By A Show of Hands

It was nearing 4pm and the conference call I was on was winding down. Some folks from a division based in Italy were asking our organization to do some unscheduled and unfunded work. I lost interest as soon as my boss took the lead in deflecting any responsibility. I peeked next door into Random101's office and asked how the weather was today as he'd just recently returned from a visit from the dentist (bye bye bankroll.)

"Man, it's nice," he said.

"Good."

I grabbed my jacket, my iPod and said "Fuck this noise." I bolted from the premises, hopped on my horse, and rode dirty.

****

"I don't think you've won a pot since you put on that iPod," said California Grass.

"I did chop one, remember?"

I remembered. I had AK and flopped TPTK on an all-spade board. I led out the flop from late position when Yastrzemski check-raised me all-in. I insta-called because I knew I was good. Yaz tabled ATo with no spade. Apparently, nobody was dealt spades because they were all on the board. Choppin' broccoli. Right play, wrong results.

Images of Jack Nicholson axing his way through the bathroom door filled my head.

****

Earlier, I stole a pot from California Grass. I raised UTG and Grass re-raised me from the big blind. I called. The flop was J-high with two hearts and he lead out for $55. I quickly made it $200 and he went into the tank. Whatever thoughts were running through his head at the time managed to convince him to lay down his pocket Aces. I showed the King of spades and all hell broke loose.

****

Through the remainder of the night that hand plagued him. He later told me that it was almost a good thing he folded as it made his play tighter and more solid afterwards.

"Good players sometimes fold good cards," I responded. He wasn't interested in that theory however.

****

Because there weren't many players last night, Eddie both dealt and played. It was near the end of the night, I was turning into a pumpkin soon and the table was turning into a barren wasteland as three players had busted and left.

Grass raised a hand in position and Eddie re-raised out of the blinds, but not my much.

"That's a bitch slap of a re-raise," I volunteered. Grass agreed and called.

The flop came 866 and Eddie led out for $40. Grass raised another $75 to $115 and Eddie went looking for his own Piece of Mind.

And finally, Eddie folded his pocket tens face up. Grass tabled 22 and all hell broke loose.

****

It was the very next hand. Eddie was visibly shaken; I had played with him previously, but had never seen him this flustered. He opened for $16 and Grass called. I was the button and looked down at T7o. Perhaps the faint echoes of G-Rob made me call. "You're the button...." I heard him say.

I called. It was the last orbit and I was slightly down but still had $400+ in my stack.

Earlier in the evening, I had tried a re-raise pre-flop with the hammer on the button. Eddie pushed all-in over the top of me and I folded. I told him later that it was the hammer after he confided that he had Kings. Who knows what echoes were floating around in his head, but there was something going on.

The flop came down 689, two clubs. I had no clubs but held the current nuts. Eddie led out for $40, all the while jammering, "I'm not laying this one down, don't think I won't push here." Folded back to me.

I raised.

"One twenty," I said.

More tank. "Did you flop a set?" Eddie asked as he gazed at my stack. He had me covered.

It must have been the showing of hands. Earlier, when I showed a King to Grass after he mucked Aces, that got to him. The hand previous, he flashed pocket 2's to Eddie and that had him reeling.

The magic words came.

"All-in."

"Call."

Eddie tabled the hammer and I took down the $850 pot.

****

The Spring Hotel sees us G-Vegas folks less often than it used to. Closer games have cropped up and the drive home from the Hotel is a 30-minute trek that destroys your enthusiasm for poker after a losing night.

I didn't mind the drive last night. Not in the least.