If you can't laugh at yourself ....

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It was 8:44 pm. and after a pretty long day at “The Quarry,” I made a click of the mouse that entered me into Al's Riverchasers last night. I really wasn’t going to play, as I knew in my current state of mind I’d clearly just be there for donation purposes. I sat for that 15 minutes or so, debating on if I should stay in or withdraw and try and get some sleep. Never being accused of being the sharpest knife in the drawer, I went with stay in and try and have some fun. I needed a good laugh and since Razz was the flavour of choice for the game last night, laughs were bound to come for me. Razz has that way of driving some people crazy and the crazier they get about it, the funnier I think it is. Razz and Bloggers makes for a special mix, which can often fall in line with the Jackass movie series. You know someone’s walking up to that freezing cold pole and going to try and lick it. You know it’s stupid and you know it’s going to hurt. But the whole time you’re watching that guy walking up to the pole, you’re killing yourself laughing.

I was basically “THAT” guy last night. I sat there for about an hour and a half and played exactly 9 hands. I know the gang had to be getting a giggle out of my game last night, I know I was. Here are some fun stats from my effort on the evening.

Hands played = 9
To 7th. street = 5 (wins =2)
To 6th. street = 0
To 5th. street = 1
To 4th. street = 3
# of Brings = 21 ( as Waffles said, this is why I was really there last night )
I think only Luv2Ride had as many or maybe more? I know we went 9 in a row at one point between us.

Awesome !

On my four folds, I couldn’t have been tossed bigger bricks if I tried. The best one was when I was holding A-A-3 and 4th. street kindly delivered the killer blow with another Ace! Hee-Haw. Imagine seeing a fold from someone in Razz as they're showing 3-A.

The chat as always was a lot of fun. With this group as a starting table, how could it not be?

Zeem, NightRanger, LJ and Waffles are all players that I see fairly regularly at the Tuesday to Friday games that I can make it to. None of them have ever been anything but nice to me and I have always enjoyed being in their company, no matter what the results end up being in the game. I hope someday, to hear the same from them. I do try to at least be entertaining. Usually it’s with the chat though, not the cards. ;o)

Despite the great chat going on in that little window down below, the best chat was happening with Pebbles as she watched in horror what the RnG was doing to me on the night. I took about a dozen screen caps on the night of starting hands I was dealt, but I honestly liked this one the best. It’s Razz and low cards are good right? That makes this hand really pretty !

I was dealt the following in that 1 ½ hours.

2-2-2 = twice
6-6-6 = twice
9-9-9 = twice
10-10-10 = 3x
J-J-J = twice
K-K-K = 3x

Dealt 14 sets in Razz. It just doesn’t get any funnier than that! Pebbles asked how it was possible that I could be laughing so hard at such crappy cards. I told her I had to. If it wasn’t for laughing, I think I might have actually lost my mind right there and then. She called me a name, gave me my kiss and headed away from the impending disaster. (her way of staying sane!)But the RnG wasn’t quite done with me yet! It obviously figured out that sets were actually in fact bad in this game and decided to gear it down just a touch.

No more dealt sets, OK! That's great news! Instead we’ll go with,

8-8-x = twice
10-10-x = twice ( in a row, no less )
Q-Q-x = 4x (2 in a row as well)
K-K-x = twice

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !

All in all, what a fun night. I actually made two authentic moves all night. One against MoonShadow at the absolute worst time possible. ( ‘cause that’s how I roll) And one against The Worst Poker Player (just trying to do my part!) at the end. With a less than suspicious board showing for all to see, I made a stupid push into MoonShadows bet, not once mind you, TWICE ! The 7th. street min bet MoonShadow made I just had to call. I felt like I owed myself a special penalty for being so stupid! Pebbles had gone to Zzzzz-ville and that meant I didn’t have anyone to hit me. LOL.

With Waffles it was just the end. I had no chips, 1/2 decent low cards back and even better, a chance to double through The Worst poker Player. All great reasons to play. (IMHO) Naturally, brudder Carson popped in just then to say hi. I call JINX !!!!!

There’s a good chance I’ll get out of here a little earlier than I have been the last few weeks, (of course now that I’ve said that… prolly NOT!) and that means I’ll make it to Therapy™ tonight at Kat’s place. This’ll give me another opportunity to get kicked in the nutz by my buddy the RnG. Can’t wait ! Hope to see you there.

Oh and another thing, FAIR WARNING ! The mouse & chip stack will be in the hands of my loving Pebbles on Monday at the TuckFard Open. Come on out and give her a chance to take your chips. Mr. RnG seems to be loving her these day’s, so I’m going to be there to keep a close eye on the two of them for any shenanigan’s. Hope to see you all out for that as well.

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

Just playing the game ....

