, so I’ll definitely give it another go in the near future.

I started quite well and was about £50 up, mostly due to waking up with AA or KK every time the Baron raised a ton of limpers to £12 blind. The wheels promptly fell off, pretty much in three hands of doom:

Hand1
Multi limpers and the Baron makes it £13 blind. I call with A♠4♠. Limpers pass (?) Flop arrive 2, 2, 6 with 2 clubs.
Check Check
Turn is Ace (ding) but also brings the club flush
I bet £10, Baron makes it £20 more, I make it £60 more (intending to pass to a shove) but Baron just calls.
River is another club…hmmmm.
Baron bets something tiny like £20 and I call to see what he is up to. He has a two. Of course he does :)
Baron mumbles that I always run good against him due to being saved by the club river (this coming from a man who just flopped trips blind) ;)

Hand2
Multi limped pot, I raise to £15 in the BB with TT and old boy calls in mid position, as does Baron in SB. Old Boy is nitty, but has shown down one outrageous bluff.
Flop is J65 with 2 clubs
I bet £40 and both old boy + Baron call
Turn is another 6 bringing the flush
I check about to give up, but both check behind.
River is yet another 6 giving me a mediocre house.
I am undecided what to do here. I decide both may have a flush/smaller house, so I elect to bet £120, which was probably too large in retrospect. Old boy calls, Baron mucks King flush. Since my opponent flat called I assume I am winning but he has the Jack for a bigger house. Maybe I should have check called there - probably about the same result in any case.

Hand3
Tom has now left, so I work the short stack for a while before heading home. I am on £80 when I bust my stack.
5 limpers, so I make it £20 from the BB with 4♣5♣ and get 2 callers. Flop is Q, 3, 8 rainbow.
I shove for my last £60 which is about the size of the pot, hoping the others have missed. First opponent shoves :(
He tables AQ. I announce I need runner runner.
The turn 6 is a big runner, giving me the up and down, but the river bricks out to prevent me dealing out a huge suckout.

One final point about the Empire is that the draft beer is excellent. Really cold and crisp, if a little pricey at £4.20 a pint. However, the quality makes up for the cost, and a few other venues should take note.

Jalfont’s home game tonight, followed by my latest crack at the online majors on Sunday, which traditionally ends in tears.