Just getting back in from a fun Saturday night in Atlantic City. After working an 11 hour day, I wasn't really in the mood to make the run, but my poker fiend (I mean friend) Dave must have called me at work four times today tempting me with the trip down, even though he has to work @ noon on Sunday. So I get out of work around 9PM, head on over to his place to pick him up, and we make our way down to the Trop. We immediately get seated at the same 1/2NL table. To my right is a young kid of 22 or 23, beard, dreadlocks, all hippied out, and he is owning this table. He has about $700 in chips in front of him. I come to find out that he has been there about 7 hours by the time Dave and I sit on either side of him. We start shooting the shit about music, bands we have seen, festivals we have been to and whatnot. He is quietly filling me in on some of the players at the table, as we are down on one end... who plays any 2 cards, who you can raise out of the pot, who the maniacs are and who you have to watch out for. All good info for a guy like me who is just sitting down at the table.
We're playing for about an hour and a man joins our table, who is obviously on *something*. He's definitely not drunk, but playing like he was just doing some bumps in the parking lot or all jacked up on speed. Either way, he sits down and buys in for $100. On the first hand, he raises all in preflop on a $8 pot. So this is how it's gonna be. We fold around and he shows A 10. Ok, here we go! Third hand he pushes all in after the flop with pocket 8's with one overcard on the board, to win a whopping $14. He tries the same move a few hands later, when my hippie friend to my right calls him with pocket queens. The maniac has to rebuy. Hippie Power! A few more hands go by, and while he is still being aggressive and picking up small pots, at least he has moved away from the all-in move for a couple of minutes. In the big blind I look down and find pocket 7's. By the time it comes around to me, the pot is raised by *guess who* to $12. I call, and promptly flop my set. Sweet! I check it to the maniac, and he bets $25. With 2 spades on the board, I don't want to give him any chance to draw out on me, so I put him all in right there. He calls instantly, and shows me the KJ of spades... lovely, I feel like I have seen this somewhere before. Turn comes a blank, and the river..... you guessed it- SPADE. But, it was the one spade in the deck I was happy to see, the seven of spades, giving me quads! I take down a very nice pot. 30 minutes and 2 more rebuys later, the maniac takes off.
An hour or 2 goes by, and I have just about doubled my buy in. Dave isn't doing so well and has had to rebuy at this point. Anyhow, I am in middle position, and I look down to see pocket jacks. The standard bet at this table has been $8-$12, so I throw out the $12 bet after a few limpers enter. 3 callers. Not too thrilled with that. The flop comes, and this time there will be no suspense- JJ8. Flopped the quads! Checked to me, I check it quickly as well, as does the rest of the table behind me. Turn is the 3d, which puts a third diamond on the board. I say a little prayer to the poker Gods that someone just hit a high flush. First to act bets $20, which I smooth call, when the next player to act raises it to $60. I can barely contain myself. One folder, and the original bettor calls. I do a little acting job as I gleefully call. The River.... well who cares what the river is, I honestly didn't notice with what I was holding. First to act goes all in with his remaining $35. I think about how to get as much $$ out of the played behind me. After he reraised on the turn, I figure he is holding something big and want to give him the opportunity to really hang himself- so I just raise it up $35. In retrospect, that was the incorrect move, I just have to get all my money in the middle of the table. He just calls my $35 raise, and flips over 88 for the full house. The gentleman who went all in does indeed have the flush. And I scoop a $350+ pot.
Mr. Full House gets his revenge on my shortly thereafter. I look down to find pocket Kings, and there are three of us left after the initial round of raises and reraises that see an uncoordinated, Q high flop. I bet out, and get reraised by the gentleman who lost to my four of a kind earlier. My music-loving friend on my right folds, and I call as we are heads up. The turn comes out and pairs the board with another 7. I bet $40 and am reraised all in immediately. It wasn't tough to fold my kings at this point, even though I tried to talk myself into making a bad call. My opponent laughs and turns over pocket 7's for his four of a kind.
All in all it was a good trip. Dave and I left @ 4:30 am and we were back in Philly by 6am so he could get a little sleep befor eheading into work, and I could catch some shuteye before going over the in-laws place for some Father's Day festivities. After that, a nice relaxing day is planned.... I'll try to catch some of the Bonnaroo webcast tonight, I am particularly looking forward to checking out Matisyahu's set, moe, and the Superjam featuring Trey and Mike, with the Benevento Russo Duo (which looks like it actually took place on saturday night, but they are webcasting it on sunday night). Anyhow, I am sure there will be some online poker included in the evening somewhere along the line as well.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
