The Night the Poker Gods Smiled On Me

The first Saturday of March Madness, I had a great session at BSC. There is one particular hand from the night that I'd like all the experts to chime in on.  It's the hand where I had pocket Aces, about half way down this post.

Our special guest-star for this terrific night was fellow poker blogger The Poker Meister.  TPM, as I’ll refer to him from now on for convenience sake, has already written about his Vegas trip, including the night we played together, here.  You should read his post, and when you do, please note that he mentions that, at the table we were at, there was a discussion of “prostitution and the regular flow of half-naked club-goers streaming in and out of the club behind the poker room.”

Sadly, this discussion took place after I left the table.  A discussion of hookers and half-naked club-goers at the poker table and I missed it?  How is that even possible? That is what’s known in Yiddish as a “shonda.”

Anyway, TPM and I agreed to meet at BSC and I arrived first, got into a game and had my pal Susan put TPM on the list as a call in.

When he showed up, he recognized me immediately (because I am, after all, quite famous).  We chatted a bit and I told him that I had put him on the list, something he had already noticed as he entered the room. In fact, he had checked in with Susan to tell her that he was there and ready to be sent to a table. TPM reported Susan responding, “Oh, you’re Rob’s friend.”

He was sent to a table with a few open seats.  My initial thought on the table I was at was that it might be a good one, and I told him that he should try to get a change to it.  And his first reaction to his table was that it was way too tight.  I played over half an hour at my table, and after awhile realized it wasn’t such a good table.  In the meantime, TPM had changed his mind about his table too.  He said it was pretty good and there was a loose aggro over there who seemed anxious to spew chips. 

So when a seat opened up at his game, I went to find a floorperson and get permission to join him instead.  There was a guy at his table I recognized, a regular.  An older guy.  I was pretty sure at the time that he was the guy who thought might have been angle shooting in the post I did here.  So when I had permission to move and sit immediately on TPM’s right, I went back to the other table to get my chips.  This older guy immediately asked TPM if I was indeed switching to this table.  When TPM confirmed this, the guy immediately asked the floor person, still in the vicinity, for a table change!  It was immediate and was certainly no coincidence.  TPM asked him, “You don’t like Rob?” and he did not respond.  But by the time I had settled in, this guy was already headed to a different game.

TPM told me this as I took my seat.  I had to admit this took me by surprise, I couldn’t recall any unpleasantness between us before.  I did convey my suspicions to TPM that I had blogged about this guy (the “angle-shooting” post), but I was pretty sure that, a) I never really called him on it at the time and, b) he had never seen the post.  Although about the second part, I’ve obviously been wrong before. Sometimes people I never would have guessed read my blog do indeed know about the silliness I publish here (see here,for example).

I’ve since become totally certain in my mind that this was the “angle-shooting” guy, but I still doubt that that had anything to do with this guy’s desire to leave as soon as I sat down. I think it’s one of two things. Maybe he recognized me and thought that because I’m a regular—and perhaps because of some memory of playing with me—he thought that I’m too good a player to take on.  Ok, ok, when you stop laughing, let me give you my other possibility, one that’s more likely.  He might have thought that I’m too much of a nit to be able to win money from.  I mean just because he’s a nit, that doesn’t mean he wants to try to beat other nits.  I’m thinking that’s it.  But really, who knows?

Before I had moved over next to TPM, he sent me a text that made me smile.  It said, “Dying to know who is who from your blog.”  Heh heh.   I was only to happy to oblige as best I could.

At the time, Rita was dealing to him and Ginger had just left my game, so I texted him that.  He missed seeing Ginger but I was later able to point her out to him from a distance.  He made a comment about her that made me realize that he had the totally wrong idea of why I dubbed her “Ginger.” Oh well, I can explain it on his next Vegas visit.

Before joining TPM, I had won exactly one pot my first table, the very first one.  It was a very small pot and so when I moved next to TPM, I had a bit under my $200 starting stack. 

My very first hand at the new table, Rita dealt me pocket 4’s.  The guy TPM had told me about, the LAG, raised to 11 and I called.  I think three of us saw the flop.  It was all spades, including a 4.  LAG checked, I made it $25.  He called.  I’m not sure about the other player.  You see, there  were a couple of really memorable hands very early in this session, and I was very busy schmoozing with TPM, and as such, it took me a long time to whip out my notebook and write down notes.  I could easily have a few details wrong.

The turn was a blank. I bet again—around $35, I think.  This time LAG check-raised to $75.  Damn, did he already have the flush?  I remembered TPM’s description of the guy being ready to spew chips.  That helped me decide to call.  That, plus the fact that I was pretty much pot committed anyway. Plus his raise was just barely above a min-raise. Not enough to get me to lay down a set there. Maybe I could lay it down if a fourth spade hits the river?  And of course, I did have outs if he had the flush.

