NuRelic
Rock Star
Silver Level
A couple of weeks ago I got to my local tourney for the first time in a long time. I'd been sick and/or had prior commitments for a long time, so it had been awhile since I had seen a lot of friends I have there. Likewise I was anxious to get back there because I knew I was good for the final table most nights, unless I got sucked out by some ignate calling station (this place has its share).
Anyway, on that night it was raining. No, that’s not exactly right, it was more like a constant drizzle, the kind of crap that is absolutely miserable and dangerous to drive in. But it wasn’t that bad when I got home from work, so I had no idea just how bad it had gotten by the time I was ready to head out from the house. Then, to make matters worse, I head out at what I think is 6:30 in order to make it there in time to get on the sign-up sheet (the game starts at 7:30 and if your not there by &:00 you get put on standby), when lo-n-behold it’s not 6:30 but rather 6:45.
AAwww CRAP!
I head out on the twenty minute drive and all along the way I’m seeing cars pulled over with flat tires, out of gas, engine trouble, etc. (about 9 cars in all) and I see about 3 wrecks total on top of that. This is not a good night. Being that I know I’m late, I’m a little freaked out and I’m driving a little faster than I should be then, to make matter worse, I look down and see that I’m running on fumes. SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!
WWWhhoa, CAR!
I swerve and narrowly avoid a rear-end collision with the car in front of me as we are both in the far left lane, by slipping onto the shoulder and threading the needle between him and the concrete median. I had to go this way because another car was blocking my exit to the right. The dude in front of me had virtually come to a completely stop in the fast lane on the freeway while I was looking down at my gas gauge, for apparently no good reason! WTF!!! I mean I missed this guy by inches, as well as the median, and I lucked out that I didn’t lose control of my car in the mucky crap we were driving in. Nevertheless, my car is a ‘83 280ZX and although she’s still in good shape (I stopped showing her about 2 year ago), I was a little surprised she held up so well through the maneuver.
So I ease of the throttle a little (heh) trying to conserve gas and avoid ending my life because for some reason I started thinking that maybe poker isn’t worth risking my life over (yeah I know, that’s just crazy talk). The whole ride ended up take nearly 30 minutes, but I actually was thinking that I’d still have a good chance of getting in on the start because my thinking went along these lines, ‘No sane person would actually get out in the middle of this crap to just play some cards, so there will be an opening.’ What kind of delusion was I living in?
I get there and not only has the list filled up but the waiting list is eight deep! So I help out my friend, a guy by the name of Chip who runs it and over the course of the first hour we settle up a couple disputes and color up people when need be, yadda, yadda, yadda. The whole time, while I’m sitting in the wings, I’m constantly checking out chip stacks to see who might be going out next and when, while hoping that a couple of fish will decided to duke it against a real hand while holding something like 72 or 54. No such luck. The wait was agonizing and I finally catch a break when the guy in front of me decides to go to another tourney to catch their second one of the night and I move up. Then two minutes after he leaves, two more players go out and I’m finally on deck waiting for the next opening. Fortunately I don’t have to wait long!
Now the table I get seated at is filled with players I’ve never seen before; save one, Sheri. Nice lady; she’s a friend and she’s helping me edit a book I hope to one day have published (I dabble with it on the side). She’s married and although she not really any kind of looker, she’s outgoing and good natured. She’s also busted me out of this tournament like 3 or 4 times with semi-crap hands. One of those hands we had to point out her straight that she had missed. So earlier, as I’m waiting to get in, she’s telling everyone about how I’m a good player and all and that it’s a real shame that I’m not able to play. I’m continually telling the rest of the guys at the table, ‘That’s the way it goes’ and ‘I should have left the house earlierearlier’ as I pass by anouncing the next blind level or color someone up. But I’m kind of enjoying the ego stroke. So anyway when I get to this table Sheri is to my left.
I sit down with $3,000 (average chip stack is around 10,000 at this point and the blinds were at $200/$400) and wouldn’t you know it, I got the BB on my very first hand at the table.
COME ON, is this legal!?!
I’m dealt 54o and the table folds it around to the button (second in chips for the table). I’m thinking, the dude is going to try and steal my blinds and I’m going to have to lay it down but he just calls, whew. Then the SB (short staked, just not as bad as me) raises it to $500 (freaking PUNK)! Of course I fold and would have lost anyway when he shos Jacks).
