Jan

5

I was playing in a 15-30 NL hold'em game this evening. Since everyone at the table was unfamiliar to me, I had to put my reading and deception skills to the test.

In the best hand of the night, I was in the cutoff seat, and my hole cards were the four and six of clubs. The player under the gun folded, and a European guy started the betting by smoothly limping in, and getting a caller after him. Even though the cutoff seat wasn't the button, I liked my position enough to feel I could take a flier with my hand, so I trailed in.

The player on the button, a friendly gambler with whom I've been building some rapport, put in a raise. Oh well, that's why its not such a good idea to limp in with a hand like suited 6-4 when you're not the button, but it's not called gambling for nothing. Not only was I committed to throwing an extra bet after a seeing a speculative hand, but the raiser was the one player who had position on me. Still, I had to stay in.

The player in the small blind dropped out, but the big blind, a young Asian guy whom I read as more of a thinker than a gambler, called. Everyone else who was already in the hand put in an extra bet and I stayed in.

The flop came down 8c 8d 5c. Suddenly, I liked my hand, although I wasn't crazy in love with it. I had a gut shot straight flush draw, which means that any of the three sevens give me a straight and the fourth, the seven of clubs, give me a straight flush. Any other club would give me a flush, too. But a non-suited seven could give anyone holding 8-7 (a plausible limping hand) a full house, and there could easily be better flush draws out there. The good news was that, given the action and the players in the hand, 8-5 was fairly unlikely in someone's hand, so that I was reasonably comfortable that no one had a full house yet……. maybe. I still had twelve outs to make a possible winning hand, but there was a reasonable likelihood that some of them would not work.

The action was checked through to the player on the button, who, surprisingly bet. Big blind called, European called, seat 5 called. I liked the pot odds, even though the number of players still in the hand means that my draw was thinner than I'd like it to be, I called.

The dealer burned and turned the 46-to-1 long shot miracle, the seven of clubs. I'd made my straight flush! Now my only task was to get as much money into the pot as I could without arousing suspicions or making people fold.. I decided to slow play, keep peeking at my cards to indicate weakness, act more nervous than usual, and give someone holding an eight in their hand the chance to catch enough to commit more money to the pot.

The big blind checked, and European bet. He might be playing a suited 8-7…… I'd seen him play cards like that in early position a couple of hands before — but I think the more likely hand for him was the ace of clubs and a suited kicker, but I could be wrong. The player between us dropped out, seat 5 dropped out, and I just called the bet, waiting for the river to put the squeeze on European. The player in the big blind called and it just kept getting better and better.

The river card that the dealer put out was the queen of spades. The big blind checked. European bet again. Now was my moment: I raised.

To my complete astonishment, the player in the big blind re-raised, and went all-in, which we both called.

At the showdown, I said, "I sure hope that somebody has pocket eights!" and showed my hand. The player in the big blind showed his queen and eight of hearts. He had a full house of eights full of queens which was too little too late. European forcefully mucked his hand in disgust and silently cursed, but I assume from the fact that he called the bet at the end that he too, had a losing full house.

I hid my glee, congratulated my opponents on such good play, and offered the everyone a drink, which was accepted.

I sat in 5 more hands and retired to the rail after racking up my chips.

This hand was my third straight flush in my life after playing about a half million hands. My first came early in my poker career in 1977, when I was dealt a pat straight flush in in a Vegas 2-4 stud game. That time, all I won was the antes and bring-ins and nothing more, zilch. The second was online a year or so ago, when I lost to a higher straight flush and I don't wish to discuss that particular black swan although it cost me the equivalent of a Cadillac. I've never had a royal flush, and I speculate that I never will. The odds of getting a pat Royal flush are over 600K to 1 in a 5 card game.

Still, it was nice to return to a brick and mortar game and realize that I still have my poker chops. I need to spend the next couple of days seeing how well my chops hold up.

Jeff Watson, surfer, speculator, poker player and art connoisseur, blogs as MasterOfTheUniverse.


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