Poker Night #269: The Tight Barn Door

A change in the schedule this week put us inside The Red Barn in Phenix City for poker Monday night. Yes, they still have games -- but they're not affiliated with the "big dog" in local tournaments anymore (more on that another time).

In an effort to snap our final table slump, we read part of a book by a famous poker player during the day. (No, we're not revealing which one.) It persuaded us to tighten up our game, and look for only high-quality hands before the flop. But what happens when something borderline shows up?

BLINDS: 500/1000

IN THE POCKET: A-10 offsuit

We won a modest pot in the first quarter-hour, but a lack of those high-quality hands has left us biding our time ever since. Our stack has slowly drained through blinds and modest chases, reminding us during the game of a Christian song called "Slow Fade." We start with 4,000 "under the gun." We could take our chances and push here, but we choose to play modestly and call. No one at the table of seven raises.

ON THE FLOP: Q-6-3

Nothing threatening -- but nothing really helpful, either. The table checks.

ON THE TURN: J

Now we have a straight draw -- and we don't recall a flush threat showing. The table checks again.

ON THE RIVER: 8

Our big starting hand misses. We check again, and a man to our left bets 3,000 -- enough to put us all-in. We have no choice but to fold, and that man wins the pot without showing what he had.

So why didn't we go for it, by making a big bluff? Because our rationale was to stay in the game as long as possible -- and after waiting patiently for a long time, this still could have been too impulsive and wrong. Any pair beats our Ace high, and the presence of two "face cards" which opponents are more likely to play would have been disastrous.

We were so bummed from that pot that in the next hand with the big blind, we mistakenly folded it. Too bad -- because our J-7 would have turned into three sevens and given us a big comeback. The goof forced us all-in a few hands later with A-8, and it lost. An all-around quiet Labor Day ended with us seventh at an eight-player table, and wondering if we should keep reading that book.

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UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 100 final tables in 269 nights (37.2%) - 15 cashes.

NATIONAL LEAGUE OF POKER TOTAL: Full tournaments - 162 point wins in 732 games (22.1%), 56 final tables, 7 cashes. At least we're having a little success online, finishing fifth in a 69-player qualifying tournament Sunday evening.

POKER STARS.NET TOTAL: Pretend cash games - $58,418, up $1,855.