I've had a good response (by /r/poker standards anyway) with regard to some of my live low stakes 1/2 stories (links below) so here's another fun session. And by fun, I mean it was fun for everyone but me, as I ended down over 3 BI for my worst live session to date. Worth noting that 99% of my sessions are not really noteworthy but lately things have been a little more lively for some reason. If you guys like them, please let me know, and if you want me to stfu, I can do that too.
Mike, a loud middle aged guy from NY (you know the type, the kind of guy who wears a wifebeater and Drakkar Noir at home), has generally been playing table captain and playing every hand. Loses a big pot and is down to $100 or so left, Mike is unhappy so next hand blind straddles all in UTG. SB is only taker, rolls over AQo, Mike doesn't check his cards. Flop comes Q83, Mike goes "That's not good". A T and a 3 complete the board, Mike flips over one card, Qh, and then squeezes the other card slowly baccarat style before revealing... As. Chop it up. SB is tilted, Mike is happy again with the chop.
Mike has run his stack up to $500 or so and is an even better mood. Mike pulls out his phone and starts looking at what appears to be amateur porn. Shows it to a couple table mates (while being involved in hands, natch), and turns out he's not looking at porn - he's looking at ads (apparently some girls post vids now too?) for escorts. Probably worth mentioning at this point that this is in the Midwest, not Vegas. Mike calls a couple girls up (while still being involved in most pots). Unfortunately for him, none of the girls want to come meet "Daddy" at the casino on a Friday night.
Mike has run hot and now has a stack of around $1000. Directly to his right, seat #2 (yuppy looking guy, seems competent) covers and has been running hotter and covers. Mike calls an MP open, yuppy 3 bets OTB, opener folds, Mike calls. 983r flop, yuppy pots it, Mike tank calls. Turn J, Mike tanks, then pots it to lead, yuppy calls after a short bit. River Q: Mike insta ships it and yuppy snap calls and rolls over T9o (rivered straight) before Mike can table his hand of... QTo. Mike is unhappy with this chop and leaves a few hands later after spewing off half his stack.
A table next to mine is a 2/5 game. I didn't have a great view but saw a bunch of people gesturing/shouting. The dealer at that table rotated to mine and we get the story - apparently a player came back from a meal break to find his stack $1200 short or so. What happened was a another person, a reg (who, according to the dealer, is "not all there" in the head) sat down, played an orbit and lost some small pots, and then took off with the stack... except he didn't take all the chips and left a couple hundred dollars behind for some reason. Turns out the thief/reg had been playing at a 1/2 game with a min buy in stack, which I hope got forfeited to the 2/5 player/victim.
Reg/thief apparently showed up for the first time a few months ago and sat 5/10, had no idea what he was doing, lost big (and quickly), and has played only 1/2 since, with min buy ins. The part that I find mind boggling is who comes to a random Midwestern casino with $1000+ (which is the min buy in at this 5/10 game) and decides to sit one of the highest stakes that the casino spreads? Huge whales? Sure. A middle aged dude in a hoodie and dirty jeans that then min buys into 1/2 though?