The poker room was absolutely hopping now. Beside our full table, two other tables are also full. I glance over at the computer screen near the cashiers cage and see that there are three people on the waiting list. Weird. An hour earlier three dealers were just sitting around waiting for customers.
Immediately after her boneheaded move and subsequent tantrum, The Iron Lady left the table, but she didn't take her chips with her. Of course players do this all the time - to go to the washroom, to have a smoke, whatever. After an explosion, like the Iron Lady's, a player will often just go take a walk around the block to clear their head and cool down. If a player is leaving for more than a few minutes, it is courteous to inform the dealer or house boss. Typically they will let you hold your seat for up to 45 minutes, which gives you time to go get a bite to eat, but you have to let them know that's what you are doing, otherwise after twenty minutes or so the house boss can make your seat available to someone on the waiting list and you can pick your remaining money at the cashier's window when you get back. Needless to say, The Iron Lady was not getting any favours after her outburst and so after twenty minutes her chips were cleared away. I imagined her blowing her stack completely when she came back, but the house boss clearly had had enough of her behavior.
In the meantime something weird began to happen, Too Much Cologne Boy had been playing a high percentage of hands and calling down to the river more often than not - a recipe for disaster. But he started to get incredibly lucky, calling down with an inside straight and hitting it on the river. Calling with terrible pot odds and sucking out again and again. His main victim was Don't Mess With Me, who lost about $400 to TMCB in two consecutive bad beats. This kind of thing happens. Partially it's just the law of averages that a poor percentage plays will hit now and again, sometimes in clusters. But "beginner's luck" is aided by the fact that normally smart players enter hands they normally wouldn't in the hopes of fleecing the sheep. The play looser than they should, and sometimes the sheep fleeces them.
The Colour Commentator shook his head sadly. "I hate playing against people who don't know how to play" he said. I have heard a lot of poker players say this and, if you think about it for more than five seconds, I'm sure you'll agree it is a dumb thing to say. I personally wish I only ever played against people who don't know how to play. Nevertheless for appearance sake I had to nod in agreement.
"Yeah," I replied "Don't even think about bluffing at this table!"
My strategy when things go all wild west like this is to go from very-tight to super-duper-tight. Only play premium hands and let the guy who can't fold pay you off. Everyone else at the table, with the exception of the Unibrower, took the opposite strategy and loosened up their games in order to try and take down one of the big pots that seemed to build every hand. While Unibrower and I were silently competing to see who could fold the most pre-flop, mountains of chips were shifting back and forth.
I finally got a hand I could play, pocket jacks, when I was in the small blind. It had limped to Don't Mess With Me who had bet $35 so I raised him to $70. It was the first bet I had made in about an hour and it sent everyone running to the hills in fear. Everyone but DMWM, who called. When rags came on the flop I checked, expecting a bet from DMWM and he obliged, betting $50. I really liked the way he bet - he announced the "Fifty!" in a deep firm tone and pushed his chips forward with a quick, almost emphatic movement. Usually acting strong like this is a sure sign of weakness and I felt there was something fishy about his little performance. Why be so sure to act strong when the action is checked to you? Because you are not very strong. So I raised him to $100. Boy that sure made him think and the longer he thought the more certain I was that I was ahead. After a while he said, "I have an over-pair" and the second he said that I knew he had a lower pocket pair than mine because if he had qq, kk or aa he would have called by now. After thinking for a couple minutes more he folded, showing me his pocket 10's. I congratulated him on a good fold and showed him my jacks.
My stack was just over $700 now.
Maybe half an hour later I was in the small blind again, this time with AQo. Somebody bet $15 and The Unibrower, on the button, raised it to $35. I considered just getting out of the way, but AQ is hard to fold, even for a nit like me, so I called. Everyone else could not fold fast enough with the two tight boys putting their chips in. The flop was 2h 6c 9d - rags. I checked. The Unibrower bet $55 and I quickly re-raised to $160.
I am pretty sure that Unibrower is going to lay his hand down. After all, I am the guy who said it was stupid to even think about bluffing at this table. The Unibrower is, I think, a really good player and a really good player would probably put me on a set here. A really good player would have enough discipline to lay down an over pair. I just hope he is that good.
"Did you have a set of fives or a set of nines?" he asks, looking at my face for any signs. About five hours later I realize a good answer would have been, "Does it matter?", but at the time all I could think to do was to try and stare a hole through the felt. Finally he folds, throwing his pocket jacket face up in the muck. This was a good fold really, there was no way I would have made a check-raise like that if I didn't have a set or, at the very least, AA or KK. I would not have made such a bet with anything but a hand that beats JJ....Or a stone cold bluff and a really good player like The Unibrower never just hopes his opponent has chosen this moment to make his first bluff.
It was probably mean of me but I showed The Unibrower my hand, hoping it might either put him on tilt or persuade him to transfer to a different table. Unlike The Colour Commentator, I'd prefer another player who doesn't know how to play at my table.
And maybe the next time I have a monster hand I might get called by someone who remembers this bluff.
No comments:
Post a Comment