I had to drop my wife off at the airport and hit the Argosy Casino and its brand new poker room on the way back home.  The room is small ... maybe 8 or 9 tables.  They spread HE, NL HE, and O8.  The limit HE was 3/6 and 4/8, they may have had a higher limit game going, but I didn't see it.  The O8 game was 4/8 and was fairly popular. 

The only other casino to spread O8 around here is Isle of Capris, and I think Argosy is trying to run them out of business. 

The rake is 10% up to $4 plus a bad beat jackpot rake.  In other words, its fairly normal for the casinos around here, but it's still steep and makes the game hard to beat.

I was second on the list and got a seat within 15 minutes at 3/6.  I was directly across the table from a younger guy wearing his hat backwards who looked like he played a lot of poker.  He was splashing around a little but not playing stupid.  His girlfriend would periodically stop in and watch, and she was super model smoking hot.  I folded a lot early on, but caught top pair J out of the BB with KJ.  There were a lot of limpers, and I led out and young guy with hot girlfriend raises me, it gets back around to me, and I 3 bet him, which forces the rest of the players out.  He decides to fold and flips over QJ.  Being a nice guy, I show him KJ and say, “nice fold“. 

The guy right next to me was a skinny dorky looking guy who was playing every hand.  One of the first hands I played, he was heads up with an older guy across the table.  The board was something like A6Q86, and dorky guy calls the old guy down.  The old guy flips his hand, Q8, the dealer announces “Queens and 8s”, the dorky guy looks at his cards and kinda holds em up, I inadvertently get a glimpse, A4 ... he has a winner ... but he mucks!!!!

I almost said something ... but what could I do, he already mucked, so his hand is dead anyway. 

The table was very passive, not many preflop raises.  I was dealt J6 in the BB and flopped 66J, slow played it into a medium sized pot.  A younger guy who hadn't shaved in a while, wearing a golf hat, agonized before calling my river bet, he had AJ.  Three hands later, there were a few limpers in front of me, so I took a stab with 79s.  The flop came 79T.  I led out, and golf hat guy called me, along with 2 others.  The turn was a 7 ... and this time golf hat reraises me, which forces everyone out, so I 3 bet.  This clearly troubles him. 

At the time, I thought he was considering folding, but he eventually called.  The river was a Q, and I bet out again.  He looks at me and asks if I have 9s full, and I say “close”.  He smiles, and says, cuz I got you if you don't have 9s full ... and reraises me. 

Now, I'm the one a little confused.  What could he have ... he asked me if I had 9s full so I don't think that's what he has ... he couldn't have QQ because then he beats 9s full.  I eventually just call and he flips 79 and we split the pot, which was the only hand that made sense given his question. 

I only semibluffed once, the table was just so loose passive that you almost had to have a big hand or a huge draw to bet.  I had K6s and it was a kill pot, so it was 6/12.  I had noticed that the table got really tight when it was a kill pot and I was one off the button with K6s so I decided to play it. 

The flop was J high and gave me a flush draw.  I bet the flush draw and the button called.  The turn was a blank, and I bet the flush draw again, $12, the button thinks and thinks, takes his chip protector off his cards, looks down at his dwindling stack, and then changes his mind and calls.  The river is an Ace, no flush, and I have nothing.  Do I bet and continue my effort to steal the pot, or check and take my medicine?

I posted this hand in another thread in the Texas Hold Em forum, under the heading “you decide“ ... see that thread.  

Some of the dealers were clearly veteran dealers hired away from other casinos, while some were still learning, but for a brand new room, the dealers were very good.  The service was a little slow, it seemed like there was only one waitress for the poker room. 

I walked away up $85 for about 4.5 hours of play.  Overall, Argosy is comparable to the other rooms in KC I've been too, Harrah's and Ameristar.  Argosy is the most convenient location wise to my house though, so it will probably be my room of choice for the few times I play live games.