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As soon as I saw the river card, I knew it was going to be tough to get out of town alive. Playing the game with this crowd was always a gamble. They were seven of the best poker players known around these parts, each one of them as equally skilled as the other. These players don’t just read books on poker, they could be writing them too. Textbook play with perfect check-raises, exactly correct and properly calculated bets, and the ability to lay down cards when they just had to be behind in the hand. They were the perfect players and they always made the perfect play. How was I going to explain my play this day with such non-perfect cards and far from perfect betting patterns?

I knew they were all packing weapons. In this game, you pretty well had to in order to keep outside interest’s, (and sometimes your opponent) at bay. Every time Sam leaned forward to deal the cards out to everyone, I could see the gleam of the Pearl finish on the grip of his revolver. I never really understood what it was he saw in having such a fancy piece to shoot with anyhow. Who’s going to notice? The guy you shoot! I wasn’t there empty handed myself. I wasn’t raised a fool and I have certainly seen enough happen at this table, with this crowd, that I knew to be ready for anything. There was that guy from Cleveland, what was his name? I guess it don’t really matter much anymore anyhow. While Zeke and I were talking about the cards that guy was getting on a regular basis while taking a leak outside, Zeke made mention of the way he was dealing the cards out in an unusual way. I said I’d take a look from my side, but that I hadn’t really noticed anything too strange as of yet. He seemed like a nice enough guy to me, but he sure was running lucky that day. We went back inside and I took my spot to that guy’s right, I’d had that position on him for a couple of hours. I was the dealer for the next hand and nothing major happened. Sam took a small pot with the bullets and I just passed the deck over to that guy. I looked over at Zeke and gave him that nod that meant I’d take a look. The shuffle seemed ok, even though it was a might faster than most of us can manage. At the speed he was shuffling, you could hardly tell the suits of the cards let alone what they were exactly. I could tell this, because every time he shuffled, you could see the front of the deck way better than the back. I did notice some pretty bare white at the end of the shuffle and was pretty proud that these old eyes could pick out what looked like two red aces at that speed. He dealt the cards out with the same hyper speed that he could shuffle at. He made his first full orbit and was just starting his second, when Zeke jumped up and pulled his gun. “Gotcha you cheating bastard!” said Zeke. Pointing his pistol directly at this kids head, Zeke told him to flip up his first hole card and said, “Bet it’s the ace of hearts.” It was. Then Zeke slowly moved around the table, all the while focusing the end of that gun right between the kids eyes. “Bam” I heard, “check that bottom card in the deck. Ace of diamonds right?” I reached over and pulled out the card. I tossed it out into the center of the table to flip it up for all to see. Well I’ll be damned, the ace of diamonds.

With all of the money still sitting in front of where he once was sitting himself, that kid rode out of town and never was seen around here again. I truly thought for at least a second or two there, that he was a dead man. He probably should have been. Cheating in a game of this nature, is a sin that just shouldn't go un-punished. He was an idiot and a Donkey for trying to cheat this table. He’d taken a lot of money off of us in the few days he was there to play. All the while he was setting up the deck while shuffling and dealing himself from the bottom of the deck. One thing I knew for certain, you don’t fuck with these guy’s. Their perfect play always leads to someone having a great hand. When someone’s doing it back to them on a regular basis, there must be something under handed going on.

Which leads me back to my current situation I’m afraid. I’m about to show Sam a rivered boat. A Queen’s over 4’s rivered boat no less. Sam made a larger bet than his turn wager when the river card came. I made it $250 more to go and Sam obliged me with the call. “Queen’s, Ace kicker.” said Sam in that gruff old voice of his. “Boat, ladies over 4’s” I responded with, making Sam stand up and stare at my hole cards. Understandably so in this spot too I’d say. You don’t see many Q-4 off-suit starting hands at this table. “I've never known you to cheat before Bam. But damn if you ain’t cheatin’ now on me.” he said as he pulled out his revolver. I had a moment of thought I found bizarre for the situation, “Yes I thought. The guy about to get shot can see that pearl grip!”

“How am I cheating you Sam?” I asked. “Tell me, please.” He stared right through my eyes with that steely gaze of his and said, “I don’t know just yet. But you need to know I’ll catch you.” With that Sam sat back down, but continued to glare me down. “I think this is as good a time as any for a break boy’s,” said Carson from two spots to my right. I thought it was a great idea.

