A bit of poker fiction,

Hope nobody minds me posting this up, Im so bored in my job I just spent the whole day writing a little poker story (but if anyone asks I was doing performance reviews). Its my first attempt at poker fiction so probable a bit naf.... oh and its quite long.

A bit of a hand…

Frank Parkin excitedly told his father about his latest big online win, second in a $10 rebuy on stars for over two thousand dollars. As usual Frank’s father George barely concealed his contempt for Frank’s success ‘pssstt, poker it’s all luck’. Frank bit his lip, this was a well worn path he did not wish to travel again he had already wasted far to much time and energy trying to persuade his father of the skills and tactics involved in the great game of poker.

Frank found his father’s attitude to poker rather strange given his past history but he had never felt compelled to push the matter any further because although they had a pretty good relationship now it had not always been the case. As a child Frank had spent a lot of time in working men’s clubs, snooker clubs and other adult establishments watching his father play poker.

This being the eighties the games where nearly always stud poker or draw poker (5 card usually with jacks or better to open). Frank used to really enjoy watching the games, the excitement and tension was palpable and despite his lack of years he had a good grasp of what was happening. There was always a threat of violence and lots of accusations of cheating and collusion which only added to the fascination for Frank.

At this time his father drinking became much worse and he also became prone to spousal abuse, Frank and his sister would often be rushed out of bed by there mother sporting fresh bruises in the middle of the night to stay with relatives until his father had sobered up and full of remorse he would collect them. A week or two would pass uneventfully then the familiar signs would emerge, his Mother would become pensive around Saturday tea time, panicky phone calls followed to his regular haunts trying to locate where he was and what state he might be in. Then it would most likely all happen again, eventually even his saint of a mother had taken enough abuse and they separated.

As well as a drunk he was also a selfish man and was not inclined to change his habits because he was encumbered by two young children during his fortnightly court appointed custody sessions. Now a parent himself Frank would sometimes see a single man in a pub dinking heavily with young children and feel terribly saddened by the sight but out of these early trips with dad he developed a great feel and love for the game of poker.

Franks father had an enemy in the game, his name was John Gilder but pretty much everybody called him Gilly. The conflict had begun over an unpaid debt and the rivalry became further inflamed due to a mutual interest in a woman named Claire. George and Gilly clashed repeatedly in the game and George never seemed to get the better of things, he made accusations of fixed decks and underhand dealing pretty much everything but look at his own play. Eventually like most losing players he lost interest in the game and drifted into other forms of gambling that required less skill and effort.

With disregard for all he was and how he behaved like most boys Frank still thought of his father as hero and he could do no wrong. Naturally as Frank grew elder he begun to understand better the kind of man his father was and became angry and distanced himself from George.

As Frank moved into his mid twenties a dramatic change in George took place, he was diagnosed with Diabetes and heart disease and it became almost physically impossible for him to imbibe alcohol. He expressed great remorse for his earlier actions and Frank; his mother and sister tentatively allowed George to become part of there lives again. As tends to happen he was now almost evangelical about the evils of alcohol which at times was a little trying. Franks mother passed away whilst he was visiting Las Vegas with his new wife Amanda, it was a devastating blow for Frank and his sister as they had always relied on her so much. George was very supportive and genuinely regretful for the way he had treated his family.

Frank had begun to think seriously about moving from playing poker online to the live arena but was unsure of how to effect the transition. Then one day he was flicking through the latest copy of his favourite poker magazine and he saw an article about the APAT. This new organisation created to bring amateur players together would be holding there inaugural live event in a few weeks’ time and Frank thought this would be a great opportunity to begin the move to live play. Frank excitedly told his wife who was supportive of his pastime but decided not to tell his father who he knew would not share in enthusiasm. The event was local and with a relatively low buy in and a field of fellow amateurs playing for the love of the game this would be a great opportunity to debut in live tournament play.

The day of the live event approached and frank and Amanda arrived at the card room in plenty of time to get acclimatised. Frank could hardly contain his excitement but was made to feel welcome by the other competitors some whom he had made contact with through great poker forums like blonde and ukpokerinfo. As he took his place at the table he glanced around the other tables and spotted a familiar face two tables over. Although the years hadn’t been particular kind to him it was the unmistakable visage of his father’s nemesis Gilly.

Frank had decided that an extremely tight strategy would serve him best on his live debut. For once he was relieved to fold hand after hand as the dealer constantly delivered him rubbish and his nerves began to ebb away as he completed the first level without playing a hand. During level two he took down the blinds with the occasional raise using his solid table image to his advantage. And then he was dealt his first real hand of substance at the perfect moment, a smallish stack made a move from early position needlessly committing himself to call franks all in re-raise. Frank had been dealt kings and they held up over the small stacks ace rag, frank went on a mini rush accumulating chips at a steady rate for the next two levels. He finished the first day at 45,000 a significant move from his starting stack of 10,000 and above the average of 31,000. He was however a long way behind the chip leader Gilly, his stack stood at an impressive 98,000.

