Happy Mother's Day!

11 May 08

The first few hours of Mother's Day found me at the 8/16 tables at the 'shoot. I ended up there after dropping two buy-ins at 3/5 spread limit. I played so badly it isn't even funny. Let's just say they were REALLY sorry to see me go. Right after I lost my first buy-in I grabbed another $300 out of my pocket and handed it to Joel, the chip runner. So, without any chips in front of me, I look down at pocket Kings. I make what I hoped looked like a tilt-raise to $20 and the button (who just stacked me on the previous hand) calls.

Perfect. I've got him right where I want him.

The flop is Kc-Js-9h. Top set - w00t!

I bet $40. Hoping to convince him it's just a continuation bet. He calls.

The turn is the queen of hearts. There is now a 4-card straight on the board and $120 in the pot. I may be in trouble. I bet $100. He goes all in. Remember, I don't have any chips in front of me. I have a theoretical $140 behind. Great - he's got the straight. There is an outside chance he has AK and was really playing off my tilt act, but I doubt it. It's now $140 to me in order to hope that the board pairs in order to win this pot. There is $460 in the pot. I called.

"Joel, don't bother putting those chips here. Just give them to the nice gentleman in seat 5. Here's another $300."

Fortunately, they called me for the 8/16 seat just as the clock said it was Mother's Day. In a nice display of patience and un-tiltable-ness, I promptly donked off another $120 betting my nut flush into quad Aces. Then I pissed away another $100 in a splashed pot.

At the top of every hour, they add $100 to the pot (they are doing this in order to rebuild the game - most of the higher limit players drive up to Diamond Lil's). Everyone calls. I've got 6d-5h. The dream flop is 3s-4s-7s. I flopped the straight, but I don't like it one bit. Everyone calls one bet on the flop. The turn pairs the 4. I still don't like it, but it checks all the way around to me. I ask the dealer if it's okay to show my hand, and she says that she doesn't advise it, but it's okay. I turn over my hand and show everyone the straight, and then I bet. The 7 seat calls. The river is the 3 of clubs and his 6-3 off-suit takes down a monster pot.

Still, I finished the night down only $100 thanks to steady, but relatively unmemorable play. I actually came home feeling great about the overall experience.

So now, The Wife and I will be celebrating a little tonight and reveling in the best parts of this holiday. Namely - we acknowledge that we have beautiful kids, and then we get to leave them with the Au Pair and act like irresponsible adolescents!