The Bicycle Home Game

Yesterday really sucked! I lost more money in one day than I have in all three years of poker playing combined. I'm not even gonna tell you how much it was. Needless to say...when I finally crawled into bed at 4am...I was pissed and exhausted...and well, feeling like a BIG loooooooooser!
The table we had last night was great! There were four guys there that play a home game, so we all joked that this table was their home game. Luis, Oscar, Carlos and Willie.....I'll describe each of them individually later.

Jerry Buss and some pro that I can never remember were playing a high stakes game in the back corner.

LOL! I am finally back online....after a miserable poker holiday, and coming down with the flu. I am totally blaming the homegame guys! And too funny...two of you commented before I could provide everyone with your details. I'll just let you know that I will be back for my cash!

I really didn't want to go back and play, but my friend, Amanda really wanted to play poker. So I said that I would go back for ONE more $40 round...and that was going to be it! She assured me that my run of earlier bad luck would change, and that it was an anomaly (which I also I believed).

So I don't like getting seated at a table that has already been playing when there is big money on the table, especially when I can only buy-in for $40. We were lucky enough to get seated at a brand new table. I chose to sit across from the dealer. Luis (I didn't know his name at that point) sat in seat one, and with his sunglasses, and very cool poker chip trick looked intimidating, and my first impression was that he was going to be a bully and pusher at the table. A friend of his, Oscar sat in seat three, Amanda was in 4, I was in 5, and two guys that didn't know how to play sat in seat 6 and 7. And random people came and went in seat 8 & 9. Luis kept getting phonecalls, and telling his friends to come sit with us. Pretty soon, there were 4 of them, and well, the thought did cross both Amanda's and my mind that we were getting set up.

What broke the ice at the table was that I got pocket aces and went all-in, up to that point, I hadn't won a single hand, so it's understandable that Carlos, Willie and Luis would call. However, I also hadn't raised unless I had something, and well....I only had about $12.00, so it should have been a great quadruple up. I was confident that I was gonna win the hand....and by the river, there was just Willie and I. Willie shows 6-2 offsuit, and he won!!!!!!!! On the river, he got two pairs, and I was out of the game! I sat there stunned for about 15 minutes, and Willie kept apologizing. Then Carlos was talking to Luis and called him a tightass...and I turned to him and said,"I can't believe that you are calling me a tightass." He looked at me in shock, then Luis said no, he was talking about me....and then I started laughing and the ice was broken.

They kept wanting me to buy back in...and I really didn't want to lose anymore money that day. Luis bought me a cranberry and Jager---which I liked.

I think our potential jackpot was spoiled by Carlos raising pre-flop, and I had pocket fours. Carlos had bet way too much for me to call. Too bad, on the flop, I would have had quads, and he would have had two pair....and our dealer Pam, had dealt two jackpots the week before. I kept reminding Carlos, that he was responsible for our not getting the jackpot.

I think this is what makes our trips enjoyable....is meeting the very fun and friendly local poker players. Because of my memory for faces, I saw many people that we played with a year ago, and playing at the Bike felt like I was home again.

Amanda and I thoroughly enjoyed their company, and Luis---next time we are in town, be sure to send us the email, so we can be invited to your home game!