Monday, May 2, 2005
Poker Notes
I think this is the first reference to poker games that I have played in on this blog. I've started to play quite heavily recently, what with all the new poker leagues that have popped up around town, as I am sure is happening all over the country. I think this is a nice place to keep track of any memorable hands that I get involved in. So without further ado...
• Last Monday, at the Sports Page (Nationwide Poker Tour). Down to a stack of chips smaller than the big blind early on in the game, had to go all in with junk, and pulled a 7-high straight on the river to quadruple up. Won the next hand in similar fashion. Wound up finishing 4th out of about 26 people.
• Saturday, at Coach's (NPT). A very similar situation. Was down to a stack of chips smaller than the big blind, went all in, managed a low pair that won. Had to split two pots with an A high because of cards that came on the river. Had to go all-in with a 2-3, Giants Hat to my left had 3-3, and it was over. That's okay. I had A-A and went all-in a few hands earlier, he called with K-K, and he bemoaned the bad timing. Wound up finishing 4th out of 26 people.
• Last night, at Stars Cabaret (Northwest Poker League). The one and only hand I played with any investment. Found 6-6 in the hole in the small blind in an eight-handed game. Limped in. Girl in red shirt four seats down bets $200. Everyone else is gone, I call. Flop comes three clubs. I bet $200. She calls, and I have to figure she's on a flush draw. Turn is Jd. This is an overcard, so I check, waiting to see if maybe she turned a pair of jacks. She bets $200, and the similarity of this bet to her earlier call leads me to the conclusion she is still on the flush draw with nothing else. Cool thing about when your opponent is on the flush draw is that if most of everything she has is one suit, she may not have a pair. I think for a moment that my sixes are good enough right now and proceed to make her decide whether to go for it. I push all in with my remaining $500 or so. She thinks for about thirty seconds, so I know she doesn't have the flush yet. Finally she calls and turns over Ac-2d. Hands like these make me feel good about my opponent-reading instincts. But then a club comes on the river and after a whole 17 minutes of playing, I am done. Dismayed, I down my last ounce of Coors Light and she comes over to shake my hand. What can you do? That's poker. Left the establishment feeling bad about the loss but good about how I played it. It's unfortunate I didn't have more to go all-in with. She had a couple chips more than I did; if I had her covered maybe she wouldn't have taken the chance. Oh well; we'll find another game this week.
