I might be a degenerate, but I'm not a dick like Phil Ivey over here

I hosted a game last night where the drama was high. With approx. $330 at stake to go to the winner of this season’s League play, Michael B. was in great shape to knock off David R. as the season’s leader. David wasn’t even there and Michael had to place relatively high in both tourneys to win the whole shebang. He played fairly well in the first tourney although he went out in 4th only because he donked off a large chip stack towards the end. But in the second tourney, of which he only had to tighten up and place 4th to win the $330, he went out first because of impatience. He eventually risked his dwindling chip stack by calling by $400 raise with AK. I also had AK and Matt called with J5. The flop was AJ5. Everyone’s money went in and Matt took us both out, going on to win the tourney outright over Sean.

It was 11:30p at that point and John and I decided, since there weren’t enough people to play cash at my place, that a trip to Good Look wouldn’t be out of line. So we hopped a ride with Matt and after much confusion about whether it would be Good Look or Salami, we found ourselves going up the FDR. The only reason Good Look was the winner was that Vivian had told Darko she might be there. The Good Look club had 6 or 7 tables going but there were plenty of open seats for us. John and I sat at table number 1, with David R. also in surprise attendance. His wife had fallen asleep at home and he snuck out of the house to get his poker fix. Evidently, my name will figure prominently in the divorce proceedings!

The table was full of relatively tight people, and I played somewhat tight as well. I *did* end up raising to $22 later early on and taking down a few limpers with a flashed 2-5o (“the Darko”). I made a nice little stack for myself relatively early on with the strangest hand. I had 88 on the button and I called someone’s $12 raise. There was about $60 in the pot preflop. The flop was 456 rainbow. I had an overpair and the gutshot straight draw. Wanting to take the pot down, I bet $40 but got two callers! The turn was a 9 and we checked it around. The river was a Ten. The first caller, in early position, put his hand up and sort of facing the table and gave the hand up and down motion. His palm was open and his fingertips were somewhat up. The dealer, and everyone else at the table, thought he was checking. The second caller checked and I checked, opening my cards because I was last to act. Then, the first caller says, “I didn’t do anything yet”. Evidently his motion had meant, “give me time to act”. When he did the motion itself, it made sense but the dealer had seen it as a check and motioned for the second person to act. We didn’t have to call the floor because it was obvious he was wrong but it didn’t matter anyway. It was now his turn to expose and if could beat a lowly pair of 8’s, he would win the pot. The second caller could not beat my hand and the first caller said he had two pair, but wouldn’t expose! I took the pot but was a little wierded out. He claimed to have won but, “didn’t want the money”. So odd! I wasn’t about to be picky about it!

I was now up about $175 but the profit was lost in two hands when I lost to two pair twice, both times when I was ahead going into the turn. So I was back down to even. Vivian finally showed up at about 2:30am and things started to liven up a bit. I went card dead for about an hour and was going to leave at 3:30am when I picked up Q9 UTG. A guy at the end of the table, who was quickly making an ass of himself with his antics, had made a small preflop raise which a bunch of people called. The flop was 278 and it checked all around. A 9 came on the turn and I led out with $18, getting 4 callers. A Queen fell on the river and I made a weak $15 bet. Everyone folded to the ass at the end of the table who tried to make a move by raising to $45 but I quickly called. He announced, “I have a 2” but wouldn’t show and got all pissy when I made him expose his 26o. It was his turn to act and I had paid to see it so the “you’re slowrolling” accusation he threw out is null and void. Fuck you my friend! I dragged a nice pot from a moron and I was up again. He had singled himself out earlier by being loud and obnoxious for such a young kid. He had bet large on a flop a while back and dragged the pot saying, “That’s the way Phil Ivey plays. Take it down on the flop!”. John and I riffed back and forth with it. “Who’s Phil Ivey? Is he the one with the long hair and the beard?”. This guy was such a dick. Three hands after I won the top two pair pot, I pick up QQ on the button. The same guy raises to $12 and I reraise to $50 with the blood still bad between us. I’m trying to goad him into making a big steal attempt but a short stack beats him to it by moving all in for $65. Phil Ivey folds, unfortunately and I call. The short stack shows AT and a Queen flops, killing any hopes of his winning. I cashed out two hands later for a $172 profit. Not bad. Darko and Vivian were still going strong when I left, with David having cashed out 30 minutes prior.