Can't Sleep, I'm Dancing

Right now, I’m reminded of a David Lee Roth video. He’s dressed/made up like a fat, producer; and, in response to a question, says, “I can’t think, I’m dancing.” Well, I’ve been tossing around in bed, too keyed up to sleep, because I’m dancing on the inside.

Felicia felt like going back out tonight to play poker, even despite the Riverside not having a tournament on Saturday. We called the River Palms, they were doing $25 sit & goes, but were told that it might not go. Not wanting to have Felicia just sitting and waiting for a tournament that might not ever start, we ended up at the Riverside so that she could play Omaha8. I got on the 2-6 lists and the NLHE list.

I played one hand at 2-6; I got A6s in mid-late position and limped. A6x on the flop, someone bet 4, another called, and I raised the full amount to 10. Initial bettor called, middleman folded. Checked to me on the turn, I bet the 6 and got called. River, check-check, and I showed down my two pair and took the pot.

Once I was UTG, Lenny, the brush, called my name and said, “no limit?” Huh? I thought it was just an interest list, I didn’t know they actually had a game going…kewl! I said, “Oh, yeah, I’m on my way.”

I grabbed a stack of red from the desk on my way there; sat down in the 4-seat and tucked a C-note under my stakes, after seeing that most people had around $300. While waiting for the blind, I got to try to inventory the players a bit. Couple dealers at the table: Carlos, long black hair in a ponytail, and another I didn’t know the name of in the 3-seat. Carl, a loose, calling station from the Belle was in the 5-seat. A young gun, Raymer-wanna-be, complete with the snake eyeglasses, was in the 7-seat. One seat was a loose, older man that I’ve played against before too, couldn’t remember his name.

I finally get the blind and it’s raised from 4 to 15 by the 6-seat (we were playing the 2/4 blinds again). I looked down to see pocket Jacks. I’ve been burned before with re-raising and then having an over-card fall, so I just called to see the flop and to see what reaction to the flop I could tell from the 6-seat. After calling the 15, I look over at the 6-seat to find that he’s looking at me! Hehe, that’s a first for the Riverside. So, my action first, I look to see a flop of Qxx. With the guy only raising to 15, and him checking me out, I’m putting him on a non-pair, hopefully AK or AJ. Could be AQ, but I take the initiative and bet 20 on the flop to see what he does. He looks at his cards before mucking and I get the flash of an Ace before they hit the muck. For whatever reason, I “courteous-show”. Part to show I had a hand; that I might trap with a big pair; and possibly that I don’t need to have top pair to bet.

The dealer to my right busts out the AK-guy a little later. Dealer limps UTG, I fold, AK-guy raises to 20, all fold to dealer who calls. 77x on the flop: check, check. Hmm. Turn is an off-suit deuce, and all hell breaks loose. The Dealer checks, AK-guy bets 30, Dealer check-raises to 60, AK-guy goes all-in and Dealer calls! When the dust settles, AK-guy turns over AA, slow-played on the flop. Dealer turns over pocket 2’s for the turned boat! Dealer had AK-guy covered, and AK-guy exits.

Dealer, who’s going to be the blind the next hand, decides he’s going to cash out, and I move over my stack to his 3-seat so that I can have a better view of the rest of the table. Carlos ends up taking my old seat, so that I have him to my left. There was a small confusion as the dealer (in the box) was trying to tell me that Felicia (who joined our game in seat 8) asked for the 3-seat, but after I took it and Carlos moved, declined the seat change. California guy takes the vacant 8-seat.

Whatever fire started a kindle when that Dealer made the boat with the deuces, just kept building to a nice flame.

I got a couple small pots here and there. Like flopping top-pair-no-kicker from the blind. Check-check, all around on the flop; I pot it on the turn and all fold. I pick up A6s in late position. AKx on the flop, checked to me, I bet, all fold.

Then the first big hand happens. Another older dealer, OD, comes and takes the 2-seat. He limps UTG and I make some comment like, “playing already?” The guy is a good player; Felicia and I have played in tournaments with him before. I’m next to act and find AA! I make it 30 to go. Carlos looks at me and asks, “are you sure you didn’t mean to put out blue?” (Blue, single $1 chips ;) I said, “yep”, and he reluctantly folds. I fully expected OD to fold, having to know that I probably am as tight as Felicia. Instead, he easily calls the 30 and we see the flop 2-handed. AQ3 on the flop--OD checks and I check behind. Turn pairs the 3’s: AQ33, and OD bets 70. I raise to 170, OD calls all-in (he started with 200). He turns over AJo and I table my AA for Aces-full. He played the one hand and I got his whole stack. Ouch.

