In what my very well be my final chapter in the Don Juan log, I experienced another mind-numbing, crushing defeat, which inspired my Open Letter... post in the other forum.
I got there about 10:30 and got 80 chips for $50, their standard special. I sit down to a table of regulars and house players. In a matter of 4 hands I managed to catcha few hands and was actually up about $40 very quickly. Hmmm, maybe today is going to be the start of me recouping my dontations from previous trips there.
10 minutes later I was $40 DOWN after having aces cracked and another suck out of some sort or another. A wade throught the rest of my first buy-in over the course of the next hour or so and buy-in for the other half-rack that I intended to invest.
I managed to slowly build my stack back up. I actually caught a river card that crushed Sam (my suck-out buddy) when his 4 cards straight (delivered on the river) also made my nut flush. Yahoo. I again started to feel that this was gonna be my day. The 90 year old peice of furniture (Milt) was replaced by his 75 year old female counterpart (Rita). God she was bad. She bet and called anything. Of course, she managed to crush my aces with a flopped set, which she managed to extract the absolute minimum. She went on a couple of rushes, but always gave it back and then some. And then some more. Aftre her cash ran out she started writing checks. She was into the game for over $300 (in about 2 hours) before she finally surrendered.
Then this other guy comes in at about 3:00 and sits in the seat to my right which had already paid 2 of the regulars off very handsomely. This guy was greener than grass. A really nice guy, but had no clue. He bought in for a rack and went through all but about $6 in a half an hour. Saw every flop and bet even if he had nothing. He was having fun.
I mention that he was down to about $6. I happen to know this because we were in a hand that I could have busted him, but made the mistake (it turned out to be a big one) of taking it easy on him when I flopped a monster. On the BB I get 33 and the flop comes 33Q. Bingo. He bet into me and I just called hoping the otheres would come along. Unforunately they all but Rita folded (they pick THIS hand to play smart!?) . The turn brought nothing. Again he bets and again I call hoping that Rita would come along, but even she can't find a reason to stay. The river brings another blank and again, Brian nets into me. I looked over and saw he was about down to the felt and decided to take it easy and just call him. (This place has a real "family" feel about it - many will tell you what they have and not to call if you can't beat them and you should believe most of them.) Hoping not to scare Brian away, I decided not to take him down to the felt. I obviously took the pot (which also put me on the high-hand board) and got a warm fuzzy feeling for having not busted this kid out onto the street.
Well that was a good deed that didn't go unpunished. This guy went on a rush of cards that even his extrordinary poor play couldn't stop. HE didn't even have any good cards - he just kept landing pots with bad 2 pairs and straights. He went from the felt to UP almost 2 racks in about an hour.
I did manage to beat him up pretty bad on one hand, but that was the end of my glory. I was up about $60 and then I returned to my normal pattern of icebergs and suckouts. Drain, drain, drain. Bleed, bleed, bleed.
I watch my few good hands get cracked and sucked and my stack slowly dwindle away. Come 5:00 I get the high hand jackpot $50 (yes it actually held up!) whcih put me back to a little ahead and I started thinking about taking my profits, not much, but profits none the less and heading out to have a nice burger and fries dinner to celebrate my moral victory.
But, hey, this guy is still here. He should be buying me steak and lobster, if not a new car. The conditions of the game told me to stay. Of course, about this time, the rounder crowd starts showing up becuase they run another special $80 for $50 at 5:00. I recognized that the flow would be different and that got my attention as well.
I get Big Slick and raise in late position. The flop comes JAA! What more could I ask for. Check to me, I bet and the button raises me! Everyone else folded and I think for a few seconds. He was new to the table and didn't seem too fishy. I liked my hand, but gave him enough credit that he might have AJ or JJ so I just called. Raising here would either just cost me 2 more bets or fold him away so I just decided to call along, hoping for my 3 or 4 outer to give me a litle more confidence. The turn and river didn't bring any help. I called and showed him my cards, half-expecting him to groan and curse, but instead he showed me that he did indeed have AJ. I pat myself on the back for a good read and not overplaying my hand as (good as it was), rap the table, "nice hand", and go back to cursing the poker gods under my breath.
Later I get QQ and raise from LP. Get several callers. Flop comes blankity, blank, blank. Brian bet into me, I raise get a couple of reluctant calls from the rounders (they knew I had a strong hand and were probably cursing the lucky idiot who kept betting into me). The turn another blank. Agian, check to Brian who again bets into me and again I raise. The rounders reluctantly muck. The river briings an Ace. Oh geez, not again. This time Brian checks into me and says I'll play along. I bet.
Now, for all of you who wonder why we're so particular about talking about hands that they're not in, here's why: He looks at me and asks "Do you have the flush?" I look at the board and there's no 3 card flush and while deciding what to say some other broke dick asshole laughs and says "there can't be a flush!"
He laughs and says he misread the board (there were 3 red ones!) and then that fucking cocksucker had the nerve to checkraise me! I call and he shows me A2. He had a 2 that matched the board and figured that was enough ammo to keep betting into my raised hand. The river brought him deliverence and I just about went beserk. I didn't know whether to kill the bigmouth motherfucker who opened his yap or the stupid lucky jerk who had his ass spared a couple hours ago. Thank you gods.
I look down and there's still about $60 left inmy stack and I start telling myself to leave. Next orbit. I can still beat this game...
Well this stupid fool just kept playing and betting. His stack did start to dwindle (he didn't care, he was just having fun. Every fucking hand he'd bet. I'd get a slim chance to catch something and he'd fucking bet so I couldn't see another card. All the others were checking into his sloppy ass and they would call him (because I guess they were on more than draws) and everyonce in a while they'd pounce on him for a check raise.
On the few hands that he did fold he'd sit there and say, "Damn I'd have had 2 pair.", "Dammit, I woulda had a (gutshot) straight draw - I should have stayed in." I'm thinking to myself "Why in the fuck are you folding anything - you can't miss!" (Sound familliar Dodger?).
Next Orbit. I look down and somehow there's only $20 left. ? How is this even possible? My cards have been so bad that I havn't been able to even see many flops. I didn't have the sense to pick up my last few chips (despite being quite disparraged, I still managed to believe that I would get my turn) and eventually bled my chips into obvlion.
My BB produced a KQ which looked like UNO cards compared to the board. As one good parting laugh, the poker gods dealt me a T3 in the small blind. As much as I was ready to just throw my last chips away on the SB and get home, I somehow convinvced myself that that would be tilting - wait a few hands (like that's not tilting). Sure enough the flop comes TTx. turn blank. river.....3. Fuck.
A few hands later I tossed in the rest on a couple of black suited broadway cards and watched board come all red with 2 aces on it. Buh bye. I actually picked up a gutshot draw on the turn, but it was just more hope to be cruelly dashed. No help (and it would have been good). Buh-bye.
Don't know if I can walk in that place again. They have to find someone else to fund their fishies........