Poker... a cruel mistress
Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2007 12:03 pm
Yes, poker can indeed be a cruel mistress... even moreso when she's oh so dirty and runs in the family! So without further delay, let me begin my little tale.....
It was a mildly cool October night, a light drizzle of rain sprinkling from the heavens as I hopped out the car and made my way to the front bar of the Bluegums ready to play some poker.
So after entering, getting my schnitty after quite the wait to order, a beer and some general chit chat.... so began the night of poker. Right from the get go my cards were rubbish. Absolute junk and I put them right back in the bin where they came from. I did however have that little giddy feeling in my belly and the two times I've had that feeling whilst playing poker, I've nailed my only two first placings with the NPL. Not a bad feeling to have, let me tell you.
Then up comes pocket 6's. The thought of throwing it all-in pre-flop with one person having called the 50 blind entered my mind but I smirked to myself and just called. Everyone folded bar the big blind, leaving it 3 handed and me last to act. It was early in the evening so I can't tell you exactly what came out but the flop was nothing special at all. Everyone checked. The turn was equally unimpressive and once again everyone checked. I was debating on making a large bet for the pot after the checking of the flop and again on the turn but there were two overcards to my 6's and I didn't see the sense in doing anything drastic early if I was getting a free run. The river rewarded me with a 6 and as there were no chances of a straight or flush on the board I figured I was in a good position. First to act threw in 100, the next to call folded and after pulling out my passport and declaring it so I'd stay in the game incase the unthinkable happened, I went all in for my remaining 750 (Hadn't cashed in a passport as of yet). The gent thought about it for a little and called. The moment I threw up those 6's he mucked. A nice early gift.
What happened after that hand, bar a couple of small pots that went my way, was nothing but more rubbish. Got tons of K/2, J/5, 10/3 off's and other hands that weren't even remotely interesting. Two positions to my left however, my partner Ali was getting gun cards (As I found out later) and simply not converting. KK, QQ, high suited connectors -- all of them just didn't do anything for her after the flop or turn given the betting. In fact, surprisingly, AA was the only of her awesome hole cards that got her some chips and it wasn't many at that. 'Suffer in your jocks' I believe is the correct terminology for that run
So back to me and my junk. The night was moving on and at the first break, after cashing in both my passports I was left with 4300. With a lucky draw, woohoo, I 'earnt' another 1k and quickly threw half of it away on a raise to 600 on 9/10 spades when the blinds were 100/200. One caller and all I saw on the board was red. A bet made me promptly fold and I resumed on my merry little grinding way.
The hands continued and I was eventually moved to another table as people were slowly dropping out and it was here that I was hoping I'd get some half decent cards but, for me, there was nothing. I'd contemplated so many times going all in with my 9/2 off's and that to buy the blinds but resisted the urge and just sat there playing Foldy Mc'fold fold. I kid you not, I was really getting nothing at all and was just folding my cards or limping through and claiming a small pot here and there (VERY here and there) which just helped equalize the blinds I was putting in every trip around the table.
When I got moved again to the last two tables I was sitting on 6k, the blinds were 1k/2k and I was a fair distance behind the button. Around the table it went and the cards just continued to not like me much at all. And so I then found myself on the big blind, which was now 4k, with 2k left in my 'stack'. Everyone around the table folded and it came to the small blind who put in the remaining 2k to bring it to 4k even apiece. It was then that I checked my cards. 8/8! Finally a hand! With 2k left I uttered, 'well I have to', and went all in for my remaining two. Surprisingly so, the lady to my right and the only person left in the pot folded so I showed the table my 8's with a sigh of relief.
I continued on and, as before, the nothing cards returned to my stable and I just resumed folding as if I'd never started playing any cards -- I really hadn't all night. Around the table it went again, but this time when it came back around to me I wasn't able to win my Big blind and folded when the gent to my left raised it. So all in small blind with 4k remaining. Everyone folded... I think they wanted me gone... and it was heads up bewteen the blinds. K/10 off for me vs QhJh. Two hearts on the flop. The turn and the river were nothing to either of us and K high won the day, just. Two hands later, it was final table time.
FINAL TABLE
I drew an 8 and sat down with my lovely 8k that I had, through sheer fortune, managed to keep until now. And who do I find sits to my left? None other than my old man! Chipzilla! And what a nice sized stack he had. He didn't need to say a thing... that little smirk put me in my place before I even had a chance to utter a word. Second final table in about 3 games that we've had the fortune of sitting at together. Woot!
With the blinds at 3k/6k, it's the second hand in, I had grabbed:
![[kc]](./images/smilies/cards/kc.png)
![[10c]](./images/smilies/cards/10c.png)
I'm thinking that it worked for me last time and it wasn't suited then AND it is, generally, a nice hand for me. The action went down like this...
