Monday, June 25, 2012

Poker Night 326: The Uptown Tops

Downtown Columbus has Texas Hold 'em poker again.  Tonight we walked up Broadway to Uptown Wings - a rather small corner restaurant with some rather big local names behind it.  For instance, it's not every day you see a picture of the local Better Business Bureau director on a restaurant wall.

It's also a rare day (anymore) when we last indeed deep into a final table.  But a chain of events tonight opened the way for it....

BLINDS: 200/400

IN THE POCKET: 10-5 offsuit

We won a modest early pot with two pair -- but then the big betting began at our table.  One man who's notorious for pre-flop raises moved across from us, and started tossing out 3,000 chips almost like they're bread crumbs in the park.  Waiting for the "right moment" has meant a lot of folding, and slowly has dwindled our stack.

This hand begins with us at 3,500 -- and in the Big Blind for 400 on top of that.  These cards look very foldable.  But a surprising thing happens -- the big gamblers simply limp in.  No one raises.  We're grateful and check.

ON THE FLOP: Q-10-5

We're very grateful now!  We have two pair, and decide it's finally time to join the crowd.  "I'm all-in," we announce with our last 3,100.  Most of the table of six smells big trouble and folds.  But the big bettor (who earlier declared us "the tightest man at the table") thinks opportunistically and calls.  While he's made a few big hands to win pots, we suspect we have him topped.

ON THE TURN: 4

OK, that seems harmless.

ON THE RIVER: 3

We still don't sense any problems -- but the big bettor can pull acting jobs, so we're not completely sure.

"Two pair," we say as we flip over our cards.  The opponent looks -- and folds!  It's a timely "double-up plus" for us, to 7,200.

The action moved quickly with only about 18 total players.  We were at the final table of eight before the one-hour break.  Then after that break, big cards started coming our way.  We went all in with A-Q -- and it turned into a full house, which increased us to around 21,000.  The next hand brought us K-Q, which turned into another full house by the turn!  Back-to-back boats built us back to the 30,000 range, while players fell off around us.

With only three players left, we looked down at pocket Aces -- after the man ahead of us went all-in!  Of course we called, and a huge shift of chips resulted in our favor.  We were heads-up with a man, competing for a $50 Uptown Wings gift card (beginning next week, the prize will be cash).  The Tournament Director talked about splitting the prize, which was fine with us.

"Let's play a couple more hands," our opponent said.  He won the first, when he pushed and we folded with little.  He went for it again in the second -- going all-in with three hearts on the board.  We held Ah-7c, as well as a chip lead.

"Say go ahead.  Say go ahead," he urged.

"But that gift certificate sounds so tempting!" we admitted as we pondered.  We didn't want to blow it now -- so after a few seconds, we folded.  (Of course, the river card was a heart which would have given us a victorious flush.)

On the third hand we had A-9 of clubs, which felt much more comforting when our opponent pushed again.  But before that happened, he accepted the settlement offer: we'd split the $50 prize.  Playing out the hand showed he had K-10, and an Ace on the flop would have ended things with us in first place.

It turned out Uptown Wings didn't want to split the gift card -- so our opponent accepted the $50 card, and paid us $25 cash from his wallet.  (That's something we could not have done; we showed up with three.)  It marks our first live tournament win since last December -- and we walked home smiling and thankful to God.  But not whistling a happy tune; we didn't want to become a "mark" for any downtown criminals.

MINISTRY MOMENT: "What's your name?" our final table heads-up opponent asked at our crucial moment of decision with A-7.

"Richard."

"Richard," he said with the Tournament Director.  Then they loudly said together, "Dick!!!"

We smiled and said nothing, as these adults turned our name into a sexual perversion.  We admittedly have never used that shortened name because of the connotations some give it.  (We're amazed Dick's Sporting Goods has become a successful national chain in recent years.)

By choosing to say nothing, we followed the example of Jesus....
When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.  Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. - I Peter 2:23
The apostle Peter wrote these words with Christian slaves in mind.  Verse 18 advises them to show respect to all masters, regardless of how the masters act.
For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.... if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. - I Peter 2:19-20
We've faced this kind of name-related "trash talk" from time to time, going back to junior high school.  But tonight we heard from adult men -- and sadly, one of them wore a T-shirt promoting Masonic lodges, which we thought were supposed to uphold God and solid character.  Truly there are times when it's better to keep quiet.

UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 116 final tables in 326 nights (35.6%) - 18 cashes.

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