Zourah's Response

I recently did a couple of posts about a session I played at Harrah’s early in my last trip, which you can find here and here.  That was the session where I met Zourah2.  Of course Zourah himself had some comments and observations on my posts, and it was a bit too long for a comment, so I’m reprinting his emailed response below.  I love it when I get to do a post mostly written by someone else, because that gives me more time to make my own posts longer!

Here’s his email:

I did suspect the Aces versus Kings hand happened during our session because I remember you folding and then the guy having the Aces, but I didn't want to be presumptuous.  I meant to ask you what you laid down there during the session, but then I thought it would be more appropriate to wait until things were over, and we got talking about other things.

To address your next point, I always posted as Zourah but I added the 2 when I somehow rendered that name obsolete because I couldn't login!

I very much enjoyed our conversation about economics and your command of the history of thought is extremely impressive, Sadly I don't know if students still get that at UCLA or not!  I know that getting the type of education on that subject that I received at the University of Missouri is no longer an option.

Dealing with the hands themselves— I’m pretty sure on the first hand I had KQ suited so I was in trouble there from the get go.

As for the pocket Kings hand, as you know I was having a few cocktails so my memory may not be perfect.  First, my recollection was that under-the-gun had limped and I was UTG +1.  I take zero notes so I'm fine assuming your recollection is the correct one.  However, I almost never limp if I'm the first one in the pot, but I will overlimp a decent amount of the time with a wide variety of hands.  Maybe I thought I was over limping when I did it and I misread where the blinds were!   Given my poor vision and the fact I was sitting in the number one seat, that is a reasonable possibility.

I believe this had happened maybe just a few hands after I doubled up, which I did just as Scott was arriving to the table.  You can correct me if I'm wrong but I think the guy I got heads up with was the guy I just doubled through a few hands before. I can't say I pay the greatest attention but I try to watch people who look at their cards before I make a bet.

My recollection is, I believe I was pretty confident that guy was going to raise and he was gunning for me. He called off against me light just a few hands before and I felt like he was looking to get me back.  I know you are fairly conservative and aren't raising there terribly wide, but if I run into Aces there, that's just life.

I just never limp UTG so I think that was my reasoning but maybe it was the beer that created a crazy play on my part!

If I recall correctly I ended up making somewhere around $115 on the session and I was down a quick $35 before I even got to your table. So, not only was it great to meet you and to see Scott, it was a really cool day and a fun session.

I recently visited Andy who still has an active blog on AVP's new (and less active) home up and I played where he dealt in Des Moines— this turned out to be my most profitable cash game session ever. I guess the moral is I need to hang out more often with celebrity bloggers!  (Note: You can find Andy’s blog here).

Thanks, Zourah, really appreciate the “second opinion.”  I know whenever I write up hand histories, other parties who were in the hand might have different recollections or interpretations.  In fact, even other parties who just where at the table witnessing it might have different reactions.  And maybe I got it wrong!

I was actually curious if you had any thoughts as to why the guy showed me the one Ace?  Did you even see that?  Obviously you saw him flip over both when I folded, but did you notice when he discreetly showed me the Ace of spades?

So on that hand where I c-bet with AK, I could have gotten a fair amount of your money then if only a King had hit the flop?  Heh.

Regarding the big hand with the Kings….well I am pretty darn sure you were UTG.  My notes are very clear on that.  Plus it was the first hand I’d played in about 45-minutes.  Also, I know I made it $10.  If there had been two limpers in front of me, I would have made it $12, that’s pretty automatic for me.

But really, that’s a great read on the guy gunning for you and “knowing” he was gonna raise there.  Really well done.  Of course, if the guy had just doubled you, you would be more prone to be aware of him.

As you found out, I don’t just raise with Aces!  Though that would have been a pretty cool time to have them (but not for you).

I’m glad and surprised I impressed you with the little bit of economic history that I remember.  We could have had a really in depth discussion a few years back when I remembered more.  OK,. Maybe more than just a few years back.

Yes, Andy is one of the few still using the old AVP forums.  Good for him and damn shame so few others are.

Hope we can do it again soon!

Note:  I thought this picture of Maria Bartiromo, aka “The Money Honey,” would be preferable to my readers than a picture of John Maynard Keynes.  Also, reminds me that back in my 2/4 days I occasionally ran into a young woman who looked more than a little like Maria.  I told her that once and she didn’t know who Maria Bartiromo was.