Now This Was Poker
We had a club Texas Hold 'Em game last night - the Mom O'Malley Memorial Tournament was held in honor of Mom and to raise money for Hospice of the Valley. 36 players participated and we raised $750. That was awesome!
What was also awesome was that I got to play with people who actually knew the game. We were randomly assigned to tables and I ended up with a bunch of guys (I was the only girl at our table which is the way I like it - less competition on the flirting) who could play. Well, except for the Goat who was either playing dumb or, well, was dumb. I think it was somewhere in between as he played some hands really well.
Not so awesome was the way Steven played me. He called me in the afternoon to say he was house-sitting and had to go let some dogs out before he came over. He asked if I would register him and I said yes. You could imagine how that worked out. I forked out his registration fee, he showed up at the very last minute and I will never get paid back. Especially since he didn't end up in the money.
Here was the game in a nutshell. We were playing accelerated blinds and antes and limited to raises equal to the pot in the early rounds. The last two rounds were no limit and we started with $3,000 in chips. There were two tables in the living room and three in the dining room so it was cozy. It was also a little hillbilly since the furniture was sitting out on the front patio.
I was playing fairly tight until I hit one big hand. I had A-7 and Mark (the O'Malleys' cousin) had A-9. We were the only ones who stayed in to see the flop which fell A-9-7. We both went crazy with the betting and raising on the flop and turn. The other guys at the table were all amazed at how casually we were throwing the big money out there. The river came up a 7 which gave me the boat. Mark raised it up a ton and I called. It was sweet! I took a lot of his chips and got to build up a stack big enough to allow me to selectively play hands.
Also playing at my table was Crime Dog's youngest son, ZMan. He was definitely the most aggressive player at the table and bought a lot of pots. I knew what he was doing and I was lucky enough to get cards good enough to call, and even raise, him a couple of times. I think I only lost one heads up battle (it was a costly loss, though). It was damn entertaining. Frankly, I made him my poker bee-atch. It's amazing how easy the game is when you get the cards. And, let me go on record as saying I couldn't have taken his money without the good cards. It's also interesting how you seem to end up playing against the same player over and over, even with 8 at a table.
The best battle we had was when we were both semi-bluffing and the board ended up with 4 diamonds. I made a huge bet and he guessed that I must have a diamond bigger than his three which he showed when he folded. I then showed him my pair of tens that I got on the river! Nope, no diamond at all. Just ballsy, which is remarkable since I am a girl.
I finally busted him out. And felt bad about it for a whole minute or two until I discovered how fun it is to be the big stack. I got called a bully (which I pretended to be hurt by) and actually didn't really buy pots but won a lot because I had some good cards that I put money on.
The power didn't last long, however. I played one really stupid hand which cost me a bunch of chips and made me a short stack. Not good since we were on the no limit round.
I went all-in with an A-Q, another guy went all in and we were both called by a bigger stack. I was not in the lead when we turned them up but an Ace came on the flop so I was looking good. Until the big stack ended up with a straight on the river, that is. My tournament was over but at least I finished in the top half of the field. That was an improvement over last year when I was something pathetic like third out.
It was such a fun evening. We mixed up club members, co-workers, family members and long-time friends and everyone had a good time. Well, apparently ZMan wasn't entirely happy. It was reported back to me that he was in the back yard bitching about the outcome. I'm trying to muster up some sympathy but it's oh, so hard.
I can't wait for next year's tournament. I'd like to think that I'll move up enough to make it to the final table but I'm not going to count on it.
What was also awesome was that I got to play with people who actually knew the game. We were randomly assigned to tables and I ended up with a bunch of guys (I was the only girl at our table which is the way I like it - less competition on the flirting) who could play. Well, except for the Goat who was either playing dumb or, well, was dumb. I think it was somewhere in between as he played some hands really well.
Not so awesome was the way Steven played me. He called me in the afternoon to say he was house-sitting and had to go let some dogs out before he came over. He asked if I would register him and I said yes. You could imagine how that worked out. I forked out his registration fee, he showed up at the very last minute and I will never get paid back. Especially since he didn't end up in the money.
Here was the game in a nutshell. We were playing accelerated blinds and antes and limited to raises equal to the pot in the early rounds. The last two rounds were no limit and we started with $3,000 in chips. There were two tables in the living room and three in the dining room so it was cozy. It was also a little hillbilly since the furniture was sitting out on the front patio.
I was playing fairly tight until I hit one big hand. I had A-7 and Mark (the O'Malleys' cousin) had A-9. We were the only ones who stayed in to see the flop which fell A-9-7. We both went crazy with the betting and raising on the flop and turn. The other guys at the table were all amazed at how casually we were throwing the big money out there. The river came up a 7 which gave me the boat. Mark raised it up a ton and I called. It was sweet! I took a lot of his chips and got to build up a stack big enough to allow me to selectively play hands.
Also playing at my table was Crime Dog's youngest son, ZMan. He was definitely the most aggressive player at the table and bought a lot of pots. I knew what he was doing and I was lucky enough to get cards good enough to call, and even raise, him a couple of times. I think I only lost one heads up battle (it was a costly loss, though). It was damn entertaining. Frankly, I made him my poker bee-atch. It's amazing how easy the game is when you get the cards. And, let me go on record as saying I couldn't have taken his money without the good cards. It's also interesting how you seem to end up playing against the same player over and over, even with 8 at a table.
The best battle we had was when we were both semi-bluffing and the board ended up with 4 diamonds. I made a huge bet and he guessed that I must have a diamond bigger than his three which he showed when he folded. I then showed him my pair of tens that I got on the river! Nope, no diamond at all. Just ballsy, which is remarkable since I am a girl.
I finally busted him out. And felt bad about it for a whole minute or two until I discovered how fun it is to be the big stack. I got called a bully (which I pretended to be hurt by) and actually didn't really buy pots but won a lot because I had some good cards that I put money on.
The power didn't last long, however. I played one really stupid hand which cost me a bunch of chips and made me a short stack. Not good since we were on the no limit round.
I went all-in with an A-Q, another guy went all in and we were both called by a bigger stack. I was not in the lead when we turned them up but an Ace came on the flop so I was looking good. Until the big stack ended up with a straight on the river, that is. My tournament was over but at least I finished in the top half of the field. That was an improvement over last year when I was something pathetic like third out.
It was such a fun evening. We mixed up club members, co-workers, family members and long-time friends and everyone had a good time. Well, apparently ZMan wasn't entirely happy. It was reported back to me that he was in the back yard bitching about the outcome. I'm trying to muster up some sympathy but it's oh, so hard.
I can't wait for next year's tournament. I'd like to think that I'll move up enough to make it to the final table but I'm not going to count on it.
