Disclaimer: the following presentation contains little to no circumlocutory dejection. All those here on the sole intent of listening to one man moan at just about everything should look away now.
The game at Alea actually happened tonight. Seriously. Live poker. Happened. And do you know what? It wasn't half bad. Not quite how I remember it, but maybe that's just because the photo I keep on my bedside to remind me of better days is faded and worn. Oh, how we loved sepia then.
Around hand #4 was when I flopped my first monster of the night: AJ versus the angriest fish I've ever met. He even did the stealth check, and when the dealer was still waiting for him to act five seconds later he flailed about a bit screaming, "I checked already! You didn't see?!" I checked J J 6 4 to him twice, but when the ace fell on the river, I didn't want a situation where he checks back Ax after firing twice with air. Obviously this is such a small portion of his range and possible scenarios that can occur, but this month has been in the muck and I've lost a bit of confidence. I struggle to find that third check these days... Anyway this sort of set the tone for the night. I flopped three jacks again later on versus some old guy who would bet-fold 2x pot with top-pair-any-kicker/any-pair-top-kicker. I raised JJ and we went heads up to a J 3 2 flop, I check and as expected he fires £20 into £9. 4 on the turn, I check-call £40. The 2 paired on the river and I FOUND THE THIRD CHECK. He bets £45 with £55 and I obviously move the rest in. He assures me, "I believe you" and folds. Buh...
I eventually took the rest off of him when I raised QJ from the button and guess what? I flopped three jacks. He bet out on J J 8, I call. Bets again on a 9 turn, I call. Then the aceball lands on the river again, and we had the most retarded "getting it in" situation. He checks, I make it £15, he makes it £35, I 3bet to £90 and he moves one of his stacks forward and just about declares all-in before it can qualify as a string bet. It's all of another £27 and he whips his hand over like it's the nuts. Ace and ten. Unlucky sir. Scoooop.
The game died that hand, and I shuffled over to the other table where there were now six of us playing a round of each game. That turned into PLO, which almost inevitably turned into Dealer's Choice. I was winning £170 or so in that game before I lost a big Hi-Lo pot. Three of us were all in on a 6 5 3 2 board. I had with 8 7 4 3 2, and I was up against A A 4 x x which rivered a flush, and some other random hand. I called it a night at Alea breaking even, but had heard on good authority that there was a pretty juicy game at Gala. I sat down with £200 and I was number five. The fish to my left had just shy of £1k, then there was PeeJay playing £600, an Irish guy that merged just about every hand he played sat with £500, some lady who'd brought along a pretty excitable rail and £400, and Tim to my right with £300 or so. I got the ball rolling by coolering Tim for a £150 pot. I 3bet pre with
and Tim called in position. We checked it down on
before I lead for half pot on the beautiful
river and Tim sigh called with
or so he tells me.
<-- // Switch to present tense to create a sense of urgency -->
A short while later, we had a monster against the lady. I make it £4 UTG with
and get a handful of callers. The flop runs out
. She checks from the blinds, I make it £15, folded to the Irish guy who calls. Then she practically leaps out of her seat and makes it £90. I actually do a little sick. I've not seen her play many hands and am pretty clueless as to what she can have here. She looks bad enough to get this excited with two pair, though, and I move it in for another £220. She snap calls. The turn is a brick. The river is the
and we do even more of a sick. She declares a straight as she tables
. I'm frantically looking around for five cards in ascending order, then she calms my nerves by assuring me she just made a mistake because she wasn't wearing her glasses. Cool as can be, she sits back in her chair and shrugs it off "I'll wear my glasses next time," she chuckles. I'm still shaking and sweating, double- and triple-checking to see that the nut worst river card doesn't somehow give her a way out. Nope. Alright then, I'll just sit here and try not to complain.
That's what it happens. And it really isn't as exciting as I've been building it up to be...
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