Poker Night 332: The Pushy Teacher

With two options for Monday night live poker in our area, tonight we went to the less expensive place.  The Red Barn has soda for $1.50, beating Uptown Wings by 52 cents.  But once the game begins, low prices are not the objective for some poker players....

BLINDS: 25/50

IN THE POCKET: A-5 offsuit

The night is young, we've missed on a hand or two, and we're in the Small Blind.  An Ace gets us dreaming big dreams - but that other card leads us simply to call.  No one at the table of six raises.

ON THE FLOP: A-J-10

Now we're in lead position with top pair.  What was that line about big dreams again?  We bet 250.  Two men call; other players fold.

ON THE TURN: K

Uh-oh -- a potential dream-killer.  Four cards are showing for a "Broadway" straight.  We check in caution, and a man to our left leaps into action.  He bets 1,175.  Another man across from us seems to be a newcomer; he has difficulty figuring out the chips, but he calls.  Now it's up to us.

"I was going to call this," we say satirically, "but you bet that extra 75."  We fear the worst, and fold.

ON THE RIVER: Q

Arrrrrgh!  Now a Broadway straight is on the table!  And there's no threat of a flush.  But don't go away -- the drama isn't over yet.

"I'm all-in," the man to our left declares.  The apparent novice is thrown by this.

"You have more than I do," he says hesitantly.

"I'm all-in," his opponent says again.

"But you don't have to fold," a player to our right advises.  He already mentioned in passing the "best hand" was on the board -- but he can't say anything more now, because that would be considered coaching another player.

The novice looks at the board, thinks it over for several seconds -- then throws in his cards!  He didn't realize the only way he could lose part of the pot was surrendering.

But the man who ran us off at the turn has a heart -- and we don't mean in his hand.  "I'm going to split it," he tells the novice.  "Learn a lesson."  As the chips are divided, he explains how the straight could not be beaten.

(It turns out both men held Queens, so they hit straights on the turn while we did not.)

That wasn't the only unusual hand of the night.  The Tournament Director came to our table, laid a hand over our chips and declared we'd win a pot within two hands.  Sure enough -- K-9 of hearts in the Small Blind turned into a winning flush on the second hand!  Then after the one-hour break, we hit a big hand on the river (no further details, please) to win a big pot -- then made it two in a row, when 10-5 became two pair on the flop.


But then came a lapse which proved fatal.  With A-J offsuit, we called a woman's doubling of the blind to 2,000.  She bet 2,000 more on the flop, which we called with mere "overcards."  The turn was J, giving us top pair -- but she bet 5,000.


"With pocket 9's?!" a man to our left asked.  She said nothing.  We smelled a bluff with something like A-K, so we called.


The river card was weak, but she bet 5,000 more.  We called for our last 3,500 with top pair -- but she displayed Q-Q.  We should've known better.  We left in 17th place -- but with an idea from that woman for a future blog post; we'll post it when our schedule permits.


MINISTRY MOMENT: We defer tonight and give credit to the man at our left.  He simply could not claim that entire pot from the novice player.  Instead, he turned the hand into a "teachable moment."  Whether he realized it or not, he showed a Christian virtue -- even if he did run us out of the hand in the process:

Rather, as servants of God, we commend ourselves in every way.... in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love. - II Corinthians 6:4, 6

Some poker players can be downright merciless and ruthless.  They make big bets and raises in tournaments so often that they get labeled "bullies" of the table.  But we offer this case to show not all players are that way during games.  Kind, understanding moments sometimes happen.

In fact, the other Monday night poker option reflected that tonight as well.  The Tournament Director at Uptown Wings offered bonus chips to anyone bringing donations of school supplies.  The writer of II Corinthians might applaud this, too:

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.... for God loves a cheerful giver. - II Corinthians 9:6-7

Some would say this wasn't pure giving -- and that's a valid point.  There was a reward in exchange for the donation, in terms of bonus chips.  But encouraging poker players to give instead of take sets a good example in the community.


UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 117 final tables in 332 nights (35.2%) - 19 cashes.