Next hand, in the SB, I’m dealt K9s, not bad but it gets better. I can’t believe my eye’s as I watch the entire table fold it me. Normally I’d just call in this position with chips, but being SS and only one player left to go I figure I’ve got good odds and move all-in. Sheri immediately calls and I’m thinking she’s gonna bust me out again with some crap ass hand.
Nope, Aces! AAAAnnnnnnnnd … I’m out! She bust’s me out yet again! I now hold the record for the fastest exit at that tournament, TWO HANDS!
But my night of fun wasn’t over. I make the rounds and tell everyone goodbye then head out to the car; remember I was running on fumes to get here. I start her up, make it out to the freeway and chug it down to the closest gas station. Unfortunately, this is the Texas hill country and I’m looking at two pretty steep hills between me and the gas station. Just as I crest the first hill, my car starts to sputter and lunge from fuel starvation. I baby her over that first hill, but halfway down the other side she dies. NNNooooo!
I get her started again after a couple of tries while coasting down the rest of the hill and goose the gas trying to get as much momentum on my side before hitting the second hill, which is steeper. To my surprise, she leaps into action and I really start to get some speed on my side as I start my ascent. Of course halfway up, she dies again and I do a quick assessment of my speed and the rest of the hill I need to negotiate. I conclude that I might have enough speed on my side to make it, so I let her coast. I watch the digital read-out of my speed go from 85 to 75, 60, 50, 35…
As she drops into the upper 20’s (I'm all but crawling along at this point) I start rolling over the top of the hill. On the other side there is a gradual downward slope on to the intersection where an Exxon sits on the opposite side of the light. I’m able to slowly build up a little speed and just as I reach the light I try the ignition again. Nada, she’s dead and the light is red; so I decide to coast through the right hand turn and whip her into a wicked U-turn, trying to keep the momentum on my side.
She fishtails out on the slick roads, but I’m able to keep just enough control to keep her moving (you've gotta love the way a really well built sports car handles!). Fortunately again, there are no cars anywhere that I have to contend with during this maneuver. Once I have control back, I limp into the gas station, then onto the pump and I use almost no break as I come to the pump because I’ve lost all momentum. It was almost a perfect landing. I get some gas and make it home without any further incident. It was an unreal kind of night and all for two hands of poker. Was it worth it?
NuRelic
Anyway, on that night it was raining. No, that’s not exactly right, it was more like a constant drizzle, the kind of crap that is absolutely miserable and dangerous to drive in. But it wasn’t that bad when I got home from work, so I had no idea just how bad it had gotten by the time I was ready to head out from the house. Then, to make matters worse, I head out at what I think is 6:30 in order to make it there in time to get on the sign-up sheet (the game starts at 7:30 and if your not there by &:00 you get put on standby), when lo-n-behold it’s not 6:30 but rather 6:45.
AAwww CRAP!
I head out on the twenty minute drive and all along the way I’m seeing cars pulled over with flat tires, out of gas, engine trouble, etc. (about 9 cars in all) and I see about 3 wrecks total on top of that. This is not a good night. Being that I know I’m late, I’m a little freaked out and I’m driving a little faster than I should be then, to make matter worse, I look down and see that I’m running on fumes. SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!
WWWhhoa, CAR!
I swerve and narrowly avoid a rear-end collision with the car in front of me as we are both in the far left lane, by slipping onto the shoulder and threading the needle between him and the concrete median. I had to go this way because another car was blocking my exit to the right. The dude in front of me had virtually come to a completely stop in the fast lane on the freeway while I was looking down at my gas gauge, for apparently no good reason! WTF!!! I mean I missed this guy by inches, as well as the median, and I lucked out that I didn’t lose control of my car in the mucky crap we were driving in. Nevertheless, my car is a ‘83 280ZX and although she’s still in good shape (I stopped showing her about 2 year ago), I was a little surprised she held up so well through the maneuver.
So I ease of the throttle a little (heh) trying to conserve gas and avoid ending my life because for some reason I started thinking that maybe poker isn’t worth risking my life over (yeah I know, that’s just crazy talk). The whole ride ended up take nearly 30 minutes, but I actually was thinking that I’d still have a good chance of getting in on the start because my thinking went along these lines, ‘No sane person would actually get out in the middle of this crap to just play some cards, so there will be an opening.’ What kind of delusion was I living in?