I don’t remember the suit of the 10 on the river, but it didn’t matter as it paired the board.  Mr. LAG was kind enough to bet in front of me, more chips than I had left.  I snapped called of course.  He flipped over Ace-King of spades!  Ouch.  So he flopped the nut flush, which was good all the way until I sucked out him with my river boat (so-to-speak).

Nice to get a double up on your very first hand at a table, right?

A hand or two later, I raised with Ace-King of hearts, got one caller, flopped an Ace, bet and was called.  But my turn bet was not called.  A few hands later I had Ace-King again, raised, missed, but took the pot on the flop with a continuation bet.  Now I knew why that Angle Shooting guy didn’t want to play with me!

A while later I had pocket 8’s and called a raise to $11.   Four of us saw the flop, Jack-8-7, two spades.  Ok, it looked like this was gonna be the night for me to flop sets. I can live with that.  A guy led out for $15, another guy called and I made it $75.  Original bettor shoved for only $17 more.  Snap call.  It was just the two of us.  Here’s where I had a bit of bad luck.  The other guy had King-Jack, but the board ran out 10-9, putting a straight right on the board and leaving us to chop the pot.

Then I limped in from the cut-off with 10-9 hearts. The flop was 10-9-8, two diamonds.  A guy bet $5 (it was a limped pot), the next guy made it $10 and I raised to $30.  First guy folded, but the guy who bet $10 made it $60.  Was he betting the draw or did he already have the straight?  I just called, worried that my two pair was no good. 

But on the turn came another 10, giving me another boat.  I’m really liking this night.  The guy checked and I put out $100, which was basically all he had left.  He called.  River was meaningless and he showed me his Queen-Jack for a flopped straight.  So, first I took down a flopped flush with a boat, and now I had taken down a flopped straight with a boat.  You know, poker is sure fun when the deck is hitting you like that!  I’ve had good runs, but I don’t think I ever felt like I was “running like god” before.  I did right then.

The guy’s buddy was sitting near me and said that this was the second time something like this had happened to him tonight, flopping a straight and losing to a boat.  Hey, I’ve been there.  Being on the other side of it is a lot better, trust me.  BTW, TPM told me that he had folded the case 10 preflop. No sweat, there were still two 9’s out there that would have served me just as well.

I now had a mountain of chips in front of me, probably more than I have had in front of me before, except perhaps in a tournament that I was doing well in.  Of course, not the same thing.  This was real money.  Then came the hand that TPM is dying for me to talk about, and that we discussed at great length after my session was done.

I woke up with pocket Aces in one of the blinds.  A guy opened for $11 and two others called before it got to me.  I sure as hell didn’t want to play my Aces against three other players so I bumped it up just a bit—to $75.  It folded back to the original bettor.  He hadn’t been at the table very long, and had a stack of about $300, if memory serves.  I had him and everyone at the table covered, well over $600.

He took his sweet time deciding what to do. So he couldn’t have the other two Aces unless he’s trying to decide if he should just flat with them (highly unlikely).  Kings?  Most players with the dreaded hand there raise pretty fast, although some just call. Almost no one is good enough to fold pocket Kings. Was that his indecision?  Or was he wondering if his AK, QQ or JJ was worth much now?

But eventually he called.  Everyone else folded.  I didn’t want to see any paint cards on the flop, that’s for sure.  But sure enough, the flop was King high on a pretty dry board.

OK, folks, in my shoes, what do you do?  TPM, not having seen my hand (and saying it didn't matter what I had), clearly expressed reservations about what I did on the flop, so please, let me hear your thoughts. What would you have done there?

The King was probably the last card I wanted to see, but I bet anyway.  I put out $100.  As best as I can recall, here’s what was going through my mind.  Part of it was a bit reflexive.  I had been the aggressor preflop, I had to bet there, right?  Otherwise, I’m giving up control to the other guy.  I was almost on auto-pilot.  And to some extent, the bet is a bit like a blocking bet. 

If I check there and he bets, what do I do?  I have no clue where I stand.  Is he betting AK?  A set of Kings?  Queens?  If I bet, and he comes over the top, I think maybe I can still lay it down.  Or can I? 

Well, the guy took forever to decide, which was a good sign.  I don’t think he’s taking much time if he’s hit his set of Kings there.  Finally, reluctantly, painfully, he folded.  As I took in the pot, TPM whispered to me, “Remember that hand.  We have to talk about it later.”  At this point, he still didn't know what I had, as I didn’t have to show, and to this day, we have no idea what the other guy had.

We did indeed have a long conversation about the hand.  But I’m not going to report his thoughts, because I’m hoping he will comment and explain his thoughts himself.  I don’t want to misinterpret how he felt about the hand and how I played it.  Best to let him explain it, if/when he has time.  In the meantime, I’d love to hear everyone else’s take. 

