I know without being told directly to my face that my poker chops are pretty pedestrian, and my telling of exploits surrounding that activity are best left to color. Furthermore, relating a game at Poker Academy draws less interest than my triglyceride count. Still, when one's life is generally punctuated by starting a fire and maintaining it in the wood stove, I'll take any little spark.

I'd say we've seen the last of the kids for a while. Daughter-in-law and grandson headed off to the Big Island today while my son returned south to continue harvesting small plantings with a big yield. I don't expect him to return and will instead join his family when the jobs are done. I can tell you, I was farming the wrong crop in the wrong state, except for the constant state of alarm.

After the airport, a nap and a last good-bye, I set to re-establishing my routine, part of which, lately, has been to make a mid-day stop at PAO to check on the health of the site. As expected, there was barely enough players to keep two cash tables, a couple 6-handed SnGs and a Boot Camp going. However, on room caught my eye.

Lately, one would feel like a high roller should there be a .50/1.00 table available. Usually, a .10/.20 is the most one can play. Today, there was a $2/$4 table going. Problem was: only two players. The rake would be horrendous, as well as the blinds, but it was a 200 BB buy-in, so I sat. I love me some deep stack. And frankly, with my "bastin" nick, I can afford a little variance while waiting for the implied or trap.

I've played both opponents before, one more than the other. The one I had more history with had a stack of about $780; the other fellow, about $650. I knew the first's ranges: min-raise preflop meant a naked Ace or something like KJoff; three times the pot meant huge pair. He also has a tendency to chase and over value his hands post. The other fellow I knew to be a patient TAG. meaning only big hands, AK and up. Short-handed, one has to figure that both players are going to open up a bit.

Ah, screw it. I had both of their stacks with 27 hands. All-in, caught a straight on the turn against the tighty (yes, I sucked out with $100+ in the flop pot before his jam with Kings) and had a flush redraw on a turned Broadway split. Crubs, baby.

You see, while the kids were here, and with little time to play, I had slipped in the ratings from third to second place. And now, I can get back to what needs to get done.