Its late but I have a blog
Well, I was hoping to do a post about giving up Christmas (yes I will be joining the ranks of millions of others this next Christmas holiday season) because I wanted to get a head start so that people could give me a hard time for ten months this year rather than just two or three, but since it is 3:24:55AM and im kinda under the weather and very sleepy I am just going to post a story that I wrote a while back about a poker game.
Sitting down at the old oak table nothing seems to be different from any other day. “I raise” says the man across from me. I adjust my chair still looking at the room, the dull lamps giving off just enough light that you can see the color of the cards. Dark faces look about, slumped in their chairs fondling there chips in one hand, ashing a cigarette with the other. “I call” says the man next to me. He has a look on his face, I can tell he is bluffing and is already bust. They show there cards and my prediction is right, “pair of queens,” he says. “I got the full house. I got the queens over the aces,” says the man across from me. He says it with a smile on his face, as he drags the pot toward him, everyone has played his type, happy when they win, sad when they lose. This man is not a poker player, dressed in a business suit set for wall street i figure the market was good to him today and leave it at that.
I finish my look around the room, reach for a hundred in my pocket and set it on the table. “How do you want it?” asks the dealer. “give me fifty in blue, and fifty in reds.” He collects the chips in a efficient manner stacks them up and puts them in front of me. “Thanks” I say, not really knowing why, he doesn’t want to talk and he is just doing his job, but i feel like i know the man. His ID tag says Steve but i’m sure that’s not his real name its most likely something like Jack or Teddy, one of those names that just doesn’t look good on an ID tag. “What’s the game tonight Steve?” I say as I throw in my ante. “Hold’em... no limit” he responds. Texas Hold’em is the cadillac of poker each player gets two under cards and five community cards which make the river. The world series of poker is decided over this game. I get my under cards, rags and fold as the bet of five dollars comes to me. I grab my cigarettes from my pocket and light one. This is my test to see how well the dealer is on top of things, as i guess it, the ash try appears before me before i take my first drag, then throw in my ante and wait for the cards.
As the cards fall in front of me I look at the players at the table, I watch the expression on their faces as I study them. The man in the suit is representing rags, i can tell by the sad look that comes over his face. It checks to me and i pick up my under cards, Jack, Ace suited, I move to my checks but decide that I should wait just to keep the suckers in, “checks good,” I say as I ash. The flop is laid but I don’t bother to look, The man in the suit has made a pair and bets heavy, bluffing that he has better.
I look at the cards Jack Jack seven. The cards don’t really matter, I am going to re-raise him anyway and take the cash, but having three of a kind on the flop makes thing much better. “I call” says the man next to me as he grabs a drink from the waiter who has come to the table. Its a whiskey, probably priced at fifteen dollars a glass, I would never pay that much for an excuse to loose I think as he signs his name on some piece of paper. “I call, and re-raise you twenty...” I say, the two players next to me fold. I figure they have been doing this all night waiting for the perfect hand. If only they new that it would never come they could probably save a couple thousand. No matter I think, if they save it tonight they will just blow it tomorrow. Some people never seem to learn, you don’t sit down to the poker table and hope for the royal flush to fall. You work with what you have but you treat the game like a war. “I call” says the business man snapping me back to the center of the table. “I fold” says the man next to me his eyes fixed on the smoke of my cigarette “... I need to take a leak anyways” he mumbles as he gets up and nearly falls of his chair, forcing me to imaging that he has been drinking that whiskey all night.