Upon resumption on day two eliminations came at a quick fire rate as small stacks made the necessary move to try to stay in contention. They where quickly down to two tables and although frank and Gilly where not drawn together he would get a chance to observe Gilly’s game at closer quarters as the two remaining tables where sited closely together. When not involved in a hand frank spent all his time watching events unfold on Gilly’s table. He could see Gilly was an experienced and knowledgeable player with a tough loose aggressive style that was proving difficult for his opponents to get to grips with. He varied his play and starting requirements and putting him on hand was extremely difficult for everybody at his table. He used table talk extremely effectively to solicit tells and was even not afraid to engage the crazy singing Scotsman seated to his left in his quest for information.

Frank maintained a reasonable stack without receiving much help from the dealer, he managed to keep himself near the average by attacking in the right spots and it was soon of to the final table. Frank drew favourable position on Gilly two spots to the right and as they took there appointed seats he could see a flicker of recognition cross his opponents face. Gilly had not quite managed to put a name to the face yet but was certain to do so by the end of the day.

As is the way with most final tables it took a while to lose the first player and both Gilly and Frank used this ‘mini bubble’ to accumulate chips, they seemed to consciously be staying out of the others way. Once the first player was eliminated others followed in quick fire succession until they where down to two players. Gilly held a significant chip lead of nearly 3 – 1. A large crowd had gathered to watch the final table but unbeknownst to Frank his father was also in attendance. Franks wife had called up George to tell him of the events unfolding hoping he would at last acknowledge his sons ability and love of poker. George stood a little way back from the throng, close enough that he could see proceedings but far enough so that neither Gilly nor his son who where fully absorbed in proceedings could recognise him.

Quickly a pattern of play emerged, Frank attacking the big stack in an attempt to reach parity and gilly fighting back when the cards or situation seemed correct. The chip counts rose and fell but after an hours heads up play, frank was still conceding a sizeable chip advantage to his opponent, then the first pivotal hand occurred. Frank raised on the button 1/3 of his stack with pocket fours and gilly called the raise. The dealer spread a flop of A K 7 rainbow and frank checked to gilly. Gilly pushed all in, this was a difficult decision for frank. He began the familiar process of dissecting the play to reach the most accurate conclusion. He doubted very much his opponent held an ace as he was sure he would have faced a raise in the preflop betting round, but he could definitely be making this play with a king or the seven and of course any pocket pair higher that his fours. On the face of it an easy fold but there was something not quite right. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, it was the way his opponent looked as the dealer completed delivering the flop. Gilly had looked just that little to long, frank was sure he had missed. He called and his opponent tabled J 10 suited his fours where in front and remained so past the turn and then the river to instate frank as the new 3-1 chip leader, George was a gasp at the decision his son had just made.

Two hands latter frank was dealt the dream hold’em hand two black aces, he was on the button so decided to trap with them by flat calling the blind. Gilly eyed him suspiciously and decided against using his option to raise. The dealer burned a card and then spread a flop of 9 5 5 two spades. Gilly checked into frank who immediately fired out a pot sized bet, Gilly thought for what seemed like an age and then moved all his chips into the pot ‘check and mate my friend’ Frank thought.

When his opponent moved all in frank nearly called instantly but he had promised himself before the tournament started he would take his time with every decision and he was determined to see that promise through to a conclusion. So he fired up his ‘poker brain cells’ for the perfunctory call. Well his opponent had not re-raised his flat call pre-flop so he was unlikely to have much of a holding, the shove on the flop was either a pure bluff or more likely with two spades on the board a flush draw. Frank lined up his chips to call but again something deep down in his subconscious was fighting to reach the surface, there was something definitely wrong but he just couldn’t put his finger on it. He reran the action in his head and he had a revelation, there was something wrong with the mental picture and he knew what it was. When the two fives had hit the table his opponent had immediately looked down at his chips and then at the pot, this was a dead give away he had hit the fives. Frank felt deep down in his core that he was behind but how could he lay down aces heads up like this. Then a second thought hit him, why had it taken gilly so long to move in? He was trying very hard to look weak so the opposite was probable true and he was in fact very strong.

He announced fold and laid down the aces face up on the table, after a few moments of stretching and craning to view the cards there was an audible gasp from the assembled crowd. Gilly looked confused and repeated ‘No, how, what, that’s not right’ over and over to himself in a low tone and then turned over his own hand in a state of befuddlement, he had held K 5 of hearts and could not understand how his opponent had got way from his hand so cheaply. He never recovered from this hand and the end came quickly three hands latter when he moved in on the flop holding bottom pair with frank holding top two pair which held to end the tournament. Tony Kendall handed over the trophy and entry to the EPT event which where the prize and franks dad gabbed him in a bear hug and finally gilly could place the young man who had stolen the prize from him.

George stayed over at his son’s house that night and they celebrated with a sumptuous meal. The next morning frank walked into his kitchen and was surprised to find his father sitting at his PC playing hold’em on one of the many sites he had downloaded. Then the following hand came up. He called a raise pre-flop on the blind with 7-3 of spades and then called a bet on a flop of K K 5 two hearts. Then another bet on the turn when the 6 of hearts fell. On the river the 8 on hearts fell his opponent bet out again. George asked his son ‘Should I call?’ frank replied ‘well no because unless he holds either 7-2 ,7-4 or 7-3 with no hearts then your splitting every other possible hand his got you beat’ . George said ‘well he could be bluffing?’ And promptly called the bet. They turned over the cards and his opponent held 7-2 also with no hearts. George said ’I told you he was bluffing’.

Frank thought, better get him Super system for Christmas.