Fold, Call, Raise to 12k. Bugger it, I'm all in for 8k. Next was Fold, another all in for close to 8k, a fold and another all in. The other person who had originally called, called again and put in his extra 6k. Took Damo awhile to get the pots sorted but they eventually were and with that many people in the pot, my heart was thumping in my chest for something mad and the flop was...
![[8c]](./images/smilies/cards/8c.png)
![[ks]](./images/smilies/cards/ks.png)
![[3c]](./images/smilies/cards/3c.png)
I promptly got up from the table and stood back.
Position 5 went all in and 7 folded. That was it. All the betting was done and these were the hands that showed up.
(5) -- K9 off
me(8) -- Kc10c
(1) -- AA
(3-BB) -- 88
As you can see, the hand was absolutely loaded to the hilt after the flop and I was way behind with the only thing I really had going for me was that no one had another club. The turn... a club! I don't remember what that club was, but I let out quite the loud grunty cheer of "Fluuuuussssh!". I was quickly brought back to earth when Mal made sure I knew there was a card to come and a full house could still ruin my day. Luckily, that river was a 6 of spades and I took home an very large pot and two people left the table.
EDIT:- I have to say... both 88 and AA must have felt equally badly delt and having faced a 'bad beat' themselves after this one.
It only took a few more hands to whittle the field down to 3 runners. Mal, Chipzilla and myself. Mal was, by far, down in the chips compared to the two of us. Good 'old Chipzilla called an all in with 2d7d and hand or two before and hit a 2 to take down the all-inner with Ah7h and a healthy pot.
Then I found myself sitting on the BB of 10k and looked down. AcJc. Chipzilla raised to 20k and Mal folded. I thought about it for a little pondering on what he might actually have before going all in for around 60k (give or take). If he had something good and called, awesome. I had him covered by 6k but he called all the same. When he showed up Qs5s I had a 'wtf' look on my face. I'd expected him to fold with my massive all in. Regardless... two spades on the flop. Could I dodge another flush draw?? Negative. The turn was a spade and there was nothing I could possibly hit to win. Taken down by my old man on some rubbish!
All in on the small blind the next hand with 6k and Chipzilla didn't have to do anything to call. It just was. J/2 off I think it was he had to my Q/4 off. The 2 landed again on the flop and just to rub it in, the J hit on the turn once again leaving me well and truely drawing dead for the river. Thus ended my night in 3rd and two or three hands later, Mal was gone and Chipzilla emerged the victor!
I promptly slapped him across the back of the head.
It was a mildly cool October night, a light drizzle of rain sprinkling from the heavens as I hopped out the car and made my way to the front bar of the Bluegums ready to play some poker.
So after entering, getting my schnitty after quite the wait to order, a beer and some general chit chat.... so began the night of poker. Right from the get go my cards were rubbish. Absolute junk and I put them right back in the bin where they came from. I did however have that little giddy feeling in my belly and the two times I've had that feeling whilst playing poker, I've nailed my only two first placings with the NPL. Not a bad feeling to have, let me tell you.
Then up comes pocket 6's. The thought of throwing it all-in pre-flop with one person having called the 50 blind entered my mind but I smirked to myself and just called. Everyone folded bar the big blind, leaving it 3 handed and me last to act. It was early in the evening so I can't tell you exactly what came out but the flop was nothing special at all. Everyone checked. The turn was equally unimpressive and once again everyone checked. I was debating on making a large bet for the pot after the checking of the flop and again on the turn but there were two overcards to my 6's and I didn't see the sense in doing anything drastic early if I was getting a free run. The river rewarded me with a 6 and as there were no chances of a straight or flush on the board I figured I was in a good position. First to act threw in 100, the next to call folded and after pulling out my passport and declaring it so I'd stay in the game incase the unthinkable happened, I went all in for my remaining 750 (Hadn't cashed in a passport as of yet). The gent thought about it for a little and called. The moment I threw up those 6's he mucked. A nice early gift.
What happened after that hand, bar a couple of small pots that went my way, was nothing but more rubbish. Got tons of K/2, J/5, 10/3 off's and other hands that weren't even remotely interesting. Two positions to my left however, my partner Ali was getting gun cards (As I found out later) and simply not converting. KK, QQ, high suited connectors -- all of them just didn't do anything for her after the flop or turn given the betting. In fact, surprisingly, AA was the only of her awesome hole cards that got her some chips and it wasn't many at that. 'Suffer in your jocks' I believe is the correct terminology for that run
So back to me and my junk. The night was moving on and at the first break, after cashing in both my passports I was left with 4300. With a lucky draw, woohoo, I 'earnt' another 1k and quickly threw half of it away on a raise to 600 on 9/10 spades when the blinds were 100/200. One caller and all I saw on the board was red. A bet made me promptly fold and I resumed on my merry little grinding way.