The turn falls and it is a two of clubs, the business man reaches for his chips and grabs way to much, he looks at it grins and puts it on the table, “ I bet sixty... that’s all you got right!” I know its over and just smile at him, I look at my checks, he took me to high to fast and he realizes it when I reach into my pocket. In a game like poker you never go to high to fast. When a player sits down that you don’t know you have to feel him out. I pull out a roll of twentys rapped in a couple of hundreds. “I will see your sixty and bet... you two hundred.” I throw out the bills and they glimmer in the light. I figure the cash in front of me will be enough to bring him back to earth and realize that his stocks only gained a thousand or so and he should fold. “are you joking?” asks the man next to me, I turn and blow a ring of smoke into the air “I never joke about money.” This is the only response I can give him, he seems to take the hint and goes back to his long neck corona that he paid to much for. “ I fold” says the business man as he slaps the cards on the table, he has a sad look on his face. He looks at the time on his watch and decides that he should catch a cab if he wants his wife to keep the same locks. “Well... when the moneys gone the moneys gone, thanks for the games Steve.” He throws a five Steve's way and says good bye. I’m glad to see him leave, as much as I love to play the sucker, I wanted to play some serious poker tonight.
The drunk man returns to the table just in time to ante, He looks at his under cards and puts them back down, its a quick motion like that of a person in a dark room who opens the door and is blinded by the light. I check my under cards a pair of sixes black. I think or raising but then again pairs under always seem to lose, I check and wait for the Flop. The men next to me check, they have been checking all night, am i’m guessing the royal flush is still really far away. One of them makes some joke and the dealer laughs, “ Someone could make sixes and threes.” He must have liked the tip he got, he burns the card and flips the flop Jack of clubs, six of diamonds, three of spades. Three of a kind, this is my hand, i think to myself, but I don’t want anyone to fold, “I like karma” I say as I grab thirty dollars worth of chips and place them on my under cards. The man next to me takes a drink from his beer, finishes it and signals for another. “I fold” he says as he throws his cards in the middle along with his chips. “Ahh Man!,” says the man next to him throwing down his cards as though mad at my raise.
“I will see your thirty and re-raise you fifty...” I glance at the middle, i figure he is on a straight run but don’t care, my hand just looks to nice. “I will see your fifty and re-raise you a hundred” He looks at the flop and calls without any hesitation. The dealer burns the top card and lays down a seven of spades. I don’t think second about the straight, for some reason I can only think that I have this hand one. I ponder an outraigous bet but decide I want to keep the drunk on the chain. “I bet a hundred” I say as I take a crisp bill and place it on top of my cards. I look at him and take my cigarette in hand. “I see your hundred and raise you two hundred” It never crosses my mind that I could be beat and slap down the bills saying calmly “I call.” The dealer burns the top card of the deck and lays down a queen of diamonds, it appears to be no help to either of us. I take a final drag of my cigarette holding the smoke in my lungs letting it burn. “ I will bet a hundred” I say realizing that I don’t have anymore than eighty left in the roll. The drunk throws back his whiskey, he looks pale all the sudden, or perhaps he has always been pale, he checks his under cards, they haven’t changed. “I see your hundred and raise you two hundred.” Around the table there is a craze in peoples eyes. This type of betting causes everyone in the room to stop there games and take a look. “That man has been doing well all night” one guy boasts as he he turns to the guy next to him. As the crowd gathers I pause for a moment, silence falls on the room and you can almost hear the steady burn of my cigarette. “I’m all in” I say and gracefully flip over the two sixes under.
There is an uproar in the room, but silence comes within seconds as people turn to the other man. He takes one look at my hand and throws his cards face up into the center, the cards land exposing a three threes. I breath again and look at the table, thinking for sure I had missed something, I had lost by some default I knew I had lost. As I looked at the river I felt calm again. I realized this is what I played for as I scooped up the money, the big games, the ones where you put it all on the line. As the next couple of hands were dealt I felt bad. The man had ordered another whiskey, this time on me, but he looked sad, like a piece of his soul was missing. I realized that he was obsessed with losing that hand to me. He played every hand for the next couple of hours but folded once he hit the flop. As I cashed out I saw him reach into the middle taking a nice sized pot. He will make it all back I thought to myself, lets just hope he still has it when I sit down with him again. I walked out with a stack of high society in my pocket and smile on my face. “I don’t play a game like that everyday!” I said aloud. No limit hold’em is one hell of a game. I walked down the street eager to return tomorrow night, eager to ask Steve what the game is only to find its the same game, and eager to sit down and have the chance to play another rounder.
