A special day

Okay, I’ll get this out of the way immediately: today is my birthday. I’m 54 years old, born in 1954. Maybe that means something. Maybe it’s just numbers. Numbers align just like stars, and cancel each other out.

I’m still ill. I thought I was getting better yesterday, did some work until I couldn’t, took a nap, went back to work until well after midnight, and at the end of it all decided to play some poker before bed. Just a few hands, which in poker parlance can be any number between 25 and 150.

After sustaining multiple hits, I have dropped down to the 10NL games in an effort to rebuild with my meager eight buy-ins. I have determined that the style of play with which I am most comfortable, ironically enough, is a loose game. Ironic because my big pocket pairs kill me. I loaded up two tables that looked pretty good and set to work.

Table One had a particularly crafty player who managed to slowplay both pocket Aces and Kings and keep me drawing to no avail. He kept the pots small, so no serious damage was done. Eventually someone did the same to him and wiped him out when he paired an Aces and the other hit his set of Kings. Action died for most every other player on the table was Poker Listed as a Mouse. (I’d never seen s many at one table.)

When I sat down at Table Two, I could tell it had some history to it as there was a couple players who had some sizable stacks. And those players were using them to push the table around and also to see a lot of flops. I’m playing about 20%.

PokerStars Game #21611561573: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:09:09 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($10.20 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($7.25 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($5.70 in chips)
Seat 5: butcher822 ($18.75 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($26.50 in chips)
butcher822: posts small blind $0.05
MimoPeto: posts big blind $0.10
France81: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [4c 4s]
mad_ horse28: calls $0.10
bastinptc: calls $0.10
thebigfalex: raises $0.40 to $0.50
VictoryYG: folds
innocents1 joins the table at seat #6
lostboarder: folds
butcher822: folds
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
bastinptc: calls $0.40
*** FLOP *** [Kc Ah 4d]
mad_ horse28: checks
bastinptc: bets $1.90
thebigfalex: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $1.90
*** TURN *** [Kc Ah 4d] [6s]
mad_ horse28: checks
MimoPeto is sitting out
bastinptc: bets $7.80 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: calls $7.80
*** RIVER *** [Kc Ah 4d 6s] [3h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mad_ horse28: shows [7c As] (a pair of Aces)
bastinptc: shows [4c 4s] (three of a kind, Fours)
bastinptc collected $20.05 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $21.05 | Rake $1
Board [Kc Ah 4d 6s 3h]
Seat 1: bastinptc showed [4c 4s] and won ($20.05) with three of a kind, Fours
Seat 2: thebigfalex folded on the Flop
Seat 3: VictoryYG folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: lostboarder (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: butcher822 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: MimoPeto (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 showed [7c As] and lost with a pair of Aces

I was surprised at Mad_Horse’s call. How he could think a crappy Ace was any good is beyond me. And to call off two-fifths of his stack with it…go figure.

PokerStars Game #21611637304: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:17:48 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($19.80 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($9.70 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10.50 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($7.30 in chips)
Seat 5: butcher822 ($16.15 in chips)
Seat 6: innocents1 ($1.95 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($15.75 in chips)
Seat 9: France81 ($1.75 in chips)
MimoPeto: posts small blind $0.05
mad_ horse28: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [Kc As]
France81: folds
bastinptc: raises $0.40 to $0.50
thebigfalex: folds
VictoryYG: folds
lostboarder: folds
butcher822: folds
innocents1: folds
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
*** FLOP *** [Qd 5h 7d]
mad_ horse28: bets $0.60
bastinptc: folds
Uncalled bet ($0.60) returned to mad_ horse28
mad_ horse28 collected $1 from pot

I could not rule out AQ or KQ for MH’s hand. This hand came up shortly after the set of 4s, but also figuring this guy might be out for revenge, I wasn’t going to push my luck. I could wait.

But MH couldn’t. I watched him as he remained aggressive, eventually adding to his stack. He must have been playing about 50% and pushing the Mice around.

PokerStars Game #21611733273: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:28:58 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($18.85 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($16 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10.35 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($4.80 in chips)
Seat 6: innocents1 ($6.60 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8.15 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($17.90 in chips)
Seat 9: France81 ($1.50 in chips)
France81: posts small blind $0.05
bastinptc: posts big blind $0.10
JuliaAtLove: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [7h 8h]
thebigfalex: calls $0.10
VictoryYG: folds
lostboarder: calls $0.10
innocents1: raises $0.30 to $0.40
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
France81: folds
bastinptc: calls $0.30
thebigfalex: folds
lostboarder: calls $0.30

I knew I was playing it a bit loose here, for me anyway, because these types of hands just don’t pan out enough, yet there were already two players in, and twenty cents more was not such a big deal, especially if one other limper came in, and lostboarder obliged.

*** FLOP *** [3h 2h 5h]
bastinptc: checks
lostboarder: checks
innocents1: bets $0.80
mad_ horse28: calls $0.80
bastinptc: raises $2.20 to $3
lostboarder: folds
innocents1: calls $2.20
mad_ horse28: calls $2.20

I was happy to see the flop, yet with two cards to come, the opening bet and the call told me that I wasn’t out of the woods and thought it might be better to take it down right there, I wasn’t surprised so much to get called by innocents1 as I was certain he had a big pair and now, more than likely, one was a heart. Yet, I guess I should be surprised by MH’s call either, now getting “odds” with Innocents1”s call. I was going to have to keep the heat on.

*** TURN *** [3h 2h 5h] [6c]

I was quite pleased with the turn. If someone had been playing a straight draw, or if MH already had the wheel, I was getting paid. Still, I was sure there was at least one bigger heart out there.


bastinptc: bets $8.10
innocents1: calls $3.20 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: calls $8.10
*** RIVER *** [3h 2h 5h 6c] [5c]

OK, now I’m a little worried. I think: Perfect, just my luck someone will have a set. I was dodging bullets through this hand and now I’m dead. What the heck, I’m all-in.

bastinptc: bets $7.35 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: folds

Ha! Revenge denied.

Uncalled bet ($7.35) returned to bastinptc
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bastinptc: shows [7h 8h] (a flush, Eight high)
bastinptc collected $9.30 from side pot
innocents1: mucks hand
bastinptc collected $19.40 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $30.15 Main pot $19.40. Side pot $9.30. | Rake $1.45
Board [3h 2h 5h 6c 5c]
Seat 1: bastinptc (big blind) showed [7h 8h] and won ($28.70) with a flush, Eight high
Seat 2: thebigfalex folded before Flop
Seat 3: VictoryYG folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: lostboarder folded on the Flop
Seat 6: innocents1 mucked [Kh Kd]
Seat 7: MimoPeto folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 (button) folded on the River
Seat 9: France81 (small blind) folded before Flop

It’s been ages since I’ve tripled up at a table. Happy Birthday to me!

My dear wife has made a dark chocolate cake with German chocolate frosting. She also gave me a new fishing rod. Today, life is good.