The hands continued and I was eventually moved to another table as people were slowly dropping out and it was here that I was hoping I'd get some half decent cards but, for me, there was nothing. I'd contemplated so many times going all in with my 9/2 off's and that to buy the blinds but resisted the urge and just sat there playing Foldy Mc'fold fold. I kid you not, I was really getting nothing at all and was just folding my cards or limping through and claiming a small pot here and there (VERY here and there) which just helped equalize the blinds I was putting in every trip around the table.
When I got moved again to the last two tables I was sitting on 6k, the blinds were 1k/2k and I was a fair distance behind the button. Around the table it went and the cards just continued to not like me much at all. And so I then found myself on the big blind, which was now 4k, with 2k left in my 'stack'. Everyone around the table folded and it came to the small blind who put in the remaining 2k to bring it to 4k even apiece. It was then that I checked my cards. 8/8! Finally a hand! With 2k left I uttered, 'well I have to', and went all in for my remaining two. Surprisingly so, the lady to my right and the only person left in the pot folded so I showed the table my 8's with a sigh of relief.
I continued on and, as before, the nothing cards returned to my stable and I just resumed folding as if I'd never started playing any cards -- I really hadn't all night. Around the table it went again, but this time when it came back around to me I wasn't able to win my Big blind and folded when the gent to my left raised it. So all in small blind with 4k remaining. Everyone folded... I think they wanted me gone... and it was heads up bewteen the blinds. K/10 off for me vs QhJh. Two hearts on the flop. The turn and the river were nothing to either of us and K high won the day, just. Two hands later, it was final table time.
FINAL TABLE
I drew an 8 and sat down with my lovely 8k that I had, through sheer fortune, managed to keep until now. And who do I find sits to my left? None other than my old man! Chipzilla! And what a nice sized stack he had. He didn't need to say a thing... that little smirk put me in my place before I even had a chance to utter a word. Second final table in about 3 games that we've had the fortune of sitting at together. Woot!
With the blinds at 3k/6k, it's the second hand in, I had grabbed:
I'm thinking that it worked for me last time and it wasn't suited then AND it is, generally, a nice hand for me. The action went down like this...
Fold, Call, Raise to 12k. Bugger it, I'm all in for 8k. Next was Fold, another all in for close to 8k, a fold and another all in. The other person who had originally called, called again and put in his extra 6k. Took Damo awhile to get the pots sorted but they eventually were and with that many people in the pot, my heart was thumping in my chest for something mad and the flop was...
I promptly got up from the table and stood back.
Position 5 went all in and 7 folded. That was it. All the betting was done and these were the hands that showed up.
(5) -- K9 off
me(8) -- Kc10c
(1) -- AA
(3-BB) -- 88
As you can see, the hand was absolutely loaded to the hilt after the flop and I was way behind with the only thing I really had going for me was that no one had another club. The turn... a club! I don't remember what that club was, but I let out quite the loud grunty cheer of "Fluuuuussssh!". I was quickly brought back to earth when Mal made sure I knew there was a card to come and a full house could still ruin my day. Luckily, that river was a 6 of spades and I took home an very large pot and two people left the table.
EDIT:- I have to say... both 88 and AA must have felt equally badly delt and having faced a 'bad beat' themselves after this one.
It only took a few more hands to whittle the field down to 3 runners. Mal, Chipzilla and myself. Mal was, by far, down in the chips compared to the two of us. Good 'old Chipzilla called an all in with 2d7d and hand or two before and hit a 2 to take down the all-inner with Ah7h and a healthy pot.
Then I found myself sitting on the BB of 10k and looked down. AcJc. Chipzilla raised to 20k and Mal folded. I thought about it for a little pondering on what he might actually have before going all in for around 60k (give or take). If he had something good and called, awesome. I had him covered by 6k but he called all the same. When he showed up Qs5s I had a 'wtf' look on my face. I'd expected him to fold with my massive all in. Regardless... two spades on the flop. Could I dodge another flush draw?? Negative. The turn was a spade and there was nothing I could possibly hit to win. Taken down by my old man on some rubbish!
All in on the small blind the next hand with 6k and Chipzilla didn't have to do anything to call. It just was. J/2 off I think it was he had to my Q/4 off. The 2 landed again on the flop and just to rub it in, the J hit on the turn once again leaving me well and truely drawing dead for the river. Thus ended my night in 3rd and two or three hands later, Mal was gone and Chipzilla emerged the victor!
I promptly slapped him across the back of the head.
