When Poker Playing goes wrong...or right...

Guess it depends who you ask. Ask me? Poker has never been played better. Had this table been televised though, I think observing it would be considered either a) a criminal offense or b) an attempt at suicide. Brains would explode. Mine nearly did, the only thing that saved me was raking in pots.

Anyway, day starts with me waking up to go to the pancake house to meet up with the guys from jackseven, and ending up being way too lazy on 3 hours of sleep to do that, so I go downstairs to Timmy's. After a while, I get a call from Sparks saying they'll be at Fallsview in an hour, so I head over and sit down. I play some 1/2 and go bust on a bad beat, and as I stand up, Jules walks over to introduce herself and I walk out to meet Bill, Skippy and Kevin.

I decide I'm too tired still, and I'm going to go up to my room and grab a quick nap. I go up there and get a call from two local friends, Griff and another friend named Kevin, they're there, and they'll meet me when I come down. So I grab a quality 4 hour nap, and head down to the poker room. When I get there I meet up with local Kevin, and he tells me Griffin has gone bust and is heading home. Griff went bust at Skippy's table, and Kev asks if I know "the kid in the white hat"(Skippy), because he's absolutely clobbering the 5/5 table.

I head on over and see Skippy at the 5/5 table(500 max buyin), with at least 4000 dollars infront of him. Apparantly he won a 3100 dollar pot with QQ when he rivered the nut flush. As soon as I get on a 1/2 table, we head for dinner downstairs. After a quick bite, I head back up determined to win back some of the money I dropped last night.

At 1/2 I only really played one pot, when I flopped 2 pair and doubled up, then my name got called for 2/5 NL, since I had put my name on both lists, so I decide since I'm at 200 now, I'll freeroll it over to the 2/5 table. This is where things get wild.

The 2/5 table is new, just starting, there are 2 players sitting at it that I recognize from earlier sessions here, both are fairly solid. The rest of the players I would soon learn, not so much.

Let me just say this, I've played poker for nearly 3 years. I am by no means a long-time player, but however, I've seen alot of poker and alot of play. I have never, in my life, witnessed a table that played this badly. I'm serious, this level of play should be against the law. I kept looking around to ensure the FBI weren't going to raid the game and arrest me, because I felt somewhat dirty playing here. It was like stealing candy from babies. Oh, who am I kidding...I loved every minute of this session.

So, 200 dollars is my starting point, and I promptly take a bad beat. UTG limps, I raise with 9/9 to 25, get a caller(one of the two solid players), and UTG calls again. The flop is 8/9/Q rainbow. UTG checks, I bet out 40, solid player folds, UTG calls. Turn is a Jack. He checks I check. River is a K, he checks, I check. I'll give you a minute, make sure you read that hand properly. The preflop raise, the flop, the bet and call. And then checking it down. Please read that carefully. I roll 9/9, he shows me? 10d/2d. Not only is this terrible because of his calls preflop and on the flop with a gutshot. But he doesn't bet when he hits his gutshot! He checks it down. Confused, I muck. As usual, I have a fun little exchange with him :

Kevin : "10-2, nice hand. Calling that raise out of position and then calling that bet when you flop a gutshot, that's high equity poker."
Player : "10-2, if it's under 30 dollars I call no matter what."
Kevin : "Ya, that makes sense. 10-2, that's a premium starting hand."
Player : "What? You haven't read a book?"
Kevin : "What book? What book tells you to call raises from tight players while out of position holding 10-2"
Player : "Super System! You know, Doyle Brunson's book? They call 10-2 the Brunson!"

At this point, I didn't even know what to say.

Eventually my 200 becomes around 80. I double back up. And from there I steady earn. No really big pots, just a steady, solid earn rate without risking alot, and suddenly I'm at 600 dollars infront of me.

During this time I want to describe two breathtaking hands.

First, UTG(solid player) raises it up to 35, and gets 3 callers. The flop comes 8/7/3 two clubs. UTG bets 30, one fold, two calls. Turn is a 9, UTG checks, check, check behind. River is a 3 of clubs. UTG checks, check, bet 25 bucks. UTG folds, flashing me QQ. Really tight fold given the size of the pot, but there's nothing he beats. Other player calls. Brace yourself. The caller shows Ah/5h. He has no hand, on a rediculously complex board, he's called with ace high. He's a moron. Funny story though. Ship the pot over to him, the other kid mucks. Ace high is good. Other kid was, and I quote, "bluffing". Of course you were. 250 dollars or so in the pot, you bet 25 dollars at it. Great bluff.

Better than that, same solid tight player raises UTG to 25, gets one caller. Flop comes 8/7/2, check, check. Turn is a Q, solid player bets 40 dollars, gets called. River is a 3. Solid player bets 60 bucks and gets INSTA-called. Solid players holds his cards face down and says "You're good you caught me", the other player responds with "What you got?", so the solid player frustratedly shows 4/4 for a bluff. That'll be the best hand. Player beside me asks to see the cards of the caller, and it's 3/5 of hearts. Not only does he call the turn with no pair no draw. But he INSTA-calls the river with the 3. Nice.

I finally play a fairly big pot. I raise from the cut-off with 4c/5c to 25 and get 2 callers from both blinds. Flop is alright I guess. Ad/2c/3c. Pot is 75 dollars, SB shoves in 120, BB raises over the top all in for 300. I insta-call. A/10 from the SB and A/K from the BB. Good, no club draws that trump me. Brick Brick and that 420 comes over to me. I'm now at around 1100. I give a little bit back at one point on an Ace high flop with AK against a set, and end up walking away at around 1000 dollars.

Pretty good day. The whole going to work tomorrow morning thing sucks, because if I could have, I'd have stayed on that table all night. There were so many countless horrendous, laugh out loud bad plays on the table that I couldn't beleive it. Honestly...one of the worst moments of my life was standing up from that table before those players did. Oh well, a thousand bucks is alright. Time to go back to trivial normal life. :(