One of the great things about poker is that it doesn't matter who you are, what you know, what your bank account balance is, where you were born, or any thing else - once you sit down at the table you are just another person trying to take chips from other people who are trying to take chips from you. Poker is the great democratic game, where a millionaire investment banker has to sweat whether or not to call a massive re-raise from a little old lady from Moose Jaw. Poker is about people.
Yesterday the final table of the World Series of Poker got under way, but I wasn't following the action. My friend Wally had gotten me an invitation to play in a tournament that was being run out of a furniture warehouse out by the airport. Seriously, how cool is that?
I showed up at the appointed time and found a friendly bunch of guys, most of whom gave off the vibe of poker experience. These were not novices who weren't sure if a full house beat a flush, so I would have to be careful. Unlike the tournaments run by casinos, all of the money paid to enter was given back in prize money. That meant that the guys who put this together were getting nothing for all their trouble except the fun of it. In fact it seemed that everyone there was just in it for the love of the game, and this positive mood made it one of the most enjoyable poker experiences I've ever had.
There is always, it seems, one hyper-aggressive guy at the start of a tourney. Most people start tight and cautious, so the aggressive player usually can shoot out to an early lead. This happened at my table, although really two guys were contesting a lot of pots. True to form the most aggressive guy was the first to bust out, going all-in with 7 8 off suit and getting called by big slick.
I was getting an incredible amount of respect from my table mates, who seemed to think I was some kind of shark. Every time I made a raise I couldn't get a caller. I knew sooner or later someone would bet back at me, so I tried timing it so that a legitimate raise would look like a bluff. About an hour and a half in I was dealt pocket kings in the big blind. One guy limps and James, our amiable host for the evening, calls from the small blind. I check because everyone would just fold if I raised. The flop was Jack high with no real flush or straight draws. James makes a small bet, which I call and the original limper folds. I can't remember the turn card, but it doesn't really change the board. James makes his move, like I hoped he would, betting $1000 in tournament chips. I bet $4000 really quickly, which was the right amount to look like a bluff, but in retrospect I maybe should have pretended to give that decision a little more thought. Anyway this raise was enough to make James agonize over his decision, but he finally made the right choice and laid it down, showing me an ace. Good fold.
I got knocked out right in the middle of the pack. I was in early position with AQ off. The blinds were up to a massive $1000/$2000 and I had about $17,000 in chips, which had me somewhere near 8th place, I think. The guy under the gun was very short-stacked and went all-in with $2,350. I considered raising to isolate but I didn't like my hand so much that I could call a re-raise, so I just called. Everyone folded except the big blind, who had a massive amount of chips, and only had to put in another $350 to call. The flop was Qc 8s 4s, giving me top pair with an ace kicker. Playing out of the big blind, my opponent could be holding just about anything, but I was pretty sure I was in the lead. With such a massive amount of chips, I fully expected him to try to push me out right here, and sure enough he bet $2,000. I announce all in and he calls. I show my hand and he shows Qs 10s. I have him out kicked, but he has the flush draw - any spade will win it for him and he could also pair his ten. That's 12 outs, which makes me only a slight favourite to win this hand. Unfortunately for me my opponent paired his 10 on the turn, knocking me out. Perhaps I should have raised pre-flop to price out the big blind, but I got all my money in with the best hand, so I really don't feel like I made a mistake. If my hand held up I would have moved up to about fourth, which is where I needed to be to make some money.
As I left I I went by my friend Wally's table to say goodnight. He didn't have many chips in front of him so I assumed he was on the ropes, but I later heard he finished in third place. Way to go Wally!
All-in-all, it was a really fun night that captured the spirit of poker. Down in Vegas they have casinos that are themed like medievil castles, circuses and ancient Rome. That's all very nice, but I think if I were to design my own poker room in a casino, I'd make it look like a furniture warehouse. That's the kind of place where real poker is played.
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