Crazy calls, bets and plays – part two

[Peter Costa]

The Stanley casino in Coventry holds many good memories. In fact, I went through a stage when I won almost every time during a two year period.  I used to go there two or three times a week for the PLO cash games. On the odd Sunday, I would play the small re-buy tournament that used to attract no more than three tables.  If the cash game looked like starting early, then I would play for fun. If I got chips, then 1st place was all that mattered.  Either way, I made sure that I had as much fun as possible.
First level in the re-buy playing 25-25 and only 500 chips to play with, it was fast and furious. 

With me holding a stack 2000, I get involved in a hand against two extremely super-tight rocks. When one raised and the other re-raised to go all-in for his 350, I knew my A-5 was no good. I still made the call fully expecting rock #2 to push over the top. The fact that he thought about it, indicated an exact hand in my mind.  The flop brought me a gut-shot to my five. The thing is, I knew the all-in rock had Q-Q and rock #2 held J-J. I therefore made my thoughts known to the table before pushing all-in.

I actually hit the straight and the Ace, but more importantly to the story; I was up against Q-Q and J-J. At this point, and this is where the real story begins; one of the players made a comment that “I bet you think you’re clever?”

The player with the comment, James Ogen (I think that’s how you spell his name), was actually a singer and appeared on the TV show “Stars in Their Eyes’.  He also happened to be a very solid player and a regular winner in Coventry . Even so, I think he didn’t like the fact that I didn’t lose very often.  You could say that there was a rivalry between us, but always a very friendly one.  Anyway, I actually agreed with James that my prediction was not that clever. In fact, it was all rather logical. But I did add that I was willing to predict a player’s hole cards, and to do it before any action had taken place on the flop.

James sitting two to my right, turned towards me and called me a f….ing idiot.  Even so, he offered me odds of 5-1.  Strange how he thought my challenge laughable, and yet offered such crap odds.

Within a few minutes, a young Chinese player (sitting about three to my left),made it 100 to play after utg had limped for 25. I instantly turned to James and whispered that the kid held 7-7 and that I wanted that bet.  James took my 20 quid with the same comment that had greeted my challenge.

The flop of A-6-6  was checked-folded by the raiser, but not before we explained to him about the wager.

James begrudgingly paid up, but made my life hell over the next three Sundays .  On the first, James made it clear that he felt cheated and that I had scammed him by being in cahoots with the Chinese kid (who I had never met before).  I laughed that first Sunday as I did the next.  But on the third Sunday, I was “confronted” by a James who had finally found the answer.

I was stunned. I was completely and utterly stunned that he STILL kept thinking about that bet. I laughed before he even told me about his Eureka moment. But seriously James- “I saw the cards by way of a reflection from the Chinese kid’s cigarette lighter?”

It took six month for me to finally put James’ mind at rest.  That came in Walsall during a big tournament when he raised three times without getting called. Each time I told him his hand, T-T 9-9 and A-K. Each time he showed. By the third time, he nodded his head at me with the words, "Ok, ok". I had been finally forgiven!

Btw, I never actually told James how I figured the hand be 7-7, he never really gave me a chance.

 
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[ALASKAN5IVE]

can you mention all the times you guessed wrong as well plz??

[Peter Costa]

can you mention all the times you guessed wrong as well plz??

How long do you have?

[ALASKAN5IVE]

lol niiiiiice haaaaannnddd

[redsimon]

7 a lucky number for Chinese?

Great stories Peter, more please esp. ones about Nott's Gala?

[Simon Galloway]

I'm guessing Peter had 8-9 in his own hand, put the kid on a strong-ish mid pair and took 5/1 on whether it was 77 or TT....

[Royal Flush]

lolz

[Rookie (Rodney)]

Btw, I never actually told James how I figured the hand be 7-7, he never really gave me a chance.

 
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Pmsl, tell us then please.

And also explain how when James opens 3 hands in a row you can just tell he has TT 99 and AK in that order.

[kukushkin88]

Btw, I never actually told James how I figured the hand be 7-7, he never really gave me a chance.

 
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Pmsl, tell us then please.

And also explain how when James opens 3 hands in a row you can just tell he has TT 99 and AK in that order.

It's a nice story about poker in the old days, loads of good stories are apocryphal, if it's not it's a pretty impressive brag post.

[AlexMartin]

Btw, I never actually told James how I figured the hand be 7-7, he never really gave me a chance.

 
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Pmsl, tell us then please.

And also explain how when James opens 3 hands in a row you can just tell he has TT 99 and AK in that order.

It's a nice story about poker in the old days, loads of good stories are apocryphal, if it's not it's a pretty impressive brag post.

+1

[Peter Costa]

I'm guessing Peter had 8-9 in his own hand, put the kid on a strong-ish mid pair and took 5/1 on whether it was 77 or TT....

You have no idea how close you are Simon. The fact that he raised 100 rather than 125 indicated a smalllish pair, and since I had 8-9, i thought it was an even money shot, 6-6 or 7-7. It could also have been K-Q. Either way, the odds indicated a bet.

As for this coming across as a brag post, nothing was further from my mind. This was all about James and his reaction. In all honesty, as far as bragging is concered, I am a million miles away from caring about ego and stuff. My interest is more to do with people and funny stories. As for that time with James, it was the only time I ever hand a bet like that and it was nice how it worked out.

As for James and the three hands, just pure insincts of the day. 

[Simon Galloway]

Keep posting please Peter, always great to hear the old stories.  The young pups don't understand what poker used to be like and try and apply a 2009 understanding to 1989 poker.

[Royal Flush]

As for James and the three hands, just pure insincts of the day. 

Click to see full-size image.

[Royal Flush]

Keep posting please Peter, always great to hear the old stories.  The young pups don't understand what poker used to be like and try and apply a 2009 understanding to 1989 poker.

Ha its nothing to do with that, its fine if you got a read down so pat on a guy and i dont know how easy poker was back then (that a guy would welcome multiway action with mid pairs and not big pairs etc) but the idea you can call a players hands 3 hands in a row is pure luck, either that or you are cheating/deluded.

[Peter Costa]

Keep posting please Peter, always great to hear the old stories.  The young pups don't understand what poker used to be like and try and apply a 2009 understanding to 1989 poker.

Ha its nothing to do with that, its fine if you got a read down so pat on a guy and i dont know how easy poker was back then (that a guy would welcome multiway action with mid pairs and not big pairs etc) but the idea you can call a players hands 3 hands in a row is pure luck, either that or you are cheating/deluded.

 

Of course it's pure luck. Pure fun also.