Note: I wrote this story a long time ago after just playing a crazy game of Texas Hold'em with some friends one night, I hope you like it.
Jake G.
Sitting down at the old oak table nothing seems to be different from any other day. “I raise” says the man across from me. I adjust my chair still looking at the room, the dull lamps giving off just enough light that you can see the color of the cards. Dark faces look about, slumped in their chairs fondling there chips in one hand, ashing a cigarette with the other. “I call” says the man next to me. He has a look on his face, I can tell he is bluffing and is already bust. They show there cards and my prediction is right, “pair of queens,” he says. “I got the full house. I got the queens over the aces,” says the man across from me. He says it with a smile on his face, as he drags the pot toward him, everyone has played his type, happy when they win, sad when they lose. This man is not a poker player, dressed in a business suit set for wall street i figure the market was good to him today and leave it at that.
I finish my look around the room, reach for a hundred in my pocket and set it on the table. “How do you want it?” asks the dealer. “give me fifty in blue, and fifty in reds.” He collects the chips in a efficient manner stacks them up and puts them in front of me. “Thanks” I say, not really knowing why, he doesn’t want to talk and he is just doing his job, but i feel like i know the man. His ID tag says Steve but i’m sure that’s not his real name its most likely something like Jack or Teddy, one of those names that just doesn’t look good on an ID tag. “What’s the game tonight Steve?” I say as I throw in my ante. “Hold’em... no limit” he responds. Texas Hold’em is the cadillac of poker each player gets two under cards and five community cards which make the river. The world series of poker is decided over this game. I get my under cards, rags and fold as the bet of five dollars comes to me. I grab my cigarettes from my pocket and light one. This is my test to see how well the dealer is on top of things, as i guess it, the ash try appears before me before i take my first drag, then throw in my ante and wait for the cards.
As the cards fall in front of me I look at the players at the table, I watch the expression on their faces as I study them. The man in the suit is representing rags, i can tell by the sad look that comes over his face. It checks to me and i pick up my under cards, Jack, Ace suited, I move to my checks but decide that I should wait just to keep the suckers in, “checks good,” I say as I ash. The flop is laid but I don’t bother to look, The man in the suit has made a pair and bets heavy, bluffing that he has better.
I look at the cards Jack Jack seven. The cards don’t really matter, I am going to re-raise him anyway and take the cash, but having three of a kind on the flop makes thing much better. “I call” says the man next to me as he grabs a drink from the waiter who has come to the table. Its a whiskey, probably priced at fifteen dollars a glass, I would never pay that much for an excuse to loose I think as he signs his name on some piece of paper. “I call, and re-raise you twenty...” I say, the two players next to me fold. I figure they have been doing this all night waiting for the perfect hand. If only they new that it would never come they could probably save a couple thousand. No matter I think, if they save it tonight they will just blow it tomorrow. Some people never seem to learn, you don’t sit down to the poker table and hope for the royal flush to fall. You work with what you have but you treat the game like a war. “I call” says the business man snapping me back to the center of the table. “I fold” says the man next to me his eyes fixed on the smoke of my cigarette “... I need to take a leak anyways” he mumbles as he gets up and nearly falls of his chair, forcing me to imaging that he has been drinking that whiskey all night.
The turn falls and it is a two of clubs, the business man reaches for his chips and grabs way to much, he looks at it grins and puts it on the table, “ I bet sixty... that’s all you got right!” I know its over and just smile at him, I look at my checks, he took me to high to fast and he realizes it when I reach into my pocket. In a game like poker you never go to high to fast. When a player sits down that you don’t know you have to feel him out. I pull out a roll of twentys rapped in a couple of hundreds. “I will see your sixty and bet... you two hundred.” I throw out the bills and they glimmer in the light. I figure the cash in front of me will be enough to bring him back to earth and realize that his stocks only gained a thousand or so and he should fold. “are you joking?” asks the man next to me, I turn and blow a ring of smoke into the air “I never joke about money.” This is the only response I can give him, he seems to take the hint and goes back to his long neck corona that he paid to much for. “ I fold” says the business man as he slaps the cards on the table, he has a sad look on his face. He looks at the time on his watch and decides that he should catch a cab if he wants his wife to keep the same locks. “Well... when the moneys gone the moneys gone, thanks for the games Steve.” He throws a five Steve's way and says good bye. I’m glad to see him leave, as much as I love to play the sucker, I wanted to play some serious poker tonight.