Those boy’s never would catch me cheating and I played in that game successfully for years. They couldn’t catch me, ‘cause I wasn’t cheating as such. I was cheating their perfect poker. You know what the problem with perfect and by the book poker really is? It’s pretty damn predictable! Poker is a game of knowing where you stand at any given point in the hand. Bet when you know you’re good, fold when you know you’re beat and seek information when you’re just not sure. By playing a range of starting hands the same way you’d play the “nuts,” that information is much harder to garner for those that play perfect poker. You’ve also got to chase once in a while. Going on a chase with a good chance to get there is one of the moves in poker. Showing a missed chase can help set a table image for later in the game, or even later in the month for that matter. Doing the unusual in a game where everyone else is going to do the usual, can be one of the most profitable decisions made at the table. I said it just a while back, my vision of how to play most of the variations of Stud available, is a far cry from by the book poker. I’ve been successful in those games for quite a few years now because of it.

Call me a Donkey on your blog if you want hell, call anyone anything you want on your own little piece of the internet. That’s what we each have our own for. I don’t have to read it if I don’t want to, neither does anyone else for that matter. It’s the freedom of choice and the right to that freedom that we fight so hard to preserve on a daily basis, both in our own countries and around the globe. Why fight for it if we choose to ignore its availability?

But making all of these stupid remarks during a blogger event on-line, while hiding behind the click of a mouse, come on! Poker’s a game and good and bad things happen while playing it. You don’t like some ones play on-line, go elsewhere and find players that play exactly the way you want. Or even better, show your skill and prowess by taking them out with your spectacular play. Both of you paid to play and that gives you the right to play however the hell you want. By the book or not so much, it really doesn’t matter. What matters is, you have the right to play the cards you’re dealt and do so without all the B.S. being slung around by those that consider the play not up to snuff.

Basically, instead of telling everyone else how bad they play and how they’ll go broke because of it, prove it with your play, not your typing. Every time I check, (and I find myself doing it more often every game) it reads "CHAT BOX" not berate, be-little and spew garbage box."

My sincerest thanks for dropping by....

Expecting company ....

It was a typical Saturday night and we were at the bar, (go figure!) and it all seemed very normal. Well…. normal that is, if you’re a TuckFard. The Carsino had an air about it that night that was slightly different than usual. But most times… most times that could just mean Nutzy doesn’t have as much gas as usual. Oooooooh, there was something else in the air for sure that night; it just wasn’t him this time.

The week leading up to that night was filled with excitement, anticipation and a giddiness that sometimes made a few of us look like a 14 year old school girl waiting for the Sr. Football team to come out of the locker room. The Tuck’s were pumped! We had not just company, but special company! Not the “get out the good silverware and tablecloth” kind of company, but company that deserved to see us on our best behaviour for sure.

Now if you’re a TuckFard, wanting to be on your “best behaviour” can be a tricky thing ! TuckFard’s are best when left to act in their “natural” way. We’re kind of like that line of ant’s you see while having a picnic. Very entertaining to watch, totally amazing when you see some of the things they can do, and yet if you interrupt the natural flow of things as they are happening, the next thing you know you have ant’s acting like idiots and a totally ruined picnic. A natural Tuck, is a funny Tuck. A natural Tuck, is already on his/her best behaviour and needs no extra prodding, cajoling or extra effort to bring out the best in them. If you’ve got a natural TuckFard, (or several) in a fun and comfortable environment, just sit back and go for the ride. You will not be disappointed, I PROMISE!

Because we headed out to Vegas light several TuckFards, Pebbles and I really felt some crazy excitement for this night when it was first planned. We thought about the sadness we first felt, as a couple of our dearest and favorite invisibles notified us that they would not be making the trip. We felt their absence continually, possibly more than we would have felt their presence on that craziest of weekends. This one night however, this night was planned to atone for all that was missed. The Tuck’s were having company, and company meant all things pokery and fun.

Brudder Carson was a little on edge as time went on. Up the stairs, down the stairs. Up the stairs……. He didn’t come back down? I did what I do and cracked another beer. Shortly after, I remember being on “my” stool in the Carsino bar area and noticing a little commotion at the base of the stairs. It wasn’t the regular commotion you get when several TuckFards are getting back together after a little time away. This was a quiet kind of noise. A noise, I’m not sure I’d ever heard before in that room. It was the company !

Now there was a real problem. You always want the TuckFards on their best behaviour, but several of them were between my position and the company. The company that I’d looked so forward to spending some time with in Vegas. I wanted to mow’em down and get to my newly found and currently visible friends, but I couldn’t. The rest of the Tuck’s were as thrilled as I was that they’d arrived and I’d just have to wait my turn. Patience is not my strong suit by any means, but somehow I managed to wait my turn. I stuck my hand out and said, “Bam-Bam.”

“I know” was her response, as my hand was shoved aside to make way for a hug. A warm, friendly and very welcoming hug. An unusual moment to be certain! A welcoming hug from very special company and all at the Carsino. It was supposed to be me sending that warm and welcoming message out to her. Not just to re-affirm Carson’s warmest welcome wishes, which I’m positive he’d bestowed, but to make up for the lost Vegas time, we’d both so surely missed. I wanted to say something Tuckfard’ish but I couldn’t. All I could do was hug, and smile. I was in a very happy place and I didn’t want to leave. Of course right there by her side, was Banky.

