I hadn’t played any poker in almost two weeks going into last night. I wanted to play at the Crescent Lounge tonight, but it turns out that wasn’t doable, which bummed me out because I haven’t been able to make it over there for over a month now. So, with no Lounge this week, no cards for almost two weeks, and the Red Sox down 4-0 to the Yankees, I figured I’d sneak out of the house to Roger’s Thursday night game after I did my chores.
Jeanne was upstairs, so I texted her that after I was done with taking out the dogs and doing the dishes I was heading out. Or at least, I thought I texted Jeanne that. A minute later I got a text from Rog saying “ok.” Whoops, texted the wrong person. Man, will I look bad if she ends up having some valid reason why I shouldn’t go. She had some reasons why I shouldn’t go, but none of them quite valid enough, so I was out the door after making the assurance I wouldn’t be coming home at 2.
I got there at nine and the game was just getting off the ground. I bought in for $250 but then Rog wanted to settle up with some money he owed me from before, so I ended up starting the night with $350. I never really chased that money. In fact, in a way I kind of liked having a little credit there. Since I don’t pull money from ATMs to play cards with, the idea of being able to ask for a $100 instead of running home to my roll was kind of nice. But, whatever, those days are gone now, I guess. Also, and maybe this plays into it, but historically, when paid back debts before or during a poker game, I end up down for the night. I try not to be superstitious about things like that, but in an illogical way, I thought that getting the $100 would mean losing it and more.
It’s harder to think superstitions are stupid when you get screwed by going against them. The $350 I started the game with was down to $180 in half an hour. I put another $100 on my stack, but things weren’t going so well. I tried to console my self by considering that with the $100 from Rog to start the night, my roll wouldn’t be as adversely affected, so no big deal. A couple of hours later I was hoovering around $300 and dishonestly thought “$50 down, no big deal, I’m having fun.”
I checked the Sox game on my phone. They were down three in the ninth, but had the tying run at the plate, so I fired up the audio and listened to them get within a run and then heard Castiglione’s call of Hanley’s three run bomb to win it. Yes! Almost right after the Sox win, my luck at the table started to change. By the time I was supposed to be leaving I was up $50 for the night. A real $50, as in $500 after the 350+100 buyin(s). Of course, it’s easier to say you are going to leave, than to actually get up and go. Rico and another guy showed up in dark suits because they’d just been to a funeral. I alway feel weird bolting right when somebody else gets there, so I said I’d play another half hour.
That half hour passes, I am counting up my chips to leave, but at Roger’s the hole cards are still coming to you until you are cashed (in hand) out. I’ve lost a lot of money because of this, but hey what’s that? Instead of two hole cards, I’m getting four.
OMAHA!
Now I have to stay another hour. I know almost everybody thinks they are better at Omaha than they actually are, but I was running good, and was only afraid of Brian at the table. Brian, who upon getting the four instead of two cards, said, “I don’t really know how to play Omaha.” I didn’t believe that for a second, but true to his word, he was cashing out ten minutes later. Better than knowing how to play Omaha, is knowing when to leave a game.
Omaha treated me well until two am, when I got the “I thought you said you’d be home by 2am” text from Jeanne. Of course Rog was slow to cash me out, which resulted in one more hand for me in which I won $125ish from him. Cashed out for $700, which is up $250 or $350 depending on how you look at it. I’ll look at it as $350. I know it’s somewhat dishonest, but at the end of the night, that’s how much more cash I have jammed under that floorboard in my bedroom.