Three Kings
Warning: Poker content (and dense poker jargon).
I stopped at the Commerce on the way home last night and sat down to a few hands of 4/8 hold-em. End result: +$200. Shweet. Pardon me while I toot my own horn:
Best hand of the session came about 20 minutes in when I was on the button and was dealt pocket Kings. Everyone limped ahead of me, I made it $8 to go, the Big Blind made it $12 to go and everyone called, so I went ahead and capped it at $16 — and everyone called! Yikes. I put the BB on Ace-something — maybe AA, maybe not. Everyone else I just put on stupid and pretty much ignored. I knew the BB was my competition in this hand and hoped for a King on the flop.
Flop came K36. Suh-WEET! Trip Kings for me, looking good! But two diamonds made me nervous. Big Blind checks, so I think he probably doesn’t have AA – unless he’s going to check-raise me. I put him on a suited Ace and hope it’s not a diamond. Everyone checks to me, I bet out $4, everyone calls — including the BB. Now I know he doesn’t have AA. Definitely a suited Ace.
Dealer puts up the turn. A diamond. Shit. Big Blind bets out $8 and I know he’s hit his flush. Everyone folds to me and now I’m beat but I’ve committed so much to the pot that I have to call and hope the board pairs to give me a full house. I call.
Dealer puts up the river. Another three! Suh-WEET!!!! I have a full house, the only hand that beats me is 3333, and I know the Big Blind only has a flush. He checks to me, I bet $8, he has to call just to make sure I’m not stealing. I turn up my full house, he turns up his flush, I drag the $100+ pot.
Oh, that was a great hand.
Yeah, baby!! Just last week I went to a small casino out in Lake Elsinore, where I played Omaha. That game turns my brain into a rusty transmission. My gears are always grinding. Goofing up bets, betting out of turn. Everyone at the table figured me for a total newb. I had a run of bad cards and was down $160. Went ALL IN, won. Lost a few. Went ALL IN again. Won. Lost a few. Went ALL IN a third time. Won again. Then I won several kill pots (high and low) in a row. I, too, left $200 richer. Ain’t it fun?
On a side note, that night my 6-high (for the low) hand was beaten by a wheel. Bah!
You’re a better man than I, my friend. Omaha just melts my brain, and if there were anything left after that then trying to get my head around lowball would just about finish me off. You’re even more of a stud since you not only know how to play it, but you also win!
A jargon-less description would help. I’m interested in learning and knowing this thing called Poker, but all the jargon for a newbie such as myself just makes it an alien thing best not traversed.