I’m a firm believer in first impressions and mine at that moment was so very, very clear. Mr. Bankwell is a solid and strapping young man, apparently deserving of such a fine catch as PokerTart. They make a very handsome couple and it was clear that they would always be at their best, while at each other’s side. I always like that feel about any couple I meet. It’s how I feel about Peb’s and I at all times. When I see that in others, I know there’s magic happening elsewhere in the world as well. That just makes it even easier to fade the little annoyances in life and focus clearly on the more positive issues at hand.

Speaking of positive issues! If you’ve taken the time to read here, I’d appreciate it if you’d also take the time to wonder over and congratulate both PokerTart and Mr. Bankwell on their latest news of an addition to the family. Pebbles and I could not be happier for them than we are now. The thought of a “Mini-Tart” or “Baby-Banky” on the way, is fantastic news indeed.

Hmmmmm…… “Baby-Banky” ….. Bam-Bam …… BadBlood……… Do you think the world is ready for another rockin’ BB ? I’d better start putting together some ‘crib tunes’ just in case.

I love the fact that our kuh-myoo-ni-tee is about to grow.
Congratulations kids !


My sincerest thanks for dropping by ….

Ladies Day in Bedrock....

It’s obviously Ladies day here in Bedrock, as I have a few suggestions for some reading I think you should do.

The first is from The B.W.O.P. For those like me that like a good mix of the game, her post on the “Nut-Nut” game is a great review of solid strategy. I highly recommend it.

Next, on to the sultry and steamy Wife. Well, I’ve met her and hugged her and she is in fact both. (in a sisterly way to me, of course) However, today I’m talking about her Infidelity piece. It reminds me of another storyteller, but I can’t quite put my finger on who that is just yet. Go see if you can see anyone else’s style in the story. I know I wish I could write like that.

Honourable mention goes out to brudder Carson and we'll just call him 'one of the girls' for now. His Hoy vs. Carson piece is almost as much fun to read as it is to watch.

Finally, no matter how much I want to say “and the final lady of the day is,” I just can’t do it. Yesterday I meant to make sure you all read this little life reality check from, (my brother in BB’s) BadBlood. It’s one hell’uva piece and fits right into my current situation. In fact, from talking to several of those that read here, I know you’ll find it of interest and perspective as well.

Good reading !

My sincerest thanks for dropping by….

The Decision ....

I played for “Team TuckFard” in the 20-week team series again yesterday and have to say, I’m exhausted. There will be a post written up there soon to give better details as to what all went down, but I thought I’d like to elaborate more on one thing that happened to me yesterday.


“The decision” –
There was a lot of limping to my BB while we were 4 and 5 handed. While five handed and in my BB, I was dealt pocket 8's. It was limped to me but something didn’t feel right. It wasn’t that, “I can tell someone’s messing with me” feeling as such. More of that “I don’t know if this is the right hand” kind of feeling. So despite having pockets, I checked. The flop was (Kh-Js-8h) and I initially think GIN !!!!! The big stack had to act first and bet out pot. (He's fidgety and shaky, but he has been all game) He also hasn’t made a large bet like that the entire day. It folds to the guy 2 to my right and he makes the call. These two have only shown premium hands. They're starters may be what we'd call crap typically, but when in the play, they have something. I make a decision to lay down the set. I lay them down and keep them separate from the muck and close to me. The turn is a useless 4(not heart) and the river is a useless deuce. (not Heart) The big stack goes for a massive over bet of (I think) 3x the pot. With no hesitation what so ever, two to my right pushes all-in. With no hesitation either, the big stack calls.

They flip up..............

Two to my right = pocket J's for a set.
Big stack = pocket K's for top set.

SICK !

Whatever that instinct was at that moment, it saved my ass. I normally would’ve gone broke on that hand for sure. Something told me it wasn’t right from the start. When the hand was over I grabbed my folded pocket 8’s and tossed them face up in the center of the table. I don’t get reads like that too incredibly often. I wanted to take full advantage of this one.

I had what I think was a pretty tight image in the game to this point. I think showing that lay down was the most important move I made all day, and probably the main reason I made it to second place. The other two remaining players were awestruck that I could lay that down. I got several walks and some nice free check downs from the two of them the rest of the way. I even got one fold from each of them, just by reaching for chips.
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On a side note - Another Tuckfard Open tonight on FullTilt @ 7:00pm est. Details on the banner to the right. Hope to see you there.

My sincerest thanks for dropping by….