miniBlood and Dial-a-shots

I have to do some traveling this week.  Unfortunately, it’s not the good kind of travel where a fun-filled excursion lies on the other end.  It’s work-related and my destination is Schenectady, NY.  Or Schenectegrad as it’s called in the winter months.  I need to be up there for a meeting on Wednesday and the only direction I’ve been given is the following email blurb:  “Please be prepared to share our current philosophy, including charts.”  Brilliant.  To those of you who play poker full time, you’re really missing out.  Dealing with the genius that is upper management on a daily basis is what drives me to succeed.  *cough*

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With work being busy as well as the mini’s being active with sports this spring, I’ve not really had a bunch to write about.  I’ve been playing, and doing well, but nothing groundbreaking in the world of BadBlood on Poker.

So before I head out of town, a small nugget to tide you over.  I’m swinging from my wheelhouse right now – it’s yet another miniBlood story.

The scene is a Monday night Chip Challenge™.  I’ve taken the first pot uncontested and take an early 11-9 chip lead.  Before I can deal the next hand my cell phone rings.  I anticipated a local G-Vegas-ite calling to see if I could play that evening, but instead, it was a surprise dial-a-shot™ from AlCantHang.  He had BG, Big Mike and a few others at the bar drinking on a night reserved for the professionals.

I was unable to find a drink, but I told him of my current goings on with miniBlood.  Al tells me to tell miniBlood to go all in on the next hand.  miniBlood looks at me with a devilish grin, but only checks post-flop.  I caught top pair and bet out, but he folded.  I could hear the crushing disappointment on the other end of the phone as I relayed back to Al my son’s actions.  He need not have worried.

With a 12-8 advantage, the pre-flop action is on miniBlood.  He looks at his cards, looks at me, looks at the phone and says it:  “I’m all in.”  Great, thanks Al, teaching the kid to push like that.

While I know his hand range is wide here, I’m anticipating finding a fold with my cards.  However, I look down and find pocket 8’s.  A-ha!  “I call!  Whatchoo got boy, huh?”  (That’s how we talk down South, honest.)

He flips his cards down and shows J2o.  “You went all-in wiff Jack-hi!”  I yell to Al over the phone, “The kid went all in wiff Jack-hi.”  I feel a victory in this night’s Chip Challenge™ is all but sewed up.  Well, almost.

Here comes the flop.  Jack hi.  Al relays the info to the bar crowd and I can hear the laughter.  It only grows louder as I tell him that another Jack fell on the turn.  Only an 8 on the river can save me now.  It doesn’t come.  The devastation was total.  I was now down 16-4 and lost it all in the next two hands.

The lesson is that when Al calls, have a drink ready.  At least I’ll have the memory of miniBlood in fits of laughter to keep me company on my trip.  He thought winning that way was real funny.  Real funny indeed.