I get there and not only has the list filled up but the waiting list is eight deep! So I help out my friend, a guy by the name of Chip who runs it and over the course of the first hour we settle up a couple disputes and color up people when need be, yadda, yadda, yadda. The whole time, while I’m sitting in the wings, I’m constantly checking out chip stacks to see who might be going out next and when, while hoping that a couple of fish will decided to duke it against a real hand while holding something like 72 or 54. No such luck. The wait was agonizing and I finally catch a break when the guy in front of me decides to go to another tourney to catch their second one of the night and I move up. Then two minutes after he leaves, two more players go out and I’m finally on deck waiting for the next opening. Fortunately I don’t have to wait long!
Now the table I get seated at is filled with players I’ve never seen before; save one, Sheri. Nice lady; she’s a friend and she’s helping me edit a book I hope to one day have published (I dabble with it on the side). She’s married and although she not really any kind of looker, she’s outgoing and good natured. She’s also busted me out of this tournament like 3 or 4 times with semi-crap hands. One of those hands we had to point out her straight that she had missed. So earlier, as I’m waiting to get in, she’s telling everyone about how I’m a good player and all and that it’s a real shame that I’m not able to play. I’m continually telling the rest of the guys at the table, ‘That’s the way it goes’ and ‘I should have left the house earlierearlier’ as I pass by anouncing the next blind level or color someone up. But I’m kind of enjoying the ego stroke. So anyway when I get to this table Sheri is to my left.
I sit down with $3,000 (average chip stack is around 10,000 at this point and the blinds were at $200/$400) and wouldn’t you know it, I got the BB on my very first hand at the table.
COME ON, is this legal!?!
I’m dealt 54o and the table folds it around to the button (second in chips for the table). I’m thinking, the dude is going to try and steal my blinds and I’m going to have to lay it down but he just calls, whew. Then the SB (short staked, just not as bad as me) raises it to $500 (freaking PUNK)! Of course I fold and would have lost anyway when he shos Jacks).
Next hand, in the SB, I’m dealt K9s, not bad but it gets better. I can’t believe my eye’s as I watch the entire table fold it me. Normally I’d just call in this position with chips, but being SS and only one player left to go I figure I’ve got good odds and move all-in. Sheri immediately calls and I’m thinking she’s gonna bust me out again with some crap ass hand.
Nope, Aces! AAAAnnnnnnnnd … I’m out! She bust’s me out yet again! I now hold the record for the fastest exit at that tournament, TWO HANDS!
But my night of fun wasn’t over. I make the rounds and tell everyone goodbye then head out to the car; remember I was running on fumes to get here. I start her up, make it out to the freeway and chug it down to the closest gas station. Unfortunately, this is the Texas hill country and I’m looking at two pretty steep hills between me and the gas station. Just as I crest the first hill, my car starts to sputter and lunge from fuel starvation. I baby her over that first hill, but halfway down the other side she dies. NNNooooo!
I get her started again after a couple of tries while coasting down the rest of the hill and goose the gas trying to get as much momentum on my side before hitting the second hill, which is steeper. To my surprise, she leaps into action and I really start to get some speed on my side as I start my ascent. Of course halfway up, she dies again and I do a quick assessment of my speed and the rest of the hill I need to negotiate. I conclude that I might have enough speed on my side to make it, so I let her coast. I watch the digital read-out of my speed go from 85 to 75, 60, 50, 35…
As she drops into the upper 20’s (I'm all but crawling along at this point) I start rolling over the top of the hill. On the other side there is a gradual downward slope on to the intersection where an Exxon sits on the opposite side of the light. I’m able to slowly build up a little speed and just as I reach the light I try the ignition again. Nada, she’s dead and the light is red; so I decide to coast through the right hand turn and whip her into a wicked U-turn, trying to keep the momentum on my side.
She fishtails out on the slick roads, but I’m able to keep just enough control to keep her moving (you've gotta love the way a really well built sports car handles!). Fortunately again, there are no cars anywhere that I have to contend with during this maneuver. Once I have control back, I limp into the gas station, then onto the pump and I use almost no break as I come to the pump because I’ve lost all momentum. It was almost a perfect landing. I get some gas and make it home without any further incident. It was an unreal kind of night and all for two hands of poker. Was it worth it?
NuRelic