Seoul - Walkerhill Poker Room Part 1

For this trip to Seoul, my wife did all the planning. I wasn't really keen in this trip. I din realise there was a poker room in Korea until I recalled I read a post in ptt.cc (a telnet platform used by Taiwanese). I checked the internet and found out 7luck and Paradise Walkerhill Casinos. On the night I reached Seoul, after all the shopping spree in Myeong-Dong, I decided to go to Paradise Walkerhill. My wife told me 7luck casino was nearer and there we went.

On the 7luck casino website, it is mentioned that there are 2 poker tables there, but I was greatly disappointed not to find them anywhere. 7luck is somehow very small compared to all the previous casinos I had been. Oh well~ Since I was already in the casino, I played a bit of Baccarat. The computerised Baccarat record here is somewhere different from the usual ones (at least from all those casinos I had been before), instead of BLUE for player and RED for banker, there they are using BLUE for banker and RED for player, which got me totally confused and made a few wrong bets. I lost around 100k KRW. Then I made my way back to the hotel.

On the second night, I consulted Ying (my hardcore poker player in Johor Bahru), he told me Poker is definitely available in Walkerhill. I checked the website, got the address in Korean and stored in my handphone (to show it to the taxi driver later). Walkerhill is quite far from Myeong-Dong, it took around half an hour and 15k KRW to reach.

I quite like the poker room setting there. Unlike the usual poker room, it is smoke free.

• Stakes: 1000/2000KRW (about USD1/2)
• min. buy-in: I don't know
• max. buy-in: supposedly 500k KRW but I have seen people buying in with 1.5m KRW. I was told by my friends later that if no one complains, you can bring as much as you like to the table.
• rake: 10%!! with a max. rake capped at 15k KRW

I bought in with 200k to test the water. On the first night there, the table was rather loose preflop and tight post flop, with most of them limping. Most of the players there were Koreans back from the States. 2 youngsters in the mid 20s played exceptionally well. An uncle (Uncle A) flopped full house with Q7 and turned a quads but win  like 10bb. His table money later got cleared by the 2 youngsters later on  a couple of times. Then came a big hand, I was not involved though.

1. UTG+3 raises to 15k
2. UTG+4 calls
3. UTG+5 3 bets to 40k (claims to have QQ, which I think is true according to his super tight style)
4. BTN 4 bets to 100k.
5. BB(Uncle A) tanks for a minute and flat calls 100k.
6. All others fold.

Flop came: J73r

1. BB thinks for a while and checks.
2. BTN jams. (BTN had BB covered.
3. BB thinks for a min and calls with QQ. (I was thinking he had AQ/AK, he had a rather bad image for playing loosely.)
4. BTN gives a cry and shows 88.

Turn came a blank.

River came a 8. Uncle got badbeated.

I got no luck with cards, played some small pockets and suited connectors, made some 3 bet bluffs to kill the boredom. Only one hand to be noted up to this stage. Right after the previous hand I have just posted.

1. I was sitting in the BB with ThJh.
2. 4 limpers until me, had actually wanted to raise but considering my early position, I chose to check.

Flop came 9hQh4s.

1. Uncle A checked.
2. I thought for a moment and decided for a check raise with a super combo draw.
3. Youngster A bet pot size 10k.
4. All fold to Uncle A who just got a big pot bad beated. He called.
5. According to my script, I raised to 30k with a stack size of 160k behind,
6. Youngster A thought for a moment and folded. (my tight image helped)
7. Uncle A mumbled something and called.

Turn blank. Check Check.
River a Ts. Check Check. I hit my T and uncle had only pair 9. I took down the pot.

I was limping and calling with suited connectors or pockets (almost all in early positions), was down a bit until a Mongolian came, sitting to my right. I saw him play a few hands before another notable hand came.

This hand went like this:

1. 2 limpers (including the Mongolian)
2. I raised to 12k with KQs (CO)
3. All folded to Mongolian who raised to 23k. This is only a bit more than the mini raise.
4. I snap called. (Never fold to a miniraise 3 bet is my motto.)

Flop came: A83

1. Mongolian checked after a few seconds of thinking.
2. He might be scared of the Ace. So I bet 25k.
3. He snap called which got me a bit worried.

Turn came a Q. 

1. He checked again.
2. oh well, he might have a pocket middle pair. I have a hand which I can show and he might be ambushing me with pocket aces, given his limp raise preflop. So I checked.

Turn came a Jack.

1. He checked again.
2. Now I win only TT, and 99. He might call with these hands, but he might have KK too. So I checked.

He showed TT and I took down the pot. 

After another orbit or so, feeling tired. I cashed out, with my winnings not even able to cover the taxi fare.