Later, I get QQ UTG and reach for chips to raise. Carlos to my left starts saying, “don’t do it.” I respond, “you can always go over the top”, and finish my raise to 30. Carlos calls and we see the flop of TTx two handed. I don’t put him on a Ten; maybe AK, AQ or another PP. I’m _hoping_ he doesn’t have AA or KK, but decide to put him to the test and see where he’s at. I lead out with 40. Carlos turns to me and asks, “you didn’t flop quads did you”, and folds his JJ face up. I tell him that I had him beat, and showed him my QQ.

Don’t ask why I showed that time, I guess cause he’s a nice guy and chopped with me once that he didn’t need to. He had called UTG and it was folded around to me in the BB with Doyle’s hand, T2o. Carlos asked if I wanted to chop and I said sure. The dealer told me he had to deal it out and Carlos and I agreed to check it down. After he was shoved the pot with two pair, he gave me my $4 blind back. I thanked him for that, and perhaps made me show him the Queens, to at least let him know that he was beat. Later, he told me on my Aces-full hand, he would have had the nuts. He folded 33 to my raise, knowing that I probably had AA or KK. I tried to give him a red bird for folding, but he wouldn’t take it; “part of the game” he said.

Later, I limped early with TT, Carlos limped and an old guy in the 10-seat (I’ll call Sailorman, due to his no-mustache, split beard) raised 20 to 24 total. I called the raise and Carlos, seeming to not like my flat call, folded. Sailorman and I took the flop alone. Flop is J98, two spades, and I have two black Tens. I’ve been watching Sailorman, and he rubs his forehead when he’s drawing, which he did when he saw this flop. Having 2nd pair, an open-ended straight draw and backdoor flush draw, I lead out 40. Sailorman rubs his forehead _again_ and calls. Turn brings a low spade. Now I’m open-ended and 4-flush. Sailorman still doesn’t look happy, so I bet 60. If there was anyone that was just an open book and didn’t want to call, it was Sailorman. The river is an off-suit 5 and I check and he checks behind. I table my TT and he shows 77! He was calling me down with an under-pair and inside straight draw! (He also had the 7 of spades, which, of course, would have been no good vs. my Ten.)

After that hand, I got a good suck-out on Felicia –grin-. Carlos is the BB, I’m the SB. It gets folded to Felicia who makes it 25 to go. Folded to me and I see JJ. Ugh. I could very well be beat, or she could be on AK. With her not playing many cash games, I’m not sure where she’s at. Plus, I have Carlos to worry about. He’s a loose player, and if he calls, spikes a pair to beat an unimproved AK, I’m going to feel really stupid mucking JJ. So, I complete, and Carlos is in agony. He knows that we both have big hands (remember, he’s a dealer and has seen us play), but he has a hand and calls to see the flop. I try to watch Felicia, but like I’m going to see anything on her face. All the while, she’s going, “you two are calling my Aces???” Flop comes down Jxx and I look at her. She knows right away and says, “If you flopped a set of Jacks, you better bet!” Hahahaha! Dang, no slow-playing the wife!

There was another consideration, however. With a husband and wife in the same pot, neither of us wishes to be thought of as colluding. Therefore, I did two things I would normally never do. I plopped in a full stack of red, and after Carlos visibly jumped in his seat, I turned over my JJ to show my top set. Might as well, since she just told the whole table what I had anyway! Carlos mucked and Felicia tossed her Aces face up. The dealer in the box was confused, wondering what was going on. Felicia told him, “well, I’m not calling him--he’s got top set!” She let me have it for out-flopping her too! Telling me I’m going to sleep on the couch, and how could I call her when I know she has Aces. How could I lay down Jacks? If it were just the two of us, I would have no problem. But with someone else in the hand, there’s still potential to a make a hand to bust the other guy, so I couldn’t lay it down. Then she goes and tells everyone what I had so I couldn’t try to slow play it. LOL!

Wow, what a night! I ended doubling through my 320 buy in! So, yes, I can stop whining now, haha. Didn’t I do a post a while back about bringing on the no limit? What have I been thinking?

Ahhh, now that I have all that out of my system, I think I can finally sleep!

Good night all. God Bless.

Posted by Glenn