The drunk man returns to the table just in time to ante, He looks at his under cards and puts them back down, its a quick motion like that of a person in a dark room who opens the door and is blinded by the light. I check my under cards a pair of sixes black. I think or raising but then again pairs under always seem to lose, I check and wait for the Flop. The men next to me check, they have been checking all night, am i’m guessing the royal flush is still really far away. One of them makes some joke and the dealer laughs, “ Someone could make sixes and threes.” He must have liked the tip he got, he burns the card and flips the flop Jack of clubs, six of diamonds, three of spades. Three of a kind, this is my hand, i think to myself, but I don’t want anyone to fold, “I like karma” I say as I grab thirty dollars worth of chips and place them on my under cards. The man next to me takes a drink from his beer, finishes it and signals for another. “I fold” he says as he throws his cards in the middle along with his chips. “Ahh Man!,” says the man next to him throwing down his cards as though mad at my raise.
“I will see your thirty and re-raise you fifty...” I glance at the middle, i figure he is on a straight run but don’t care, my hand just looks to nice. “I will see your fifty and re-raise you a hundred” He looks at the flop and calls without any hesitation. The dealer burns the top card and lays down a seven of spades. I don’t think second about the straight, for some reason I can only think that I have this hand one. I ponder an outraigous bet but decide I want to keep the drunk on the chain. “I bet a hundred” I say as I take a crisp bill and place it on top of my cards. I look at him and take my cigarette in hand. “I see your hundred and raise you two hundred” It never crosses my mind that I could be beat and slap down the bills saying calmly “I call.” The dealer burns the top card of the deck and lays down a queen of diamonds, it appears to be no help to either of us. I take a final drag of my cigarette holding the smoke in my lungs letting it burn. “ I will bet a hundred” I say realizing that I don’t have anymore than eighty left in the roll. The drunk throws back his whiskey, he looks pale all the sudden, or perhaps he has always been pale, he checks his under cards, they haven’t changed. “I see your hundred and raise you two hundred.” Around the table there is a craze in peoples eyes. This type of betting causes everyone in the room to stop there games and take a look. “That man has been doing well all night” one guy boasts as he he turns to the guy next to him. As the crowd gathers I pause for a moment, silence falls on the room and you can almost hear the steady burn of my cigarette. “I’m all in” I say and gracefully flip over the two sixes under.
There is an uproar in the room, but silence comes within seconds as people turn to the other man. He takes one look at my hand and throws his cards face up into the center, the cards land exposing a three threes. I breath again and look at the table, thinking for sure I had missed something, I had lost by some default I knew I had lost. As I looked at the river I felt calm again. I realized this is what I played for as I scooped up the money, the big games, the ones where you put it all on the line. As the next couple of hands were dealt I felt bad. The man had ordered another whiskey, this time on me, but he looked sad, like a piece of his soul was missing. I realized that he was obsessed with losing that hand to me. He played every hand for the next couple of hours but folded once he hit the flop. As I cashed out I saw him reach into the middle taking a nice sized pot. He will make it all back I thought to myself, lets just hope he still has it when I sit down with him again. I walked out with a stack of high society in my pocket and smile on my face. “I don’t play a game like that everyday!” I said aloud. No limit hold’em is one hell of a game. I walked down the street eager to return tomorrow night, eager to ask Steve what the game is only to find its the same game, and eager to sit down and have the chance to play another rounder.
Note: I wrote this story a long time ago after just playing a crazy game of Texas Hold'em with some friends one night, I hope you like it.
Jake G.
posted by Jacob Gill (高健) at 3:24 AM
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