This was the last hand of this particular dealer’s down and who was waiting to push in?  None other than my buddy Mike.  You all remember Mike, right?  Deals me pocket Kings all the time and cracks them.  Always complains that my blog posts are too long.  That Mike.

Earlier, Mike and my pal Abe were noticing that my stack was rather large this evening, and were joking that I stole or borrowed some chips.  Abe had come by much earlier to say hello and I introduced him to TPM.  And as he left, I told TPM, “That’s Abe on the blog.”

So Mike took the box and immediately said what he usually says when he sees me with a lot of chips. “No one’s cracked your Kings tonight huh?  I’ll see what I can do.”

I told TPM that this was Mike on my blog and also told him how Mike always complains about my posts being too long.  “I usually fall asleep reading them,” he told TPM. TPM expressed the same concern but then said something positive about how my stories intertwine and I put all the links in to tie everything together. Yes, TPM….that’s value added!  Which, of course, is the reason I am trying to put every possible link I can in this particular post.  It’s in honor of TPM.

This was a Slut Parade night, and unlike most of such nights, I was sitting with my back to the parade, being sociable, chatting with TPM.  This wasn’t lost on Mike.  Usually on such a night, I am somehow, by total coincidence I assure you, sitting at one of the tables closest to the walkway, facing out into the parade.  “You’re not watching the girls tonight, huh?  Maybe that’s why you’re doing so well.”  Was he implying that I am usually too distracted by the short skirts, tight dresses, and excessive cleavage to play good poker?  Like I could be distracted by that.  Hmmpph.

Anyway, I could barely see Mike over all the chips that were in front of me and it wasn’t very long into his down when he dealt me—what else—the dreaded pocket Kings.

Shit.  I had been having such a good night too.  But the double whammy of my Kryptonite hand and the dealer most known to crack it gave me some trepidation. Seriously, this was less than an orbit after the Aces hand. 

Someone made it $10 and the guy on my right called the $10 before it got to me.  Good spot for a fold, right?

No, no, of course not.  I bet $40.  The first guy folded but the guy to my right called, albeit reluctantly.  I should have made a note of how much he was playing, but sorry, I didn’t. I’m sure it was less than $300 but I don’t think he was short stacked.  Of course I had him covered.  I think I had the entire table in total covered.

To my amazement, the highest card on the flop was King.  This really was the night for me to be flopping sets.  The guy checked and I bet—$50 or $60.  I think it was another fairly dry board, but I wasn’t messing with both the dreaded hand and the dreaded dealer mostly likely to crack it for me.  Besides, I’ll never forget the time I flopped a set of Kings and didn’t get paid enough for them because I played my hand face up by not betting the flop (see here).  He folded fairly quickly.

TPM asked me if it was my “favorite” hand and I nodded.  Mike gave me the look asking me the same question without saying anything.  I nodded to him, to confirm that I had what he thought I had.  “Yeah, that’s what I had…the hand you always give me,” I said.

“You’re supposed to slow play that…..so someone could suck out on you,” came Mike’s reply.

I smirked in response.

It was getting late for me.  I had played a lot of poker this day.  Before this I had played in the Binion’s tournament for many hours—a story I may or may not get to some day.  I sure as hell didn’t want to lose any of my winnings because I was too tired to play right.  So I told TPM I was done for the night.

He came over as I collected my winnings and we had the discussion about the AA hand.  While there, he seemed to be noticing some of the young ladies going to and from the club, who we couldn’t really see while playing as we both had our backs to the pathway.  Suddenly, in the middle of our poker discussion, he interrupted himself to say, “That girl is wearing a bra.”

Now, the truth is, most of the girls you seeing going to and from the club are wearing bras dammit.  What he meant was that she was only wearing a bra, nothing else.  I mean on top, that is.  They were all covered below the waist dammit.  (Am I using the strikeout joke too much?  Yes dammit).  You see quite a few of the club girls wearing only a bra on top.  It’s becoming quite the trend. It definitely gets your attention (I think that’s the idea). 

Anyway, it was great meeting TPM and I thanked for the great advice and feedback he gave me on the AA hand, which he will hopefully air publically in the near future.  And apparently he brought me a whole lot of luck.  This was definitely the best cash session I’d ever had, turning $200 into almost $750 in about two and a half hours.  Not as big a score, dollar wise, as my best tournament score (see here), but a much better win-rate on an hourly basis.

It was a helluva night.

Edited to add:  I loved all the feedback I got on the Aces hand below.  I also want to let you know that I posted that hand on both All Vegas Poker and PokerAtlas and thus there's more feedback there as well.  If you are interested in reading more thoughts about the hand, see here and here.