One Last Shot

19 APR 06

My buddy Stefan decided to take one last crack at 10/20 before heading back to Texas. He’s glad he did.

I sat in first and started in with my usual shtick. It was funny, because Ryan was dealing again. Apparently, he’s been reading my blog because he was quoting several of my best lines back to me. I got a laugh out of it at first, but then I realized that other people at the table may have been listening. If they figured out what we were talking about, I may have been handicapped a little. Fortunately, either no one figured it out, or they didn’t care. I talked my way into a few pots and was up about $300 when Stefan finally got a seat.

Now, Stefan is a buddy of mine, but when he’s sitting across the felt he becomes a potential victim. Sure enough, I raised in position with J8 and he calls from the big blind. I hit my Jack on the flop (I think there was an overcard). He calls my flop and turn bets and when we get to the river, he checks to me. I bet and say, “Don’t call. I’ll show you,” and I hold my cards out towards him face down. He flips over his QJ and mucks. True to my word, I show him my inferior hand and drag the pot. If he just read my blog before he sat in, he might have made that call!!

Well, that was about the only hand he played badly last night. In the span of about 2 hours, he ran his $500 up to over $1200, and we both cashed out winners for the night. On the ride back to his hotel, he was floating on a cloud, but he asked me to critique his game. I gave him a few pointers (at several points he was calling into a multiway pot post-flop when he should have been raising or folding), but how do you offer pointers to someone that played nearly flawless poker?

I guess we can all benefit from a few pointers now and then. I know I can.